Fearing "I Don't Know..."

The plan was to post my plans for 2nd Year, but that's not sorted yet. Sooo... I don't know what to write. Ironically, this post is titled 'I Don't Know' because what better chance is there for a post like this?

Before I came to university this phrase was always seen as a negative phrase to say and that you should avoid saying it. Here are some common examples:

• Not knowing your next steps or career path especially during sixth form/ college meant that teachers pressured you to need to have something in place right now.
  
  
• When you're not feeling good and when you're asked why you reply that you don't really know what's causing it, to which the person you're talking to replied "I can't help you then."
  
  
• Not having an answer to a question and then being called "useless" even though the person asking has no clue either.
  
  
• Not knowing the answer to a question is class to which your teacher exclaims that it's "simple" or telling you that you can't look at your notes because you "should know".
  
  
• Not yet having mastered a skill but wanting to, only to be shamed and told that it's "basic" to know.

I will assume that you have experienced many of these yourself. A lot of us, whether we like it or not, are afraid of not knowing. However, who are we all to judge others for not having yet gained certain skills or knowledge? After all, everything we know right now is known to us because we initially didn't know and were open to discover the answer to the unknown or made an effort to master a skill.

To put it forward (and I've said this before): we need to be ignorant to learn. That requires us to firstly admit our ignorance. Therefore, to say "I don't know" should be a good thing, right? If we all pretend to know everything then we wouldn't learn anything new.

As shown from the examples listed above, this isn't the case. Instead of it being used as an opportunity to pass on your knowledge or to teach a skill which could be of great benefit to society and the individual, the response from saying this phrase elicits a feeling of shame. I guess the fear of such negative responses stop us from gaining as much understanding as possible.

via GIPHY

In school, I was given the impression that to not know is not good enough. We had no choice but to know. There were several times where I would be in a class when a peer had been asked a question and instead of admitting they didn't know they would ramble on and on until the teacher picked up a point that loosely answered the question. Really, this pupil had no idea what they were talking about and would confess to their friend after class that they "still don't understand the answer".

On the other hand, we've all been in an uncomfortable situation where we haven't been able to answer a question (even after being promoted) but the teacher insists that you know it and won't let you go until you give the correct answer. Doing the first saves the embarrassment of holding up your peers. Yet how much do we learn from doing that? I presume not very much.

I also did a mock interview once and there was a segment where I spoke about my work experience in a reception class. I mentioned about a multi-cultural day I helped children learn words of animals in Spanish. The interviewer asked how I knew how to help them with a language I wasn't familiar with, to which I told them that I had Spanish lessons in primary so basics such as animals and colours came back to me quite easily. To my surprise they responded back by saying "Oh, that's good. Otherwise you would have had to pretend to know what you were doing".

It's no wonder why so many of us find it difficult to admit that we're lacking in skill or knowledge. It makes us seem incompetent. Probably more so than we are. It can damage our self-confidence and the way that others perceive us.

However, being at university now I have been very fortunate that my lecturers have made the experience of saying "I don't know" much more positive. They use it as an opportunity to promote learning and understanding. They don't make exclamations such as "you should know this" or "this is easy. There should be no reason why you shouldn't understand it" that make us feel embarrassed. If we go up to one of our academics and tell them that we don't understand or know how to do or work something out they always tell us that "it's okay" and will ask us specifically what we need help with. If we can't pinpoint it ourselves, they are happy to sit with us and work through the material to help us get to the bottom of it.

I mentioned this in this post but I have asked some questions which I was so so embarrassed that I have even asked my lecturers in the first place. Despite that, they have never been received negatively. Thinking back, I shouldn't have been embarrassed for asking. My lecturers had no problem making clarifications and explaining things to me. If I had never asked, I wouldn't have known the answer and that would have implicated the way I went about the remainder of my studies.

I've even had moments where I have needed to talk to someone but haven't been able to give a reason as to why I'm feeling a certain way, and as hard as it makes it for them to be able to give us direction with such limited information, they have always managed to open up a conversation to help me work it out.

They have also encouraged us to come as speak to them about work experience and career options if we are feeling lost with that to. This came as a surprise to me as I had always been told that "it's up to you. No one else can help you with that". Rather than being pressured by the need to know what direction we're heading in, there's more of a "We have time. We'll work it out together" kind of response. There's no fear or shame placed onto us this way.




It's given me a completely new perspective. The staff in the department have made me feel so much more comfortable in being able to send them and email or knock on their doors and ask for help. This is something that I previously found so nerve-wracking to do. They have taught me that there is no problem with saying "I don't know" as long as we are willing to turn the 'I don't know' into 'I know'. Maybe not a complete "I know" to begin with, but it shows that we are attempting to at the minimum. The same goes for direction whether that's career wise or personal development. I have no idea where I'm heading in a few years' time or even next week. It is so stressful but there are people there who can help me to explore all these different options and open my mind to ones which I may have never thought of beforehand.

