Growth Mindset in Learning & DevelopmentIn past training classes I have led, I have come across at least a few employees who demonstrated a fixed mindset. Each time I encounter this, I must pay special attention to it to determine how and when to intervene. Every person I train is unique, so having the same approach each time doesn’t always seem effective. My first effort to develop the growth mindset within my trainees is to start the class with expectations. There is no expectation for perfection. There is an expectation for mistakes. I expect them to make different but not identical mistakes because I need to see them grow from their original mistakes. Throughout the class, I make references to “you’re getting there, but not yet” as a way to encourage someone to be on the right track within the learning curve and they will reach the objective goal soon. Getting deeper into the class, I get to know my trainees more at an individual level. It allows me to gauge their trajectory in navigating challenging problems that will arise on the job and how they may respond to them. If I see responses that will not serve them in their position, I pull them aside individually and talk more about their progress. First, I ask them to self-assess what is working well and what could be better. Then, I give them my assessment in connection to theirs with the next steps. This is where I talk with them about their mindset and alternative ways to approach their position. Feedback going forward is then tied into this initial session to indicate if they are growing from their original mindset or unchanged. I have come to terms with my profession, that I cannot win them all. The best analogy for this is to illustrate that I am their coach, and they are the players in a basketball game. As their coach, I can give them the best strategies and support their growth to the fullest extent, but at the end of the day, I cannot put the basketball in the basketball hoop for them. They are responsible for taking that shot. I have experienced many wins in cultivating the growth mindset within my trainees but also some losses. Trainees who are not receptive or coachable to my feedback typically do not stay in their position for more than six months. Our work environment demands a growth mindset to be successful in the Financial Aid Advisor role. Trainees who internalized and applied my mentorship reached top performance within the Financial Aid Advising team. The most rewarding part of my job is not necessarily the ones who came into my class with a growth mindset. It's the coachable ones who turned their fixed mindset into a growth mindset with my mentorship.
This plays into a new perception of grades. Two graded assessments in my class require 80% or higher to be considered passing. Many trainees feel anxious the moment they realize there are graded assessments involved in the class. To address this, I let trainees know the assessment reflects only what they will be doing on the job, which is the only focus of the training. There will be nothing on the assessment that hasn’t been reviewed and practiced in training. Because the nature of their jobs does not require memorization, nor does the assessment. Ultimately, the assessments are a checkpoint for them and for me to identify what we can refine and improve before transitioning out of my class. This approach has worked well. Survey results from past classes have shown that my assessments are not easy but not over-challenging. It is the right level to mirror the job being entered into. Beyond training, the assessments have also shown that if less than 80% is scored, the transition for the trainee will be much more challenging. Therefore, additional mentorship and coaching are recommended for trainees who score less than 80% to support a successful transition. Once trainees understand that grades are associated with their development and determine if additional support is needed, they focus more on the learning than the grade. The growth mindset instilled through class expectations, ongoing feedback, and coaching sessions sets the stage for grit. Angela Duckworth references that grit is about having a long-term commitment to the ultimate goal and consistency in getting there (TED, 2013). My training class lays out the foundation of having grit using the growth mindset. However, I started noticing turnover was still happening on the Financial Aid Advising team, which prompted me to dig deeper. After talking with the trainees' direct managers, I found a gap in direct managers being inconsistent with my approach to encouraging the growth mindset. The direct managers were more results-oriented in their discussions with the trainees, which dismissed the means of how they got the job done, so long as it got done. This approach deteriorated what I had built, shifting the focus to a fixed mindset, leading to poor work quality by trainees taking shortcuts to get the results. This, of course, puts the department at a compliance risk. To solve this problem, I created a Growth Mindset Plan for our department, aligning the direct managers with the new hire training provided. Having a plan to execute the growth mindset in various functions properly prevents the misuse of grit (working hard for the