Failure is that one strict, but awesome teacher…

When I hear the word 'failure', I feel this heavy weight on my shoulders. Failure has always carried such a negative weight. The key learning workshop about failure made me realize that it may not be as bad as I have made it out to be my whole life.

The Innovation Paradox from Farson and Keyes really stuck with me, because it made me realize that success isn't always the best case scenario. It can lead to caution, complacency, or even boredom. If everything is going well, we then stop taking risks. But, failure can push us to grow and learn from our mistakes. It teaches us lessons and builds resilience. It even makes the success feel way sweeter because we worked that much harder for it.

As future teachers, this perspective is huge. If we want our students to be creative thinkers and problem solvers, they need a space to fail safely and to know that we are there to help them. This means shifting our effort from people who prevent failure, but as facilitators of failure.

I liked the point about the number of failures being more damaging than the degree of failure. It made me think that it's not about one big mistake, but about repeated discouragement and disappointment. This is why giving small tasks and achieving small successes matter so much. By breaking down goals, our students can experience trial and error without being disappointed by one big failure.

Society definitely doesn't make it easy on us. Failure is judged harshly, especially in my own family, and I can imagine that students carry that same pressure. If we, as teachers, encourage risk-taking and normalize that mistakes are part of learning, we are giving them tools to use even outside of the classroom. Deci and Ryan's ideas about student autonomy show us why we need to let students try, and sometimes fail, on their own instead of protecting them from it.

I've learned that failure isn't the opposite of success, but it's what makes success meaningful. For me, this was a big mindset shift. Instead of dreading failure in my own teaching journey, I aim to see it as part of how I'll grow into a better educator. Hopefully, I'd like to pass that mindset on to my future students too.

Courtesy of JuliannaP@OTU

Growing Up Tamil in Canada: Reflections on Bilingualism and Language Loss

If you asked me earlier this week what bilingualism is I would have said "knowing two languages." You didn't need to be fluent in both, just being able to speak or understand another language seemed enough. But I quickly realized that bilingualism is much more complex. It's not just about the number of languages you know, but also about how those languages develop, interact, and shape your identity.

There are balanced bilinguals, who use both languages with similar proficiency and ease, often switching depending on the context. Then there are unbalanced bilinguals, who are stronger in one language than the other. For example, a student might be comfortable speaking Tamil at home but rely heavily on English for academics and social interactions. Neither type is "better," but these differences can affect how someone navigates school, relationships, and even their sense of belonging.

I see this even in my own life and relationship. My boyfriend, for example, is stronger in English. His reading and writing are much better in English, but he can only speak Tanglish (Tamil mixed with English). Although I would say my Tamil is better than his, as I can speak and write in Tamil, but I struggle to read fluently out loud. Together, we both represent two different points on the bilingual spectrum, and both of us have moments of feeling "in-between" not fully at home in one language or the other. That sense of in-betweenness is something many bilingual students carry with them in the classroom.

Language loss is when a heritage language gradually fades as a dominant language takes over. For many immigrant families, this happens when parents begin speaking more English at home out of fear that their children might fall behind in school. During the time when myself and other first generation Tamil Canadians were starting school, many educators informed our parents that talking to us in English and not our native language would be beneficial for our English development. While many parents' choice to let their children speak English came from a place of care and protection, it unknowingly led to a generational shift where the children, and later grandchildren, lose fluency in our heritage language. Over time, the heritage language can become something they only partially understand, but cannot confidently speak, read, or write. Language loss is more than losing words, it's losing access to culture, stories, and identity. 

For educators, recognizing this reality is crucial. A student's first language is not a barrier to overcome, but a resource to build upon. Supporting bilingual students means affirming their identities, encouraging translanguaging practices (using both languages to think and learn), and respecting that language ties deeply to family and belonging.

As I continue my journey as an educator, I carry my own experience as both a caution and a reminder that schools have the power to either silence a child's heritage language or to honour it as an essential part of who they are. My hope is to be the kind of teacher who chooses the latter.

YaliniR@OTU

The Gift of Failure

The learning key on failure that my classmates presented this past week was inspiring! Many people feel as though failure is the end of the road. When things don't go our way, or we "fail" at something, we often feel embarrassed and discouraged. I know that I have definitely felt this way when I feel like I failed at something. 

