2. Is there a sport or activity you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t because you believe you would not be successful? What is the activity and how could you start to learn it?
3. Does your joy in competition come from competing your hardest or from winning? Do you take losses really hard? Why? What do losses say about you, your ability, or your image of yourself?
1) Whether you are a teacher, a coach or both you have the ability to either cultivate a fixed mindset or a growth mindset in your students/ athletes. If an athlete or student thinks that their natural ability/ talent is perfect, that they don't need to put in work or practice then once they experience a setback or loss they will feel defeated. Example from the book being John McEnroe. He thought that his natural talent for playing tennis was enough to keep him at the top of his field. However as he started to lose matches instead of thinking about working on things he was struggling with he would blame his loss on circumstances. Now if a student or athlete views a loss or setback as a learning experience and in return pushes themselves to get better or work on something they are struggling with then they have a growth mindset. A great example is Michael Jordan, who as the book stated had his fair share of losses, and things he struggled with when it came to playing basketball. The difference though being that Jordan viewed his weaknesses as something he could work on and improve upon. In doing so he became the greatest basketball player of all time.
ReplyDelete2) When I was in high school there was a part of me that wanted to play basketball but I was afraid I wouldn’t be as good as the other girls who played. Even though I had went to a basketball camp at the high school during my 6th grade year and had a blast at it, did really well too. I did end up playing volleyball in high school and I loved it. I think If I wanted to try playing basketball now (which I don’t cause lets face it that is a lot of running lol), I’d probably start practicing the basics.Then join an adult basketball league or team to help push me and to motivate me to keep working on my skills.
3) When it comes to a sport joy comes from both competing my hardest and winning. Pleasant Hope first started a volleyball team when I was in high school so I decided I was going to try out. I made the team and soon fell in love with the sport. Since we were a new team playing against schools with teams who’d been playing together forever needless to say we were an underdog. Even though we lost a majority of our games that first season I wasn’t discouraged. I knew that everyday in practice I gave it my all trying to be better than the day before. Then on game nights I always left the court knowing I gave all I could to that game. However as the seasons started to go by our team improved, I got a taste of what winning was like and then losing felt horrible. Especially if we lost to a team I thought was “not as good as us.” Instead of focusing on the fact that nothing had changed, I was still giving my all, I became more fixed minded. Thankfully that didn’t last long due to encouragement from the assistant coach and I went back to focusing on what mattered which was doing my best.
It is amazing what a little bit of encouragement can do when you feel down on yourself. I am glad that you had a great coach to help you get through a tough spot! I wish I would have been brave enough to do team sports, but I was always afraid I wouldn't be good whatever sport it was.
DeleteReading this chapter really wants me to find words to help encourage students to want to find an artistic growth mindset. Too often students believe that either they are good in art or they aren't. I think everyone has artistic ability, they just have to find the right medium.
DeleteTeachers are a lot like coaches. Like coaches they teach the “game”, encouraging their students to do their best and keep trying when things get hard. During library we discuss what is needed to become a better ball player, practice, and that is also what we need to do to become better at reading.
ReplyDeleteAlong the sports avenue I have tried a few that I never really even wanted to thanks to my husband. We have gone scuba diving and snorkeling together and have had lots of fun. But for an activity that I would pick on my own it would be more along the fine arts line. It would be fun to take an art class. They do have classes in Springfield it would be something fun to do this summer!
I don’t think of myself as a competitive person. Especially with other people. But maybe with myself. Whenever I start a project I want it to be perfect. If things don’t work out I keep notes so that next time I can improve.
We should plan a PHES paint night sometime this summer!!!
DeleteI agree Robin! I would love a paint night, even though I have no artistic skills it could be fun. I am not a competitive personal either so painting would help me push myself to learn something new!
DeleteI have said something several times about having a night where all teachers make a clay pot one time and then a month or so later, get back together to glaze it...
DeleteI think growing artistically with collegues and friends is a great idea. I would love to take that paint class too.
DeleteI used to do the "make a wreath" class offered at the high school. We always had a lot of fun...sometimes the fun was just enjoying co-workers outside of work!
DeleteKaren, I appreciate you sharing about doing activities with your husband. I think it is interesting that people who are competitive are not always interested in competing, and vice versa.
DeleteI love that you are interested in pursuing fine arts as well. I came from a sports oriented family so when my brother and I pursued theatre and art some family didn't value it as much as if we bounced a ball. I would love to make an art project with all of you!!
DeleteTeaching and coaching are very similar in the fact that we push and encourage students to reach their full potential. Both coaches and teachers teach strategies to develop essential skills and growth mindsets. We encourage practice and even competitiveness to reach for and master skills. Examples in the classroom are sight words, independent reading time, spelling, and rocket math.
