Learning and
Growing
 

          Before starting this Program, I never realized how changing my mindset changed my whole life. In my growth mindset blog, "Unlock the Yet, Unlock the Mind," I wrote about the time I was encouraged to change my mindset by a children's event. At the time, I didn't realize it was going to affect my whole life, but it did. Through my growth mindset, I started to see different ways I could learn to do things I previously thought I would never be able to do. I was also able to see that my failures only showed all the ways I could increase my learning. By seeing these things in myself, I also started to see them in my students.

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          My whole Learning Manifesto changed not only for how I learn but also for how I hope to help my students learn. I found that learning with my hands meant everything to me in school, and I saw that my students don't often have that option. Through a STEAM Club, I hope to reintroduce them to that aspect of learning and give them a taste of the enjoyment I have had in the COVA (Choice, Ownership, Voice, Authentic) learning experience.

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          The ADL Program gave me a Choice in my learning, Ownership of what I do with my learning, and showed me that I could use my voice to express my learning. By making my Innovation Project something that is truly important to me—STEAM Learning—I have been able to experience learning that was Authentic to me. Through my STEAM club, I hope to give my students a choice in what we focus on. I want them to be able to take ownership of their learning through either creation or competition. In the STEAM Club, I want them to know that they have a voice and can use it by encouraging and supporting them when they are learning. By giving them ownership of what the focus is, I am hoping to give them a learning experience that is authentic to them. There are going to be failures, and there are going to be things that don't work. In that, I am hoping to show them that our failures are there to teach us. I can't do it on my own, though.

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          In my short blog, "Learning Networks: Growing Together," I pointed out how my life changed by changing my mindset. It is my hope that teaching my students a growth mindset early in life will make them successful both in academics and in life. Using the resources listed in that blog, I will pull from educators around the world to find what way of learning will work for my students, to help them in their Academic Learning and Emotional Growth.