It's okay not to know a piece of information, how to do something, how you're feeling, what you want to do in a few years' time, whether you're studying the right course, and so on. However, we do need to give ourselves the opportunity to say "This isn't right. I might not be sure why, but it's completely fine that I don't". These are generally the steps I take:

1. Fully acknowledge that you don't know what you're doing.
   
   
2. Try and pinpoint exactly why you're unsure (maybe it's a new experience that you have never encountered? Is there a specific bit for information that you can't work out to be able to gain a full understanding? Could it possibly be a process of elimination and experiencing several routes).
   
   
3. Break it down into smaller sections and work through it slowly to help with the above.
   
   
4. Try and figure it out independently. Use the resources around you (create a mind map, a list, do some research on Google, YouTube; leaflets if possible).
   
   
5. Still struggling to figure it out? Need help with gaining resources to help you out (as usually the case with work experience!)? Ask. You can go onto a related form and post questions, ask your friends or family member and see if they know; ask your teachers or other people you know who may have greater knowledge if you're looking for a specific answer. Someone you know will have an answer or know someone who can help.
   
   
6. Acknowledge that whatever it is you're seeking the answer to is reasonable. There's no need to feel embarrassed. You are willing to work things out and that that's all that matters.
   
   

via GIPHY

People might judge you, but like I have already said, whatever you're asking them is something that they also didn't know (how to do) once. Someone else taught them and you're asking them to teach you or to use their knowledge to support you in figuring whatever it is out. Remind them of that.

Therefore, we need to be aware of giving others the opportunity to take from us when they are feeling a bit lost to. This is without them feeling embarrassed that they need to ask, because there's no problem with not knowing.

We are constantly learning throughout life. Out of general curiosity, the need to know essential skills, to reach is certain goal; to get to know ourselves better. We have to remember that we know what we know because we have learned with the help of other people, whether that is someone writing a textbook, information booklet, creating a video, physically showing you how to do a task, or even just by having a conversation.
 
Keep being curious. Keep asking questions. Keep up with giving yourself the chance to explore new experiences. Finally, keep sharing your skills and knowledge and using it to help others because there is nothing better than finally feeling like you have taken a step forward in the right direction or the relief of being able to master a skill that you need to or would like to without someone making negative judgements. 

That is what we should know.

1st Year Review: Education Studies

Here's part II of my Year 1 Academic Review! You can view my Psychology one here.

Cliparts.co

As my degree title is 'Psychology with Education Studies' this means that the weighting of the two courses are different. Whilst Psychology makes up 75% of my degree, Education Studies makes up the remaining 25%.

This essentially means that I only take 30 credits (out of 120) worth of Education Studies modules per a year (with the exception of Year 3 where I will get a choice of whether to take an additional Education or Psychology module or a module from another department).

This year both were compulsory foundational modules.


Theories of Learning
Contact hours: 3hrs per a week (Term 1 only)
Assessment: Essay assignment

This covered key theorists' theories and perspectives of how we learn from early years up to adulthood.

• Behaviourism - its historical emergence, theories of conditioning and Behaviourist theorists; application to different stages of learning.
• Cognitivism - how it differs from Behaviourism, cognitive development (incl. Piaget), Constructivism, adaptation in relation to learning.
• Social Constructionism - constructivism vs. contructionism, Vygotsky and the role of the teacher', social relationships and environment, language development; problem solving.
• Social Learning Theory - Bandura and Bronfenbrenner; importance to factors external to school/ individual's immediate circle.
• Psychoanalysis - Freud's stages of psychosexual development, the Iceberg Analogy, personality, and emotions.
• Humanism - Montessori education, Maslow's Motivational Model, Rogers.
• Contemporary Theories of Learning - adult vs. child learning, barriers to learning, influence of adult education, the propose of education, Expansive Learning; key skills developed in contemporary education.

We looked into so many theorists so I didn't want to include them all, but this should be enough to give you a gist of the kind of content that was covered. Each week, we also discussed and evaluated the issues of each theory, how they can apply to different stage of learning, and reflected on our own learning experience in relation to these different theories.



Education Today 
Contact hours: 3hrs per a week (Term 2 only)
Assessment: 2hr Exam (essay based)

Looks at what education means and its role in contemporary society.

• Sociological Introduction to Education - philosophical questions surrounding education and roles within it, socio-cultural contexts and social mobility, the concept of meritocracy and a little on politics.
  
  
• The Structure of the Education System (focusing on the UK) - government aims, educational policies and current ideologies, educational documents, and global competition.
  
  

  

  Pixabay

• School Curricula - what the curriculum consists of, how they can be perceived, different types of curricula (e.g.: hidden and formal curricula), their purpose and how they reflect policies, and challenging multi-cultural representations within the national curriculum.
  
  
• Assessment - the difference between formative and summative assessment, meeting standards vs. learning, styles of assessment, reliability and validity of assessments, and debates surrounding the idea of meritocracy.
  
  
• Assess and inclusion - SEND and education, how access and inclusion is perceived and how that affects the practise of it, the effects of labelling, the educational environment, the 4 Areas of SEND as stated by the Department of Education, and the medical vs. social model of disability.
  
  
• Religious Education -the concept of religion, stages of religious and moral development, content prioritisation, the propose and role of RE; the concept of British values in education.
  
