Growth Mindset Plan

 

A mindset is a powerful tool in the journey towards achievement and success. As educators, we must be committed to a growth mindset in order to truly improve our practice and help redefine and transform the learning experience for students. Virtually every person in the world has combinations of fixed and growth mindsets at various times. It is vital that we design a plan that will help us achieve a growth mindset in whatever path we decide to take on in life. 

My personal goal at this time is to grow as an effective instructional leader by defining and improving the blended learning experience for the students of Uvalde CISD. In order to do this, I will follow the four steps defined by Carol Dweck and commit to three additional key action steps. These action steps are relevant to me and my personal goals as they address the issues that I hope to grow the most in, creating a collaborative culture, improved data-driven instruction practices, and helping others as an instructional leader. In my work as an instructional leader, I will constantly promote and model the concept of "yet" to help others see the power in the growth mindset. This plan will help me stay on track towards my goals with a constant commitment to evolving and growing. I hope that the COVA learning model will continue to help me develop and expand my skill set as I move forward.

Since initially creating this plan, I have gone back to make some improvements for clarity. I included modeling and helping others, data-driven instruction, and collaborative culture in my plan because these are three components of my professional work that I hope to improve upon. If I can grow in my ability to model the concept of "yet," then I can help build the capacity of the teachers and leaders I work with. This will be a challenge in the world we are living in today, but I have already started to promote the growth mindset and the power of "yet" in my job and the results have been rewarding. 

For data-driven instruction, I have included this in my growth mindset plan because it is the core of the work I do as a Blended Learning Specialist. When looking at data, it is easy to get discouraged and feel defeated, but as I have begun to approach this with a growth mindset, it has been easier to encourage those around me to do the same. For example, I met with a group of teachers this semester for a collaboration training, and I hosted a session on the power of "yet." The teachers in this meeting all shared how much better they felt about the work they are doing and why it is important to stay the course and continue to grow. Data-driven anything can be frustrating, but this strategy also give us so much power to differentiate with students. If I can continue to build my capacity to model DDI and learn as much as I can about best practices associated with it, I can help my district grow and improve. 

A collaborative culture is a topic that I included, because I, personally, struggle to delegate. I LOVE a great collaborative environment, but I know that I need to improve in my ability to build that collaborative environment as a leader in my job. I know that a growth mindset with this goal is going to be key and I want to do all that I can to be the best support I can be for the teachers, leaders, and students that I serve. 

Ultimately, I want to be a digital leader in my district. I feel confident that I have done a lot of work thus far to get to where I am and that others seek me out as a resource and I LOVE that. But, I would be silly to think that my work is done. I want to be known for innovative ideas, a positive growth mindset, and building a culture of ownership and student agency. My growth mindset plan will help me get there. 

You can view my personal action plan below. 

Reference list:

Dweck, Carol S.. (2008) Mindset :the new psychology of success New York : Ballantine Books.

The graphic above was made on Canva.com.