Somehow I feel we have lost sight of what learning is. When did it become all about achieving results? Did we not start learning the minute we were born? Every minute since our birth, we have been constantly learning, constantly making mistakes, constantly making adjustments and refining what we know. What would have happened if we gave up after falling over when taking our first steps? A silly notion really but we certainly did not give up on achieving our goal – we persisted until we achieved that goal. However, our learning did not end there! Did we then not learn how to run, jump, and hop?
Over the years I have seen students who focus on the end result, what grade they will get, who they are better than and how easy it was. Then there are those who struggle and persist just as they have learnt to do from birth. They thrive on the challenges they face and strive to solve problems in unique ways. Which students do you think make the better progress?
I have been inspired by Carol Dweck’s ideas around Growth Mindset as well as Guy Claxton’s Learning Powers. There is something in both of their views that ring true to me. It resonates around the process of learning and not the end result. It is the student who learns to focus with a positive attitude when faced with adversity that will achieve in life. They are doing what they have always done and do not give up once a result has been achieved. They are constantly reflecting on the process of their learning and constantly making adjustments, or improvements if you will.
Learning is not work. Nor is it a chore.
Learning IS continuous! It is all about process and requires persistent struggle.
Learning is developed through what Guy Claxton refers to as the four R’s: resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness and relating to others. Carol Dweck defines that skills can be developed through effort and hard work while embracing challenges. Both believe that feedback is fundamental in identifying areas to improve in order to know themselves as learners. Setbacks are opportunities.
Should learning be rebranded? I believe it can and must. The focus should not be solely on the student, but on families also. Teachers can only do so much to encourage the process of learning. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. This battle is not with the parents or the students. The battle lies in our attitudes towards learning and what is rewarded: grades or process? Until we make headways with this argument, I am uncertain we can we can change the heading of education. What I can do, is change the way learning is viewed in my classroom.
For me, I am rebranding learning for students to value the process of learning greater than the grades they receive. I am rebranding learning so they are actually learning, not just working. Learning that celebrates the mistakes made and the possibilities of many solutions. Here’s hoping it will make a difference to the students in my care!
Passionate-Teacher 