Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Liam Davey - Reflecting on my MA Transformative Education Capstone Project
While I was trying to narrow down my shortlist of ideas for my MA Transformative Education capstone project, I happened to see Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success on a recommended reading list. It was a book I already owned, but had never read. What I found between the covers was not just what I was looking for, but a gap. Mindset deals largely in methods of cultivating a growth mindset in others, be you a teacher, a parent, or a leader. What was missing in my mind, was the extent to which an educator’s mindset can affect the mindset of their students.
A bit about me
I have been living and working as a teacher in China for the last 6 years (as of the time of writing). My entry into education was less than conventional — I stumbled across an advertisement for teaching in China while searching for work on Indeed.com back in 2018. I applied, not expecting success, and the rest is history, taking me from training centres, to middle schools, and now high school where I teach English Literature to second language learners.
My experience on the MA Transformative Education Course
The flexibility offered by the online nature of this course allowed me to continue working as a teacher full time, and fit my studies around my (sometimes hectic and unpredictable) schedule. Being able to study while working gave me the opportunity to look for areas for improvement and refinement in my day-to-day teaching, and greatly informed my research.
The support I was offered on this course from Course Director Meri Nasilyan and my Research Supervisor Leanne Buckley was incredible. I always looked forward to our catch-up meetings, because their smiles, energy, and passion for their roles was always so inspiring. They have a way of making me feel comfortable in times of stress, and I always came out of these chats renewed and re-focused. Both Meri and Leanne also had a superb ability to find my strengths and highlight them to me, whenever I felt confused or lacked confidence in my ideas.
The workload was significant. I sunk hours from my evenings and weekends into my research, and further hours in observation and reflection on my own practice to see where certain avenues of research may be useful.
I read a lot of literature during my research phase. About mindsets in education, about teacher well-being, about burnout, about the influence of a teacher’s mindset on their students’ mindsets, but not much research had been done into the influence of student mindsets on that of the teacher. So I sent out a questionnaire among my colleagues, and asked them to list their growth and fixed mindset triggers in their working context. The results were fascinating. External and institutional factors contributed largely to triggering a fixed mindset in the teachers, but what stood out more was the frequency with which the word “student” appeared in their responses. Students were at the heart of the teachers’ growth and fixed mindset triggers alike, and so I had my answer, a teacher’s mindset can influence that of a student, but student mindsets can also influence that of the teacher.
So that became my focus. I settled on my capstone focus - to develop a framework through which teachers can cultivate not only a growth mindset in their students, but in themselves, a framework with tips and techniques to shield one’s own mindset from negative external influences that find their way into your daily routines and become a source of professional burnout. I learned that it is very easy to talk the talk, but a different ball game entirely to walk the walk day in, day out.
A growth mindset in the classroom can be like a dirty laugh — infectious, but short lived if unsustained. A fixed mindset can be like a cold — infectious and lingering if not treated.
The impact of the course on my context, students, and community
Now, in the classroom, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and in the office, I have become better aware of my own mindset, and how it may — for better or worse — influence those around me.
In the classroom, I can now see more clearly when students dip into a fixed mindset, and I feel better equipped to navigate their thoughts and feelings, and to offer support to steer them back on track. For me, fostering a collective growth mindset is key to a successful and supportive classroom.
I’m not going to lie and say that I have a growth mindset every minute of every class, every hour in the office, or during every meeting, but understanding my own reactions to a fixed mindset, and having a better idea of how to re-ignite my growth mindset has been instrumental in maintaining my sanity on some of the tough days.
More so than the impact of my capstone project on my practice has been the impact of undertaking the PGCE and MA courses. These courses collectively awakened my understanding that to be a teacher is to be a lifelong student, to dedicate oneself to constant learning and improvement. I am grateful every day to Meri and Leanne for their support throughout the courses, and grateful to myself for taking the challenge, and seeing it through.
For anyone looking to tackle the course, or challenge their own mindset:
Do it. If you have any intent to teach for any length of time, do it. It can be tough, it can be stressful when deadlines approach, but man is it satisfying when you feel ready enough to slam that “submit” button.
