Julia's Blog

       The fifth chapter of The Growth Mindset Playbook by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley discusses how failure can lead to a path of success in the classroom. Some of the most outstanding achievements are discovered through continuous failure and resilience. The author uses Thomas Edison and his success in lightbulbs to compare how failing can be viewed as a way to find out what does not work. This can solely be achieved by operating through a growth mindset. If teachers work with a fixed mindset, it will only make it more difficult to help students through the learning process. To overcome this barrier, the authors recommend that teachers challenge themselves, which will relate to students because they are immersing themselves in struggle. Educators should normalize struggle and failure because it will aid them in developing strong characteristics like grit, resilience, and perseverance.     The authors explain how to implement struggle, “The first...

It is vital to provide many ways for students to receive an education, whether in person, virtual, or hybrid. The article, ADA Compliance for Online Course Design by Sheryl Burgstahler, discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the meaning of accessible and accommodation, strategies and tips for making online learning accessible, and the benefits of accessible design for individuals without disabilities. The article mentions that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that IT be accessible to individuals with disabilities. This is important because all students deserve a fair and equal education, which now involves the adequate usage of technology. This article defines accessible by using the Office of Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Education, “Means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effect...

          With the addition of technology in classrooms, there are guidelines in place that teachers should follow that will help guide them through online learning. The article,  Distant Learning Do’s and Don’ts  by DataWORKS Curriculum dives into the do’s and don’ts of distant learning. The author recommends strategies that are effective for distant learning or virtual classrooms. The do’s mentioned in the article include guiding students through concept development and skill development, having clear learning objectives, communicating consistently through one online tool, and utilizing student feedback on the workload, preferences, and pace. The don’ts of the article involves the following: avoid unstructured lessons, avoid activities with no clear learning objectives, avoid using too many online resources, avoid repetitive activities and homework assignments, and do not use new tools that can lead to technological difficulties until the teache...

          In the fourth chapter of The Growth Mindset Playbook by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley, the authors discuss metacognition and its application to the learning process. It encompasses the idea that teachers letting students struggle productively is a good thing because it will force them to plan, strategize, and evaluate. The authors define metacognition by saying, “It can be better described as understanding and having control over the higher-order thinking processes associated with learning, such as planning, strategizing, and evaluating progress” (Brock and Hundley 56). This displays that students must constantly apply these concepts to make the best of their learning experience. To be successful in this matter, the students must develop a repertoire of strategies and techniques for overcoming their limitations. Persistently reflecting on how these strategies work and adjusting them is fundamental for improvement.       ...

     One way to incorporate active learning into the classroom is through a flipped classroom. The article, Flipped Classrooms by Harvard University explains this method. The authors define it by saying, “A flipped classroom is structured around the idea that lecture or direct instruction is not the best use of class time. Instead students encounter information before class, freeing class time for activities that involve higher order thinking” (Harvard University). This displays that a flipped classroom utilizes students to go over material independently, allowing the teacher more time to interact with the students during class. There are some benefits listed in this article, such as students can learn at their own pace, students learn rather than encounter material in class, increased collaboration, and much more. This method is best utilized when teachers plan how to use the class time before looking for instructional materials. The article breaks this method down into...

          The third chapter of The Growth Mindset Playbook by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley discusses brain training. Helping students understand that the brain can improve through studying and hard work will help them acknowledge that their brain has the ability to grow. The authors explain how the brain develops by stating, “When we learn something new, our neurons send signals to each other through neural pathways to carry out the task. The more you work on the task, the faster the signals move through the pathway. If you stop doing the task for a prolonged period, the neurons will move more slowly” (Brock and Hundley 44). This displays that the more you practice something, the better you will become; however, it will be more difficult to progress if you do not practice as much.      In addition to this, the authors explain brain plasticity - the ability of the brain to change over time. This is an important concept to teach studen...

         As technology is becoming more accepted into school curriculums, there are new strategies to help implement it into the classroom. One of those is blended learning. The website Pros and Cons of Blended Learning by Karle Stinehour goes into depth about the pros and cons of blended learning. The author defines it as, “A term used to describe the way eLearning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent study” (Stinehour). It is a way of differentiating material for all learning styles. A pro listed in the article is collaborative learning experiences because it can increase the collaboration between students and the instructor through an online training platform. Another pro is increased accessibility because it improves access and the students' attitudes towards learning. The next pro is better communication because an online training platform utilizes many communication tools. The last pro listed is successful evaluations w...

          The second chapter of The Growth Mindset Playbook by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley discusses the importance of building positive relationships in the classroom. There are many options for teachers to implement in their classes to make connections. An example from the text explains how a teacher uses a special morning routine in his classroom. He engages with the students one by one with their own handshake. This helps build a relationship between the teacher and the student because it shows that the teacher is interested in more than just schoolwork. The other options presented in this chapter include; morning check-in, “all about me” bags, agreements, Q and A, personalization, and positive messages. All of these encompass the meaning of building positive relationships with students. The authors extend on this topic by saying, “An advantage of taking the time to develop positive relationships with your students is that when the time comes to ha...