The Power of Whimsy in the Classroom

About 10 years ago, I was principal at a small rural school in Southwest Missouri, and somehow found myself as both principal and head girls basketball coach...at the same time. I would tell you I drove a bus route and mowed the grass, too. But that wouldn't be true. But I did coach girls basketball and was the principal for grades 7-12!

I had coached for several years prior to becoming a principal, so this whole coaching thing was not new to me. And we were pretty good, too. It didn't hurt that one of our players averaged about 40 points a game and would go on to be the all-time leading scorer in Missouri history.

We were in a very important tournament and facing one of the best teams in the state from a class larger than us. I knew they were going to be tough to beat. So for my pregame speech I decided to take a big risk. I was going to do something so crazy and unexpected that it would, hopefully, motivate the team and take away some of their nerves.

I went into my speech about our opponent and how they were pretty good, and we were going to have to play our best game to beat them. And that there would probably be times we would want to give up, but we had to be the ones who didn't flinch. We couldn't let them get the best of us.

I had brought along a large bucket that I prepared upon arrival at the gym by filling it with water. It was sitting on a small table in front of me as I delivered the opening to my speech. I'm sure the players wondered why it was there.

And then I explained, "I'm going to show you what it means to push through even when things get tough. I'm going to stick my head in this bucket of water and hold my breath for as long as I possibly can. And the whole time, I'm going to think about why I started. I'm going to focus on how bad I want to do my best, to stretch myself, to test my limits."

Now I realize there is a distinct difference between weird and whimsy. And right now, you may be thinking I'm weird. But that's okay. Stay with me.

The girls on the team stared in utter disbelief at what they were seeing. But they definitely weren't bored. Engagement was high at this point in the lesson!

And then my head went under. And I stayed under. And I stayed under some more. Until I couldn't take it any more. 

I came up gasping for air, paused to regain my senses, and then, with my arms flailing wildly, exclaimed, "Now go out there and play your best game yet." We all put our hands together in the huddle. You could see the electricity in their eyes. Some were grinning, maybe even giggling a little, but they were ready to play, and I knew it had worked.

We went on to win by the narrowest of margins. It was probably our best win of the entire season, and we won 25 games that year.

Too often in our classrooms we have lost a sense of whimsy about learning. It should be fun and exciting. It should challenge us to reach higher and do more. It helps our fears melt away. It helps us believe in our possibilities. It should never be mundane or boring or predictable.

Now you may be thinking that life doesn't always work that way. Sometimes we have to just do boring stuff, and kids need to learn to do stuff that isn't always exciting. You may be thinking that you're not an entertainer, you're a teacher, right? I've heard this before, "Kids nowadays want to be entertained all the time. They want instant gratification."

But I don't think life has to be mundane and boring. My wife and I are traveling and staying in a hotel as I write this. This morning at breakfast one of the guys working there was joking around with us and having a good time. You could tell he was really enjoying his job. He was making it fun. He could just as easily be putting in his time and hating life. But instead he was busy putting a smile on our faces. 

The people who really make life better for all of us know how to take even the mundane and boring parts of life and make them wonderful. It's not about being an entertainer. Some of us aren't entertainers. But we can all look for the whimsy in what we do. We can ask our students to partner with us in making learning fun. Ask them to help you.

We ultimately want exactly the same things our students want. It's two things. We want community (fun, whimsy) in the classroom. And, we want learning (curiosity, creativity) in the classroom. Yes, your students may not always act like they want either, but they do. You just have to help them get past all the defenses they've built to self-protect. School (and life) hasn't always felt safe to all of them.

Here are some questions to consider related to bringing whimsy to your classroom:

1. Would you want to be a student in your own classroom?
2. If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room?
3. Do you ask your students about how things are going in your classroom, from their perspective? Not to find out if you're a good teacher or not. But out of curiosity of how they feel and how that information might help you make better decisions for them.
4. What are ways you can bring more whimsy into your classroom? In my example, I was doing something completely crazy that might be totally out of character for you. I would still challenge you to do it anyway. But there are also things related to how you design your lessons that can be whimsical and awe-inspiring. 

I challenge you to bring more whimsy to your classroom. If you are in your off-season (summer break) right now, what a great time to plan some new possibilities for this next school year. Set a tone from the start that your classroom is going to be filled with whimsy and excitement. 

If you need some more inspiration, I would highly suggest you read, Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. It's an outstanding book that will undoubtedly inspire you!

Question: How are you bringing whimsy and surprise to your classroom? Is that important to you? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .

Making Technology Pay

"Is there really a difference in student performance with technology compared to without technology? My students seem to be doing just fine without it."

I guess that depends on how you define student performance and success. If success is measured only by a test score or by mastery of content, then perhaps students are successful without technology.

"My classes are always engaged and seem to do just fine without technology."

I guess that depends on how you define engaged. I think it's important for students to do things that reflect the world we live in, not the world we grew up in.

"I want to see the proof that technology improves learning before we purchase any new tech."

Whether technology improves learning or not isn't about the technology itself, but how teachers and students use the technology to improve learning. 

I hear many stories about failed technology initiatives in schools. The technology was not used to the fullest, or worse it was not used at all. The narrative is all too familiar. Little was done to gather input or get buy-in from stakeholders up front, and little was done to support the implementation after the fact. How many smartboards in this country are being used as glorified projector screens? Almost always, these types of failures are avoidable with proper planning and ongoing support. 

