VIRTUAL WORKSHOP 20th May 2019 @ 3:30pm: How do I teach & assess Agency?
“Important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning.”
- Carol Dweck
Why do some students work hard and engage in school, even in the face of academic or personal challenge, while others give-up easily or are unwilling to try? In the last decade, research on mindset reveals success is less determined by innate talent, and more dependent on what we believe about our own ability to learn and get better at a something through effort or practice. As an NTN outcome, Agency demonstrates the importance of reflecting on and developing a “growth mindset” as well as learning key academic skills correlated with positive academic and life outcomes as indicated in both research and our experience in the network.
Understanding the concept of mindset relative to achievement and being able to take ownership over one’s learning and relationships, are fundamental stepping stones to success in life. However, simply expecting students to develop these skills organically through PBL inevitably leads to a lack of progress in these skills.