  
• Economics and Education - introduction of areas of economics, history of the economic climate, marketisation, globalisation, neo-liberalism, and the privatisation of education.
  
  
• Intersectionality - I'm not going to lie, I don't know what happened with this lecture. I think what was supposed to be explored was how the combination of different forms of prejudice and discrimination (e.g.: gender and ethnicity) or biases affect educational experiences? Again, I'm not to sure.
  
  
• Social Justice - we looked at the diverse range of school types that exist, considered why we need so many different types, their historical and political developments, autonomy, parentocracy, focused on the increase of academies, free schools, and grammar schools and its effect on autonomy and parentocracy, and admissions criteria.

Before I go ahead, I want you to know that this review doesn't represent CES (Centre for Education Studies) as a whole.

Remember that this is only 25% of my degree and it's new for them to be working with another department as this is a new course which was introduced this year. Therefore, there are going to be issues which do need to (and will) be addressed. Those on the BA Education Studies degree will have a very different perspective.

Assessment and Feedback

• One of the main differences between Education Studies and Psychology is that in Psychology I felt that I had the opportunity to make mistakes and be able to learn from them. This was something that I mentioned in last week's post. However, the Education Studies modules are assessed by 100% through either an essay assignment OR an exam (also essay based). This means that if I screw up, then that's that. I would not get another opportunity. I have (literally) failed a few psychology assignments, but as modules were not 100% assessed through one piece of work, I was given the chance to learn from those errors and redeem myself.
  
  

  

  TeroVesalainen | Pixabay

• What made this even more stressful was that I had not received enough individual formative feedback to make sure that I was understanding the information and doing the correct research to meet the expectations of the department. The only feedback of this kind I received was from the (summative) Theories of Learning assignment, but that module was very much psychology based anyway. Although seminars/ group work within seminars count as formative feedback in the department, without receiving feedback from physical pieces of properly written work, it's hard to tell whether we were meeting the level of written communication required in the department. Considering that all work that we submit towards out degree are essays, this is quite important. Even submitting one paragraph here and there would have made a difference.
  
  
• For this reason, I still don't know how to write and structure a good degree level social studies essay. I haven't been able to explore different writing styles to see which one works best. It's all very much trial and error, and the way I write in Psychology doesn't work well for Education Studies.
  
  
• Nevertheless, feedback that I did receive from the assignment (it was the first ever essay I wrote for uni!) was very detailed and clear and it gave me an idea of general things to be cautious of when writing academic essays.
  
  
• Consistent criteria set by the department when it comes to marking work. This is split up into several sections. Again, it would have been helpful if I had more pieces of work to make comparisons against and to be able to figure out more clearly where my strengths and weaknesses lie.
  
  
  
  
  Structure of Year 1
• Learning objectives could have been clearer in the 2nd module. I didn't firmly know what I was supposed to understand and delve further into until the revision lecture. To be fair, this is kind of my fault for only realising this until Easter break as I was revising. Having the revision lecture pointers as the learning objectives would have helped immensely as they were really informative.
  
  
• Only covered the very minimal - wasn't made aware of how much extra reading I had to do. I didn't do anywhere near as much as I was supposed to and didn't realise until the revision lecture in Term 3... Having to cram in and rely on.
  
  
• Timing issues in the organisation of the lectures/ seminars. It happens. The only problem was that lectures over-ran into the afternoon seminar, or we would spend way too long on one PowerPoint slide. Sometimes I couldn't quite work out whether I was in a seminar or lecture.
  
  
  
  Of course, there are some positives to!
  
  
  

  

  Edvin Johansson | Unsplash

• Like Psychology did, this year gave us a really broad outline of various areas of education studies.
  
  

• As a result, we were able to discuss and debate a broad range of issues facing education from a range of perspectives. These were quite thought-provoking.
  
  
• Covered the whole spectrum from early years to adult education.
  
  
• Not a criticism but I am a little sad that I didn't get the chance to explore some other year 1 modules like the 'Creativity, Culture, and Learning one!
  
  
  
  
  Other General Comments
  
• There are feedback forms at the end of each module which we fill out on-line. Unlike with Psychology, I don't know much about what happens with these, but perhaps it is discussed with home department students.
  
  
• Each module is made up of 3 hours of contact hours a week. CES tends to arrange this so that that all 3 hours are completed on the same day, and sometimes in a 3-hour block. There are a few which are split up into different days but the majority of them are all in one day. I suppose you just get it over and done with, so for some people this is convenient. Personally, I like to be able to go away for a few days and consolidate what I already know for the next lecture otherwise everything becomes a bit mushy in my brain. Therefore, this doesn't work too well for me. It all depends on how you work through your work best.
  
  
• There tended to be quite a lot of 'in your lecture with x' or 'in x module' comments as there are bound to be overlaps. However, when this did happen, us Psychology students kind of sat there and just looked at each other because we had no idea what they were on about. A brief overview would have been nice.
  
  
• Whilst there were a lot of group discussions taking place, I did find that there was a segregation between CES and Psychology students.  It would have been nice to engage with the CES students more and get to know them as they all seem like really friendly people.
  