ReplyDeleteAn activity that I would like to pursue is volunteering at a retirement/nursing home facility. After retirement, I would like to take a couple of classes pertaining to enrichment activities for the elderly. My lifelong goal has been to open my own facility for the aging baby-boomer population. Another activity that I want to accomplish is to restore my grandparents cabin that my grandpa built at the lake. Some of my best memories are from the times spent with my grandparents. Time is the only thing that is keeping me from starting it.
Does my joy in competition come from competing my hardest or from winning? Oh, I LOVE to win!! But in all actuality it is the competition that is really the fun part. I don't take sporting losses or fun competitions too hard. But, I do tend to take personal competitions (goals) that I don't meet hard and many times stress or over-analyze the outcome. Through a lot of reflection, analyzing, and stress I usually develop new plan to meet goals.
Kudos to you for having a heart for the elderly...that is not one of my strong points! I have always thought it would be fun to restore an old home, as well, though I don't have a family home in mind to do so.
DeleteI am with you I love to win!! My family is VERY competitive. I don't like to lose but, I am nothing compared to them.
DeleteTeaching and coaching are similar because we are pushing our students/players to a certain goal. We provide them with positive feedback and critique them on how they can improve. If students or players who have a fixed mindset don’t feel like they can improve then they will stop trying and quit whatever they are working on. If we have students and players with a growth mindset they will push forward with whatever is getting in their way either by studying or practicing.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would love to try is softball, my husband is on a team in Springfield and I thought it would be fun to try. He has tried to help me before but I always run away when the ball is coming. I would love to practice more and get good at batting, it would be nice to help him out when they are short person. I think it takes a lot of work and encouragement from your peers.
I am not really a competitive person unless it is with myself. At MSU I always pushed myself to get As, it took a lot work but I was very proud of my accomplishments. If I did poorly on an assignment I did take it out on myself most of the time, I would always tell myself I could have studied harder.
I was the same way in school, hard on myself if I didn't do as well as I thought I should have.
DeleteTeaching and coaching are very similar because we are pushing the students/players towards a certain goal we want them to meet. We help them practice to get better along the way for the big game or assessment. We give them feedback along the way to help them to know how they are doing and what needs to be different to help them to improve. I feel like students and players with a fixed mindset are much more likely to give up if they are not doing well. Those with a growth mindset will be willing to take what you have told them and keep practicing to push forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a sports person and have never really liked them. I do however feel that I would like to get to where I could run, not just walk, to work on health. My best friend has always been a runner, both track and cross country and I could never keep up with her no matter how hard I tried. I think I just need to get a partner to work with me and work towards a goal and then I could do it. My sister was never a runner either, but she did a 1/2 marathon a couple of years ago, so I know that if I work hard like her, I can do it to.
I do like competition. I'm very competitive with myself to do better and would am hard on myself when I know that I didn't do as well as I could have. I do like have a goal to work towards and meeting it. It's not always about winning with me, but doing my best. Winning is always fun though.
Jennifer, I have walked with you and you have a fast pase. I have seen your step count. You are already on your way!
DeleteFast pace not pase. Published too fast!
Delete1. Teaching and coaching are similar in the fact that both teachers and coaches set expectations for students/players. Both push their students/players to work towards their full potential. The difference between teachers and coaches is that teachers can only do so much to get students to respond. Students have to have intrinsic motivation and want to grow cognitively. Coaches can bench and/or cut players who choose not to be a team player or those who simply don't have enough talent to be on that particular team. A student's/player's mindset does help their drive to succeed. Those who continue to practice and work at getting better, usually do.
ReplyDelete2. I have always wanted to take cooking lessons. I can follow a recipe, but I would love to know instinctively what flavors work well together. Time is always an issue, but during the summer, I would like to find some low-key cooking class that would boost my confidence so I wouldn't be afraid to try new things.
3. I think the type of competition determines whether or not it is an enjoyable experience. If I am competing in something for which I feel confident in and I lose, I probably will be pretty bummed. However, if the competition is something that I am in for the experience, I will probably enjoy just being a part of it. Losing wouldn't be a big deal for a competition for which I have a strictly "growth mindset".
After my 9th grade year, actually playing on the sport teams was just not what i really wanted. I knew I wanted to be with my friends and go to all the games and be a part of the team without being a player. I found that solution by becoming the official scorebook keeper for girls sport teams in my school. I was still treated like a member of the team. The joy of watching my friends and their willingness to include me in there success and failures kept me a part of the team and competition. What I still longed to have. I found other ways to be a competitor that gave me a solid work ethic in working hard, winnning/or failing.