But is it really worth it to invest thousands for technology in schools. Is it reasonable to provide a connected device to every student? For years, I've asked my graduate students to think about technology purchases in their own schools. Did it really pay off to buy the technology? Did the technology allow something to be done that couldn't be done before? Was the total cost of ownership considered? 

After all, most studies I've encountered don't really support the idea that technology raises student achievement. Of course, student achievement in these studies is usually narrowly defined by test scores. One study I read concluded that technology even widens the achievement gap. It found that more privileged students tend to use the devices more often for learning, while less privileged students tend to use the devices for entertainment. 

In spite of these discouraging reports, I believe we need to look further before concluding that technology isn't worth it. As schools consider spending for new technology, there needs to be a clear vision of what success will look like. We need to really explore why we are doing what we're doing. In addition to the questions mentioned before, I would also suggest the following as food for thought.

1. Can we afford NOT to place up-to-date technology in the hands of our students?

Technology is how things get done in our modern world. We aren't preparing students for the world we grew up in. We aren't even preparing students to be successful in the world they grew up in. Our world is changing so fast, our students are going to have to be prepared for anything. That requires adaptability. And it will certainly also include adaptability with the use of technology. Those skills aren't measured on standardized tests. They are measured in authentic situations where real work is being done. 

2. Is technology being used in ways that give students greater ownership of learning? Does technology result in a shift in agency to the learner?


It's wise to think of technology in terms of value added. How does technology allow us to do something better than before? And, how is it allowing us to do something we couldn't do before? There are many ways tech improves things we do or allows for new things. But some uses of technology take learning to the next level. These uses are game-changers.

I would like to see technology being used to create big shifts in learning. One of the biggest shifts is to create more authentic, student-driven learning experiences. Technology is a game changer when it is used to shift agency to the learner. It's a game-changer when students take greater ownership of their learning.

So let's consider interactive white boards. They have some possibilities for student agency I guess, but they are probably used more often for direct instruction, led by the teacher. That doesn't mean we should stop using these tools altogether, but I do think we should strive for technology to be used in more authentic ways, where students are given voice and choice and are creating and solving problems.

The most powerful potential for a shift in agency is for students to have access to a connected device in a BYOD or 1:1 scenario. But access is not enough. Just like there are lots of interactive white boards being used as glorified projector screens, there are also lots of laptops being used as overpriced word processors.

To use technology to the fullest, we need leaders in our classrooms and schools who can facilitate a pedagogy that creates greater student ownership of learning. How we use the technology is the critical issue that determines whether the investment pays off or not. So whether you invest in iPads or Chromebooks or some other device, the key question to remember is how will this technology improve student learning?

Question: How do you know technology use is successful in your school? Is it worth the cost? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .

9 Ways to Make Learning Irresistible

True story. The bell rang and nobody moved.

They were completely focused, totally engrossed. They probably didn't even hear the bell because they were so focused on what they were learning. Amazing, right?

How often are students counting down the minutes of each class? They have their eyes on the clock. They start packing up early, preparing themselves for the transition to the next class. Sometimes they are even lined up at the door, waiting for the bell to ring to move on to the next thing.

But not on this particular occasion. The students were so into what they were learning, the teacher had to remind them it was time to leave. You can work more on this tomorrow. You'll be late for your next class. It's time to go.

via @silviaduckworth

How often does this happen in your classroom? How often does the learning in your classroom elicit this kind of passion and commitment? If your classroom is like most, it happens infrequently.

I remember when I was teaching high school English, I would tell my students, "If you work hard all hour, I'll give you the last five minutes to relax and just visit with your friends." That was a terrible idea. I would never do that now. I tried to be an engaging teacher and was doing the best I could with what I knew at the time.

But the underlying message was that learning is "work" and unpleasant and you need a break, so I'll give you some time later to visit. We should create conditions where students are disappointed there isn't more time to work on whatever they are learning. As for my promise of social time, my students should've been interacting throughout the whole class. I don't have to reserve time for you to visit. You will be talking with your classmates as part of the process. You will be sharing the amazing things you are learning.

We have all experienced moments of flow. It's during these times that we feel we are completely immersed in what we are doing. We are in the zone. Flow is a mental state where we have intense focus, complete involvement, and enjoy the process entirely. It can happen in learning, play, work, or a variety of activities. When we find our flow, it probably feels more like play even if it's not. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we feel this sense of full absorption in what we are doing. It's where we find our genius.

Image retrieved: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/wp-content/uploads/flow-notebook3.jpg

It seems obvious to me the classroom full of students that didn't budge when the bell rang was experiencing flow. When I heard this report from one of our teachers, I was thrilled. Let's celebrate! That is so cool. We want this type of learning experience for our students.

But should this be a rare happening? Shouldn't every student experience this type of full engagement, at least on a semi-regular basis?

While it's likely not possible to maintain flow at all times, shouldn't it be something we seek to help our students achieve often? Why isn't this a priority? Shouldn't we aim for this type of full engagement? Wouldn't our students be stronger learners now and in the future if they knew the feeling of complete immersion in what they are learning?

But instead, we settle for on-task. If students appear engaged and participate in the lesson, we have achieved success. Or we hear demand for rigor. That communicates a positive outlook on learning. Rigor does not sound fun. It sounds just a little painful. 

Image retrieved: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/wp-content/uploads/flow-notebook3.jpg

So in the name of rigor, we feel the need to assign homework as sighs and groans echo around the room. I'm calling for a culture where students are so excited about what they are learning, they want to extend the learning on their own. They give themselves their own homework, because they are curious and what they are learning is interesting to them.