There were many times in my undergraduate journey where I felt as though I had failed at things. I have struggled with academic validation since elementary school, something many people experience. I always put pressure on myself to get good grades and interestingly I was the only person contributing to this pressure. My parents never hounded me about my grades, in fact they always told me they didn't care what the grade was as long as I tried my best. But for some reason I carried this stress to get good grades with me all the way through to university. Especially in first and second year, I would freak out over getting a bad grade. It wasn't until I was nearing the end of my undergrad that I stopped putting so much pressure on myself and realized that grades are not everything. While I still strive to always do my best of course, I am not so hard on myself when I don't do perfectly (since we cannot be perfect all the time!). 

Similarly to what my peers talked about in their learning key, I now see failure as a redirection. When I "fail" at something I take it as a learning opportunity, I ask myself "where did I go wrong?, "how can I improve next time?". Redirecting failure into learning builds resilience and confidence! Failing never erased the effort I put into anything, it simply made me stronger and better the next time I attempted it. For example, if I didn't do well on an exam, I always went back to look at where I made mistakes, and 100% of the time I ended up actually learning and understanding that content after the exam was done. Seeing where I went wrong always allowed me to understand the topics more clearly and then actually retain that information instead of just passively learning it. 

In many ways, failure acts as a path to success. That path may be different every time, sometimes long, but as we learned in class, when you fail!

Brought to you by - JosephineP@OTU

The Success in Failure

It's disappointment, it's sadness, it's a heaviness that can sometimes feel all-consuming. Yes, I'm talking about the feeling that everyone has experienced at least once in their lives: the feeling of failure.

To some people, failure occurs when a goal is not met or when an action produces undesirable results. It can cause people to lose confidence in themselves and feel down. Even just hearing the word failure might send a shudder down people's spine. But what if I told you it didn't have to be this way? What if I told you that some people actually find meaning in failing and use it as fuel to learn instead of an extinguisher?

I know this might sound like an overly optimistic perspective. But I do believe that we can learn a lot from our setbacks and failures. 

After hearing a presentation on failure in class, I was reminded of a time when I failed. I was in Grade 5 and had written a speech on why I thought the weekends should be longer for my language class. By some twist of fate I was selected to be one of the students that had to present a speech in front of the whole school. I remember it like it was yesterday. The year was 2011. The gym was packed with 600-700 students. And I…was terrified. But I marched up to the centre of the gym and presented this speech with all the power that I had in my tiny Grade 5 body. And after it was all said and done, I discovered that I lost. For a moment I was upset, embarrassed, and disappointed in my abilities. Although I was really nervous, it turns out that I really wanted to win the speech competition. It wasn't until I left the gymnasium and was greeted with endless praise and cheers that I realized that I was a winner that day. Yes, I did lose the competition. But I also stepped out of my comfort zone, kept a crowd of people interested for five minutes, learned how I could improve, and maybe inspired people to make weekends longer. Did you hear that some areas are putting three day weekends in place? Did I start that? Probably not, but I still like to think I contributed. Overall, that experience taught me that failure is not always a bad thing. If it wasn't for this experience, I wouldn't have gone on to develop my skills and eventually win a speech competition. 

As a teacher candidate, I think it is important for us to recognize and celebrate the efforts of students instead of focusing on end results. Because in the end, it's effort that will take you where you want to go. There are so many learning opportunities involved in failures. I think that we as teachers should use these opportunities to develop growth mindsets in our students so that they can try again, learn, and grow. Therefore, I can confidently say that I am proud of my failures and to have put so much effort towards a goal. I am grateful to have had opportunities to try again, learn, and improve. I encourage all of you to celebrate the little wins and big efforts, regardless of the outcome.  

Brought to you by: NicoleT@OTU

Balancing Social and Cognitive Development in the Classroom

One of the topics that stood out to me in last week's class was presented in the Seminar, which highlighted the importance of social and cognitive development amongst students. As educators, we don't want to just foster learning that involves short-term changes, often memorizing facts that do not make an everlasting impact on the student. Instead, it is important to contribute to the development of the students either cognitively or socially, as this is a long-term process that will set them up for success throughout their lives. A personal experience from my elementary school that had a negative impact on my cognitive development was my grade 8 teacher who did not teach us history; instead, she instructed us to read the textbook and make notes on it. She never provided thorough instructions or expectations, and she never conducted a lesson. She expressed that she didn't like history and spent more time on other "more important" subjects. She believed she was instilling independence in her students, but instead, I personally did not learn anything meaningful that I can say I recall, and furthermore, due to this experience, I started to very much dislike history and was never interested in learning it. That was until my grade 10 experience, where I had the opportunity to learn from a fantastic teacher who made learning fun and engaging by having in-class discussions, physical demonstrations, and field trips. I have the privilege to look back on this class and remember what was taught because his lessons were so impactful. Now looking back on it, my grade 10 teacher never set too high expectations for his students, but also never underestimated our capabilities. He incorporated hands-on learning and set appropriate expectations for his students, and guided our learning until he was confident in our own independence. 