DeleteI would love to learn more about cooking as well! My husband is good at seeing a recipe or idea and then making it his own by putting in whatever he thinks will taste good, but I pretty much stick to a recipe because I don't know much about how to come up with cooking ideas on my own.
DeleteDon't you guys think men are sort of wired to compete more? We are also probably bigger babies when we lose. Good thing I never do.
DeleteHolly I love that you want to improve in cooking. My mom was the cook in her house from a young age so she taught me the basics, but didn't know about fancier forms of cooking or combining different ingredients that would complement either. I found I learned the most from my first few years living alone in a small town and so my evening were spent watching food network. I used to hate to cook now I love it except after school when I'm exhausted. I have been trying to learn a lot of 30 min meals and crock pot/ make ahead meals. Maybe we could share ideas we find!!
Delete1. Teaching and coaching are very similar. We , the teaching staff, are our students' biggest fans and cheerleaders. All pushing them to push on even when assignments are hard. We root for them even if they do not get the result (win) they set out to get. And we celebrate big when we see our students win/achieve in the big game and soar through assessments and asignments.
ReplyDelete2. 5th thru 9th grades I was a 3 sport athlete, but I lacked the guts to play softball. I love watching the sport but a bad experience trying to catch my first pop up ruined it for me when the ball landed smack on my nose. I could not get over the fear of the ball. I let my fear of the ball put me in a fixed mindset and convinced myself i could never play the game.
3. Everyone likes to win, but as long as you do your best in any competion against others or with yourself to do better than before and give all you can and continue to work toward your goals then you are a winner and successful in whatever you do.
It is all too easy to let fear hold us back. I've let it hold me back from trying new things before as well.
Delete1. Teaching and coaching are exactly the same in my opinion. The biggest difference is that students are required to be at school, whereas kids are typically not required to be in sports. A big part of both coaching and teaching is motivation. Getting the best performance possible and getting maximum effort is a huge part of both occupations. They are also similar in that they are both authority figures and hold great influence, good or bad, on kids.
ReplyDeleteMindset would affect athletes and students alike in a myriad of ways. My second graders’ attitude for the day determines how much they will learn. If I can somehow condition them to self-monitor and adjust their thinking about a certain task to be a more positive thinker, then I have done my job. There is a TON of learned helplessness in my current group. It is hard to unlearn a bad attitude, but for coaches and teachers alike, we have to somehow convince kids that it is ok to fail, and it is even required to succeed.
2. I’ve always wanted to learn a new language, but I never have. It is such a humbling thing to start at the very bottom. It’s not that I don’t think I would be successful, it’s just that I know it would be time consuming and if I don’t keep it up, I will lose progress if I stop for a while. It’s actually the same attitude I have about jogging. Several times in my life I have got to the 3 miles mark and then quit. I don’t really want to run a marathon, but I would like something to mark the accomplishment. Anyway, what is this therapy? Id like to learn another language, bottom line. Adios.
3. My joy in competition comes from winning! I do recognize that I am a sore loser. It’s not that I cry and complain if I lose, but I’m not a happy loser. For example, I love golf whether I win or lose, but enjoy it way more if I stomp whomever I’m playing.
I think I would like to learn to not compare myself to others professionally. I desire growth in my teaching, but there are times I fill a little insecure. Too many awesome teachers in our school I guess!
We do have awesome teachers and you are one of them! I can relate to your joy of winning. I have been known to keep playing a game until I have a win!
DeleteI totally agree with the "I am not a happy loser" Love that!! I am right there with you.
Delete1. Teaching is similar to coaching in that teachers encourage students to be their best and put in the most effort they can, just as coaches do with their players. If an athlete or a student is discouraged about their abilities, their performance is probably going to suffer. When we feel as though we aren't good enough or think that others view us as inadequate, it causes us to lose focus on the task we are supposed to accomplish. Therefore, we don't perform as well as we could if we were more confident in our abilities and positive about our ability to grow.
ReplyDelete2. I guess an activity I have wanted to try but thought I might not be good at is golfing. My husband loves to golf, and I would like to go with him sometime, but I'm not very athletic and have terrible aim! I am okay at putt putt, but that's as far as I've ever gone. My husband would be willing to teach me, so I should just go for it sometime (after finding the money to play, haha!).
3. Though it sounds a bit lame, I am pretty competitive at board games and card games. Not the loud, in your face kind of competitive, but more of an internal competitiveness, if that makes sense. I love to play games I am good at, but often won't attempt board games I think I might not do well at or games I have played poorly in the past. So when it comes to games, my joy in competition comes from winning. I don't get outwardly mad when I lose, I just don't enjoy the game as much. How ridiculous of me, right? I don't even really know why I care...it's not like it makes a difference in the long run! Losing says absolutely nothing about me as a person. I guess I should quit caring so much and just enjoy the game!