So what are we afraid of? Why are we covering content and teaching lessons without aiming for more? What teacher wouldn't want a classroom full of students who are so into what they are learning, they don't want to stop?

Maybe we are afraid to give up some control. Maybe we're afraid we won't be the purveyors of knowledge? Or that we won't cover as much curriculum? That students won't be prepared for standardized tests? Or that it just won't work for these kids? Blame, blame, blame. We blame the system. We blame the parents. We blame everyone possible, and just continue to play school and make sure we are good enough.

But it's time to stop playing the blame game. We can have amazing learning that can work for all kids, and we don't have to wait for someone else to change. There are places where this is happening now, even in schools that are quite traditional. What it takes is an innovative teacher. It takes you. You can create more and more experiences of flow in your classroom. You can make learning irresistible.

But it does require sacrifice. You have to choose different priorities. The first priority is to really know your students and what excites them. It's about relationships. The second priority is to see them fully engaged, and finding moments of flow, as often as possible. And then, your curriculum becomes the third priority. I realize the curriculum is important, but if you have great relationships and a culture of learning, students will exceed your goals for the curriculum.

So all of that reflection brings me to these ideas for creating flow in your classroom.

9 Proven Ways to Make Learning Irresistible (How to find flow in your classroom...)

1. Learning involves choice. Learners need greater ownership and opportunities to make choices regarding time, place, path, and pace. 

2. Learning involves student conversations. Whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning.

3. Learning that is creative. Creativity is one of the best ways to find flow.

4. Learning makes a difference. When learning is making a difference for me, for others, or for my community, it matters so much more.

5. Learning involves play. Play involves fun, laughter, imagination. These are great ways to find flow. Making learning a game can be a great way to make learning irresistible.

6. Learning is filled with discovery. Constructivist learning promotes true understanding and appeals to a learner's sense of wonder and curiosity.

7. Learning involves community. Connect with experts. Invite the community in. Go out into the community. Break down the classroom walls.

8. Learning that is visible to real audiences. Learning is more relevant and meaningful when I know my work will be valuable to a real audience.

9. Learning that is challenging. Not rigor. It means arduous and severe, and it makes you want to have an ice cream cone. But learning that is challenging pushes you on. Why can a teen spend hours trying to conquer a video game? That's challenging. And that involves flow. Capture this in the classroom and watch it transform the culture of learning.

Question: How do you find moments of flow in your classroom? How do you make learning irresistible? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .

Guest Post: 6 Assumptions That Were Killing Reading In My Classroom

Guest Post by Amber Dlugosh

After four years of teaching novels and short stories from classroom sets, I daily stared into the eyes of students who collectively looked like they were slowly mummifying. I found myself exhausted and at the end of my rope, knowing that most students weren’t reading and those who were traversing all of the assigned content were not loving it. The learning climate of my classroom demanded a change, so I took a semester to fly south for the winter. In less poetic terms, I crafted my personal learning plan around reading instruction and led a small book study over Penny Kittle’s Book Love. After implementing many of the strategies Kittle discusses at length in her book, I was in awe at how easily the reluctance and apathy in my classroom melted away.

After much reflection, it's clear my previous classroom practices were hindered by flawed assumptions about reading. Below I trace how my assumptions have changed in recent months.

1. Students will not honestly engage in dialogue about their own reading habits.

Before making any changes in my classroom, I took an entire day of instruction to host a roundtable discussion with each of my classes. Students were very aware and very honest about their perceptions of reading and how the structure of previous schools/classrooms impacted these perceptions in both positive and negative ways. The biggest take-aways from those discussions? 1) Choice. Choice. Choice. Kids want the freedom to choose their books, 2) Testing reading comprehension kills the love of reading and promotes cheating, 3) Requiring kids to read at their Lexile level severely dampens the love of reading for all readers, especially skilled readers, 4) The love for reading typically died around middle school, with high school driving the final nail into the coffin, and finally 5) Most kids want to be readers. They voiced the desire coupled with feelings of inadequacy to call themselves such.

2. Teachers must focus on rigor, so students should not be allowed to read below their personal level.

Adults frequently read for pleasure. The majority of Barnes and Noble is stocked with books created to entertain, yet somehow, teachers started assuming that the main goal of reading was to boost reading levels, and the only way to do so was to read a tad above where you’re currently testing. When students are reading as frequently as mine are, there is no worry in allowing texts lower than grade level, because they are exercising their reading muscles and critical thinking skills that will be needed for more difficult texts. It is my job to monitor their reading habits and push them toward more complicated texts, but there is no harm in re-reading The Hunger Games and noticing new details that were missed the first time through, which causes students to hunt for those things in future, unfamiliar reads.

3. Teachers must utilize class-wide texts to monitor and assess properly.

Class-wide novels, short stories, and articles have their place. However, when they are the main source of reading in a classroom, students can easily participate without ever having read a page. Trust me. They told me. Quizzes and tests felt like necessary assessment, but I think I overlooked the power of conversation. Before, I was always wary that my kids weren’t actually reading. Now, I am certain students are reading because they can’t stop talking to me about characters, stories, authors, movie comparisons, real events, news articles relating to their reading, etc. I no longer have to waste my time with comprehension quizzes; instead, we are able to plunge deeper into other content goals that require critical thinking.

