Engaging Literacy Learning

Devloping a Growth Mindset in Yourself and Your Learners

What is a growth mindset? This latest trend word in education is actually nothing new- it is based on decades of research on achievement and success by Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology. It may not be 'new', but it is 'ground-breaking'.

"Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck- a simple idea that makes all the difference.

In a FIXED MINDSET, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence and talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success- without effort. They're wrong.

In a GROWTH MINDSET, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work- brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

Teaching a growth mindset creates motivation and productivity in the worlds of business, EDUCATION, and sports. It enhances relationships."  (www.mindsetonline.com)

So, in a fixed mindset intelligence is static. Ina growth mindset intelligence can be developed. It seems so obvious why we would want to develop this mindset not only in our learners, but in ourselves also. We want our learners to believe in themselves- what better way to develop this? We get sad as teachers when our learners think they can't do something when we know they can if only they believe and try- enter growth mindset. If we are teaching this mindset, modelling it, and using the appropriate language, we will naturally develop more confident and resilient learners.

One simple way to change our thinking and develop a growth mindset in ourselves and our learners, is to change the way we talk about learning;

Instead of Saying...	Try saying...
-I’m not good at this	-What am I missing?
-I’m awesome at this	-I’m on the right track
-I give up	-I’ll use some of the strategies we’ve learned
-This is too hard	-This may take some time and effort
-I can’t make this any better	-I can always improve so I’ll keep trying
-I just can’t do maths	-I’m going to train my brain in maths
-I made a mistake	-Mistakes help me to learn better
-She’s so smart, I will never be that smart	-I’m going to figure out how she does it so I can try!
-It’s good enough	-Is it really my best work?

Because I am busy working on the development of my own growth mindset (because my intelligence/ learning is not static!) this blog post is to be continued.....

Building Positive Relationships with Students

Building positive relationships with children is, I believe, my greatest strength and quality as an educator. Being a sensitive and empathetic person by nature can be challenging at times, but ultimately it makes for excellent relationships and communication skills. I have the ability to pick up on things others may miss, and I can relate to people from all walks of life. I have learnt with maturity and experience how to reign in my sensitivity/ empathy to allow me to fulfil my role professionally and not affect my own personal life. This is a battle for all teachers I know- if a student or family is having a rough time- you are naturally worried and concerned as a teacher/ educator. I have the ability and personal skills to feel and relate, but maintain composure and professionalism at the same time. I am proud of this as I know for a fact that not all people are able to relate to others to the degree that I can, and build such solid and meaningful relationships. If it weren't for those particular abilities of mine, I'm not sure I would be in education. OFCOURSE, my TEACHING, PEDAGOGY, MANAGEMENT and STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT are all HIGHLY IMPORTANT, but, I would argue that all of those things come second to relationships. What good is it having all the appropriate pedagogical knowledge, or knowing the curriculum inside out, if you cannot build positive relationships??? The wellbeing and happiness of students must be first and foremost (in my opinion), because success in learning is really not possible without it.
SO, what are my top tips for building positive relationships?

-CARE- really, truly care. If your heart is not in it- teaching is not for you.
-CONNECT- find out about your children- go beyond what they are like in the classroom setting- what makes them tick? What do they do outside of school? What is their home situation like? Show your students you have a genuine interest in their lives- because, if you don't, once again this is not the career for you.
-COMMUNICATE- this may sound obvious- but do you really talk to your students? Do you talk beyond Saturday's rugby game or their latest piece of writing? It's the personal conversations that really build deep connections.
-CONCERN- do your students know how much you care for them? Do they know their well being is your top priority? You need to show this through your words and actions. I tell my students what they mean to me. I also show them by watching their games, their shows, competitions, spending time with them if they are in a crisis. Actions speak louder than words and relationships go beyond classroom walls.

"Miss Huls is always asking us how things outside of school are going. She speaks like she cares. She speaks to us respectfully." Year 6 student- male.

"She always makes sure that everyone is OK and on track with our work. She is a very nice person. She is very welcoming and loves animals and bringing them into the classroom. She always asks me if I'm OK and says nice things about me, I know that she cares about me." Year 6 student- female.

