Being a Health and Physical Education teacher, who works mostly out of the pool area, it has been very difficult to incorporate technology into my classroom. One area I recently started teaching was a Hybrid Lifeguarding course, where half of the class is done online. My goal, after teaching this semester’s class, is to figure out better ways to get the information to the students in a way that will allow me to communicate back and forth with the students. However, being at the middle school we mostly use google as our technology source but the high school uses something completely different called Canvas. So when my students come over for Lifeguarding they have to get used to using Google. This makes it difficult for the students because they have to check two different sites just to find their work for each of their classes. It also takes away a day of teaching to make sure the students know how to use the different sites.
I would consider myself to have both mindsets however, I’m working on having more of a growth mindset. Growing up I had and still have a reading disability and was made fun of for it for most of my life. I would read slow or put words in different orders when I read out loud and couldn’t comprehend what I just read. It made me want to shut down and never figure out how to read properly. Finally, this past summer I decided that I wasn’t going to let what someone else thought of me, so many years ago, determine how smart I was or my ability to read. This past summer I read 5 books which are more than I have ever read in my entire life combined. To many, this seems like an easy task but for me, this was my “impossible”. However, if I put my mind to something there is no stopping me. I will find a way to accomplish even the impossible but sometimes we let our minds get in the way and that’s why I think I have a little bit of both mindsets.
When it comes to learning and pursuing life goals I think it is important to have all three aspects; the what, the how and the why in order to accomplish those goals. If I say my goal is to get in shape that is the what, of your goal. Well great, but HOW are you going to accomplish that goal and WHY is that a goal for you? I feel like without these questions and answers you goal is incomplete and very hard to accomplish. You basically set yourself up to fail before you even start. The how, is the process at which you plan to complete your goal. Without that, your goal is just words. The why, is very important as well because if you don’t have a good reason for your goal to take place then it becomes a task to accomplish with no meaning but to check it off the list. Goals and learning have to have reasons behind them or people lose interest.
Comments