One of our goals at Pegasus Springs is to facilitate conversations about all aspects of educating and preparing students to learn and achieve. There’s an incredible amount of material being published that falls into this bucket, and we read and review a lot of it. While of course all of us may not always agree with every point or may sometimes think there are some additional nuances to consider, our Talk About It articles tend always to present us with some important and timely topics for both reflection and discussion.
So, to get you thinking… and hopefully talking with friends and colleagues, here’s the first installment in the Pegasus Springs Talk About It list for reading, listening and viewing.
Growth Mindset:
This is a brief video of John Hattie, Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, which connects to the importance of growth mindset for both teachers and students. His meta-analysis of thousands of research studies on the many influences of student outcomes provides educators with important information. I love that he says here our goal is not to ensure all kids reach their potential, but that they exceed their potential. Teachers truly do have the magical power to help kids reimagine even their own expectations for themselves.
On Grading:
“What Traditional Grading Gets Wrong” is among the most recent commentary on this important and often-debated topic. Former teacher and education consultant Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, gets us thinking about “implicit racial, class, and gender biases.”
Collective Strength:
The ideas of collective efficacy and meaningful collaboration are central concepts with the Pegasus Springs Education Collective. This article, “The Power of Collective Efficacy,” discusses the important role of confidence and collaboration among educators working as a team in making a significant impact on school culture and achievement. The authors discuss ways collective efficacy (or its absence) manifests in a school and offer suggestions on how to develop it.
Dose of Inspiration:
It’s not a secret—teachers work incredibly hard and sometimes feel under appreciated. Here’s a reminder that the impact teachers have isn’t always known until after their students are much older. Listen to what Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, has to say about his 8th-grade English teacher. The really good part starts about 30 seconds in.
I hope you find these interesting and invite you to drop us a line at info@pegasussprings.org to share your thoughts or reading suggestions.
About the Author
Craig is co-founder of the Pegasus Springs organizations and Executive Director of the Pegasus Springs Education Collective. During his education career, he has served as a teacher, mentor, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. He has presented at regional and national conferences, and he is a recipient of the Association for Middle Level Education’s national Distinguished Educator Award.