4. The majority of students will not read by choice.

I am now entirely convinced that students do not read for one main reason: they have not found the right book. Students know reading is valuable, and even those who struggle, still long to build their skills. Once they find the right book, it is hard to get them to stop. Now, I rarely have issues with technology distraction in my room; instead, students are sneaking more reading time in during my instruction. One young lady who openly admitted to reading frustration due to her low skill level asked to sit in my room after school and read. Every day, I write passes for kids who are begging to come to my academic help time, which is now 30 minutes devoted to quiet reading. Students WANT to read; we must help them gain the proper tools to do so.

5. Expecting every student to read the same assignment is perfectly reasonable. 

When I started calculating my own reading rate for each book I consumed, I noticed an alarming issue: I do not read at a consistent pace. My background knowledge, my interest with the content, the author’s style, the author’s word choice, and my own distractibility all played huge roles in my reading speed. If that is true for me, someone who is a skilled reader, how much more so does it vary for my students? It was foolish of me to think every kid could read the same novel at exactly the same speed and enjoy my class simultaneously. Now, students calculate their own weekly page goals by configuring their reading rates.

6. It doesn’t matter if students read books, as long as they’re reading.

Because the majority of my students weren’t reading, I used to feel like any amount of reading they conquered was considered a victory. I caught myself saying things like, “If I can’t get them to endure through a novel, we can read articles and short stories and still see gain.” No. I am no longer convinced of that because I now see what great trait I was neglecting: endurance. A beautiful thing happens when students complete an entire book! Their confidence flourishes, and their appetite for more increases.

I am continuing to learn from this new classroom endeavor, and my students challenge me each day with new book recommendations and interesting discussions. However, I feel the overall learning climate could be summarized by a quote I overheard a student saying to the class at the start of the day:

"I used to stay up late playing video games, and now I read. I’m like an adult or something."

Amber Dlugosh teaches 10th and 12th Grade ELA at Bolivar High School. She also serves as a member of our building leadership team. Currently, she is working on a Master's Degree in Secondary English Education at Missouri State University. She has been closely affiliated with National Writing Project as a participant and presenter.

Question: How do you bring life back into reading for your students? What practices do you need to lay to rest? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or . 

8 Ways Sharing Is Essential For Educators

If you believe good things are happening in your classroom, do you have an obligation to share them? That's a question you may not have considered before.

Some teachers are constantly sharing the good things happening in their classrooms. They share in conversations, through email, on social media, in the local newspaper, and just about any other way possible. The make learning visible and allow others to see the work students are producing and the ideas they are trying as a teacher.

Others are quietly doing great things, but they don't really share much with colleagues or anyone else. They might be a bit more reserved, or feel like they are self-promoting. Or maybe they're not confident what they're doing is worth sharing. For one reason or another, they don't choose to share much about what's happening in their classroom.

But it is possible to move past personal preferences or tendencies. What is best for students? I believe sharing positive things is an important part of an educator's professional practice. I believe it's essential and not just an add-on. Isolation is the enemy of improvement. To provide the best learning environment for students, educators need to share with one another. So even if it doesn't come naturally for you, it might be something for you to work on doing more often.

8 Ways Sharing Is Essential For Educators

1. It inspires new ideas. When you share something from your classroom with another educator, it might spark a conversation that leads to something new for their classroom. Ideas always build on other ideas, and they get better as we get more input and various perspectives. It's the power of collaboration.

2. It creates a culture of learning and continuous improvement. What you choose to share with others reveals a lot about what you value. By talking about student learning and how to make it better, you are helping support a culture of improvement and keeping the focus on the bottom line, better learning for students.

3. It builds self-efficacy. Sharing good things that are happening is encouraging to self and others. We all want to feel like we have the ability to do our jobs well and make a difference. When you focus on the positive, it gives you a greater sense you can impact your work for the better.

4. Success breeds success. When something is working well, share it. It can give others the confidence and inspiration to replicate what you are doing or build on it. 

5. Sharing pushes your own thinking. When you share with others, you inherently think differently about the idea. It causes you to reflect and consider the audience and what might be important to them. Reflection is extremely important for taking your thinking deeper. We tend to reflect more on things that we are thinking of sharing with others.

6. Taking risks can encourage others to take risks. When you try a new idea in your classroom or do something innovative, there is an element of risk. By sharing this experience with others, they might gain the confidence or inspiration to step out of their comfort zone to try something new. 

7. You might enjoy your work more. I think when teachers share the positive things happening in their classrooms, they feel validated for what they do. Everyone needs to feel noticed and appreciated in their work. It's more likely for this to happen if you reveal some of the neat things that are happening in your classroom.

8. It's too good not to share. When students do something amazing, it's just a shame for it not to be shared outside the classroom. So many things get noticed in our culture that aren't positive. We need to do our part to amplify the best things in the classroom.

Question: How are you sharing the great things happening in your classroom? Leave a comment below or share on or .

Resource: The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros

Are Teacher Observations Helpful?

A recent trend has been for schools to make walk throughs or mini-observations part of the instructional evaluation and growth process. But the purpose and effectiveness of various approaches differs greatly from school to school and administrator to administrator.

A recent study from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School and American Institutes for research called into question the effectiveness of classroom observation as a means of assessing teacher effectiveness. The report indicated that students' prior academic achievement was a significant predictor of success on the evaluation, perhaps more influential than actual teaching effectiveness. The study suggests that high-stakes observation systems may be flawed.