sake of working hard). The Growth Mindset Plan still honors the objective of getting results, but results are delivered in high quality to keep our department within compliance so that we can continue operating. Having a growth mindset is a start, but it is not enough. One person with a growth mindset is great, but the growth mindset's real effect occurs when an entire environment actively participates (Dweck, 2006; Harapnuik, 2019). The environment strongly influences maintaining or breaking down the growth mindset. Dweck (2006) discusses diagnosing Enron's downfall, which stems from a fixed mindset and a top-down approach. An organization’s leadership sets the standard for what mindset is being encouraged. Sisk et al. (2018) found that active controls are needed throughout an organization to foster a growth mindset for it to have a positive academic achievement outcome. Although this research discusses academic achievement, I believe the same applies to corporate environments where employees must have performance achievements. That’s why creating my Growth Mindset Plan had a much stronger effect of having all the leadership on board to practice it versus only being practiced within the training class. The growth mindset offers many benefits, but is it what we must strive for to practice and promote as educators? There are gaps in what the growth mindset can offer. Harapnuik (2021) mentions that the growth mindset does not offer solutions for creating learning environments necessary for academic achievement. Kohn (2015) identifies concerns that a growth mindset does not create solutions for an effective curriculum and limits student support based on effort alone. To combat the limitations of the growth mindset, the learner’s mindset fills in the gaps by creating significant learning environments by giving students choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning experiences (CSLE+COVA) (Harapnuik, 2021). Harapnuik (2021) suggests that if we introduce the growth mindset to our students first, they become more receptive to adopting a learner’s mindset. From there, we can branch out by encouraging our students to be curious, explore, and discover how to learn so they can reach a learner’s mindset. References:
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House. Harapnuik, D. (2019, April 5). How to grow a growth mindset. It’s About Learning. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=7955 Harapnuik, D. (2021, February 9). Learner’s mindset explained. It’s About Learning. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8705 Kohn, A. (2015, August 16). The “mindset” mindset: What we miss by focusing on kids’ attitudes. Alfie Kohn. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/mindset/ Sisk, V., Burgoyne, A., Sun, J., Butler, J., & Macnamara, B. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704 TED. (2013, May 9). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8
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The Relationship of Intrinsic Learning and the Learning EnvironmentThe learning environment set by the teacher is the main component that inspires intrinsic learning. Within my corporate work setting, I have seen this in both directions. Before our restructuring, my colleagues were oriented to encourage professional growth. I had done some research from various reports and recommended that we work together to cultivate a learning environment. Collectively, we worked to stay aligned with one another to create a learning environment together beyond training. It was wonderful to watch the learning take place within the team. Everyone was quick to ask questions, reflect on an encountered problem, and dive deeper to identify how they could solve it.
Unfortunately, some restructuring occurred, and we lost two key leadership colleagues. A new Associate Vice President was brought in and has not been aligned with our learning environment. We are witnessing employees hiding away from their questions and being apprehensive about completing their work for fear of making mistakes. Our environment became fragmented. This is why I am very passionate about the impact learning environments have. To truly inspire intrinsic learning, learners need to have psychological safety within their environment to openly ask questions without judgment and explore deeper for better understanding. While the teacher is the main creator defining and designing the learning environment, everyone plays a part. What to Change and What to AddRecently, I have felt a rush of ideas come to mind when building my ePortfolio. While my coursework has been getting published online, my creative sample work was missing. I added a new category in my menu called “Sample Work.” I plan to build pages within this category, showing my fluency of skills in different software and creative ability. So far, I have added a sample infographic I created in Canva and two animated videos I made using Vyond. This is just a starting point for me. I plan to add more work samples in the coming months. My objective is to have someone who wants to learn about me come to my ePortfolio and be able to gauge my skill level and maybe even learn some ideas on how to improve the learning experience for working professionals.
