SPARK Teaching Philosophy: Growth Mindset and Failure
What do Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Dr. Seuss and Oprah Winfrey all have in common? Besides all being highly successful individuals, they were all failures at one point in their lives. They were all told that they would not amount to anything by parents, teachers or colleagues. But because of their growth mindsets and their ability to take risks and persevere, these people pushed forward and in turn, became famous, influential beings in our world.
Mrs. Hughes believes in challenging your mind each and every day. She believes in trying new things and working hard to solve a problem or a task that is placed before you. She believes in exercising your brain by making connections, inquiring about the world and furthering your understanding of how things work. She believes in failure and the importance of picking yourself up after every fall. Mrs. Hughes believes that a growth mindset will take you far in life and enable you to be successful.
The brain is a muscle that needs to be trained, drilled and worked. It is critical that Mrs. Hughes' gifted learners exercise their brains on a daily basis. In Mrs. Hughes' classroom, her students will learn to step outside of their comfort zones, take risks and redo designs, problems and tasks multiple times. They will do this to help teach and reinforce the growth mindset and to ensure that to fail is simply the “First Attempt In Learning.” Without failure, so many of our advancements or world leaders would never have existed. It is Mrs. Hughes' role as the teacher of the gifted to ensure that her gifted learners are provided with opportunities to develop their talents so that they can one day change the world.
Mrs. Hughes believes in challenging your mind each and every day. She believes in trying new things and working hard to solve a problem or a task that is placed before you. She believes in exercising your brain by making connections, inquiring about the world and furthering your understanding of how things work. She believes in failure and the importance of picking yourself up after every fall. Mrs. Hughes believes that a growth mindset will take you far in life and enable you to be successful.
The brain is a muscle that needs to be trained, drilled and worked. It is critical that Mrs. Hughes' gifted learners exercise their brains on a daily basis. In Mrs. Hughes' classroom, her students will learn to step outside of their comfort zones, take risks and redo designs, problems and tasks multiple times. They will do this to help teach and reinforce the growth mindset and to ensure that to fail is simply the “First Attempt In Learning.” Without failure, so many of our advancements or world leaders would never have existed. It is Mrs. Hughes' role as the teacher of the gifted to ensure that her gifted learners are provided with opportunities to develop their talents so that they can one day change the world.