But this post from Todd Schmidt expresses great enthusiasm for principals getting into classrooms. He describes how being in classrooms is an important way of supporting teachers. His approach involves offering help to teachers in just about any way needed. He starts with a desire to serve. His article is a must-read.

So what makes classroom visits worthwhile? A focus on growth and relationships.

I have tried a variety of things to make walk throughs better. I believe these mini-observations/classroom visits can be helpful with the right conditions. My goals are to 1) support instruction and show that learning is important by my presence in classrooms, 2) to help teachers grow stronger and feel validated in their professional skills, and 3) to fulfill evaluation necessities.

I think the greatest value in the process is the conversation that results about teaching and learning. The opportunity for a teacher and principal to work together to reflect on a lesson brings new meaning and better understanding of how instructional decisions impact the classroom. It builds a stronger relationships around teaching and learning.

So let's get to specifics. After years of reflection, practice, and reading on the topic, I've settled on the process describe below. But it's challenging to consistently fulfill these aims. Occasionally, I fail to follow-up with the face-to-face conversation or the email doesn't happen. I'm a work in progress and so is this system.

1. Make walk throughs frequent and routine. It can be very challenging to do this. The principal's job is built for distraction. The goal is to have multiple drop-in visits at various times throughout the school year to get an overall understanding of the teacher's work and how students are learning. The conversations gain depth and clarity when the teacher and the principal understand the classroom dynamics over time.

2. Avoid checklists or forms. I've used a variety of checklists and forms in the past, but I don't anymore. I don't want the teacher to focus on boxes that were or were not checked. Not every instructional strategy is going to be present in every lesson, but many teachers think it's a negative if they don't get lots of positive check marks. The forms become the focus instead of the conversation. I want both parties offering ideas into the dialogue. With forms and checklists, it feels like the principal is the only voice that matters.

3. Don't rate teachers on walk throughs. I realize there are many new evaluation systems that require the observer to rate each teacher with each visit. These systems require extensive training to have any reliability or consistency, and even when training is comprehensive, I believe they are susceptible to bias. As soon as you rate teachers, it creates a natural tendency to "look good" for the system rather than to reflect on "what's good" or how one can grow. When these ratings systems are high stakes, there is even greater pressure play a game instead of focusing on authentic improvement.

4. Talk to students about what they are learning. If it won't interrupt the teacher or the lesson, I always try to talk with students while in the classroom. It helps me really understand what is going on and how they are learning. It also demonstrates to students that I support the efforts they are making. I care about you and what you are learning.

Some questions to ask:

• What are you learning today? 
• How are you learning it? What activity are you doing to learn about this?
• How will you know you've learned it?
• What do you do if you don't understand or run into a problem?

5. Don't use your electronic device in the classroom. In the past, I always took notes on my electronic device. But I think that was sometimes a distraction for me or for the teacher. The teacher might wonder what I'm typing, or I might miss something important as I type. Now, I devote all of my attention to observing and interacting with students. Then I make my notes on my electronic device right after I've left the classroom. The notes just help me remember some conversation starters for when I visit with the teacher. I use the Evernote app on my iPhone.

6. Make the visit long enough to have at least one thing to praise and one thing to polish. Some visits are very short and others last a little longer. Usually, I observe from 5-15 minutes. I want to have at least one thing to praise, or reinforce, about the lesson and one thing to suggest for improvement. Often, the suggestions are actually questions, "What ideas might you try to involve more students in the discussion?" I want to be extremely positive and make the teacher feel safe and supported.

7. Meet with the teacher briefly face-to-face to discuss the visit. Within 24 hours, I do my very best to meet with the teacher face-to-face to have a very brief conversation about the classroom visit. I present the positive feedback and then ask a question or make a suggestion for a possible improvement. I always try to remember that I am only seeing a small snapshot of a much bigger picture.

7. Follow-up with an email to affirm what was discussed during the visit. After my visit with the teacher, I send an email thanking him or her and summarizing the main points of what was discussed. I think this helps to reinforce the ideas we generated and helps to create more traction for possible improvements or adjustments. Ultimately, I want every interaction generating more excitement and passion about teaching and learning.

Note: The work of Kim Marshall has had the greatest influence on this post and my work of instructional observation and coaching. 

Question: How are observations working at your school? In what ways are they helpful or not helpful? Leave a comment below or share on or . I want to hear from you!

9 Pieces of Advice Every Teacher Should Ignore

Every educator has received their share of advice from many well-meaning sources—other teachers, administrators, college professors, parents or even your students. You name it. You may have even received some of the advice on the list below. If so, you might want to ignore it.

1. "Don't Smile Till Christmas"

It seems every beginning educator hears this advice. Establish an authoritative presence in your classroom we are told. Be stern. Don't let the students see you as a real person until Santa has dropped a lump of coal in your stocking. Bad advice, right? Absolutely. While there may be a thread of truth to this sentiment, it is not good advice. The teacher needs to establish a leadership role in the classroom right away, but that doesn't mean we should frown. We need to smile in the classroom and start building positive relationships from day one. 

2. "Never turn your back on your students"

Now let's think about the assumptions underlying this advice. Do you want to be on opposite teams from your students? Or, should you work cooperatively and build positive relationships? If the classroom climate is so broken you can't turn your back, very little authentic learning will happen. 

Instead of this advice, try moving around the room, sitting next to your students, asking them questions, getting to know them, and investing in their potential.

3. "Give 'em an inch, and they'll take a mile"

Another piece of advice that assumes students and teachers are at odds with one another. This advice implies that teachers should be the unchallenged authority in the classroom. Every decision is the teacher's decision. 

