I have them stuck up around my desk, so they constantly remind me of what I value and are easy to access when working with students. I find it useful when talking with students to have something visual I can point to that reflects the discussion or a concept I am trying to explain.
Two of my current favourites are:
FAIL (First Attempt in Learning, or Fail, Act = I Learn)
I used this extensively when I taught maths to encourage students to have a go. I wanted to emphasise that getting things wrong or making mistakes (which I celebrated) is an important part of learning. After a FAIL comes feedback, reflection and learning. I am still not quite happy with the negative connotation of the word. I tried a variation FAILURE (First Attempt In Learning, U Reflect Engage), but I would prefer a more "positive" word to capture the same concept. Anyone have ideas?
"Setbacks and difficulties are an inevitable part of life. You are not defined by them, but by how you deal with them"
I often use this when students are worried about what other people are thinking of them because of a situation or incident. For example, when they have done something wrong, or have had a setback in their learning. I use it to try to get them to think beyond the current situation, to start considering how to overcome the problem or how to make good the situation. I also use it to show that it is OK to make mistakes or get things wrong, as this part of if life. It is how you react to them that is important.
I will share some other quotes and sayings in future posts.
What are your favourite sayings and how do you use them?