In addition to adding my creative samples, I want to make my About Me page more sophisticated by detailing my achievements and career goals. Adding a section for someone interested in collaborating with me and another section to view my resume seems relevant in building up my About Me page. Some other items on my mind to update on my ePortfolio are updating the favicon icon that shows in the browser tab and adding an option to sign up for my blog. I am also exploring how to do more customized features to make my ePortfolio more reflective of who I am and how I want it to be presented. Building my ePortfolio has given me a voice to express my skills and reflections within my professional life. Harapnuik & Thibodeaux (2023) talk about how when a student has a voice, they can share their ideas openly in all their forms (verbal, written, video, podcast, etc.) and have a space to articulate their reflections. Showcasing my skills gives me a voice to prove I have tangible evidence to stand by what I say I can do. Writing reflections in my blog has helped me share what I am exploring and also what I am experiencing as a professional. Reference: Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA: Inspire learning through choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences (2nd ed.). Learner’s Mindset Publishing. Moving Toward Progressive ChangesInquisitive LearningBeing inquisitive is an essential component of the learning process. This is genuine interest and a willingness to learn. To help ignite curiosity within my training, I incorporate hands-on training that gives my trainees autonomy to explore, analyze, and solve real case files. Because they are intimately involved in creating a real impact on the students my trainees are serving, they ask many questions to understand better the “why” behind what they are doing. Additionally, when their progress is measured through audit checks, more questions are often asked to level up their skills to score a clean audit review. Macfound (2010) remarks that gaming is a big part of learning because students want to understand how to improve their scores. Digital LearningOur department works primarily remotely, so digital learning takes up a large space within their position. As the trainer, I help a new hire acclimate to learning in a digital environment. Trainees often have different backgrounds in their digital fluency, so I need to hone in on those needing more coaching to help them adjust. Establishing an easy-to-follow structure helps trainees acclimate to a digital learning environment quickly. I restate learning expectations on their first day and walk them through their digital resources. The digital learning environment is established first to launch them into digital learning for their training. I have found that keeping it simple is the best way to inspire trainees to see what I am doing, follow along with me on their laptops, and think to themselves, “I am getting it.” Formal and Informal LearningThe first three days of my training program can be dry. I inform trainees to expect this before moving to the next level. I call it dry because it is packed with fundamental information trainees need to equip themselves before they can start working on real cases. I like to think of it more like when you pick a character in a video game, you must learn about your character's abilities and how to use them. Once you are aware, start playing the game and test your character. This is why connecting formal learning to informal learning is important. Trainees become aware of the fundamentals (formal) and then explore the real application of the fundamentals (informal). Macfound (2010) mentions that students need a baseline for their learning before applying what they have learned. 20th-Century VS. 21st-Century Learning21stEducator (2009) describes key differences in 20th-century versus 21st-century learning. Based on 21stEducator (2009), 20th-century learning is disengaging, lacks student autonomy, and is teacher-centered. 21st-century learning challenges the status quo, requires knowledge application, and is student-centered (21stEducator, 2009). After learning more about 21st-century learning, its approach is more forward-thinking to help learners make meaningful connections within the learning process. Preparing Learners for Changing EnvironmentsTo help me focus my learning environment on the learning and prepare my trainees to experience and adapt to changing environments, I emphasize the importance of being resourceful and organized in my class. This includes creating an adaptive notetaking system and strategically organizing information. Our field, Financial Aid, changes yearly with regulations and guidelines. Additionally, our internal policies and procedures change frequently. Having an adaptive notetaking system and organized resources helps to prepare trainees to thrive in changing environments. Organizational MindsetAfter hearing more about the TEDx Talks (2013) journey of interviewing 60 schools across the United States, I realized that mindset greatly influences whether or not a school is heading toward being more progressive. This was reflected in TEDx Talks (2013) good news when describing one school that would say they could not solve a problem and another school already solved the problem the other school was stuck on, but when they solved that problem, they ran into a new problem. When enough people with a growth mindset within an organization come together, they can find ways to break through the “red tape” and start implementing innovative strategies to spark transformation. References:
21stEducator. (2009, April 2). 21st century education vs. 20th century education [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg Macfound. (2010, December 1). Rethinking learning: The 21st century learner | MacArthur Foundation [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw TEDx Talks. (2013, March 21). What 60 schools can tell us about teaching 21st century skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g Fink's Taxonomy in Course Design
