Re-thinking the Leadership Mindset, and Reducing Student Test Anxiety

Changing the Leadership Mindset

I'm sure in 2022 we are tired of hearing about the impact covid-19 has had on our lives, careers, and personal hobbies. As a collective, the focus has shifted towards moving past those trying times to focus on what's ahead.

Mercedes Martin, and Ilene Wasserman earlier this month discussed how the mindset of successful leadership is changing now that we have progressed past COVID-19.

"we believe that today’s leaders first need to embrace key principles and practices that will develop a sustainable, equitable and worldview mindset" (Martin, Wasserman 2022).

Martin, and Wasserman advocate for leaders to put an emphasis on establishing meaningful connections to their employees. In a world where professionals are constantly looking for the next opportunity, and technology has provided access to thousands of jobs at the click of a button, the leadership mindset needs to pivot to one that cultivates a close, inclusive, and collaborative environment people want to stay at.

Decreasing Student Test Anxiety

My personal background is multiple years working as a special education instructor for a high school. In my time there I would constantly hear from students and faculty alike about their opinions on how to effectively gauge student progress and reduce stress.

Drew Lewis (2022) of the University of South Alabama conducted research looking into the benefits of a "Standards Based Grading" (SBG) model. SBG is a style of grading where the student's grade is determined based of the total amount of standard modules they are able to complete.

In other words, if point A is the first module of the class and point Z is the last. SBG would determine the student's grade based on how many of those module they were able to complete.

SBG has been around for many years, however has recently began growing among teachers and schools. Many believe SBG is a more favorable grading process because it allows students multiple chances to progress through a module. Additionally it allows the instructor a more transparent way to justify student grades to administration and parents, additionally it allows them to provide direct and effective feedback to the students when needed which can minimize student stress and anxiety.

Pass the Aux?

In other news, a study done at the University of Tokyo proves that rats also share the previously thought a innately human ability of bopping and moving to a musical beat.

Next time you are cleaning out that storage unit and find a rat hiding underneath the containers, instead of getting the mouse traps, consider passing the aux.

Thank you for making it this far, if you enjoyed the content please consider subscribing for free!

KEEP IT SIMPLE!