Instead of using this approach, try this instead. Listen to your students. When they have valuable input, consider their ideas and requests. It's okay to bargain occasionally. When there is some give and take, it builds a feeling of positive intentions. 

It should also be noted, however, that teachers must be strong enough to say "no" when evidence suggests it's the best decision. Some teachers have trouble saying no to their students, and that is not healthy, either.

4. Be "Data-Driven"

This bad advice has been rampant of late. Educators are being asked to quantify all learning in the classroom on a spreadsheet. It's not even possible. We are spending our time focused on data points, instead of more important concerns, like our students. 

Please ignore this advice. Not everything that can be counted matters, and not everything that matters can be counted. Start with learners. Be learning-driven. Then you can use data to support and inform your decisions. Numbers are not evil. Data is not bad. But we should use it wisely and not allow it to become the driver.

5. "State your daily objective"

Even better, write the objective on the board. This classic advice for educators sounds great. But it's not. What's more important than stating your objective, or writing it on the board, is that there is evidence of an objective throughout the lesson. 

Besides, if you post the objective in advance, most students will largely ignore it or be confused by it, even if you try to say it in student-friendly language. And, when you spell out the target, you remove much of the mystery and curiosity that makes learning fun. 

It's much more effective to front load instruction with words and actions that help students feel connected and invested in what will be learned. Make it personally meaningful.

6. "Control" your classroom

How can you be a good teacher if you can't control your classroom, right? The problem is the word control. Some teachers think that to control your classroom means that you must be strict, threatening, or raise your voice in anger. These methods are not constructive.

The more you try to prove you are in charge, the more your students will try to prove you wrong. To the observer, a healthy classroom will seem under control, but it didn't happen by controlling measures on the part of the teacher. It happened because the teacher built a culture of mutual respect, clarified expectations, and provided consistent feedback to students.

7. "Avoid the teacher's lounge"

I'm not sure how many schools even have a teacher's lounge these days. In fact, I don't know of any teachers "lounging" at school. We were warned as young teachers to avoid any gathering of teachers where there might be a negative or unprofessional vibe. Even if there isn't a teacher's lounge, these gatherings still occur.

Avoiding negativity is not a bad thing, but wouldn't it also be great if more positive voices were brought into the pool of meaning. Better advice would be to learn how to stay positive, and have influence, even when other voices are blaming or complaining. With these skills, it's beneficial for leading teachers to interact with others.

 8. "Grade everything"


I'm not sure how common this advice is, but I know I felt I needed to grade everything as a teacher. That's how you show that the work is important. There are points at stake. And what's the first question students ask when given an assignment? "How many points is it worth?"

A much better way is to actually grade very few assignments, but give feedback on many. In fact, I believe something should happen with just about every assignment, but it doesn't have to be a grade. When we grade everything, it communicates that grades are important. When we give feedback, it communicates learning is important.

9. "Treat everyone the same"

What teacher hasn't received this advice? Or, heard a colleague proclaim proudly, "I treat all my students exactly the same." This usually means the teacher applies all the same rules and procedures for every student in the class regardless of the unique, individual needs of the student.

Instead of this rigid approach, we should base our decisions on what each student needs, not on all students being the same. It starts with empathy. Some students are dealing with hunger, violence, family trauma, or serious learning problems. The wise teacher will know how to adjust to help each student be successful, even if that means doing half the math problems the other students are assigned.

Bonus: "Stay Off Social Media"

There are still many teachers who are being told to stay off of social media, or to keep it completely separate from any part of their professional life. This advice is driven by fear that something could go wrong.

But social media is a great way to model appropriate digital citizenship for students. It's a great way to tell the story of a classroom or school, to celebrate learning, to encourage and lift up. And, most of all, it's a great way for teachers to connect with other educators to learn and share. 

Question: What other bad advice should teachers ignore? Leave a comment below or share on or .

Whoever Is Doing the Talking Is Doing the Learning

"The only place where one person talks at a time is a classroom," Ray quipped.

Our kids were talking as the food was passed. Ray (step-dad/granddad) was working his way through a joke he was telling. When I commented on the distracted kids, Ray chuckled reassuringly, "That's okay. The only place where one person talks at a time is a classroom."

I was momentarily stunned. I immediately thought of the professional relevance of the words. Ray's comment was totally in jest. But there is a sad element of truth to this, at least in many traditional classrooms. I could see that this statement was profound in a sense.

As you might expect, often the one person who is doing most of the talking is the teacher. 

Students sit in desks, with materials out in front. They are slouched over, eyes tired but gazing toward the front of the room. That is where the teacher remains.

Even when students are invited to speak, it's a response to the teacher. Maybe a couple of words. Answering a question. Nothing that resembles an authentic conversation.

On task? Yes, you could say so. Engaged. Not in the least.

It's true that the one doing most of the talking is also doing most of the learning. Students have a lot to say, and the skilled teacher creates conditions for students to process what they are learning through conversations.

In the classroom of a distinguished teacher, "Students assume considerable responsibility for the success of the discussion, initiating topics, and making unsolicited contributions." (Danielson, 2007)

Is your classroom characterized by too much teacher talk? 

Question: How do you ensure that student voice is developed? Leave a comment below or respond on or .

