What is a Mistake? Addressing a Disconnect

Exploring the ideas of a Growth Mindset, one of my colleagues asked her students to write a reflective journal:

"Take a few minutes and think about a time when you made a really bad mistake. Write down what happened: what was the mistake, why did you make it, how did you feel, what could you have done differently? Reflect a bit more and write down what you learned from making the mistake--maybe about what you were trying to accomplish or about yourself." 

She found this prompt online.

My Grade 9 Applied English students did similar thinking in our Growth Mindset Unit.  A few wrote about not studying for a test, telling someone a secret, and doing something and getting hurt. But most couldn't think of anything.

Is it really that hard? I can think of lots of mistakes I have made: big and small.

Small: I didn't exercise today.  I didn't make time to walk the dogs.  I yelled at one of my kids.  I had a typo on the cover page of a test. I snagged my sweater.  I wore uncomfortable shoes to work. I forgot to call my mom back last night.   I misplaced my keys (still looking for these).

Big: I loaned money to someone who betrayed me.  I lost contact with good friends.  I drove through a snow storm instead of staying where I was and got into an accident.  I stayed with a guy I should have left.  That house warming party. I didn't go to Ottawa when my best friend's baby was sick.

I learned from each of these mistakes: big and small.

According to the explanation of Growth Mindset by Dr. Maggie Wray.

Fixed mindset students... Dislike making mistakes
Growth mindset students... See mistakes as learning opportunities

I am clearly in the Growth Mindset camp.  This is our goal for students.  That they have the courage to make mistakes, and then learn from them.

But maybe we need to back up.  My colleague shared with me one student's response:

"I don't think I have ever made a bad mistake because everything I did that people said was a mistake was pretty awesome and I felt pretty good after it and I would do nothing to change it." 

We may need a common reference point to define "mistake"?  What does the student think it means "to make a mistake," and, in comparison, how does society define it. 

When I think of a mistake, I am thinking "bad decision."  I do not equate a mistake with "regret" or "feeling bad." According to one dictionary, a mistake is "An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness."  That's my understanding.

But my sense is that many students have an entirely different notion of a mistake.  I have not yet talked to my students about this, but imagine if they believe a mistake to mean "something that makes me feel bad." By extension, they might believe that a success is "something that makes me feel good."  How did they acquire this paradigm?  It becomes very difficult to grow from mistakes with that mindset.  

If these students judge their lives by acquisition of thrills and pleasures and avoidance of pain or suffering,  they will not "dislike mistakes" nor will they see mistakes as learning opportunities.  They possess neither a Growth Mindset nor a Fixed Mindset. They possess an entirely different mindset altogether.  My colleague and I will need to back up and initiate a conversation to address this disconnect so that growth will eventually become possible.  

Students Experience Real-time Digital Collaboration

When I walked out of the computer lab after my class on Thursday, I was pumped. Not only did the technology work, and not only did the links get through the prohibitive filters, but my students were excited about creating a collaborative presentation.

It helps that we have a real live audience. It also helps that we have already made connections with our audience in Wisconsin via a Skype meet and greet. My class already had the opportunity to ask their counterparts some interview questions. We also are fully aware that they will be creating a presentation about us as we create a presentation about them.

We are part of a larger community of schools participating in the Global Read Aloud Project. But today was about learning how to collaborate in real time.

The Project: Collaborate as a class to create a online presentation about Monona, Wisconsin. Complete with researched information, pictures, music perhaps, and/or video.

I went into the computer lab first thing that morning to check that everything was working: the blog wasn't blocked by our school board filters, the embedded discussion board was functioning and not requiring students to login, and most importantly the link to the Google presentation worked and allowed students to edit in Chrome (thank you to our technician who installed Chrome on all the machines in the lab last week).

With little assistance from me, most students found their way to the joint Blog and the Google presentation. They help each other figure out how to insert photos using URLs. They became excited when they noticed one of their classmates' cursors and text appearing before their eyes. Photos appearing elicited comments of "Cool! " and "Whoa!" There was definitely stresses when somebody accidentally deleted someone else's contribution or when somebody deliberately changed the presentation theme and applied it to all the slides.

