Ann's Blog

For this assignment, I chose three cat pictures that I liked from the randomizer. (Image Information: Cat Explorer, Blogspot ) I chose this picture because I am an explorer at heart and all I really want to do with my life is explore the world and learn things.  I want to travel the world, meet people, explore places, learn about different cultures, and be able to speak many languages. I am majoring in French and I also plan on learning Spanish and Chinese within the next few years. There are many languages I want to learn after these, including Vietnamese, Arabic, Persian, Russian, and German. Sometimes I feel like I'm not very smart because I want to spend my life doing these things, but then I remind myself that you don't have to be a doctor or a lawyer to be smart and successful. Income does not equal success. (Image Information: Brave Kitty, Blogspot ) I liked this picture because I feel like it applies to my life currently. It seems like every day there is a n...

For this assignment, I watched the Sprouts Growth Mindset Animation. It was a cute, short video that reminded me what the difference is between having a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. I think this video helped me better understand what exactly having a growth mindset is and how to go about changing your fixed mindset to a growth one. The video was really inspiring and it made me realize that while I have aspects of both mindsets, I was raised to have a fixed mindset and definitely need to work on having more of a growth mindset. I have bad anxiety so I avoid trying new things, but this video made me want to change that. It also gave me an idea of what/how to teach my future students. From watching the video, I think some things I need to work on are positive thinking, reacting well to feedback, and trying new things. I thought it was interesting how the video mentioned that some job interviewers will test their candidates for growth mindsets. Now I know! (Image Information: De...

( Cat Meme : Cheezburger ) Carol Dweck's growth mindset theory is a positive teaching method that has been proven to have good results. It focuses on changing the mindsets of students so that they are no longer satisfied by receiving good grades but feel the need to constantly be challenged. This removes the constant need for validation that many people have. It is an interesting theory, one that I had not heard much of before this lesson. I read one of the articles that does not agree with the theory and I see the authors point. The theory is pretty vague and for many classrooms, it may not work perfectly. I also see how it could lower children's self-esteem and make them feel like they don't have the potential for success.  I definitely think I was raised to have a fixed mindset because my family cares a lot about grades. However, after learning about Carol Dweck, I will now be more aware of that mindset. I suspect this will have a positive effect on me. If I ma...