Learners react to change and challenges in a variety of ways. Some learners react with excitement for learning something new and facing a different challenge. Others might react with fear and intimidation when they are pushed outside of their comfort zone. Then some react somewhere in the middle and might be apathetic or mostly unaffected by challenges. No matter what the reaction is there are some concrete ways to assist students and to guide them through their growth stages. The first is to praise and support them in specific ways. It is important not to share feedback in a general manner that is not connected to specific tasks or actions. Instead of saying, Johnny is very smart, one might consider saying Johnny the process you took to reach the answer on this math equation was excellent. This allows students to reflect on the processes and thought patterns they used to reach their conclusions.

Educators can attend things like conferences, professional development events, trainings, and workshops to continue developing themselves. They can also look right inside their classrooms to observe and learn from their students to continue this process as well.

Change and growth don’t look the same for everyone. What motivates one person to change is not always what motivates another person to change.

I have always been very motivated by grades and the ability to secure financial freedom in my future. This was enough to help me persevere and delay gratification by pursuing several post-secondary degrees. My sister on the other hand was extremely motivated by autonomy and finding her own path. She is the youngest of four siblings and always had difficulty with comparisons to the rest of us. Naturally, she moved away from taking our feedback and doing things the way that we did them because it didn’t feel like the right path for her. She’s accomplished success in her way and her timing. She did not go the path of obtaining a degree, but she found relationships and employment that brought joy to her life. She is now considering going back to school and the motivation has been securing her future, but it took her going through each stage before she reached this point. She’s grown in just as many ways while not attending university as I have while attending university. We both have learned life lessons, how to be adults, and hard lessons during our processes. Growth and change looks different on everyone.