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Mr. Moreno's Growth Mindset
A New Culture of Learning Reflection
The main core of the teachers is to create a context to cultivate imagination, creativity, and inspire learners to connect their passions to the things they need to learn. However, this goal is unattached to traditional education; more frequently in economically disadvantaged communities with high percentage of recent immigrants and minorities. Where students come to school with malnutrition, emotional issues, academic gaps, and language barriers. New comers are placed in a regular classroom without a proper transition. In programs that are not developmentally appropriate to their reality.
On the other hand, schools are pressured by the State to meet the requirements of the standardized tests, frequently ranking in D or F. This type of pressure limits the creativity, the innovation, the motivation, and the curiosity of students and teachers alike. Teachers are frequently training in the TEKS to pass the standardize tests with 45 or 90 minutes classes daily. Reviewing the TEKS to reteach concepts with the only objective being to pass the STAAR test. Also, teacher’s evaluations depend of this goal, and the administrations as well. Those teachers with the high percentage passing rate in the standardize test are label as “the best teachers.” Not taking into account how engaging a class is or how the students develop their creativity or their digital innovation.
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Under these circumstances, it is important to create a balance and smooth transition with different levels, between a new paradigms of digital education and traditional education in a very complex world. This requires consistent steps in the process to evaluate the effectiveness in different communities. Which includes proactive teachers and administrations that move on the right direction to orient students to their world. Promoting a collaborative workplace environment to empower learners in different levels with constant experimentation, innovation, and creativity according to each individual learning style, anywhere, at any time. The incorporation of the community in their new culture of learning is very crucial. Because, it is more difficult to create it without family support, especially in disadvantaged communities.
As a regular 6th grade math teacher in a title I, Middle School with a high percent of recent immigrant students. I believe in the importance of implementing a new learning environment that harness the intelligence and eagerness of the students. Accommodating new practices of digital application in “regular classes” and after school enrichment digital programs.
The observations of the students growth mindset in the “Techies Club” demonstrates that students in an informal instructional setting are in different levels and some of the students need more coaching then other. They have different objectives and tendencies. Some prefer working independently, some prefer working in groups, and some cannot focus on working on their own or in groups. These students need more support, more motivation to be responsible and to understand the important to their own learning. However the level of collaboration has increased in this informal and natural learning environment.
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The implementation of diverse opportunities or “Free Libre Open Source” (FLOS) to scholars allows them to pursue and follow their calling in a natural way. Leveraging apps on the iPad helps scholars explore and discover new areas along their growth mindset journey. The FLOS creates a collaborative digital environment. The club menbers follow their own agenda from a list of choices such us Swift playground software, coding Spheros BOLT, design apps, craft digital drawing, compose digital music, or record video-clips. This implementation has incremented and maintained the number of members in the “Techies club” versus the previous two years. Learners are engaged in their own path, learning from their mistakes with no fear, using their imagination, helping each other, and resolving the community challenges in authentic learning opportunities.
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Many students in the school, specially boys are immerse in unproductive video games, such as “Call of duty mobile”, “The king of fighters 2002 Ultimate Match”, “Rooftop shooters”, and “PUBG Mobile”. While the “Techies clubs” members are engage in coding, dysign prototypes of apps to help the community, compose digital music, art, and animations. This is a clear evidence that when we give the opportunities to the title I school students, we can cultivate minds and empower learners. Because they have the same potential as in Sam’s story with “Scratch” and “Gamester Mechanic.” (6)
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The strategies of the FLOS can be implemented on regular classes where communication, collaboration, and different learning styles empower students to learn from each other and from their own mistakes. Where the digital culture of learning offers possibilities for imagination and challenges in a natural way in order to thrive in a world of constant changes. Middle school students need to understand and internalize that they are responsible for their own learning in a new model of thinking in an interconnected global way. Teachers and administrators also need to understand that education requires a shift in our understanding of the learning process. Taking place outside of the traditional school that keep us learning, growing, and exploring, questioning, and imagining. As part of our daily life with unlimited access and resources to learn about anything.
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In short, we need to figure out in each community culture, how to create the right new learning environment, in order to change the old ways. To cultivate the minds of our children for their world, the world of their future.
References:
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3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U&feature=youtu.be
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6) Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown. A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the
I magination for a World of Constant Change 1st Edition
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