This follows Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development", where there exists a "sweet spot" between what students can do easily without being challenged and what they cannot do because it's too difficult; however, with the right guidance and support from a more knowledgeable person, this can foster effective learning and development. Unlike my grade 8 teacher, she never provided guidance but rather expected us to do something or learn concepts on our own.

On the other hand, social development focuses on how students form relationships, build their own identity, and find their place in the world. This can be understood through Erikson's theory, in which each stage of development acts as a turning point. For instance, one of Erikson's turning points is "Industry vs. Inferiority," which occurs between the ages of 6 and 12. As educators, we want to create a balance by providing tasks that are challenging yet achievable, while providing constructive criticism to allow them to grow. At the same time, it is important to recognize their achievements and work they have completed to motivate them to continue doing well. But if students are not acknowledged for their efforts, they will feel inferior and, in the future, will avoid challenging themselves or be reluctant to participate. Something else to keep in mind, which we have discussed in various classes so far, is that we do not want to acknowledge a student's good grades or thoughtful answer by telling them they are "so smart" because this can again lead to failure to participate when they are unsure, and it discourages them to make mistakes or ask questions in the future. Instead, it is important to recognize their effort and encourage continuous progress, as this builds resilience and motivates students to keep learning even when faced with challenges.

A key point that has been a vital part of the course and is very important is Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This emphasises the importance to ensure that students have their basic needs met before they can fulfill other higher needs. That is, their physiological needs, such as food, sleep, and water, are the most important aspects of their life that need to be established before they can seek security and safety, which is next in the hierarchy of needs. The next stage of the hierarchy of needs is love and belonging, which is associated with social development and relationship building, such that people need to feel connected to one another, either with their family and friends within their home or with their peers and teachers within their classroom environment. Nonetheless, it is a priority as an educator to create a sense of belonging and community within the classroom and allow students to feel connected to one another, regardless of language or cultural diversity. Allowing students to work together and support each other will encourage their social connection and development, which will then activate their cognitive development. This then leads us higher up the pyramid towards the next need of self-esteem, respect, and recognition. This is connected back to Erikson's turning points of "industry and inferiority", but also "Identity and role confusion"; this is especially relevant in adolescence, where they are trying to figure out who they are and develop their own identity. If students are provided with support and direction, they are able to build their own identity and thus will have strong self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. By ensuring students' needs are met, this will allow them to achieve self-actualization, which is the highest level allowing them to be the best person they can while fostering personal growth and social and cognitive development.

Brought to you by: AngelaD@OTU

Students Need MASLOW Before They BLOOM

In another course this semester, we looked at various learning and teaching strategies that had their respective benefits. I want to use this blog post to outline a couple of these strategies that really resonated with me, in addition to how they relate to each other.

To begin, Bloom's Taxonomy is one framework that is useful in helping students move through scaffolded learning. As shown in the image below, the aim is to bring students from the most basic levels (e.g., remembering, understanding, etc.) towards the higher levels (e.g., evaluating, creating). This framework was published in 1956 with education in mind – the goal was to help educators/teachers plan how to best teach a particular lesson, concept, or skill. Rather than emphasizing memorization and fact recall, Bloom's Taxonomy was designed to have students truly think deeply about the material, apply their knowledge in various contexts, and continue to generate new ideas. The combination of these processes means that students are working towards developing their problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills, valuable in their academic pursuits and lives outside of the classroom. 

However, we also examined Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, a theory that proposes the idea of basic human needs that must be satisfied prior to moving up the levels (shown below). To contrast this idea with Bloom's Taxonomy, we have to ask ourselves: Will students truly be able to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create if they come to class hungry? Tired? Stressed? This idea of Bloom's Taxonomy, while valuable in a teaching context, will be useless to students who do not have fulfilled physiological and safety needs, for example. Thus, educators have a responsibility to observe and take note of what students may require in order to be in a successful headspace for learning – otherwise, Bloom's Taxonomy is somewhat useless. Methods in which teachers can support students include providing food or snacks for a classroom, checking in with emotional well-being, creating a safe and predictable learning environment, and establishing belonging in the classroom. If these practices can be prioritized, we as educators will be setting the stage for a better learning environment in which we can implement Bloom's Taxonomy as well.

The quote used in class to help us remember the relationship between Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Bloom's Taxonomy was, "students need Maslow before they Bloom." I really thought about this quote following the class because of how well it visualizes the relationship and interconnectedness of both teaching strategies. I hope you find it just as useful!