This way, a roadmap is created for the student to understand how they are meant to navigate in reaching the final destination of the course. For example, Harapnuik (2016) explains how he uses Fink’s model with BHAG to help students reach their learning destination. Fink’s taxonomy for designing courses that ignite meaningful connections is a well-planned and thought-out approach to course design. Unfortunately, much of the education system is not focused on connecting dots so much as collecting dots. Seth Godin emphasizes education as more of a checklist, one-size-fits-all description instead of helping students make meaningful connections within their learning (TEDxYouth, 2012). I believe our education system falls prey to this because it is easy. The instructions are simple. Here is the information. Memorize this and return it to me to verify you received it. This approach avoids making meaningful connections. The student cannot interact with the information and lacks critical thinking ability. Helping students make meaningful connections involves exploring and applying the information through deep learning activities. Within my learning journey, I actively seek out and explore new ideas, strategies, and concepts that will add value as I foster a significant learning environment. While much of my learning is independent, I enjoy working collaboratively in groups to build a higher-quality learning experience. I regularly challenge my learners to take the lead and be creative to solve problems they identify on the job. For example, earlier today, I had an employee come to me with a problem they identified, ask me what they should do to fix it, and allude to that I should fix it. My response was for them to propose a solution to the problem they identified to the leadership team. I regularly challenge the team to take ownership of their work and use this to document achievements in their career. The employee’s inquiry prompted a deep reflection on my training outcomes. While I am not the direct manager for most of the employees I train, I am acutely aware of the learning mindset challenges that can be instilled within the work environment once my trainees transition into their roles. I believe this is largely influenced by how they are managed outside my training. As this issue is being raised, I am actively exploring how I may want to redefine my learning outcomes in my training to help employees continue taking ownership when they are no longer under my direct guidance. This empathetic approach is crucial in understanding and addressing the challenges my trainees face. To improve the design of my course, I plan to apply Fink’s taxonomy. This will help me communicate more definitively and clearly with my trainees. It will also help me troubleshoot and reassess my courses' design by ensuring my learning objectives, activities, and assessments are aligned and connected (Fink 2003). In doing so, my training courses will become more effective in achieving my BHAG. References:
Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. University of Oklahoma, 27(11), 1-33. Harapnuik, D. (2016, June 16). Mapping your learner’s journey. It’s About Learning. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6420 TEDxYouth. (2012, October 16). Stop stealing dreams: Seth Godin at Tedxyouth@bfs [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc
The content can include your professional standards, how you have successfully met those standards, and highlight your personal beliefs. Links to different pages or blog posts within your ePortfolio should be embedded and connected to your content. For example, when I write my compilation post at the end of a course, I write it as a blog post with links embedded throughout the post that lead to pages on my ePortfolio to not only talk about what I have done in the course but also show it. Bringing all these ideas together, it is important to recognize that your ePortfolio is not necessarily a statement of “Look at how great I am,” it is about putting your ideas out there to be challenged by others who can contribute to your learning and development (George Couros, 2012). Going beyond George Couros's (2012) suggestions, I reviewed various examples of ePortfolios. Looking at other ePortfolios helped me identify specific content and design choices I would like to include and avoid. Some ePortfolios had an immense amount of content on their first page. It was too overwhelming for me to choose where I wanted to place my focus. I aim to keep my layout and content simplified and intuitive to navigate. The minimalist approach is more aligned with what I want to construct. Another observation I made was the accessibility of connecting with the ePortfolio creator. Some ePortfolios have a popup that immediately appears when you visit the website. In contrast, others have a “Connect” menu option to inform you of options you can communicate with the ePortfolio creator. This feature is something I may want to include in more detail in my ePortfolio. For now, I suggest connecting with me through LinkedIn. Some ePortfolios include the kind of work the ePortfolio creator participates in and the work they are willing to be hired for. This caught my interest as well, so I am contemplating including a page that details some of my work history and the work I am currently interested in doing. Sampling other ePortfolios has opened my mind to how you can construct one for yourself. The options are limitless, depending on how you want to tell your story. Many of the ePortfolios I reviewed have had years of being updated and modified. Through my learning journey, I can only expect the same for myself through the years. References:
George Couros. (2012, October 4). Blog as Portfolio #leadership20 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4C69Lrpk1E Learning the Ropes
I decided to create an About Me page. My intent with my ePortfolio is to showcase my work and talk about my professional experiences. Within the About Me page, I created a summary of what I am most passionate about and a project I am working on within my career. Further, below the page, I have listed some of my key accomplishments, and below that, I have some core skills along with how to reach me via LinkedIn.