It was extremely difficult for me to hide my glee when one student corrected another's capitalization and spelling mistakes.  Some of my students have acquired a track record for apathy and lack of effort. Yet, on that day they cared about each other's learning, their own learning, the process, and the product. No wonder I felt so pumped.

1st Year Teacher, Take 2: Returning to the Classroom

During these past two years as an Acting Vice Principal have been an incredible learning experience. My awareness of macro educational concerns (mental health, barriers, parental involvement, attendance, student engagement, creating a community, etc.) have moved from abstract to concrete.  I worked with teachers, counsellors, agencies, district-wide colleagues, and my Principal to develop appropriate and individualized interventions to support students. I have also become energized as an educator about new directions in education and by the PLC that I have started to develop.

Now, I have returned to the classroom teaching Secondary Language Arts. I love teaching English.  I was the Program Leader of English and Literacy for years and was always inspired by the synergy in our department.  We developed a vision for our department a few years ago that hangs in every classroom:

"As English teachers, we love stories, language, ideas, and exploration. This is a love we want to impart to our students. Oral communication, reading, writing, and media are not ends in themselves, but rather are means of discovery. Through speaking and listening, students develop a voice and the courage to use it.  In literature, students encounter timeless beauty, shared human experiences, and universal themes that can inform and inspire their future. By writing, students embark on a journey of possibilities. Through media, students learn to be a self-aware and critical audience in the information age.  In our increasingly complex world, the English Department helps MSS students become engaged in life, exhibiting confidence, thinking critically, developing courage, and demonstrating compassion."

We were reacting to the pragmatism that made literacy synonymous with language arts, that expected us to teach students to apply writing formulas.  I was moved by one of our former graduates and bought her drawing to represent the complexity and passion that we strive to bring into our classrooms.

I completely rearranged my classroom from the way it had stood by default for years.  The change was important to me symbolically, but it was also quite disorienting.  Everything feels somewhat disorienting, yet also completely familiar.  It is like coming home after a long absence. You are changed by the voyage, but there is also enormous comfort.

I had to choose what to focus on this year as I planned my courses.  My list of ideas was too long, and it was a recipe for frustration for myself and my students.  For someone who is normally very decisive, I found it impossible to narrow by pedagogical focus.  I kept my course outlines deliberately vague. Instead, I chose flexibility and responsiveness. 

That means my lesson plans are works in progress. I am not sure how I will adjust to that.

Schools and Tech: Something New in the Abyss

It is acknowledged that each teacher is on an individual journey of technology integration. Some teachers use technology sparingly in their own lives. They may be impressed with what technology can do but do not believe that the investment in time to learn how to navigate and manipulate those technologies for education are worth the possible gains.  

There are those teachers who actually are quite resistant to technology in school. They are not convinced that any gains can be made through the use of computers.  They think it is a waste of time.  Some of these resistors have done their homework and know that there is no conclusive data that proves the claim that technology integration results in higher levels of learning.  

That being said, technology such as tablets laptops cell phones, and internet are not going anywhere. Technology is vastly changing our world.  So the question isn't whether not we should integrate technology into classrooms and schools. Technology gives us a way to change the paradigm around education.  

Never before in civilization have students been able to learn 24/7. Never before have the reins of knowledge been released to the masses. Never before has it been possible for amateurs to access reams of information by the world's greatest minds and discover something new in the abyss. Never before has collaboration been so meaningful. And global. Never before has the voice of one teenager, one child had so much power.

We must decide whether students will learn because of the opportunities we give them or despite them.

Another Fad in Education?

Are we experiencing yet another fad in education?  Streaming to de-streaming back to streaming. Hooked on phonics to whole language.  Letter grades to percentages to levels. Individualized to cooperative learning. New math to new new-math.  One-size-fits-all to differentiated for learning styles recently debunked by none other than Howard Gardner ~ Washington Post, Oct. 16, 2013).  Are we in the midst of another fad?

Experienced teachers are collectively rolling their eyes as the wave of resources, money, professional development, and rhetoric brings its crushing weight down with "integrating educational technology," "critical thinking skills," "problem based learning," "global education," "authentic assessment," and/or "flipped classrooms."