"She is positive and puts in a lot of effort to do nice things for us." Year 6 student- male.

My Leadership Philosophy

In the teaching profession, leadership takes on many shapes and forms. We are all learning leaders in the sense that we lead others learning and should also be modelling ourselves as lifelong learners. I constantly share my own learning with my students-
1. so that they realise I don't think I know everything 
2. so that they can see me as a learner
3. so that they have the opportunity to teach me

We are also naturally leaders in our communities. We role model to our students purely by accident. What use would there be "telling" your students to respect one another if they then saw you behaving in a disrespectful manner in the community? I believe we MUST 'walk the talk' and 'practise what we preach'.
Then of course there is leadership within school staff. Being a part of a leadership team for the past three years, I have learnt many things. Most valuable, I believe, is the understanding of the BIG difference between being a manager and a leader. It may sound obvious! Management= telling people what to do/ using words. Leading= showing people what to do/ actions. We all know the saying 'actions speak louder than words' and it seems so appropriate when it comes to leadership. The main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people follow them while managers have people who work for them. Being in a leadership position does not make your opinions or ideas any more valuable than others- in fact, in leadership you should make even more of an effort to HEAR others opinions and ideas. This is an important aspect of leadership as a good leader inspires others to share their ideas and opinions, and makes sure they feel valued.
In one of my leadership course sessions, we were asked to come up with a definition for leadership- this is what my group defined leadership as;
"Leadership is communicating a vision, and inspiring others to activate it collaboratively. Leadership is guiding and mentoring others on the journey and reflecting along the way."

 

 

As the diagram above demonstrates, a leadership position involves aspects of management. The management is the data gathering, paper work etc, the leading is all the parts that involve people.

 

So how do I carry out effective leadership whilst still learning myself? I think the answer to that is the same as modelling yourself as a learner to your students. An effective leader is an active learner, not a person who thinks they have all the answers.

I think this passage from Murray Fletcher's (University of Otago) leadership course is incredibly important;
"I place emphasis on being ‘authentic’ or ‘true to yourself ‘ as you lead. You can do this by utilising different strategies and skills in different contexts/ situations without being someone who is not you. There may be a different you growing as you gather experiences."

I believe it would be very difficult to inspire anyone without showing genuine authenticity and remaining true to yourself. An inspirational person in any context, is usually someone who has originality of thought and expression, and someone who is not easily swayed by the latest trends. As I develop my leadership skills and experience, I aim to remain true to myself and keep my core values at the forefront. When asked by Murray to define our core values in one word- I chose RELATIONSHIPS.

 

Welcome to my teaching blog!

Kia Ora and welcome to my teaching blog.

My name is Becci Huls and I am a teacher at St Joseph's School in Oamaru. I have been teaching for approximately nine years, three of those here at St Joseph's. I have taught from Years 0-8 throughout the South Island. My particular passions in education are based around student wellbeing, dynamic and vibrant literacy programmes, and integrating art into the curriculum. I consider the wellbeing of students the top priority of my "job", as it is very obvious to me that an unhappy or disengaged student is not going to learn or reach their full potential. I place huge importance on the relationships I develop- not only with my students, but their whanau, my colleagues, and the wider school community also. My drive to create and maintain a safe, nurturing and engaging environment is what keeps me going! This year I am putting a significant amount of time into study- I am currently working on my second Religious Education paper (working towards a Diploma in Religious Education) and a Certificate in Mathematics Teaching through the Open Polytechnic. Being a lifelong learner and continuing to grow and develop your practise is vital as a teacher in the 21st century. Currently I am the homeroom teacher to a Year 6 class, working in a hub of three teachers and 90 years 6, 7 and 8 students. We are on a learning journey to create ELS (Engaging Learning Spaces) in a traditional setting. I am using this blog as a record of my professional development, appraisal documentation and to meet the Practising Teacher Criteria.

I will post thoughts and experiences on this home page. I hope this blog may be of benefit or even a source of inspiration for other New Zealand teachers.