For my next class assignment, I was asked to start my blog. Since I had never set up a blog before, I used the help resources in Weebly to do so. It was not as difficult as I originally expected. My first blog post was a Contribution to My Learning and My Learning Community. This was the first self-assessment I needed to complete for my Master of Education in Applied Digital Learning. I will have more self-assessments as I progress in my program. When my program is finished, I can read these self-assessments to see how my learning has progressed from when I started the program to where I graduated. As time progresses, I actively write and post new blog posts about my learning, work experiences, and professional reflections. A few of my favorite blog posts are 7 Tips for Self-Development, Changing the Status Quo of Education, and The Benefits of Networking. I do enjoy the reflective aspect of writing blogs and being able to articulate my thoughts. Depending on what I am writing about, I will post a link to my post on my LinkedIn page for others to view. With the volume of blog posts I write, I have learned to add my blog posts to specific categories. This makes it easier to organize and refer back to specific blog posts I previously wrote. In addition to writing blog posts, I have become comfortable designing my menu. My goal is to have a simplified look and intuitive navigation. What helped me accomplish this was adding pages from a category on my menu bar. For example, my Innovation Plan, Growth Mindset Plan, Learning Manifesto, and Learning my CSLE are under my Course Compilation category in my menu bar. As my learning grows, my ePortfolio grows as well. It has become expansive, with new pages, posts, and weekly modifications. I like how moldable it is. There are always ways to move things around and reorganize while new items are added. My future goal is to start including production samples to showcase my work further. I am still reflecting on how that will look, but more tangible work will be posted for public viewing within the next 6 months. Creating Significant Learning Environments by Giving Students Choice, Ownership, and Voice, through Authentic Learning ExperiencesA reflection of COVA: Inspire Learning through Choice, Ownership, Voice and Authentic Experience
Harapnuik and Thibodeaux (2023) mention that the educational system was originally designed to accommodate the Industrial Age. Unfortunately, this system is incompatible with our newest era, the Information Age. CSLE + COVA shows more promise in being compatible and adaptable for our current and new eras by equipping learners with the ability to handle problems yet to come. Teaching learners how to learn equips them with the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills needed to make significant changes outside the classroom. Developing students to make significant changes outside the classroom encourages creativity and innovation needed to solve problems that may not yet exist.
When integrating CSLE + COVA into the learning environment, it is important to watch for pitfalls that infringe upon any components. All the components are necessary to achieve the intended results. Harapnuik and Thibodeaux (2023) discuss some best practices to avoid failure of COVA, such as putting oneself in a learner's mindset and preparing students for life outside of the classroom. The learner’s mindset challenges people to change their thoughts about learning as something that is perpetual. It also encourages the perspective of change and challenges to be viewed as learning opportunities. When the focus is on preparing the students outside the classroom, authentic learning is introduced to students. Teachers must also focus on being the classroom facilitator instead of performing lectures for student memorization.
In my training class, applying CSLE + COVA comes with ease. This is largely due to the autonomy I am given to manage and design multiple training programs. However, my challenges lie outside my training class. I often reflect on how I can preserve CSLE + COVA when newly hired employees transition out with their direct manager. One idea I have been reflecting on is incorporating ePortfolios for employees to build, design, and create. Employees can use their ePortolios to document their accomplishments and achievements. This can benefit the organization by encouraging innovation, which can position the organization to better compete and adapt within the industry. Even as the employee grows in their career, they can take their ePortfolio with them, giving them ownership. My idea still needs some roughing out to take form. With more reflection, ePortfolios in the workforce may have a significant impact on learning and development for employees. References: Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA: Inspire Learning through Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic Experiences (2nd ed.). Learner’s Mindset Publishing. Guidelines on having Ownership of Your ePortfolio
To promote ownership of the ePortfolio, students need to follow guidance rather than step-by-step instructions. In this way, students will reap the benefits of revealing their learning journey and identifying their learning milestones as they work to create their ePortfolio (Harapnuik, 2015; Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023). In this way, students become subjects of their learning (Watters, 2015). Furthermore, students should own their domain. This makes it their own to carry the ePortfolio with them outside the classroom and continue to apply its use to their liking, such as documenting their learning, academic research, showcasing their work, and creating social networks (Watters, 2015).
Reflecting on this, I have considered applying ePortfolios to the workforce. I do not have all the details figured out yet, but I am entertaining the idea of ePortfolios being used to cultivate a learning environment for employees. Through coaching and mentorship, employees would be encouraged to build their ePortfolio to document their accomplishments and house samples of their work. It could encourage creativity and motivate employees to upskill themselves. Coming to work no longer becomes just a job. It becomes a challenge to change the status quo, experiment, and innovate. I will continue reflecting on this to determine how ePortfolios can be applied in the workforce while preserving ownership of the employee’s ePortfolio. References: Campbell, G. (2009, September 4). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/9/a-personal-cyberinfrastructure Harapnuik, D. (2015, May 26). Making Meaningful Connections in an ePortfolio. It’s About Learning. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5790 Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA: Inspire Learning through Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic Experiences (2nd ed.). Learner’s Mindset Publishing. Watters, A. (2015, July 15). The Web We Need To Give Students. Medium. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://brightthemag.com/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d97713713 Learning at the Next Level
From my own experiences, here are 7 tips for developing yourself.
1. Connect with a Mentor
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About the AuthorTraining is my true passion. Seeing another person grow and develop from my coaching and support brings me great joy. Empowering others to be successful in their roles, gives me purpose in the work I do each day. Archives
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