This is part two of two blog posts.
In my previous post, I mentioned that I facilitated all three of our book study cohorts this year. We ran summer, fall and winter cohorts online in Canvas with the staff at my high school. Each week for seven weeks, I gave participants two to three options to choose from which included the more traditional discussion board to more innovative ideas such as a working on a collaborative Google slide deck to creating a post in Adobe Spark or a reflection in Flipgrid.
Then the BIG NEWS came! George Couros, the author of The Innovator’s Mindset was coming to speak with us in January! While I had planned to re-read the book again while facilitating, my focus changed a bit knowing I would get to talk with the author himself! I definitely took substantial notes reading it a second time and was surprised at how much more I picked up on a second time! Plus, I knew those notes would eventually find their way onto this blog, as well. So here’s a few of my thoughts.
First, I am really proud of this new strategy I came up with for myself to refer back to certain pages. I often highlight and write comments or questions to myself as I’m reading. But then I’ll find myself in a conversation with a teacher and want to refer back to something I read and I can’t find it as it’s hidden among pages of underlined text.
So whenever I read something that really captured my attention, I would write on one of the blank pages in the front of the book, the number of the page and a couple of words to remind myself about what had gotten my attention. At any rate, it’s made writing this post a lot easier!
“Innovation is not about changing everything; sometimes you only need to change one thing.”
This topic came up over and over again throughout our day with George. I had several teachers comment to me that they were overwhelmed with all the ideas he was sharing and I kept harping back on this – just try one thing! Don’t stress yourself out worrying that you have to change everything you do in your classsroom. Couros also supported this by saying, if you doing something in the classroom that works, don’t change it!
On page 83, Couros recommends letting yourself “Be a student” for a day. Ever since reading this idea, I’ve wanted to try it. Find a student and shadow their schedule for a day. Do everything they do: the same assignments, the same notes, everything! Then reflect. If you were the student, what would you have learned? Would you be interested to learn more?
I was very taken with the idea of engagement versus empowerment. Unintentionally, I think I put more emphasis on engaging students, believing they will go deeper once hooked. But I felt challenged by Couros emphasis on “teaching learners to be self-directed and guide their own learning”. I struggle with thinking about ways we can do this.
One of the things my school is working to innovate is our library. We’ve had several discussions over several years about how to effectively bring a makerspace to the area. It’s small and strangely shaped; space is at a premium. This
Risk Taker – I work with teachers at various skill levels, some super tech savvy and others who are still very nervous. Believe it or not, my best conversations happen with those nervous tech users. I am very lucky in that these teachers haven’t shut out the idea of technology; they just want more guidance and support, yet they are still very willing to try. Often when I suggest something new, the comment I receive back is, “Well, that’s easy for you, you’re a risk taker!” It’s a strange reply for me, because I’m really not!
I am the farthest thing from a risk taker that you can possibly find. Whether we’re talking inside or outside the classroom, I’m cautious and very careful. I research everything before I do it, making sure I have all the possible information, good and bad. That includes the ideas and strategies I suggest. But in their eyes, my job is simply nerve wracking.
Watch for my posts on Instagram on Couros’ next book, ?? as he is currently running a book study on this medium.
Ms Priester EDU 