  
• Lecturers are friendly and are genuinely interested in what they teach. It shows clearly in the way they speak in their presentations.
  
  
• Book recommendations are provided after every lecture.
  
  
• In 'Education Today' we were taught by a range of academics alongside our main two. This allowed us to gain knowledge from someone who specialised in that area and get a good insight into the content of 2nd and 3rd year module options. It was also nice to be able to meet some of the other academics of CES.

I definitely believe that if I was taking the BA Education Studies course alone, this review would be very different. Some of these points will be inevitable if you take a joint degree course. As I have already mentioned, this is a new course this year, so adaptations will need to be made.

I'm not sure where I stand with Education Studies as of yet. The plan is to think it through, possibly speak to a few academics in CES, and see what happens with timetabling and module choices.

HOWEVER, if  I do choose to continue with Education Studies, I'm looking very forward to Year 2 and 3 modules. A lot of them sound so interesting, and I think that I will enjoy them a lot more (that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the content this year). It will be great to be able to have a clearer focus and study those aspects of Education which we have a personal interest in.

That's my 1st Year academic review complete! 

I'm not going to do a social one as I'm still working on that (nothing to be ashamed of 😅), but there will be an accommodation one up sometime in Term 1! I thought that it would be good to do a comparison of student accommodation vs off campus housing.

Ummm... Not really sure how to sign this off (commence flashbacks to every essay written).

I guess I'm just going to say bye 👋 (unless you're off to check out some of my other posts, then enjoy!), and hope you have a good weekend.

Let's Value and Respect Our Teachers: Thank a Teacher Today!

Thank a Teacher Day was about a week ago, but you can show your appreciation at any time of the year!
However, as the academic year is coming to a close (and since my 'Education' category is really lacking in some posts!) I thought I would do a teacher appreciation post.

Personally, I think that the career of being a teacher is largely undermined in society, and I don't think teachers gain enough value and respect that they deserve. After all, most of you reading this will have probably been affected by one somehow.

Unfortunately, we also see many comments scrutinising the work of teachers which are really upsetting to read. Many of us don't realise the sheer amount of resilience and dedication that teachers must commit to, but having witnessed many of mine go above and beyond what is expected of them, it breaks my heart knowing that teachers have to come across them.


If you still attend school or if you are a student and you don't want to read this whole post, please do one thing - take note of the concluding paragraph.

If you are a hard-working teacher/lecturer - thank you so much for everything that you do for your pupils/ students. I know a 'thank you' does suffice to the challenges, sacrifices and dedication you put into your jobs every single day.


Of course, I'm not a teacher, so I'm going to try my best based on research and personal conversations I have had.
Remember that this is just a generalisation. Here are just a handful of reasons to why you should thank a teacher today:


Teachers really do care about their pupils/students
In the most recent Teacher Wellbeing Index (2018) by the Education Support Partnership it was stated that the main reasons for wanting to work in education is 'to work with children/young people and make a difference, or an impact, on their lives. They want to teach them and help them learn, achieve and progress.' (pg. 14). This point is largely link to the following three points, which are explained below.


They make financial sacrifices
It's no myth that funding in education is suffering. At A Level I wasn't even provided textbooks for one of the subjects that I studied. There was only one textbook which we all got photocopies of bits and pieces out of, but we all know that you can't get a 'satisfactory' pass without knowing all the information provided in the exam board textbook.

Teachers earn money to teach, but you may not realise that a portion of that is likely to go back into being able to meet the standards and needs of their pupils. An article by The Guardian reports that this is so that additional academic materials which school/departmentmental budgets alone can't cover can be provided, in addition to necessary basic needs which children from the most deprived households may not be able to afford.

Even being in Sixth Form, a few of my teachers would buy books and materials out of their own pockets. I had one teacher who even told us to not spend our own money on resources we needed for their subject, and to let them know if we needed anything. Needless to say, those of us in the class thought it was unfair to them, so we didn't most of the time.

Teachers want you to be able to do your best and see your wellbeing and basic needs met. Some will even make financial sacrifices in order for that to be achieved.


Always going the extra miles
One-on-one meetings, coming in early to run breakfast clubs and even working with pupils at weekends or during the holidays instead of spending time with their families, especially in the run up to the exam period. These are not things that teachers have to do, but they choose to as they want to make sure that they are doing all they can to ensure that you are doing your best whether that's through detailed feedback on work or extra sessions to work on specific techniques.

Beyond academics, there are also extra-curricular activities to help you build on those vital non-cognitive skills (including: creativity, mindset, emotional development, self-regulation, communication and critical thinking) that will stick with us beyond education to. They're also there to take your mind off from the intense learn, study, test routine. For me and my friends, taking part in extra-curricular gave us something which we could really look forward to. After school and lunch rehearsals were what got us through the school day and weeks.

If these first few points don'tt show you that they work for so much more than their salaries, I don't know what else will.