The following were used as references for the content in this post:

https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/catalogs/tip-sheets/blooms-taxonomy

https://www.simplypsychology.org/blooms-taxonomy.html 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html 

                                                                Courtesy of AnikaS@OTU

The Power of a Growth Mindset

The idea of a growth mindset can often end up being one where your previous biases and ideals in learning must be unlearned for you to acquire this mindset.

Let's start with the idea of a fixed mindset. As we learned in class, thinking our potential is set in stone inhibits our ability to learn and grow massively. With a fixed mindset, people are reliant on their natural talent and intelligence. This could get them far, but only far enough. In the face of challenges that attempt to stretch the zone of proximal development, they're more easily ready to give up.

As a child all the way until my undergraduate years, I personally experienced being stuck in a fixed mindset for a long time without even realizing it. In grade 4, I was placed into the "gifted program", which extended all the way into grade 11. Aside from just being labeled as "gifted", my family and my teachers would often label me as "naturally intelligent" and I'd be told that academics came to me without effort. This set high expectations into my head and caused me to cruise through elementary and high school in this "safe zone". I was doing well in my academics but was very risk-averse; I did not want to run the risk of looking incapable. This extends to subjects that I knew I wouldn't be good at or even picking up new hobbies. At the time, I felt secure with this feeling though because I still got the praise I was seeking out. Eventually, in my undergraduate degree when I was faced with areas where I needed to put more effort, I gave up a lot more easily, felt minimal motivation and hit a state of burnout frequently. I didn't even want to put myself out there in terms of extracurriculars as I viewed them as "uncomfortable" to my identity. It was clear I was stuck in a fixed mindset. To put it bluntly, when this feeling settled in, it sucked.

An idea from an article by Carol Dweck and David Yeager really stuck out to me. They talk about the ability of wanting to prove feels so much different compared to the ability of wanting to improve (Dweck & Yeager, 2019). When you are trying to prove that you are capable and adequate, your self-concept feels established and fixed. When you have a strong sense of wanting to improve, this is now a trait that is dynamic and a trait can be built upon (Dweck & Yeager, 2019).

Fixed mindsets can really stick with an individual and leave them in a state of learned helplessness, both in and out of school. However, it's not impossible to change it into a growth mindset, even into the later years of life. Some of my most key transformative moments of developing a growth mindset sparked from, believe it or not, video games. During my undergraduate in what I considered a drought of passion for myself, one thing I started taking up was competing in tournaments for the game, Super Smash Bros Ultimate. I always considered myself pretty good at the game, but during my time at the tournaments, I found myself losing to the same person every single time I ran into him. It was frustrating, but because of my passion for the game, my mind never seemed to block off the idea of potentially winning. I would go home and note what I was doing well, review the mistakes I made, gather ideas and new perspectives from my friends after showing them my games; the idea of feeling shame for losing was not something I worried about. Slowly, I felt myself improving, and more importantly, learning. This eventually got me to the point where I was able to win over an opponent that I had never been able to beat before.

It seems like a silly example at first, but this idea of learning from my mistakes and receiving the correct feedback continued to stick with me for the years to come. Surely if I apply myself the same way to things that I would like to try, I can experience that same learning curve. I gradually explored more hobbies in the years following, like running and bouldering for example. Undoubtedly, they were humbling experiences at first, but I kept going back to them. I looked at what I was doing well and asked around for what I could improve upon, finally relying on a sense of community rather than just my own pride and judgment. The magic of acquiring a growth mindset is that it starts permeating throughout various aspects of learning; it is the beginning to becoming a lifelong learner. I hope as a teacher, I will be able to explore students' interests, provide insightful feedback and offer guidance that can plant that seed of a growth mindset. 

The following is the reference I refer to in part of my response:

Dweck, C.S., Yeager, D.S. (May 2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspect Psychol Sci. 14(3): 481-496. doi: 10.1177/1745691618804166. 

By: LavinS@OTU

Let's Get Gritty!

I first came across this term when I picked up Angela Lee Duckworth's book "Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance." I was going through a tough time and this book triggered something within me that may have contributed to where I am today. 

Grit is the personality trait of passion and perseverance for achieving long-term goals. When considering what I have learned from my first few Learning & Development classes, I am able to come to the conclusion that Grit may be one of the most important factors in my future classroom. I realized that a key factor in success is resilience and when life is constantly throwing dodgeballs left, right, and centre, it is extremely important that we are able to adapt to challenges and continue moving forward.  