1. I think that coaching and teaching are similar in that in both you are teaching essential skills needed to perform. Some will be driven enough to continue pursuing accomplishment in these skills on their own, however some will require more encouragement when they do not show as much promise or talent as the other students or athletes. A coach and a teacher's attitude may either make or break a child's desire to succeed.
ReplyDelete2. I always wanted to star on Broadway as a singer and leading actor. I loved the stage as a teen and even in college I did some small skits for church, but I never wanted to leave home. I knew in order to pursue this dream I would have needed to be so much more talented than I am and I would have to move far from the people that I love. If I took extensive vocal lessons then I may be able to improve to the point where I may have been able to land some small roles.
3. It depends on the activity if I get more joy from knowing I worked my hardest or from winning. If I know I tried my hardest then I can usually take losses well. It's more when I feel that circumstances are out of my control that I take losses the hardest. If I am unable to prove my value or people make judgements about me then I feel devalued as a person. If it is a loss that does not matter much to me I may simply concede and congratulate the winner or if it is something close to my heart then I become hurt and embarrassed.
I can relate to when circumstances are out of my control and taking the loss hard. It's tough not to become frustrated or discouraged in those situations.
Delete1. Teaching and coaching are very similar. Teachers and coaches push students/athletes to be there best. They must encourage, set high expectations, and help their subjects meet their goals. Both teachers and coaches can have a significant impact, positive or negative, on their students/athletes. A student's or athlete's mindset can make the difference in their ability to persevere when they face adversity.
ReplyDelete2. As a kid, I was doing well in swimming lessons until I had a bad experience. I've struggled ever since. I really wanted to learn, so I took swimming in college, and took lessons at the Y a few years ago. Both times, I improved my skills, but I still am not a proficient swimmer. I think the only way I could ever become proficient is to have regular access to a pool so I could practice on a regular basis.
My mom died just after I turned 16, so my cooking and sewing skills were limited. Those are two activities that I have ventured into. I have learned a lot about cooking, and have taught myself things that I thought would be hard. I have taught myself how to sew well enough to make the girls dresses and Halloween costumes.
3. I think more joy comes from playing my hardest and competing. I do love to win, but if I've given it my best, it doesn't bother me to lose. Losses are just something to learn from for next time.
Teaching and coaching are very similar, a coach is basically a teacher. If a teacher or coach constantly emphasis a person’s “talent” it sends a message to the student that he or she need not work hard, they either have it or they don’t. This sort of leadership creates a fixed mindset, were students believe they cannot change what they were born with. When a person has a fixed mindset they will probably not practice or put much effort into the game resulting in underperformance. A good coach, or teacher would encourage her students and emphasize growth, practice, will power, dedication, and effort.
ReplyDeleteThere are many activities I would like to learn, I don’t seem to have time for all of them. One thing in particular is building things with wood. I think what I will do to start is ask someone (my husband) to teach me. I am also giving myself a goal of making a simple item such as a bookcase to begin.
I don’t think I take losses hard. One reason is that I don’t take competitions as a gauge of my character or value as a person. If I know that I have done my best that’s all that matters. The thing I enjoy about competition is beating my own personal goals. I also enjoy the comaraderie of being on a team.
I believe teaching and coaching are a lot alike. I believe your mindset says a lot about your performance. If you have a bad mindset your will see it on the court. If you are lazy and don't push yourself outside of the court it will show. You have to practice to get better. If you have a positive attitude you will go a lot further. A positive attitude is great to have. If you make a mistake brush it off and do better next time. In the classroom the same applies. You need to have a positive attitude. It is not fun working with kids that have a bad attitude and just want you to do the work for them. If is great to encourage them to always do their best and never give up. We all make mistakes and have to learn how to brush if off and do better next time.
ReplyDeleteVolleyball was something I was interested in but, I always made an excuse that the ball hurt my arms when I hit it. I never thought I was good at it so I never pushed myself to try. My daughter is practicing it now and loves it. I think if I would have just given it a try I might have enjoyed it. My negative attitude kept me from it. Looking back I should have given it a shot. Now I enjoy the joy it bring my daughter and I know nothing about the sport. I should have at least tried it before automatically given up.
I like to win! I come from a competitive back ground. I like Mr. E am a sore loser. If I lose I seem to always reflect on what I could have done better. With my kids now it is hard trying to explain to them that winning is not everything. You just always try harder next time.