Making sure that pupils/students feel proud of themselves
They are the ones who have faith in us when we don't have faith in ourselves - quite literally. They will challenge us to reach our full potential and personal goals, whether it's through a bit of tough love or through small gentle nudges. They will remind us of all the accomplishments which we should feel proud of when we feel like 'failures'. Despite it being so tough to see the potential in someone who doesn't believe in their ability to go above a certain limit, they will never give up in helping us to prove ourselves wrong and will celebrate with us when those goals are met.

Teachers carry a lot of responsibility
Teachers are made to feel accountable for a lot. Some of these responsibilities will conflict with educational and societal expectations or standards, which are a challenge to balance.

• Engaging pupils - With increasingly rigorous subject specifications requiring pupils to be able to learn so much in so little time, there's the conflict between teaching to understand and be able to apply knowledge to unseen contexts vs teaching to know and be able to recall concepts and material from memory. Understandably, this has a great impact on how teachers are able to deliver thoroughly planned and engaging lessons, whilst  also ensuring that all material is covered on time.
  
  
• Personal progress vs grades - Educational achievement is much more focused on standardised measures of success rather than progress (see this post for more). It must be rough knowing that a pupil has worked hard and has made progress, but not being able merit them for their efforts. Trying to balance feedback so that pupils are aware of needing to meet set standards, but also emphasising the importance of being able to reflect and focus on personal progress to is a challenge.
  
  
  
• To hug or not to hug? Providing comfort to pupils - A light hug can go a long way, but there's been a lot of controversy regarding physical contact in schools. Should teaching staff be allowed to provide hugs or just a touch on the shoulder as a signal of comfort to a pupil who is distressed? There are so many loopholes to this matter.
  
  
• Safeguarding and Wellbeing - I don't think I need to expand on this. It's a touchy subject to have to deal with. More recently it has been reported that teachers will be trained to spot signs of deteriorating mental health. Spotting signs isn't exactly a breeze, and in my opinion there needs to be more protection for teachers in regard to the accountability involved with the reporting such concerns.
  
  
• Dealing with parents - Say no more. We have all witnessed it at one point of another. Parents: teachers are not genies who can make things happen in an instant. Be patient and thank them for doing their best to help you or your child.
  
  
• Getting to know each individual pupil - No doubt that this is a demanding task in a class of 30, but can you imagine being a secondary school teacher, teaching over 100 pupils and having parents expect you to be able to report back to them their individual child's progress at parent consultations? Then there's also the pressure of maintaining inclusively within their classrooms and being able to adapt their pedagogy to benefit every pupil in each class.
  
  
• Admin work - All I'm going to say is: So. Much. Paperwork. Everything requires paperwork... and more paperwork. Possibly add in a lot of emails to. Picture it like all the behind the scenes stuff that goes on during and before filming or a theatre performance.
  
  

Basically, teachers have a lot of demands put upon them, so they should be protected and supported. Some of us have to realise that not many of us can handle as much as they do! Look at the situation holistically from their perspectives rather as an isolated event.

They are much more than teachers
Teachers are like our parents when we need support, guidance and comfort to help us find our way. Many of them will say that their pupils are their children. They are counsellors for when we need someone to listen to our worries. I know it's said that teachers shouldn't be friendly with their pupils, but they also feel like our friends when they are able to make us laugh and smile. Those moments are some of the best moments of our experiences in education. Finally, as already mentioned, they are some of the loudest cheerleaders. It's all the little things that bundle together and make teachers some of the most valuable people to many pupils and students.

Ravi Roshan | Unsplash

They help shape minds

If I were to ask you to think of a teacher who has made a positive difference in your mindset and the way you approach setbacks, you would all hopefully be able to name at least one. It may be cliché, but it's true to say that teachers have a profound impact on part of who we are today. Hopefully, that's for the better. Without even realising, teachers teach us so much of what we know today. Many of these lessons will stick with us for a lifetime.

It's unquestionable that:

Teachers make a difference.

Many people stop thanking teachers after primary school, but even being at university now I will always consider writing a simple note to my lecturers - even if it's just a 'thank you' note with a '😊' in the comments section of their feedback forms. Some of you will say that "they are just doing their jobs", but they deserve the recognition.

Never feel 'awkward' to thank a teacher (hyperlink to a video attached) that you know deserves the praise. I have learned that most teachers are extremely humble. Just writing them a little note or an email will be enough. They care about whether you have felt supported by them!

We all need some reassurance from those around us that we are doing a good job now and then, and teachers aren't any different.

If there's one thing I would like you all to take away from this post it is to go and thank a teacher after you read this. It doesn't matter whether you're a pupil/student/carer/parent, of if you're finishing the academic year, or you have already left school/university a long while ago. It's NEVER too late to show your appreciation.

Check out Pearson's Thank a Teacher Card Campaign if you would like some help with sending a card!

(not sponsored!) 

Meeting Standards: Self-Doubt and Competition

I'm exam-free for the academic year! 🥳

Results day nerves kicked in a few moments after my last exam, but we'll deal with that later. I need a break for now! However, less than 48 hours after (as this sentence is being written) I feel completely lost with what to do with myself. No assignments. No revision. What now?