But how are we as educators able to build that resilience in our students? That's where we meet Carol Dweck and her idea of a 'Growth Mindset'. It is imperative that we teach our students that our intelligence or abilities are not fixed, and through hard work and determination, anything is possible. Within this ideology, failure is no longer seen as a permanent state, but as a stepping stone towards learning and improving. Failure begins to sound not so bad after all…

The key here lies in building intrinsic motivation as a gateway to resilience. As we learned in learning key #3 on interests, teachers have a crucial role to play in creating that intrinsic motivation. Having a supportive learning environment, providing constructive feedback, being engaged and enthusiastic, as well as fostering a growth mindset in students, are only a few strategies. If we can build interest within our students, from creating situations of interest in the classroom, we can foster grit through encouraging exploration of our students' individual interests. 

I had always thought that I would like to inspire my students, but inspire them to do what exactly? Of course I want to inspire them to become lifelong learners, to work hard, to be the best version of themselves, to name a few. But above all, I want my students to persevere. Hard times are something that we all experience in our lives. Life has a way of being rough and difficult but I hope to remind my students how strong they really are and to empower them to remain resilient, no matter what they face.

Courtesy of Amritab@OTU 

Assistive Technology and Inclusion

While reading an article about Assistive Technology (AT) and how it helps students with disabilities, I became aware of how transformative these tools can be in creating inclusive learning environments. AT helps to remove learning barriers and enhances the functional abilities of students with disabilities, including physical, intellectual, or sensory. Tools can range from low-tech, low-cost options, like pencil grips, to high-tech systems, such as speech-to-text software, both of which help students who struggle with producing written/typed text communicate. Other examples can include tools that summarize lengthy passages, graphic organizers, and text-to-speech converters – all of which enhance student's learning. 

Although AT devices and programs were specifically designed for students with disabilities and were often less accessible in the past, many features are now integrated into everyday devices, making them accessible to all learners and blurring the line between assistive and instructional technology. For instance, Google extensions such as google translate, calendar, text-to-speech converter, are all AT tools that benefit various learners. This shows how the normalization of technology in classrooms can help students who rely on AT to "blend" into classroom environments, lowering stigma, and fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion.

Among the tools mentioned in the article, AI-based AT really caught my attention. Tools like ChatGPT help students who struggle with writing/typing produce coherent text within seconds, allowing them to fully engage with the curriculum. Similarly, students can interact with information, hands-free, using speech recognition systems like Siri or Alexa. Another AI-based tool that stood out to me was AI as a "companion", which can provide social support and affirmations to students with disabilities. Given the ongoing shortage of special education teachers and challenges students face in receiving adequate support, this potential tool caught my attention and made me think about the ways AI could "fill in these gaps". 

However, at the same time, I worry about the ethical implications of relying on AI in such ways. AI may inadvertently take the role of human interactions, which are crucial for fostering empathy and genuine social connections. This also raises concerns about privacy and security. Do students understand what data is collected and who/how it is being used? 

That being said, while I believe that AT, particularly AI-based, is an innovative tool to promote inclusion, it shouldn't take the place of human relationships and support systems that are essential to effective and inclusive learning. 

Here is the reference to the article I read if anybody is interested in learning more about it! Marino, M. T., Vasquez, E., Dieker, L., Basham, J., & Blackorby, J. (2023). The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Special Education Technology. Journal of Special Education Technology, 38(3), 404-416

Brought to you by: JisooC@OTU

Interest-ing

In week 3's seminar presentation, we learned about student development. The type of development that stuck out to me the most was social development. It seems very easy for students to go from positive growth, such as feeling more motivated and competent, to feelings of negative growth, such as feeling like they're not doing enough or they don't belong. In the Intermediate/Senior grades, students are going through a lot of social development, such as having identity crises or having fluctuating levels of confidence. As future educators, we need to be careful about our words and actions towards students. We need to celebrate students' efforts and progress and be there for our students to instill positive growth in them. Combined with this week's key workshop, student interest can also fluctuate as a person grows. I remember when I was in high school, sometimes I would suppress my interests, such as the music I wanted to listen to, or the classes I wanted to take in school. I did this because I wanted to fit in with my peers. Unfortunately, I felt more isolated as I was suppressing who I was. As future educators, it is important to encourage all of our students to pursue their interests and explore their own identity. Although it can be difficult, with the pressures of wanting to blend in and not stand out from the crowd, I liked the analogy that the seminar group used comparing identity to the Spice Girls. Realizing that each Spice Girl has a unique identity yet are able to work together was enlightening. I hope to share this analogy with my future students to show that we can be different and still succeed in life.

