Lessons learned about COVA, growth mindset, and the importance of keeping an e-portfolio

 I have gained  a lot from my learning in Ed Tech Leadership program so far. I have been able to use the lessons, projects and assignments to facilitate conversations with my students as well as colleagues on my campus and within my my district. We have been learning about growth mindset in my classes, and the fact that I can share my own educational journey with my students has been both powerful and empowering. I have actually incorporated some of the assignments I have created in this program into my own lesson plans, and my students have responded very positively to the fact that we are all learning together! In fact, I cannot wait to write this next week's blog post, since I will be including some great insights from my very own students, and some seem to be SUPER impressed that I am an actual blogger! 

   

 

   

             Furthermore, because I have gone completely digital this year, I have asked my students to create their own e portfolios, in lieu of the traditional binder. Being able to show my students the practicality, functionality and--quite frankly-- the necessity of building an e portfolio has inspired me to continually update my own. I have found that when students can wrap their heads around the "why" of keeping their  e-portfolio, and experience the freedom of customizing it to fit their own needs and personalities, that they, too have begun to invest more time into creating something they can not only look back on and see their own progress, but also something they can truly be proud of. 

            Another reason for keeping up with my e-portfolio, is that I can include it on my resume as I apply for administrative positions, and on my curriculum vitae as I prepare my application for admission into the Educational Leadership doctoral program. I have found that an increasing number of employers are asking for e-portfolios either in addition to or in lieu of a traditional resume; therefore keeping my e-portfolio current is imperative as I look to move into other leadership positions.

         Utilizing the COVA model in my own personal learning has been both empowering and terrifying at the same time. I love the fact that I have the freedom to create an e portfolio that reflects not only who I am as an educator and professional, but also as a person. The fact that I am not merely creating a portfolio and checking items off of a list to receive a good grade is the part that has me feeling a little uncomfortable (one of my fixed mindset triggers). However, as I have become more comfortable with being uncomfortable, I have begun to invest more time into the "personality" of my e portfolio, so that it accurately reflects who I am and what I believe.

          Finally, one of the most important lessons I have learned thus far, is that I can give myself permission to allow students to exercise their own creative license as they complete assignments for me. Just today, one of my students asked me if she could use a different format to complete an assignment. I said yes, and I could just feel the confidence rise within her!  I have also learned that it is okay for me to share my failures with my students, which teaches them to embrace the process and discover the lessons in the mistakes they make as they travel along their educational path. It is exciting to hear them ask, in my opinion, one of THE most important questions--- what can I LEARN from this mistake, and HOW can I do better next time? The second most important lesson I have learned so far, is that, by helping them develop a growth mindsets as well as my own, I have been completely blown away by how quickly some of them have embraced it. Moreover, when I ask them to show me how brilliant they are, they DO just that! 

   If you are interested in experiencing  the  brilliance of  my students, be sure to read my blog post in Adventures of a Classeteria Teacher this Sunday, as I will be sharing some of their responses to this week's growth mindset question!