Well, I suppose I should start with a long overdue post, so let's get to it!
Whilst this is written from a student perspective, it can also be applied beyond this type of setting.


One of the biggest challenges I came across throughout my first year as I was completing assignments and revision for exams was self-doubt. Knowing that you know the information and that you DO understand it, but still having that little voice in your head which tells you that you don't. We've all been there.

It's something that I have worked on over the past few years but coming to a place like Warwick where students are generally academically intelligent and where most students are very well-educated from private, grammar, selective, and high-performing schools it was (and rather still is) daunting. I never completely understood the impact of this until being exposed to it. Some will like to show that off as well and some students will try and google you to find out what kind of school you attended and where you are from. Some students won't be afraid to announce their results to everyone also; to tell the whole class that they feel super confident with an exam/ assignment. They have that self-confidence. I wish I could take some of that for myself sometimes!

trajaner | Pixabay

I'm not even going sugar-coat it - for other students like me, it can really take a toll on our self-assurance. Like many others, I often feel like the red egg amongst the white ones in the image on the right. It is something that is difficult to talk about when you're in such a competitive environment. Mostly in fear that other students will look down on you.

If I'm going to be real, some do. They don't realise that not everyone had the same level of education and amount of resources to support them as they did. This is not necessarily out of ignorance, but it's tough to understand the position of someone else when you don't know any better. That's the same for every context, for instance: not understanding the reality of what it's like to have a different career. You can judge and imagine what it may be like to be a teacher, but you will never truly understand the position of one until you have experienced the reality of the context yourself.

Please NOTE before reading the next paragraph: 

Many students are friendly, but like anywhere you go, there will unfortunately be the minority that just stand out.

There have been the odd unpleasant comment and exclamations now and then when I have admitted to not being able to understand certain parts of a lecture or not already having knowledge regarding a given section. I would be lying if I said otherwise. I had to remind myself that it's understandable to some extent because of the reason that I set out above. I say to some extent because there's a line between that and being arrogant. You can guess which part of that bothers me the most.

If you have ever asked a question on your class group chat for someone to hit back at you with an arrogant comment, you know how deflating that it especially in a class of 180+. What's worse is that once that one comment is made, no other student wants to reply to you. 

In the case that you find yourself in such a situation, here are some pointers which I follow by:

1.  Don't be one those people who is too lazy to check your lecture notes when you know the answer to your question is in them. Chances are, you won't get a reply.
2. If you're the one asking, and you find that unpleasant comments are being made: just turn to your lecturer or individual peer members instead. They'll be happy to help!
3. If you're the one replying: think before you make comments. The best thing to do if you don't want to answer the question is to not comment at all. There's no need to be rude about it. You either give the desired answer or you don't. Simple as that.
4. If an arrogant comment has been made don't let them prevent you from not replying. If you can answer the question, answer it and reassure the sender that it's a valid question to ask if need be.

Linking on from that, attending a Russel Group (which essentially refers to research intensity) or a university 'with a name', means that people will assume that you have natural academic intelligence. May be true; may not be true. We'll leave that for the nature vs. nurture debate. Regardless, some people will pick things up at much faster pace than others. Same outcome; different processes.

This was something that really bothered me at first. As well as not having the high A-Level grades that students at Warwick generally do, it seemed that the majority of students around me were able to pick up new material in an instant, something I had not yet got to grips with. I might be able to KNOW the content with the bare minimum depending on the topic, but can I really UNDERSTAND the material without doing the pre-lecture reading, going through lecture notes, watching back over the lecture on lecture capture and adding to notes if necessary, and doing extra reading on top of that? Probably not. I keep asking myself:

"How on Earth am I going to live up to these standards?"

Being someone who started off in secondary school being in bottom set for literally every subject, I have come a long way. That's a result of diligence, and there's no way that I'm going to fall through now that I am here. As with all that extra reading - I promise you that you will thank yourself for it when exams come around.

As well as learning about the impact of educational inequalities in A-Level Sociology, self-fulfilling prophecy was also covered.

"Mens agitat molem" - University of Warwick's motto

Translation: Mind moves mass. In other words: mind moves matter / mind over matter.

Without sounding like I'm writing some sort of fairy tale related novel, you have to believe that you ARE capable. Clearly your admission tutor (or employer if you're doing an apprenticeship or working) thought so to, so prove it to them. In order to do that you need to be able to prove it to yourself first and foremost.

Sure, there are going to be barriers along the way and it's going to be a challenge, but you will learn how to overcome them at one point or another, whether that's in a few hours or several months or perhaps years. Regardless of what university you are at, whether you are doing some sort of apprenticeship, or have taken up a job we're all hit by the same gruelling feeling of needing to act in defiance against ourselves in situations where we feel far from confident.