Leading Education: 10 Amazing Blog Posts From 2015

As the new year approaches, it's a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and to look forward to what lies ahead. So here is a collection of outstanding posts from 2015. It's an exciting time to be an educator. Innovation, creativity, and growth mindset continue to be important themes. These 10 posts are certain to give more clarity to your work as an educator as we head into the new year.

1. MindshiftKQED - Sir Ken Robinson: Creativity Is In Everything, Especially Teaching. 

Ken Robinson's newest book, Creative Schools, was published in April. This excellent post highlights a few of the main points from the book. Creativity is a process of having original ideas that have value. It's about fresh thinking. Creativity is not the opposite of discipline and control. It's not a linear process, but a passion for discovery and learning.  

Sir Ken Robinson: Creativity Is In Everything, Especially Teaching

2. Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator - The Teacher Is Not The Most Important Factor When It Comes To Learning

Conventional thinking is that the teacher has the greatest impact on student learning. Although teachers make an impact, Lisa Nielsen exposes the myths taking this thinking to far. She explains that the student is still the most important factor in learning, and if we would design learning with that in mind, we could make incredible progress in education. The questions below help to illustrate the point.

If the answer to any of the below questions is "no," even a great teacher will find their job difficult.

1. Does the students care about the topic?
2. Does the student want to learn the topic?
3. Is the teacher's style compatible with how the student learns best?
4. Is the student developmentally ready to learn the topic?
5. Is the student fluent in the language of the topic that is being taught?
6. Does the student live with his or her parents?
7. Does the student live above the poverty line?
8. Is the student healthy?

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: The Teacher Is Not The Most Important Factor When It Comes To Learning

3. TeachThought - 7 Strategies to Help Students Ask Great Questions

This post was part two of the TeachThought feature on questioning as a strategy for learning. 

7 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions

4. A.J. Juliani - Technology Can Transform Education, But Not Without People

As 18,000 educators were descending on Philadelphia for ISTE 2015, A.J. Juliani published this fantastic piece. He writes about the connections with people that are possible now as a result of technology, and that is the most important thing. It's not about the tools available themselves, but how they allow us to connect, build, and grow. 

Technology can transform education, but not without people #ISTE2015 - A.J. JULIANI


5. Classroom Q & A with Larry Ferlazzo - Response: Classroom Strategies to Foster a Growth Mindset

Growth mindset continued to be a major topic of discussion in 2015. Larry Ferlazzo published this piece with contributions from growth mindset guru Carol Dweck and a number of reader comments. Dweck gives three things you can do right away in the classroom to influence student mindsets. There is also a great video with a student reflecting and challenges and mistakes. 

Response: Classroom Strategies to Foster a Growth Mindset

6. Edutopia - The 8 Minutes That Matter Most

English teacher Brian Sztabnik addresses the most important part of lesson planning, the endings and beginnings. It's so important to create suspense and capture your students interest to keep curiosity and learning at a high level, even beyond the class period. You'll want to try the four strategies for beginning a lesson and four strategies for ending. Great stuff! 

The 8 Minutes That Matter Most

7. Bethany Hill - The Time is NOW to Innovate!

When is the right time to innovate? Right now of course! Innovation has been one of the hottest topics of 2015. And the Innovators Mindset by George Couros has fueled the discussion. In this blog post, Beth Hill reflects on how to start the discussion in your school. She reminds us we have to view innovation as a mindset. When we do, we can begin to innovate in every opportunity we have in our school.

The Time is NOW to Innovate!

8. Aaron Hogan - 5 Ways To Spread Optimism in Times of Change

It's not uncommon to encounter resistance to change, but how can we turn negative comments into opportunities for positive growth? Aaron Hogan details five ways to influence the person who is set on responding to every idea with "yeah but" phrases. Responding with optimism is essential for an effective leader.

5 Ways To Spread Optimism in Times of Change - Leading, Learning, Questioning


9. David Geurin - What If Schools Were More Like Google and Starbucks

Warning: Shameless plug alert! Yes, at the risk of self-promotion, I will include one of the top posts from my blog in 2015. But I must credit Eric Sheninger for his inspiration. After spending a day learning with him in Kansas City, I just needed to explore some of the ideas a little further. Can you imagine if we took lessons from some of the most forward thinking companies and applied them to education? Well, that's what I describe in this post.


@DavidGeurin Blog

10. We Are Teachers - The Emojis of Teaching

Perhaps one of the most fun pieces of 2015, this post looks at how emojis can be used to describe the teacher experience, both the ups and the downs of the profession. Every educator will get a good laugh out of this post, and you'll be able to relate I promise.  

WeAreTeachers: What These 34 Emojis Really Mean to Teachers


Question: What are some of your favorite blog posts from 2015? Share a link in the comment section or give a shout out to your favorite blogger on or .

Tech Geek or Teaching Geek?

I think it was during a Twitter chat I first made the comment that you don't have to be a tech geek to use technology effectively to support learning in your classroom. I later polished the wording a bit and asserted that "Classrooms don't need tech geeks who can teach, we need teaching geeks who can use tech." Several thought-leaders on Twitter have also shared the quote, like most recently @ToddWhitaker.

Classrooms don't need tech geeks who can teach, we need teaching geeks who can use tech. @DavidGeurin

— Todd (@ToddWhitaker) November 19, 2015

The message seemed to resonate with educators. But I also received some push back. What's wrong with being a tech-geek? Can we not aim for both? In the end, are the results any different? It seems there is plenty to discuss regarding approaches of using technology to support learning. So I wanted to address these issues and clarify the thinking behind the quote.

