It is faith that moves mountains, not facts. Facts do not give birth to faith. Faith needs a story to sustain it – a meaningful story that inspires belief in you and renews hope that your ideas do indeed offer what you promised. Genuine influence goes deeper than getting people to do what you want them to do. It means people pick up where you left off because they believe.

Annette Simmons

I found this quote in a book I am reading and as I have thought about it quite a bit over the past week I believe it has implications for all us in the cohorts as we move forward with our culminating projects. I have more questions than answers, as usual and here are some thoughts as a result.

Do we begin to look at professional learning as a leap of faith for those who resist pedagogical changes in classrooms especially if it involves the use of technology? In the above quote a this stands out for me  – a meaningful story that inspires belief that our ideas do indeed offer what is promised.

How often when professional learning is offered is it presented as a how to, not a why to? Would having a story to tell around the why be helpful? Incorporating our story of the tool, our story of our own changes as a result of use, and our students, help to instill faith – influence people enough to believe what we are asking is worth a try?

We want them to pick up where we leave off, do we need to change our approach to incorporate meaningful stories to inspire belief?

Image Source: Flickr user kodomut

According to legend, anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes, which are sacred creatures in Japanese culture, will be granted a wish by a crane. With a goal to collect 100,000 origami cranes from young people to represent wishes of support and healing, the challenge hopes to raise $200,000 for the reconstruction of a youth facility by the Japanese team from Architecture for Humanity.

Students will be able to follow the efforts of Architecture for Humanity on their web site to see how their donations are being used in the rebuilding effort. And after 100,000 cranes are submitted, they will be turned into a woven art installation – a symbolic gift from students around the world to their Japanese counterparts.

On the student rebuild page there are links to a video tutorial on how to make the cranes, and also instructions how to request mailing labels for the cranes and where to send them.

Image Source Ellis Aquarius Powell

• She is a chatterbox, basically talking all day long. She also likes to make sure that you are hanging on her every word, by repeating herself until you acknowledge EVERYTHING that she’s said.
• She is a constant ball of energy.
• Her favorite color is pink.
• She loves to sing and dance.
• When she dances or plays any kind of musical instrument she closes her eyes and sways from side to side, so we affectionately call her “Ray”.
• Her favorite restaurant is Moe’s.
• She loves Dora and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
• She has a memory like an elephant…I am constantly amazed at the little details she remembers.
• She LOVES her Daddy and tells everyone that she’s Daddy’s girl.
• She has strong opinions and isn’t afraid to tell you what she wants.
• She loves her little brother and always wants to know where he is and what he’s doing.
• Although she had a traumatic start, she is a daily reminder of God’s goodness.
• We love her to pieces!

In the first few pages of the book she discusses her own beliefs as she started her career in psychology. Prior to her research she believed human qualities were innate, carved in stone. Children are born “gifted”, have “natural talents”, one was smart or they were not, and failure meant you were not smart, it was that simple. This is the description of a “fixed” mindset: a belief in nature, the way you are born is the way you will always be.  Believing your qualities are set in stone, creates an urgency to prove yourself, over and over. When we praise children as being smart or brilliant, we boost their their sense of self and they like it, we all do, and don’t want to loose it.  In so doing, we don’t offer reasons why we believe they are smart, just that they are. Those with fixed mindsets begin to evaluate situations based upon whether they will look smart, whether they will be deemed a winner or a looser, and this may instill a sense of insecurity.  They feel they have to continue to prove they are smart. If they come across something that doesn’t come naturally to them, what happens? Avoidance of the situation, being uncomfortable knowing they may not appear smart.

Growth mindset emphasizes nurture, emphasis is placed on effort and hard work, not simply praised for being smart but why someone thinks they are smart. They are praised for time spent learning something of interest to them, praised for the questions they asked as they were digging deepre, the process they used in tracking down information or constructing something physical.  Those with growth mindset know how to create the outcome they are striving for, challenges are viewed as a good thing, because they feel confident through their perseverance and hard work, they have the ability to succeed, and they believe this about themselves. They enjoy learning, figuring out the answers, asking more questions, because they are not viewing situations as win or lose.

Is it important for adults to understand their own mindset and how it may influence our interactions with others, whether this is at home, in the work place? Whichever mindset you have, isn’t this the lens through which you view all others, all situations?  Can we change our mindsets, would you want to?

I really enjoyed this book, it has given me a lot to think about.

Gaping Void

Inhibitions are self- imposed, internal limits we set, why do we do it?
Why do we limit ourselves, what drives our reluctance to speak, act, and share? I know inhibitions are our defense against criticism; we don’t want to give others the opportunity to disagree, but why? Our inhibitions limit our thinking and without thinking we become stagnant, complacent. Aren’t our thoughts and ideas worth the risk, don’t we grow and gain confidence in who we are and what we believe through our interactions?  As Chris Lehmann has said “what is the worst consequence of your best idea?” Is it that someone will disagree and you will have to defend your thoughts, what is wrong with that? Through challenge and reflection we have the opportunity to examine what we hold dear, and through those same conversations we may be swayed to look at something from a different perspective, which may cause us to change our thinking, learning together, again what is so bad about that?

We give our students grades for participation, how we would grade ourselves?  Isn’t it time we begin to let go of our internal limits, begin talking, sharing ideas, and understand through ongoing dialogue we develop and are more apt to become the people we truly want to be? I know I am ready.

Flickr Source Melanie Milliken

The interview was interesting, with a great deal of conversation taking place in the chat of Elluminate. If anyone is interested in listening to the interview, here is a link to the Elluminate session, please take some time to listen and offer your thoughts here on the conversation as well.

This Christmas

Mend
a quarrel.
Seek   out   a
forgotten   friend.
Dismiss   suspicion,
and   replace   it   with
trust.   Write   a   love   letter.
Share   some   treasure.   Give   a
soft   answer.   Encourage   youth.
Manifest   your   beliefs   in   word   and
deed.   Keep   a   promise.   Find   the   time.
Forgo   a   grudge.     Forgive   an   enemy.
Listen.   Apologize   if   you   were   wrong.   Try
to   understand.   Choose   peace.   Examine   your
demands   on   others.   Think   first   of   someone   else.
Appreciate.   Be   kind:   be   gentle.   Laugh   a   little.   Laugh
a   little   more.  Deserve   confidence.   Take   a   stand   against
malice.   Decry   complacency.   Express   your   gratitude.   Let   go
fear.   Welcome   a   stranger.   Gladden   the   heart   of   a   child.   Take
pleasure   in   the   beauty   and   wonder   of    the   earth.  Speak   your   love
Speak   it   again.
Speak   it   still
once   again.

My wish for everyone for the holidays – love the time you have to spend with your families and friends!!

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