As I was writing this, I thought of a spiral staircase metaphor, which I'm going to share with you now:

Pxhere | CC0 1.0

See the image on the left?
Imagine yourself at the bottom of that spiral staircase where the top seems unreachable. Perhaps there's a moment you can relate this imagery to. Looking up at the length of the journey and deciding to make that first step upwards takes more strength than we realise. The first few steps after that may be a breeze. Then you will slow down and seem like you haven't made very much progress. You can clearly see the bottom, but the top is still not in sight. From there on there will be times when you will run up the steps. Other times you will slow down. You will also need to stop and take a break every now and then to prevent burnout. Sometimes the steps may disappear for some length and you will find yourself sliding down a few levels. Then there's the middle part where you may feel completely lost. You're just going around and round and round, climbing up, fighting the fatigue and seemingly getting nowhere. Here it's important to look back and reflect on the progress you have made so far. All those hundreds of steps that lie before you. It's an exhausting process. However, it's all worth it when you can finally see the end in sight, and you reach that top platform.

Forget about what point others are in the spiral staircase for a moment. What matters in the present time is that you're here doing whatever it is that you are doing. Take time to look down and reflect on how far you have come. You have already overcome so much (big or small) to get to your current position. That's something to be proud of. It's an achievement. You've done it multiple times previously and you can do it again, only this time it's remembering that that:

You are your biggest competition.

It's something I consistently tell myself time and time again. If you believe that you're going to fall; you are going to fall. Why? You're not going to bother trying to challenge yourself to take those steps and progress so that you are able to reach your potential. That only leads to further dissatisfaction. It's so difficult to fight towards your own willpower.

A lot of this comes from comparison. People are going to make comparisons and I'm not going to say don't compare yourself to others, because it's inevitable that you will no matter how many times that is said. It's human nature to do so. However, don't let your limits and goals depend on that of others. Where YOU are at this moment in time will be completely different to where someone else is. Someone else's next step won't necessarily get you to where YOU are aiming to get to.

It's all about focusing on yourself more and understanding your thought processes. Before you tell yourself that you can't do something, ask why that is. Personally, I find that the answer lies with me comparing myself to others and not having enough faith in my strengths and ability to use them to get myself where I need to be. Whilst competing against others is a challenge, one of the biggest barriers standing in the way is probably my own self-esteem. Competing against your own diffidence takes a great deal of mental strength.

In a university setting it's also a point to remember that unlike with GCSEs and A-Levels, your lecturers aren't comparing your mark to the rest of the cohort before weighting out the grade boundaries accordingly so that only a limited percentage of students can receive a certain grade. They are set in stone. It's your individual piece of work and the mark scheme. You just have to trust that your lecturers won't let the previous piece of marked work dictate what the piece of work they are currently marking will receive.

Jukan Tateisi | Unsplash

Beyond that there are going to be barriers that you can't prevent or have complete control of such as the decisions of others which impact what you do next. They are nerve-wrecking and at times unpredictable, but what we can change is how we react to them; how we use them as lessons to refine our strategies and pinpoint where our weaknesses lie.

I have found that learning to take a step back and giving yourself a moment to reflect upon that and thinking about what YOU need to do next to progress really helps alternative to thinking about what others are doing and what others expect of themselves. Nevertheless, sometimes comparisons can be positive in helping us to explore new options and strategies which we may be able to integrate into our own.

I used to just say that I'm really lucky to be in the position that I am in now. To be able to study in such a wonderful department - which you all know by now - I love. This was because of comparison of a range of things which I have mentioned throughout this post: self-confidence, standards, experience, grades, to name a few.

However, upon reflection I have changed my mind on that. It's not down to luck at all. It's down to hard work and perseverance. It's down to being able to (or at the very least attempting to) challenge myself much more for my own personal needs as for meeting the standards of others. I need to start giving myself credit for that. No matter what anyone else thinks or whether others are several steps above me, I have come a long way from where I was just 6 years ago.

It may not seem like it all the time but so have you. We all have come far from where we have initially stood, wherever that may be. It's important that we recognise and respect ourselves for that.

The Power of Yet: Carol Dweck

I know that I said that my psychology at Warwick post would be next, but considering that my last 2 posts were quite full on, I thought that it would be a good idea to take a break from the university posts.

(The psychology one will be up a week today, so please come back then!)

Around mid-way through Term 2, we were set a task in our tutor groups to select a psychology related TedTalk and provide a verbal presentation of the key concepts and points explored within it. The purpose of this was to explore what makes a good presentation, but I'm not going to talk about presentations today.

As someone who is interested in educational and developmental psychology, I found this so intriguing, so I thought I'd share it with you all. 

I suggest you give it a watch, but I know TedTalks aren't for everyone so I have also summarised each of the points the speaker mentions below. That way, you can choose your preference! Endless TedTalks can get a bit tedious when you're a student, but so can reading!


Who is Carol Dweck?

• She is an American professor of psychology with focus in social and developmental psychology.
• Key areas of study: personality, development and motivation.
• Known for her study in mindset, particularly regarding success and failure within education.

