Across the Principal's Desk

Growth Mindset, Learnership and Habits of Mind

Our staff have been working closely with James Anderson for the last six months. James is an expert in Growth Mindset, Learnership, Learner Agency and Habits of Mind. We had a Curriculum Day at the beginning of the year where staff learned about Habits of Mind. We were also fortunate to have James come into our school and work with our students for a full day. He delivered a whole school presentation first thing in the morning and then worked with year levels throughout the day. You will be hearing more about how this will become part of the way in which we learn at Beaufort Secondary College.

Mindset…

How well do you understand yourself as a learner? 

One of the foundations for learning that we are building at school is for our students to understand themselves as a learner. This is what Professor Carol Dweck refers to as our Mindset. 

Someone with a fixed mindset believes learning is about discovering their abilities. They believe they come to school to find out what they are good at, and what they aren’t. They see their abilities as fundamentally limited, and therefore their choices in life are also limited. 

We want our students to understand that learning is about creating their abilities. They should be coming to school understanding that their effort helps them create new abilities and become the person they want to be. This is what professor Carol Dweck calls a Growth Mindset. 

Throughout the year we will be talking about these beliefs in school, and giving you tips and suggestions to help develop a more growth oriented mindset in your child. 

Habits of Mind…

What do you do, when you don’t know what to do? 

Professor Art Costa and Dr Bena Kallick asked this of people who were regularly confronted with problems to which they didn’t know the answers. It turns out, that it didn’t matter if you were a teacher, a doctor, a politician, a farmer, an artist, or just about anything else, the answer was always the same. These people always called upon the same set of 16 behaviours to help them solve problems. 

We call these behaviours the Habits of Mind. They include things like persisting with problems, thinking flexibly to view problems from different points of view, and managing impulsivity to help you plan and organise your thinking.

At our school we are learning how to apply these 16 Habits of Mind to our classroom learning and life in general. We are teaching students how to reflect on their Habits of Mind and get better at them. As students get better at their Habits of Mind, they’ll be able to succeed at increasingly difficult problems, which will bring them more success in school and life. 

Learnership…

Most of us think about learning as something we do. We go to school to learn things. How to read. How to do maths. As you go through school you get better at all these things. 

But have you ever considered that you can get better at learning? You can improve the way you go about engaging in the learning process. How you engage in the learning process is what we call “Learnership”. The expert we’ve been working with, James Anderson, defines learnership as the skill of learning. It’s the expertise a person develops in learning. Like all skills, it is developed over time, through deliberately practising and enhancing the way we learn. It results in you getting more out of every learning opportunity. Think of it as ‘getting better, at getting better!’ 

One of the key outcomes we are aiming to achieve for our students is to help them become better learners. 

House Swimming Sports

Our House Swimming Sports were held last Friday with the weather being exceptionally warm, making it a great day to get into the water. Congratulations to our Age Champions and well done to all of the students who participated on the day, particularly those who are not avid swimmers, yet were prepared to get in and ‘have a go’. The students who were there had a very enjoyable day out with their peers and our staff – respectful relationships!

The House Captains did a terrific job leading and organising their respective ‘teams’ and it was fantastic to see lots of ‘House colours and costumes’, which was good fun and certainly added atmosphere – well done to everyone involved. Evelyn Haywood took out the feature race of the day, the Andrew Campbell Sprint, and followed up with a win in the Janet Sturgeon Cup – an impressive effort, especially considering she is in Year 8. Our staff were strong against our Year 12 students – always a healthy competition and a bit of fun. 

Thanks to the YMCA for the preparation of the pool and grounds, as well as supplying lifeguards. Thanks to Friends of the Pool for the BBQ and drinks – special thanks to Gary who slaved away behind the grill in 37 degrees heat! Our staff did an amazing job with all of their roles but a special thanks to our Sports Coordinator, Mitch Webb, who did an outstanding job in organising and running the day. We also appreciated the presence of parents, grandparents, friends and community members who came along on the day to support our young people – great to see you there!

School Council Election

This week’s newsletter contains information about the School Council Election process. School Councils play an important role in setting the directions of the school within central guidelines. However, Beaufort Secondary College Council meetings are traditionally informal, positive and informative. 

I encourage parents to seriously consider standing for School Council. An information sheet for parents is provided, along with details for how parents can access the appropriate forms for self-nominating or nominating another parent (with his or her agreement). If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me at school.