Another factor that future educators need to be careful about is extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards we give students. For example, extrinsic rewards were demonstrated to condition students to only be interested in something if there was a reward out of it. In class, most people would not write a 1000 page essay if an iPad was not given after. When the extrinsic reward disappears, so too does the interest. Encouraging student growth is already tricky to do. Avoiding bribery or short-term rewards will ensure students can be truly interested in the work that they do. Instead, teachers can allow students to choose what topic they want to do a project on. Teachers can invite guest speakers, such as experts in various fields, to get students interested in different topics. I remember in grade 5, my teacher brought in a scientist from the science centre to talk about pH levels. Even to this day, I remember being amazed at the pH indicators changing colour. This inspired me to take science classes later on in life. Although not every topic of interest might be in the curriculum, providing a range of perspectives allows students to gather the self-confidence and identity they need to succeed not just in school, but in life.

MeganC@OTU

Sports Promote Students' Well-being

One of the ways I was able to experience self-growth was through playing sports and, more generally, being physically active. I have played sports my whole life and even currently ski, run,  and play pickleball and men's league soccer. Being involved in sports from elementary through high school helped me develop not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Before becoming active in sports, I struggled significantly more with my own body image and dexterity. I was a very early grower, going from 5'5" in grade 5 to 6' in grade 7. I would put on a lot of weight before a rapid growth spurt, leaving me uncoordinated at best. By playing sports, I became better at adapting to my body as it forced me to learn how it worked. I could not maintain my weight, although looking back, gaining it was important for my physical growth. I felt I was still physically fit, which gave me some semblance of confidence that I usually lacked.

 In addition to adapting to my physical growth, sports also helped with my mental growth. In adolescence, I had a very negative body image. Being a heavier guy who struggled significantly with acne, I would have described myself as overweight and unappealing. I didn't stand out academically either. Playing sports, in my case, playing goalkeeper in soccer, allowed me to gain confidence. I felt like there was a place for me to stand out and excel. Even if I still struggled with my body at times, it felt good knowing I could excel at something, which motivated me to do my best and enjoy showing up day in and day out.

Sports taught me more than just becoming comfortable with my physical appearance; it also taught me important skills that are encouraged in classroom settings, such as teamwork, perseverance, communication, commitment, accountability, and pride in one's work. Many of these skills are simply explained to students but playing in a physical and competitive atmosphere with others who relied on me gave me a deeper understanding of these skills compared to my peers.

Seeing the presentations this week about interests and development for students inspired me to write this blog post about sports. Sports have been an interest of mine long before I can remember and are an integral part of who I am today, and so I reflected on how integral they were to my development and ability to find my own identity that I could be happy and confident with.

https://www.muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/pediatrics/adolescent-medicine/benefits-of-sports

https://odphp.health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf

https://projectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/benefits

I have provided three links which provide information from other, more credible resources explaining similar ideas relating to the importance of sports for youth and adolescents. These articles explore the physical, academic, and mental benefits for students.: how sports and physical education can help reduce growing childhood obesity rates, improve academic test scores and knowledge retention, and help  students bond socially with others. The last link concurs with many of my statements and beliefs, but also offers some differing opinions on certain subjects, such as how sports can increase the risk of injury and risk-taking behaviors; I want to introduce some different views and opinions to open up the discussion on the impact of sports on students.

BrianM@OTU

Interest is the Key to Learning

In preparation for my learning key presentation this week, I spent lots of time exploring the idea of interest serving as a central motivator to learning. While its always been common sense that you're likely going to spend more time on and return to things that you find enjoyable, reading up on the role that interest has to play in the classroom gave me a completely new perspective on the world around us operates in general. 

My lightbulb moment came from understanding how interest itself develops. The article I read to prepare my presentation explained how momentary situational interests, if given the opportunity to be fostered and fueled with curiosity, develop into long lasting individual interests which can eventually build off other concepts to create a generally interested personality type. What struck me was an analogy provided in the reading about horseback riding. 

The analogy described the difference between how two individuals approaching the activity for the first time. For one individual, maybe a young child who doesn't know much about horses, is very likely they are to become uninterested in horseback riding if they step in horse excrement the first time they ever tried riding a horse. Instead, someone who has had a lifelong love for horses and an interest in horseback riding would not be turned off from this experience, since getting their shoes dirty is not enough to make them like horses any less. 

This comparison gave me a new insight into how our minds function, making sense of many common experiences. For example, it made me think about the basis on which fears develop, and how they often start from an unpleasant or traumatic experience after initial exposure to something. It also made me realize how fragile interest really is, reflecting on how many things have to go right in a learning environment in order for students to be engaged, cognitively stimulated, and excited to know more. 

