Who Am I?: Learner, Mindset, and Assessment
Myself As a Learner:
In the early years of education, I portrayed more of a fixed mindset than a growth mindset. I kept the ideals of a perfectionist and desired to be more intelligent than my peers. I didn't look at learning as growing in knowledge but instead as being the best. My competitive drive outweighed any other feelings towards learning. I wanted to be noticed for my abilities and reach all accomplishments without the effort of having to put in extra energy or work hard. In some aspects, I was successful. However, in others, this mentality was my biggest downfall.
My first encounter of "failure" appeared in early onset reading comprehension issues. I could read fast and finish books at the same pace as my advanced peers but I struggled to absorb the content. As a result, I was placed in a lower reading group and quickly learned the emotions of not being above average. I began working at home with my mom and received one on one tutoring from my teacher. I remember exhausting the practice of every read aloud activity. I would recite sections of books and summarize the content once I finished. At first, I faced frustrations as I couldn't remember the plot and would have to reread the same sections. I felt irritated and angry at the repetitive extra practice both at home and in the classroom. However, I began to see results. I not only enhanced my ability to comprehend, but I also became more interested in the novels I indulged in. Due to my newfound interest in reading, my comprehension not only improved, but skyrocketed in terms of things I was capable of digesting. I learned the power of working hard and realized regardless of my initial skill set, I was capable of reaching advanced proficiency. Third grade was my turning point in both foundational education skills and personal mindset.
Mindset Survey:
When I took the test to evaluate my mindset of learning in terms of fixed and growth, I received an 80 percent. In fractional terms, a score of 24/30. Meaning, I am categorized as someone with a strong growth mindset. I would acknowledge these results as both accurate and a reflection of my learning journey in both the past and future to come. As a growth mindset would say best, there's always room for change.
Given the results, it shows there is still room for improvement in regards to the way I view ability and reachable goals. 20% of my brain still falters towards the fixed mindset that consumed me at a younger age. Although it is easy to pretend you have fully grown past your previous setbacks, that is not the case for me. I still have hints of perfectionism and parts of me that push myself to unreachable heights. However, I think these scores are a visual of the growth I have made in how I view learning and ability. I now not only see but seek critical feedback. I constantly surround myself with new learning experiences to push myself in categories that I struggle with. I have learned to nurture the subjects I falter in rather than shy away from them. Of course, I still fall back on my skill sets that come natural to me and it's easy to become frustrated towards the content I struggle to comprehend. However, I have learned a balance between both learning and GPA that is strongly reflected within my mindset score. There is always room for growth and I hope to continue my journey on reaching the ultimate optimistic mindset for both my personal well being and my future student's success.
In order to infiltrate these positive mindsets in my future classroom, I must first begin with myself. I have began seeking things that I am passionate about to put my interest of learning new content above my desire to succeed. I have learned that the more I push myself in directions I enjoy, the greater my mindset grows. As a result, I have began my journey with learning about things I am passionate about. Correspondingly, I grew to love the feeling of getting smarter. I found connections and communication enhancements in being educated in more conversation topics. From here, I have began studying things that don't interest me. For example, taking a geography class regardless of my distaste towards the subject. This class showed me that even when targeting my weakest areas, I can still be successful. From here on out, I have spent a majority of my college experience finding the benefits, rewards, and satisfaction of learning. In the end, leading me to the interest in becoming an education major to ensure these same mindsets in future generations.
In order to instill this mentality in future classrooms, I aspire to emphasize the ability for intelligence, talent, and skill sets to change. In order to create the proper mindset, students must be rewarded in a way that targets their hard work rather than their abilities. For example, recognizing growth rather than initial understanding. Furthermore, I want to minimize the use of groupings within my classroom. Rather than focusing on advanced, average, and below average, I plan to avoid the categorization of my students. As a result, I hope to reach a classroom atmosphere that seeks personal development rather than the competitive or perfectionist mindsets to be the best.
