What are the popular trends in education, which is the best suited for the students to good growth and worthy for their career?
In Elementary education: 1. Having a Growth Mindset instead of a Fixed Mindset 2. Differentiation...Finding successful ways to deal with the fact that there is usually a 3-5 year difference between the reading level or math level of the highest achieving student and lowest achieving student in a classroom. 3. STEM 4. Technology used in the classroom with 1:1 devices 5. Lots more depending on the school, district, or state.
The secondary education list looks very similar to the elementary one. Growth Mindset Teaching in a 1:1 District Trauma Informed Teaching Closing Instructional Gaps Due to Covid Losses Closing Instructional Gaps Due to Disabilities and Socio-Economic Levels
We've gone to a co-teaching model this year in order to push small group instruction. We've got trauma-informed teaching training scheduled for after winter break. RTI is being talked about, but not really implemented. At the secondary and post-secondary, UDL (universal design for learning) is a trend getting pushed.
Growth mindset might be on the way out. There is little support for it in the research literature. A recent meta look at the studies showed most supportive investigations were flawed and biased. "When examining the highest-quality evidence, the effect was nonsignificant. We conclude that apparent effects of growth mindset interventions on academic achievement are likely attributable to inadequate study design, reporting flaws, and bias." My own goal is to help student embrace high expectations for themselves.
Anecdotally, I’ve seen growth mindset be a powerful motivator for students to reach for higher expectations of themselves. My class this year has a lot of learned helplessness, probably partly from COVID schooling. 3rd grade has had very little normal school experience, and everything feels so hard to them. Encouraging them to have a growth mindset, to be ok with the discomfort of new and hard things, to keep trying so things get easier and their “brains get stronger” … it’s an immediate change in their attitude toward tasks. I remind them that it’s ok if something is hard right now, because we’re still learning and it’s new, and they’re so much more determined to keep trying and recognize when something clicks and makes sense.
I really don't see a downside to Growth mindset. I haven't heard anyone dislike it except for the poorly done PDs that teachers are often required to attend on the subject. I don't know of anything that has more hindered people that I know from succeeding than their Fixed Mindset. Often they believe they stink at something forever and there is nothing they can do to improve. These are the saddest stories I have ever seen in my life. I am sure that like many things in education, growth mindset has probably been so poorly taught and implemented that its effects could be minimal. This shouldn't lead to Growth Mindset going the way out, but instead its lousy methods should be replaced with far better ways of teaching it. Despite being a fierce advocate for Growth Mindset, I nearly fell asleep in the horrible PowerPoint slide show PD on Growth Mindset that I attended with my colleagues. I am sure few of us got anything out of it.
So true. Many students have come to feel failure as their comfort place. They need to see there's more choices.
Elementary: Science of Reading is EvErYwHeRe. Not that its bad- but everything is being looked at through that lens now. PBIS Trauma informed Closing Covid gaps Brain Breaks (Go Noodle)
I think that trauma-informed care is indeed very important now. The more I read about it, the more I'm convinced. But the educational sphere is changing, and I think I need to find out more info first. And now I have such a chance because I'm working on a paper about it. It's actually not the easiest thing to write about it, but I do my best, and I also used help of https://edubirdie.com/ with one part of the writing because it was too hard for me to find related information. But this thread provided me with some ideas, and I think now it will be easier.
I TOTALLY agree on the value of trauma-informed teaching. The human brain can shut down higher functions when triggered the wrong way, leaving a child or teenager (OR adult) unable to respond but only to react. If you haven't read The Body Keeps the Score, I strongly recommended. Timely topic for me. I'm attending an online "train the trainer" seminar tomorrow with the Crisis Prevention Institute.
Thank you so much catnfiddle for that book recommendation. I miss all of the books and resources that use to be shared on this site. This site really could make a difference in helping educators grow in their profession.
Playing as the professor for one day is also a good choice. You give him a subject to prepare for, and for a lesson, he has to teach the class on that matter. This is super effective, but it only works if the kid is responsible enough