I have to say this experience exploring the idea of interest as a key motivator captured my own curiosity in the topic, and has inspired me to share the ideas that I have read with family and friends. It also motivated me to explore psychology in general, sparking a desire to learn more about how the mind works. It really is true that interests build off each other in a domino effect! I hope you found this as interesting as I did!

Courtesy of AlessiaC@OTU

Reinforce Effort Not Intelligence

In class, part of the confidence presentation discussed when and what to praise a student for in a classroom. I had never really stopped to consider when I received praise as a child throughout school. However, praising a student for being smart is not helpful to the student whereas praising the effort you saw them contribute. When this was being discussed I had a very vivid memory come to the forefront of my mind from my grade 12 english class. 

I am a science kid and logical thinker at heart. I have always struggled in my English classes. I do not excel at flowery writing, I am very to the point. My teachers typically "punished" me for it as it was typically my lowest mark due to the exception rather than my ideas. I always put my best effort forward but I felt extremely defeated when my work was never validated because the output wasn't as beautifully put together as other pieces from other students. However, I remember having a discussion in the first week of class in my grade 12 english class and the teacher asked a question and I mumbled an answer. He heard me and made me repeat my thoughts but louder for the class to hear. I was expecting "oh that's ok but not what I am looking for". Instead he said "wow that's very insightful! Great idea". I was absolutely shocked but it sparked something inside of me and gave me an amazing idea for the essay we had been discussing. I remember writing a rough draft and checking in with him but I had taken a really different approach than most of my classmates. My teacher absolutely LOVED it. He gave me pointers to clean it up and areas that required more elaboration but when the time came to get my essay back for my final mark I was hesitant. I was afraid to see what I got because I had put so much of my time and effort into this essay and figured it would be identical to previous experiences. I was wrong and overjoyed, I had done exceptionally well and my teacher made a point to tell me this was the most impressive thought process for an essay he had seen in a long time. Did I feel like the smartest person alive and that I should apply to an english program for post-secondary? Absolutely not. However, I did gain confidence in my writing abilities and it left me excited to write my next essay for this class. 

This one teacher was able to create extensive scaffolding in regards to my confidence in my writing abilities, simply by validating my effort. This is a very essential skill and a requirement to being a good teacher in my opinion. 

EmmaW@OTU

The Consequences of Overconfidence

The discussions about confidence in last week's learning key workshop reminded me of my experiences with overconfidence growing up. I was a typical "gifted kid", and I knew it. I picked up math and science easily, and I never really needed to pay attention in class to do so. I felt entitled to my grades, which were reinforced at home, where results were prioritized over effort. For a while, this system worked well for me. I didn't find school very difficult, and my grades were great. My mindset was fixed. If I didn't do well in something, such as dance, I would usually decide that I didn't do well because I wasn't good at it, not because of my unwillingness to try. Like many gifted children, I eventually did hit my wall. In my case, this happened in grade 8. My teacher wanted our class to learn upper grade level math concepts to help prepare us for high school. I kept up with business as usual, spending the lessons playing on my phone and chatting with friends, and of course, not taking notes or doing homework. When the time for the test arrived, I walked into the class as confident as ever that it would make sense to me, that I would simply do the math, and it would work itself out. It didn't. I failed the test, and my teacher emailed my parents, since he was concerned about that grade coming out of nowhere. My parents were upset and disappointed since my grade output had dropped, but they didn't seem to regard my struggles with the material in class as an issue. Since I was smart, I should have been able to figure it out on my own. I gave up on math for the rest of the year, since I "wasn't good at it anymore". It sounds dramatic, but because of how fragile my confidence was, one test was all it took. Giving up led me to fail a few more math tests that year, which sank my confidence even further. At the end of the year, I ended up with Cs in math, which was the first time I had ever received a C grade in my life.

In hindsight, I'm grateful for that time. Challenging as it was, it brought some important changes in my life. My parents started to encourage my effort in class, not just my grades (as my grade 8 teacher suggested). I also started to build up study skills on my own, since I cared about my grades and saw firsthand that I needed those skills to succeed. In class, we have discussed many times how telling a child over and over again that they are so smart can be harmful, and I feel that I'm a good example of that. Even though I've grown a lot, I still struggle to separate my self-esteem from my grades to this day.

AaronK@OTU

Is Social Media Polluting our Social Ecosystems?

When I hear "ecosystem", I tend to think about abiotic and biotic interactions such as nutrient cycles or transfers of energy. After today's lesson on Bronfenbrenner's theory, I was reminded that we also exist within a social ecosystem, made up of our relationships, interactions, and physical contexts. This got me thinking about the role of social media in today's world, and how it can act as a pollutant to our social ecosystems, influencing how we interact, form relationships, and view the world. Since our social ecosystems play a role in our social development, any disruption can have lasting developmental impacts, especially on children and adolescence.

