I have a confession to make. I have never actually kept a blog. Not a 'real' publicly accessible one where people I knew would read it. Why is this? Because a small, insidious voice inside my head whispers things like, "who would want to read anything I have to say?", "anything I write about, someone will have already written before... and better", "what if people judge me?" and "I don't have time to write one anyway". I expect my students to take a risk, try new things and keep practising until they feel comfortable, and even confident, at doing whatever it is I've suggested. I say things to them like, "come on guys, fail forward!", "F.A.I.L = First Attempt In Learning!", "You can do it! I believe you can!". I try to do every activity they do in class so they see that I do "practice what I preach". "So what is my deal with blogging", I wondered?
I quickly googled Carol Dweck's work on Growth Mindset to self-assess: There it was. Clear as day.
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/09/24/never-too-late-creating-a-climate-for-adults-to-learn-new-skills/ This reflection took me back to a post I read a while ago about professional growth mindsets. Do we practice what we preach, and model what we expect in our students, with our colleagues? The post reminded me that:
The thing is, I have read many blogs, including blogs about blogging (very meta), as well as research about sharing your thinking with others, utilising a network to enhance your professional growth, and more. I do know how good this could be for me. I just need to shift my thinking. And so here it is: I am going to learn in front of you. I am going to blog on here for you all to see. BUT... I am also going to ask for a first follower... Someone to join me on here and share a post in the next couple of weeks. It can be about anything you're interested in. If you like, we can collaborate on a post. Who knows... we may start a movement! ~Rowan Taigel
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June 2019
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