The Power of Yet - TedTalk by Carol Dweck:

Summary of the Talk:

• In a school in Chicago pupils were provided with the statement of "Not Yet" written on their papers, rather than being provided with an inadequate grade.
• This simple phrase essentially provided them with the knowledge that although they haven't met the required standards yet, they can by learning from their mistakes.
• Dweck conducted a study with 10-year-olds providing them with slightly challenging tasks.
• Some really embraced the challenge whilst others already set themselves up for failure. From this she coined the concepts of fixed mindset vs. growth mindset.
• Growth mindset refers to being able to engage with errors and see one's ability to learn from unsuccessful outcomes.
• Fixed mindset people tend to "run from the error" and criticisms, and don't give themselves the prospect of being able to challenge their abilities, which they deem to be established.
• One study showed that the brain activity of those with a growth mindset showed that those with a fixed mindset show greater electrical activity when presented with an error (see PET scans at point 2:33 of the video clip above), whilst those with a fixed mindset presented hardly any activity at all.
• Therefore, what we can learn from this is to praise pupils by the processes in which they undertake such as: strategies, progress and perseverance.
• She developed a maths game with some game scientists which did exactly that. Those who were assessed through strategies which promoted growth showed an increase in persistence, effort and engagement in different strategies.
• This study shows that growth mindset promoted increase in academic performance against controls.
• Combating Inequality: in one school Native Americans raised from the bottom of district to the top, beating schools with a high intake of pupils from affluent backgrounds. Another school in South Bronx, NY found their 4th graders (Year 5 in the UK) way behind, but having implemented the growth mindset strategies they became the top 4th grade class in New York on a state-wide math test.
• Knowing this, it should be a basic human right to facilitate children with the opportunity of growth.
 

Tumisu | Pixabay

I thought it was astounding how such basic changes can havee such a major impact on the mindsets and consequently the behaviours of these pupils.

What's also interesting to note is the power of language - how "not yet" can be perceived so much differently in comparison to an inadequate grade.

"Not yet" means that whilst they haven't met the adequate standard yet, they ARE capable of doing so if they reflect and evaluate on their current strategies and make necessary adjustments. 
  
Not only did this impact their academic achievement, but we can imagine that it would have a great impact on their emotional wellbeing to. 

In Context:
  
Dweck's theory makes complete sense. If you think about exams such as GCSE's and A-Levels: you either pass or fail, whether that be by government standards or your own standards.

There is a clear boundary between the two extremes of failure and success. Even a few marks below the boundary is a massive disappointment. Our mindset is fixed in that we think that this one result reflects the full capacity of our abilities, even though we know full well that that is not true!

This is also transferable in other contexts. It's about taking a step back from the initial reaction. This will allow us to regulate our thoughts and emotions within a given context, so instead of them controlling us, we are controlling them. 

So it's simple, right? 

via GIPHY

We need to adopt a growth mindset.
This means: encouraging ourselves to engage feedback and constructive criticism to aid in refine our techniques, and challenge ourselves beyond our capabilities instead of running away from them. 

Instead of looking at the overall result alone, we should take a more holistic approach by taking into account the intertwining factors which create the big picture. Kind of like looking at each individual puzzle piece and putting them together to create the whole picture.

Reverting back to the specific focus on education: this is not just as individuals, but also as educators who are assessing their pupils' / students' abilities. 

HOWEVER (because I'm a psychology student and critical thinking is important), this is quite a rose tinted view.

This is all easy to say, but with more rigorous testing being placed into education, and teachers having to teach much more complex material within such a short amount of time, this process is largely undermined.

• The results obtained by pupils not only reflects the performance of the individual, but also the teacher. This isn't exactly fair as a teacher can't control what a child does outside their classroom, but that's what happens. This pressure means that knowing as much information as possible becomes a central focus to getting as many marks as possible, and consequently...
  
  
• We are not taught how to implement effective strategies which promote qualities required for a growth mindset. Rote learning is seen as the most viable method for studying, which is hardly the ideal. On my course there's a whole module dedicated to academic skills. I was never taught how to properly revise until then (hint: retrieval is key NOT rote learning or pretty posters and highlighters).
  
  
• Class sizes are getting larger and workload is piling up onto educators. How can they find the time to provide such detailed feedback to each individual child?
  
  
• In addition, once an exam is done, it's done. The transcript only provides the marks, and unless we are planning to progressing into that subject (at the next stage of Education) it's pretty much a 'I just need to pass' situation rather than learning from the processes and skills involved within it.
  

• Assessments are supposed to be an objective measure of ones performance and/or progress. Whilst rewarding strategies, progress and perseverance is the Utopian ideal, how realistic is it? Can such qualities be measured and how?

Also consider this:

It MAY help or it WILL help?

Wouldn't one too many "not yet(s)" be just as detrimental as receiving an inadequate grade?

Nevertheless, there's still an important lesson to learn from Dweck's TedTalk, which we can all take away as individuals:

There is ALWAYS room for improvement and personal growth, but only IF we allow ourselves the opportunity to expand on what we can already do. Challenges are challenges for a reason. If we don't challenge ourselves we will never progress. You have overcome so many challenges which have enabled you to grow as an individual, so what's stopping you from doing so now?

Life is full of lessons, whether that be through making mistakes or exploring new ideas. By aoiding them, we are not giving ourselves the opportunity to embark on personal dvelopment.

Reflect. What kind of mindset are you engaging in?