by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Mar 13, 2014 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
Throughout childhood we are aware of vertical development. Many a kitchen wall holds the recorded history of young upward growth. As adults we may be more concerned about horizontal expansion. Thankfully the bathroom scale doesn’t generate a similar, wall-based...
by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Mar 1, 2014 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
Samantha exhales and brings her hands to the sides of her forehead. Her thoughts begin a downward spiral. “I can only get so far before I don’t know what to do next. I’m not good at writing. I never have been, and don’t think I ever will be.” Her teacher, Mr....
by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Mar 1, 2014 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
“I’m so stupid. I’ll never get this!” The message looped inside Kent’s mind, its echoes blinding him to any way forward. When his teacher came by, she assumed he was daydreaming and not giving the practice exercises any effort. A reprimand followed, Kent looked back...
by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Jan 28, 2014 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
Creativity. The word stirs and scares us. We associate it with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Barrie’s Peter Pan, Botticelli’s Temptations of Christ, and other incomparable artistic achievements. But creativity empowers more than art; it is found wherever success and...
by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Dec 10, 2013 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
The cluster of strangers sitting or standing closely together reveals where an airport gate’s electrical outlets are located. Most travelers follow the unwritten rule of leaving an empty seat between them and the nearest fellow traveler. (Apparently we replicate what...
by Kevin D. Washburn, Ed.D. | Nov 4, 2013 | Archive, Learning Mindset, Teaching
Cooper’s hawks commonly take wing outside our windows. They are majestic birds, soaring effortlessly over the wooded terrain. Occasionally, one or two find an updraft and soar in an ascending spiral, the uplifting thermal keeping them airborne and rising. Gratitude is...
