FINAL BLOG

Dweck (2006) makes a statement in his chapter that states, “The great teachers believe in the growth of the intellect and talent, and they are fascinated with the process of learning (p. 188). If I would have closed my eyes and had someone read this to me, I would be convinced that William James wrote this quote. Teachers must teach material as if it is the first time they are teaching it. One of the most important aspects of learning at school is that teachers believe that students will have growth in their intellect. This is something that some teachers fail to do, for I feel as though many teachers have thoughts about particular students’ successes. This is so dangerous, because of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Students are able to pick up on these negative thoughts the teacher may have, and will consequently self-fulfill those expectations. I think this is a big problem in our schools (for all grade levels), specifically as students get older. A teacher may be convinced that a student has a failing past. This however, does not mean that the student is not capable of changing that past learning behavior and outcome.
One last quote from Dweck’s chapter (2006) that I really enjoyed is “If you don’t give anything, don’t expect anything. Success is not coming to you, you must come to it” (p. 189). This quote reminded me of James (1889) who wrote a similar quote that states, “You may take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink; and so you may take a child to the schoolroom, but you cannot make him learn the new things you wish to impart, except by soliciting him in the first instance by something which natively makes him react. He must take the first step himself. He must do something before you can get your purchase on him” (p. 20). This “something” that James discusses in his quote could be the process of fostering those initial connections for the student. Teachers need to pinpoint ways to connect to native interests of their students. This means getting to know your students and determining what they are interested in. This in turn, may also allow you to build rapport and have that student be more comfortable with you. Although teachers may teach the same core content every year, their teaching must be adjusted each year so that they do pinpoint the native interests of the students that are currently in their class.