Take risks and overcome obstacles.

This cat was inspired by a useful article on feedback: Overcoming The Fear Of Feedback. The cat picture is not really about feedback (that's hard to show with cats!), but the article is definitely worth reading; I've marked in bold the part that inspired the meme:

Even when receiving mostly positive feedback, it tends to be the constructive feedback that we recall most acutely. [...] When we associate abilities with a part of our identity, receiving constructive criticism can feel more like a personal attack. People with growth mindsets, on the other hand, are more likely to take risks and overcome obstacles by seeing failure as a signal to try harder, rather than time to give up. [...] When you start placing blame on others for the feedback you receive, this is your fixed mindset speaking. Once you recognize this voice you can begin counteracting it and responding with a growth mindset.

Take risks and overcome obstacles.

Made for the MemeGallery with cheezburger.

Just keep going: action overcomes fear.

Just keep going: action overcomes fear.

I was inspired by this tweet today: Reject thoughts of fear immediately. Action overcomes fear. The Secret: Keep Going. It came with this graphic:

And then I used cheezburger to make my version, paraphrasing.

English: The future belongs to the curious.

The future belongs to the curious.

The image is from cheezburger.

Curiosity is one of the most important dimensions of the growth mindset, and this cat is inspired by a blog post by one of my favorite bloggers, Jackie Gerstein: The Future Belongs to the Curious: How Are We Bringing Curiosity Into School?

I drive my own learning ... and Canvas due dates

Today's growth cat is making her own choices about where her learning will take her... and since I invoked the metaphor of the car's emergency brake in an email I sent around to both classes this morning, I've pasted in that email below for future reference. :-)

I drive my own learning.

(made with cheezburger)

Email sent on 10/13/2016:

Hi, everybody! I don't usually do this, but there is an important item about due dates in today's announcements, so I wanted to let everyone know about that via this email: Class Announcements.

And if you mentioned something about due dates in the midterm survey, there is more information below.

CANVAS DUE DATES:

Yes, there are due dates in Canvas... and I know the due dates are not going to be convenient for everybody. That would be impossible, right? But here's the thing: you can have whatever due dates you want!

Some people said on the survey that I should make everything due on Saturday or on Sunday: great! You can totally set up the class that way. Other people said they wanted me to make everything due on Monday: that works too! Other people want Friday. And so on and so on.

That is all possible right now. You can arrange the schedule to be anything you want — ANYTHING at all. And you are the only person who knows what due dates you need.

But — here's the real challenge — you are also the only person who can enforce your due dates. I cannot do that; Canvas cannot do that. The Canvas due dates are like the emergency brake on a car; they are there in case things get a little out of control... but you don't drive a car using the emergency brake. And you are the driver of this car, not me. If you like the Canvas due dates, great! But if you don't like them, then you should change the due dates to what works better for you.

Think about it like this: for each classroom class, you have 3 hours of classroom time per week. You have to get there on time, and the clock tells you when class starts and when it stops. So, the reading and storytelling posts each week in this class are like "being in class" for 3 hours. Every week. Same time, same place. Routine. It's your schedule.

Then, think about your project plus the feedback and comments as homework, time "outside" of class. Overall, it will also average 3 hours per week, but not with a strict start and stop time. You just know more or less that the weekend is a good time to do that, or Fridays, or Thursday nights, or whatever, etc.

With an online class you have to schedule BOTH the "class time" AND the "homework time" — ALL the scheduling is up to you.

So, please, get in touch with me if you want to give yourself new due dates for the class. ANY schedule will work, and I am glad to help you set that up. Given how busy things can get at the end of the semester, now is actually the perfect time to fine-tune your schedule for this class, and I'm glad to help — just let me know!