Such "new" approaches to education, and their early adopters, are charged with energy. Those who are blogging, tweeting, connecting, ed-camping, and then reinventing their teaching styles find the process rewarding.  They find each other and build PLCs that transcend distance, grade, and subject. They are reminded why they became teachers and feel empowered.

New teachers graduate from faculties of education armed with iPads and determination. They enter classrooms and quickly become disillusioned by blank stares from students, skill gaps, and standardized tests. Sometimes they are encouraged by colleagues and administrators.  More likely, they find themselves drowning in the divide and trying to do it all: teach the way their more traditional mentors teach and incorporate new approaches. They lack confidence in their pedagogy, and students smell the fear.

Experienced teachers who have ridden other waves are cynical. They stick with what they know, with what they have tried and tested, with what resources they have developed.  They may substitute here and there with a modernized version of an old assessment or lesson - youtube videos instead of VHS tapes or projecting a quiz on the interactive whiteboard instead of handing out dittos. But all-in-all they expect these "new" methods shall also pass and be replaced.  They see no evidence that these methods yield better student results (the evidence is only now being gathered and is still soft). When they do begrudgingly try something "innovative" that someone gave them, it flops - and is deemed a waste of time.

However, just because something is a fad, is trending, is charged with rhetoric, does not mean that it lacks value.  What all fads should have taught us is that there is no panacea for education. Experienced teachers who want students to learn are constantly adjusting their methods, day-to-day, student-to-student, year-to-year. They seek ways to make content relevant and to help students engage.  They respond to a changing world in the best way they can.

The world has changed immensely in recent years.  The proliferation of the internet, mobile devices, and computer tools will not pass in time. It can be a great opportunity for educators to maximize student learning. Yet this world is completely overwhelming even for the best-intentioned educators (including me). Each of us needs a focus that can guide our decision-making, evaluate our effectiveness, and help us determine next steps.

I am not choosing particular tools, methods, or fads to guide me.  I am carefully considering the question "What should I do next to help my students become capable learners in this new world?"

So far, my answers are:
1) Talk to them.
2) Figure out this new world for myself.

What else can I do to help my students become capable learners in this new world?

Culture of Learning: Creating Trust

Semester One just ended and the paper recycling bin are brimming with discarded notes and projects from completed courses.  Well-intentioned students tab and organize binders for the new course line-up.  Well-meaning teachers reinforce these fledgling organization skills with clear expectations and periodic notebook checks.  Sugar coating.

The best definition of learning I have encountered:

There are three components to the definition of Learning:

1. “Learning is a process, not a product.”
   Exam scores and term papers are measures of learning, but they are not the process of learning itself.
2. “Learning is a change in knowledge, beliefs, behaviors or attitudes.”
   This change requires time, particularly when one is dealing with changes to core beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. Don’t interpret a lack of sea change in your students’ beliefs or attitudes immediately following a lesson as a lack of learning on their part, but instead, consider that such a change will take time – perhaps a few weeks, perhaps until the end of the term, or even longer.
3. “Learning is not something done to students, but something that students themselves do.”
   If you have ever carefully planned a lesson, only to find that your students just didn’t “get it,” consider that your lesson should be designed not just to impart knowledge but also to lead students through the process of their own learning (Ambrose 2010:3).

We assume that when we teach, students will try to learn.  This is not usually true.  When we teach, some students try to cooperate… regurgitate… trust us… compete… pass… and excel…  Most students do not actually try to learn. Thus the grade nine math student complacently says, "I don't get it, but I am passing."

Schools are trying (within their outdated model) to create an authentic culture of learning.  At the same time, these same schools are working to create an inclusive environment and feed students and provide emotional support and so on.  School are called upon to try to be all things to all students, as well as ensure students acquire knowledge and skills.

How can teachers and administrators create an environment in which sustained learning and growth are realized?  Research on the adolescent brain definitively states that teens learn when they personally engage (emotionally invested, physically interacting, and intellectual solving problems) while supported by clear behavioural expectation, feedback, and responsive explicit instruction. What does that look like in reality?

Individual Goal Setting: By Secondary School, students know where their weaknesses are.  Engaging in frequent, honest dialogues to ascertain curriculum related needs (prior knowledge, skill deficits, readiness, etc.) that will move the student forward requires trust. But with small steps and responsive instructive and feedback, students will start to believe that they can learn and that the classroom can support them. Goal setting dialogues can grow to long-term and life-long goals as trust builds.


