Success versus mastery

What does success mean to you? If you think deeply about this, you may come to realize that success extends beyond just a job title and a salary. A better measure of success might involve liking what you do, being mentally and physically healthy, and having free time to pursue your interests (@LizandMollie on Instagram).

In her blog post, Dr. Katie Martin invites us to pause and consider what success means in education. As you read her post, consider what we, as a faculty, value – inclusivity, respect, compassion, courage, and wellbeing – now think about how you would define a ‘successful’ student from our programs? Is there an alignment between our espoused values and how we define and measure ‘success’ in terms of student learning?

Our faculty values support a holistic view of a student as a learner, as a developing nurse, and as a person. Success then, does not just equate to a high GPA, it is supporting students to realize that learning and becoming a nurse is a work of mastery over time. Through our educational practices we should be encouraging mastery as a longer goal of deep learning, which involves “successes, but also failures, and the pursuit of something bigger that matters beyond a grade” (Martin, 2020).

Dr. Martin’s post also introduces Simon Sinek’s “The Infinite Game” which leads to a consideration of engaging in teaching and learning practices that encourage an infinite mindset. “Educators who embrace an infinite mindset develop stronger, more innovative, and inspired learners. Their learning communities trust each other, and they have resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world” (Martin, 2020). Intrigued… click on the link to read about Success Versus Mastery!