GUEST EDITOR
Lifelong Learning Begins With by Jennifer Jagdmann, Corbett Prep Middle School Principal, images provided by Corbett Preparatory School of IDS
A secret of lifelong learners is that new information energizes you. Have you ever started googling information after watching a movie or television show, eagerly seeking more details about what you watched? There is excitement in learning new things, and when you realize information is only a few steps away, you start to become comfortable feeling uncomfortable. You greet criticism with an open mind, responding respectfully and reflecting on what you hear. You’re excited to share your passions or listen to new perspectives. Teachers—and parents—who prioritize lifelong learning become models for students in how they approach education. Is education about achieving high test scores or earning a certain degree? Or is it a process of growth, discovery and understanding that extends far beyond your last days of schooling or university? Of course schools want students to do well academically, graduate and attend good colleges to land the perfect job. But a true education continues long after graduation. If teachers equip students with the tools to learn how to learn, they prepare them for an interconnected world, show them how to problem solve and cultivate curiosity inside and outside of the classroom. They help themselves as well, leading to less career burnout and increasing their understanding of the subjects they teach and how to better convey that to students. To accomplish all this, schools first have to teach the teachers.
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TampaBayParenting.com AUGUST 2022
Teachers
A CLIMATE OF LEARNING
It starts with establishing a workplace that values continuous improvement. At Corbett Prep, teachers regularly meet in divisions and as an entire school to discuss best practices, review current educational research and look for ways to build upon past successes. Teachers study, implement, refine and then start the cycle over again. Corbett’s dedication to the professional development of its teachers is paramount because research shows consistently that teacher quality is the most important factor inf luencing student achievement. The school has created a coaching culture that celebrates successes while accepting that there is always room for improvement. Faculty and staff learn to listen to feedback without defensiveness and respond thoughtfully, a skill that when passed on to their classes helps students become open to constructive criticism and develop a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, students can embrace how struggle often reveals new insights and discoveries. In thinking about the process of learning and looking for options, students work harder and more creatively to get the results they want. Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, known for her research on the growth mindset, found that students who believed their intelligence could be developed outperformed students who saw intelligence as something fixed or limited to what they were born with. The growth mindset applies to all ages and professions: student, teacher, CEO, parent. And it’s beneficial for students to see the adults in their lives pursuing learning for the sake of learning, whether they are reading a book or enrolling in a course. This summer, Corbett Prep teachers collectively attended hundreds of hours of professional development. Some were new teachers getting up to speed on methodology Corbett Prep uses. Other teachers sought to tune up their skills or broaden their horizons for personal or career goals.