Quality over Quantity: No longer a perpetual production line of tasks, students can focus on extended projects that allow time for investment, depth, feedback, revision, and re-teaching. There is a time for intensive practice, when this strategy will build confidence and competence for the student. Again, honest dialogue, trust, and student ownership are paramount.

Student Ownership:  Giving students a voice in what and how they learn content and acquire skills is crucial to create meaningful learning. This will be a gradual process because many students will not trust our commitment, and others will not know where to begin.  Students need to be guided as they learn to exercise choice.  They need to learn how to discover their interests, how to ask great questions, how to formulate a personal plan, how to identify their own learning needs, how to evaluate resources, and how to assess their own progress.  We need to teach teens how to own learning.

What Gets Celebrated, Gets Repeated: The annual student awards, the honour roll, scholarships all recognize marks.  It is time we start to reward the learning. Casual recognition of staff or student learning in conversations by unexpected teachers and administrators will shift school culture towards learning.  Celebrating student projects in progress will generate excitement. Actual plaques, trophies, and certificates for evidence of significant, innovative learning will place value on learning - not marks.

A subtle but significant culture shift is happening in pockets of education. We will start to regain the trust of students as we emphasize authentic learning over marks.  More and more teachers and administrators want to be a part of moving schools away from the production line model, and they will lead the way in restoring meaning into the education system.

"Mechanical Pencils": Finding Balance between Basics and Forward Thinking

Our school is launching an Ad Hoc Committee to plan our school's technology needs.   Jokingly or not, someone responded, "Mechanical pencils!" A few chortled at the response, and then we moved on. But the question remains.

When parents, community members, and business leaders express their woes about education, the back to basics concept is held up as a holy grail: Arithmetic, Reading, Writing, and perhaps Vocabulary, Spelling, Manners, Life Skills, and Penmanship.  I am not even sure I disagree with them,  Of course I want my children and students to be able to multiply in their heads and print legibly.  There must be room in 14 years of schooling (from JK to Grade 12) to ensure some degree of competence in such basic skills without compromising the rich, meaningful, personalized learning that has become the ideal in today's education.

I believe that we could find agreement among stakeholders about what basic skills are non-negotiable in the learning process.  In fact, many schools are developing exactly that: a "Non-negotiable" curriculum for each grade (Common Core in the US and Non-Negotiables in the UK). An infographic that captures such trends was compiled from a survey by Education Week. The danger of course is that a "back to basics" approach will fall into a "drill and kill" pattern, with some children falling short of mastery.  What about the value of student-centred exploration, project-based learning, interdisciplinary connections, differentiation, choice, and personalization?

Excerpt, "Teaching Well-being in Schools" from pioneer in Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, full article can be read here.

First, a quiz: 

Question one: in one or two words, what do you most want for your children?If you are like the thousands of parents I’ve polled you responded, “Happiness,” “Confidence,” “Contentment,” “Fulfillment,” “Balance,” “Good stuff,” “Kindness,” “Health,” “Satisfaction,” “Love,” “Being civilized,” “Meaning,” and the like. In short, well-being is your topmost priority for your children. 

Question two: in one or two words, what do schools teach?If you are like other parents, you responded, “Achievement,” “Thinking skills,” “Success,” “Conformity,” “Literacy,” “Math,” “Work,” “Test taking,” “Discipline,” and the like. In short, what schools teach is how to succeed in the workplace.

Notice that there is almost no overlap between the two lists.

Yet parent would not want the so-called academic skills abandoned and often do not trust approaches to teaching that differ from the way they were taught.

The pendulum swings back and forth, and we need to find a balance.  Parents want their kids to come home excited about what they are learning.  Students who want to learn are more apt as pupils.  As long as we work from a belief that all kids can learn functional skills (barring neurological impairments) , the expertise of the teacher and school should be harnessed to recognize and facilitate students' personal learning readiness, providing an environment where all can thrive.

So, it is not a balance between back-to-basics (i.e. mechanical pencils) and innovative methodology (i.e. student blogs) that we need.   It is immersion in both, where each provides fuel for the other.