Educational Creed
“What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” – Brené Brown
In the age of the internet, our ability to access information is simpler than ever before. Memorized facts and content are becoming far less valuable in the twenty-first century than “soft skills” like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. It is more important that we cultivate a growth mindset that empowers us as independent lifelong learners. Equipped with this growth mindset, our learners often exceed what they deem as attainable.
A culture of passion and compassion – Four years ago, California School of The Arts - San Gabriel Valley opened its doors as a promising new arts school. As the choral director of this new institution, I recognized that building a strong culture of passion and compassion was going to be necessary in order for the students to grow at the rate they all deserved. During the first three years, we were able to build this culture of growth and implement an intensive curriculum of musicianship and performance. Our first concert together consisted of part songs, rounds, and easier repertoire. By year three, these same students found themselves performing at LA Opera in a world premiere of Another Perfect Day. My students were able to learn and refine over ninety minutes of atonal performance within a span of only three weeks, a daunting task even for professionals. This culture empowered students to overcome this challenge without fear of failure. In fact, the students regularly embraced failure as an opportunity for growth. In order to cultivate this kind learning environment, we need to recognize that learning is both personal and emotional.
Learning is personal – While afforded the opportunity to work with new students each year, great educators recognize that there is no such thing as a “blank slate.” Learners come to the classroom with unique learning profiles, identities, and life experiences. They construct meaning from our courses when we connect to their personal life experiences and honor who they are as learners and humans. Great educators put students at the center of the learning process and use active learning strategies to shift ownership to the student. In the words of Lev S. Vygotsky, “the teacher must adapt the role of facilitator, not content provider.” Our students’ learning processes are shaped by their life experiences and identities. As makers of our own meaning, students sometimes need to deconstruct their current understanding in order to adapt to new information. This learning process can be emotional, requiring both trust and courage.
Learning is emotional – Learning does not occur in a vacuum devoid of human nature. Renowned human behavior specialist, Mavis Mazhura, believes that “emotions can get in the way or get you on the way.” Effective learning can be an emotionally draining but rewarding enterprise. The way our students respond to failure is crucial to the learning process. When we align our learning activities with our current skill level, we can learn with a lower risk of failure; however, if we aim our learning activities slightly above our current abilities, we are able to learn much more quickly and joyfully despite a higher frequency of ‘failure.’ Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi, Hungarian psychologist well-known for his research on “flow,” writes that “enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.” The flow mindset that emerges results in more frequent autotelic behaviors and a deeper sense of intrinsic motivation.
As an educator of musical artists and teachers, it is essential to support my students in understanding how emotions influence their presence both on stage and in the classroom. Furthermore, when we honor our students’ differences, we empower them to learn more deeply. This results in a culture of passion and compassion that is particularly valuable in the twenty-first century.
In the age of the internet, our ability to access information is simpler than ever before. Memorized facts and content are becoming far less valuable in the twenty-first century than “soft skills” like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. It is more important that we cultivate a growth mindset that empowers us as independent lifelong learners. Equipped with this growth mindset, our learners often exceed what they deem as attainable.
A culture of passion and compassion – Four years ago, California School of The Arts - San Gabriel Valley opened its doors as a promising new arts school. As the choral director of this new institution, I recognized that building a strong culture of passion and compassion was going to be necessary in order for the students to grow at the rate they all deserved. During the first three years, we were able to build this culture of growth and implement an intensive curriculum of musicianship and performance. Our first concert together consisted of part songs, rounds, and easier repertoire. By year three, these same students found themselves performing at LA Opera in a world premiere of Another Perfect Day. My students were able to learn and refine over ninety minutes of atonal performance within a span of only three weeks, a daunting task even for professionals. This culture empowered students to overcome this challenge without fear of failure. In fact, the students regularly embraced failure as an opportunity for growth. In order to cultivate this kind learning environment, we need to recognize that learning is both personal and emotional.
Learning is personal – While afforded the opportunity to work with new students each year, great educators recognize that there is no such thing as a “blank slate.” Learners come to the classroom with unique learning profiles, identities, and life experiences. They construct meaning from our courses when we connect to their personal life experiences and honor who they are as learners and humans. Great educators put students at the center of the learning process and use active learning strategies to shift ownership to the student. In the words of Lev S. Vygotsky, “the teacher must adapt the role of facilitator, not content provider.” Our students’ learning processes are shaped by their life experiences and identities. As makers of our own meaning, students sometimes need to deconstruct their current understanding in order to adapt to new information. This learning process can be emotional, requiring both trust and courage.
Learning is emotional – Learning does not occur in a vacuum devoid of human nature. Renowned human behavior specialist, Mavis Mazhura, believes that “emotions can get in the way or get you on the way.” Effective learning can be an emotionally draining but rewarding enterprise. The way our students respond to failure is crucial to the learning process. When we align our learning activities with our current skill level, we can learn with a lower risk of failure; however, if we aim our learning activities slightly above our current abilities, we are able to learn much more quickly and joyfully despite a higher frequency of ‘failure.’ Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi, Hungarian psychologist well-known for his research on “flow,” writes that “enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.” The flow mindset that emerges results in more frequent autotelic behaviors and a deeper sense of intrinsic motivation.
As an educator of musical artists and teachers, it is essential to support my students in understanding how emotions influence their presence both on stage and in the classroom. Furthermore, when we honor our students’ differences, we empower them to learn more deeply. This results in a culture of passion and compassion that is particularly valuable in the twenty-first century.