As I involved myself in the discussion of APPR and its relation to fixed mindset/growth mindset, I found myself thinking back to the idea of groupthink, which was touched upon in this chapter. All of the drive to root out all of the ineffective teachers, and to punish those who are not proficient, seems to have come from a sort of groupthink that has been popularized by several media sources. The quote I found to begin the discussion on groupthink was this:
"In the early 1970s, Irving Janis popularized the term groupthink. It's when everyone in a group starts thinking alike. No one disagrees. No one takes a critical stance. It can lead to catastrophic decisions, and as the Wood study suggests, it often can come right out of a fixed mindset." (134)
I find myself wondering if our politicians are all caught up in groupthink at this point. If they are, what remedies might exist for educators to push back? I am not completely sure that this term applies to the present situation, but it is what I started thinking about as I read the comments from the other posts.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Chapter 5- Additional Information
On page 123 Dweck alludes to a Roman emperor, " Jerry Levin of Time Warner was likened by his colleagues to the brutal Roman emperor Caligula." His actual name was Gaius Caesar. Caligula is a name he acquired as a young boy because he wore an army uniform with boots. Caligula is "little boot." Records depict him as a cruel and unpredictable leader. People thought he would take after his great- great- grandfather, Julius Caesar and his great-grandfather, Augustus Caesar. His legacy is that his rule was shaped by lunacy and lust.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Chapter 5
As I read this section of the book on business, it only makes sense that people who are open to change, open to constructive criticism, open to teamwork, and view themselves as a part rather than the whole in a company or business will generally be more successful than those that are not. Everybody in business is in it to make money and are judged by the amount of money they make and the longevity of the business. This is how most view success in the business world. This seems almost in conflict with the growth mindset which is about learning and improvement, regardless of failure or success. Don't get me wrong; I understand her point as she redundantly gives anecdotes of failed companies and the egotistical leaders of those companies. But, I see growth mindset as an opportunity to improve oneself and grow through experience and learning which includes failures. There really is no room for failure in business. Therefore, it is understandable that fear of failure is the white elephant in the room in regards to the business world. In the end, people are judged based on the "success" of that business. On page 124, Dweck states that, "When bosses become controlling and abusive, they put everyone into a fixed mindset. This means that instead of learning, growing, and moving the company forward, everyone starts worrying about being judged. It starts withe the bosses' worry about being judged, but it winds up being everybody's fear about being judged." I started really thinking about this quote in relation to our current situation in the business of running schools. The APPR is in direct contrast with a growth mindset. I have taught 26 years (including this one) and was never really fearful of being observed. Since the Danielson rubric has been put into effect, my concern is less on improving my teaching with the suggestions of an outsider observing a day in the life of Maria Shea. My focus is now on being judged and rated a particular score that may affect my standing as a competent teacher based on an observation once a year, regents scores, and other criteria which doesn't necessarily fairly assess me and definitely doesn't help me to grow. My concern is about including in my lesson what the observer wants to see so that observer can check off a checklist. I know that some teachers literally create a checklist from the rubric for that one lesson. I also know of specific situations where teachers fought for a "4" on their evaluations and may have been a bit bullyish until the score was changed. Is this practice supportive of improving teaching and an "enterprising spirit"? Dweck makes it clear that judgement does not move the "company" forward, but rather forces workers into a fixed mindset due to fear.
As I read this section of the book on business, it only makes sense that people who are open to change, open to constructive criticism, open to teamwork, and view themselves as a part rather than the whole in a company or business will generally be more successful than those that are not. Everybody in business is in it to make money and are judged by the amount of money they make and the longevity of the business. This is how most view success in the business world. This seems almost in conflict with the growth mindset which is about learning and improvement, regardless of failure or success. Don't get me wrong; I understand her point as she redundantly gives anecdotes of failed companies and the egotistical leaders of those companies. But, I see growth mindset as an opportunity to improve oneself and grow through experience and learning which includes failures. There really is no room for failure in business. Therefore, it is understandable that fear of failure is the white elephant in the room in regards to the business world. In the end, people are judged based on the "success" of that business. On page 124, Dweck states that, "When bosses become controlling and abusive, they put everyone into a fixed mindset. This means that instead of learning, growing, and moving the company forward, everyone starts worrying about being judged. It starts withe the bosses' worry about being judged, but it winds up being everybody's fear about being judged." I started really thinking about this quote in relation to our current situation in the business of running schools. The APPR is in direct contrast with a growth mindset. I have taught 26 years (including this one) and was never really fearful of being observed. Since the Danielson rubric has been put into effect, my concern is less on improving my teaching with the suggestions of an outsider observing a day in the life of Maria Shea. My focus is now on being judged and rated a particular score that may affect my standing as a competent teacher based on an observation once a year, regents scores, and other criteria which doesn't necessarily fairly assess me and definitely doesn't help me to grow. My concern is about including in my lesson what the observer wants to see so that observer can check off a checklist. I know that some teachers literally create a checklist from the rubric for that one lesson. I also know of specific situations where teachers fought for a "4" on their evaluations and may have been a bit bullyish until the score was changed. Is this practice supportive of improving teaching and an "enterprising spirit"? Dweck makes it clear that judgement does not move the "company" forward, but rather forces workers into a fixed mindset due to fear.
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