Why teaching geeks?

1. It's more important to get the instructional design right and develop engaging, highly effective learning experiences, with or without tech. Unless the central aim of your curriculum is technology, the tech should support the learning and not the other way around. It's not good practice to find a nifty tech tool and then contrive some way to get it into your lesson, just to wow or impress. That would be akin to using technology like a cool party trick. Not exactly the professional practice that will develop consistent and quality learning for students.

Retrieved: http://tinyurl.com/q6zw4w3

2. Teaching geeks are concerned with more than technology. A teaching geek will do everything possible to increase learning and help all students be successful. They love to learn about teaching, talk about teaching, join with other passionate educators on Twitter, and just be geeky about all things related to their profession. Most of all, they are passionate about student learning. I love to attend EdCamps because the teaching geeks are drawn to these events. Geeks go to Comic-Con. Tech geeks go to CES. Teaching geeks go to EdCamps!

3. You don't have to be a technology genius to use tech in the classroom. Many teachers think they can't use technology to support learning because it's not a strength for them. But even if it's not a strength, every teacher can take small steps to utilize technology for learning. Pick just one digital tool that has the potential to enhance your lessons and learn more about it. Our school is in the first year of 1:1 with Chromebooks, so a tool that nearly all of our teachers wanted to learn is Google Classroom. It was a good place to start because it serves as a hub for classroom stuff and allows for increased sharing and collaboration.

4. Don't wait, start somewhere. For teachers who lack confidence with technology, it's easy to avoid taking steps to learn new ways to use technology. And this is exactly what we don't want our students to do, to shrink back in the face of something that doesn't come easily. I'm very proud of teachers in our building who have stepped out of their comfort zone to learn new methods with technology even though it's not their strongest area. It models the type of growth mindset we want to encourage in students.

5. Turn the technology over to your students. Even if you don't know all the ins and outs of using technology, many of your students do. If you give students choice about how to use technology to support their learning, you can incorporate tech even though you aren't the source of all the tech knowledge. It's actually a great thing when students and teachers can learn from each other.

6. So you're a tech geek? That's great. It can actually be very beneficial to your teaching if you couple your knowledge of technology with an array of other tools that are important to effectiveness in the classroom. How do you build relationships, set expectations, empower learning, and support diverse needs? There are so many factors that contribute to an effective classroom. Technology alone won't result in an excellent classroom experience. But if you can leverage your knowledge of technology to support all the other components of an outstanding classroom, you're a top draft pick for sure!

7. If you are one of the distinguished educators who are both tech geek and teaching geek, you have an obligation to share your knowledge with others. We all want to learn from you.

Question: What makes you a teaching geek or a tech geek? Respond on or .

You don't have to be a tech-expert to find ways to make digital tools relevant in your classroom. #edtech #edchat pic.twitter.com/I4mb2CINNn

— David Geurin (@DavidGeurin) June 24, 2015

Great quote from @davidgeurin via @teachprof pic.twitter.com/jWFbxF47jY

— EdTech K–12 Magazine (@EdTech_K12) November 12, 2015

Classrooms don't need tech geeks who can teach; we need teaching geeks who can use tech. via @DavidGeurin #edchat pic.twitter.com/OoAkLCyb3k

— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) October 11, 2015

In search of better thinking, not right answers

I shared the following Tweet recently because the embedded paragraph below really encapsulates much of what I believe to be true about what students really need from today's schools. We cannot ignore that the world is a very different place than it was for previous generations. As a result, schools need to think about preparing students not just for today, but for what they will need in the future.

Knowing right answers is not enough. The #future will demand problem solving, and adaptability. http://t.co/OkUvbgrkEw #satchat #satchatwc
— David Geurin (@DavidGeurin) August 30, 2014

While the argument could be made for completely rethinking the structure and format of our learning systems, that is outside the scope of what most educators feel they control. What is in our control is what happens in our classrooms each day. We can do relatively simple things to cause deeper thinking and help students develop skills as questioners and problem solvers, skills that will be very useful to meet challenges of the future.

Steve Wyborney, who by the way was 2005 Oregon Teacher of the Year, shared this strategy in response to my Tweet. This simple idea doesn't require completely retooling how school works, it can be applied in the traditional classroom.

@DavidGeurin @MESPrincipal_ Wade, David, take a look at this strat, providing answer at same time as question http://t.co/XklxpoaSk7
— Steve Wyborney (@SteveWyborney) August 30, 2014

Here is an excerpt from the article Steve authored explaining this strategy.

Taking the answer out of the equation

Steve Wyborney June 27th, 2014

In the quest to promote deep student thinking, sometimes the answer is the problem.

In the classroom, we can launch a beautiful, rich question only to see students reach the answer – and reach the end of their thinking. After all, why would they think beyond the answer? Isn’t the purpose of a question to lead to an answer? Isn’t the answer also the conclusion? Isn’t the answer the end of the journey of discovery?

No, it’s not.

The purpose of a question is not always to launch a journey toward a single answer. The purpose is often to give students an opportunity to think, to stretch, to learn strategies which they can apply to a wider range of scenarios. When students regard the answer as the end of the journey, they may miss those very growth opportunities. But how can we cause students to reach for deeper thinking when they are accustomed to ending the journey at the point of reaching an answer? A simple solution is to take the answer out of the equation. In other words, when you ask a question, give the students the answer to the question and change their task. Ask them to find as many connections as possible between the question and the answer. Click here to read the entire article on Frizzle.