Nowadays, the majority of students grow up surrounded by technology and social media. This has become not just a source of entertainment but it is now one of the most common ways to communicate and connect with one another. However, the constant online activity can affect student development by impacting current relationships, and inhibiting the making of new ones. Forming and maintaining meaningful relationships is essential for healthy social and emotional development so that they can learn skills like empathy and communication. Social media also amplifies peer cultures, where children and adolescence are becoming more aware about appearance, popularity, and conformity due to likes, shares, and follows. Yet, these peer relationships play a huge role in personal and social development because it provides companionship, support, and a sense of belonging. When children feel rejection from peers, which can happen through social media, they will also be less willing to participate in academic activities. 

In addition to affecting social relationships, social media has also been linked to a rise in mental health issues in teens and young adults. Mental health plays a big role in social development, specifically in confidence, identity, and engagement with others. However, being constantly online exposes people to idealized versions of other peoples lives. This often leads to idolizing unrealistic standards and creates pressure to look or act a certain way in order to be liked or noticed by others. This constant comparison gives feelings of low self worth or low confidence and as a result we are seeing an increase in issues such as body image concerns, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. This can disrupt the developmental stages of finding your identity, and emotional growth. Social media has now entered our microsystems and is directly influencing how people view themselves and interact with others. When mental health is negatively impacted, it can affect all areas of development, including academic performance and social participation. 

 

Just as we try and protect our natural ecosystems from pollution, we must also focus on protecting our social ecosystems from the negative effects of the digital world.

Courtesy of AinsleyC@OTU

The Power of Interest in the Classroom

As future educators, we often discuss ways to motivate students, manage classrooms, and improve achievement. But what if the key to all these things is much simpler… something we all have experienced? Interest.

Interest is the spark that makes learning possible and enjoyable. When we are interested, our attention is sharp, our motivation is high, and learning feels effortless. When we are disinterested, no amount of encouragement or threats will keep our focus for long. This reality should influence how we view teaching. If learning thrives in the soil of curiosity, our role as teachers is not just to deliver content, but to nurture and protect that curiosity.

The Fragility of Interest

Interest is fragile. Maria Montessori believed that children go through unique "sensitive periods" where they are especially ready to learn certain things. These moments, whether they last minutes or months, are valuable opportunities. When nurtured, these moments can develop into deeper individual interests that can support students for years. When ignored or interrupted, they could fade away before they take root.

I think about this in my own experiences as a learner. The times I've become passionate about a subject almost always started with a fleeting spark. It could be an article I found, a question a teacher asked, or even an experiment that went wrong but made me wonder "why?" Those sparks were small, but when supported, they grew into genuine interests that pushed me forward.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

One of the most important insights from research on interest is that extrinsic motivators (grades, rewards, or punishments) often do more harm than good. They can stifle curiosity by creating a sense of control or manipulation. In contrast, intrinsic rewards (feelings of achievement, competence, and real enjoyment) drive long-term motivation.

As teachers, we need to think carefully about how we encourage students. Instead of offering stickers or stars as bribes, we can provide meaningful feedback, help them connect new ideas to their existing interests, and create learning environments filled with choice and discovery.

Facilitating Interest in the Classroom

So how can we put this into practice? Here are a few key strategies:

Expose students to possibilities. Sometimes students don't know what they might be interested in until they see it. Classrooms should be places of exploration, where students encounter ideas, stories, tools, and perspectives that spark curiosity.

Model enthusiasm. Interest is contagious. When we show genuine excitement for a subject, students are more likely to reflect that enthusiasm.

Build on what students already love. A child who enjoys sports can learn math through baseball statistics. A child who loves art can explore geometry through patterns and design.

Give meaningful feedback. Instead of vague praise, focus on effort, progress, and specific strengths so students see the value in their learning.

From Interest to Passion

Interest is powerful on its own, but sometimes it grows into something greater, passion. This is the moment when a student decides, "This is what I want to do with my life" or "This is who I want to be." These life-changing moments often start with a teacher who noticed a spark and allowed it to grow.

If we learn to nurture interest (whether situational, individual, or general) we not only motivate students in the moment, but also prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

As a teacher candidate, this challenges me to ask myself daily: How will I create an environment where interests can thrive? How can I encourage curiosity instead of replacing it with compliance? At the end of the day, the most effective classrooms are the ones where self-confidence and interest leads the way.

IsabellaL@OTU