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 Twitter or Facebook.
Resource:
The Innovator's Mindset by
George Couros
I've been reading The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. The book is fantastic. It goes in-depth explaining the how and why of innovation in education. It makes a compelling case for the power of innovation to improve schools. The book got me thinking about why educators need to embrace change. As I've learned from Couros, it's possible for every educator to be an innovator.
Innovation requires a willingness to look at problems with new eyes, and to see challenges as opportunities. Students are going to need skills for their future beyond the academic achievement goals that have been the overwhelming focus of the past. To help students be future ready, schools will need to help students become adaptable learners.
Schools need to help students develop leadership skills. They must be global citizens and understand how to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. They need to solve complex problem, work in teams, communicate effectively, and have digital skills. We need to make creativity a top priority. But the only way schools will meet the demands of the changing world around us is to innovate and embrace change.
If you still aren't convinced, here are nine reasons educators should embrace change.
1. Change is inevitable. It isn't productive to resist it, because it is impossible to avoid. Change will happen. When you embrace it, you can influence the direction and outcomes of the change. Change either happens to you, or you take ownership of it. Most of us become comfortable with things the way they are, even though everything around us may be changing. The only way we can provide schooling that is relevant is to accept change and learn and grow.
2. You can make a difference. Some people resist change because they believe it won't matter anyway. But your efforts to embrace change will create better learning opportunities for students. Believe in your ability to use change to make a positive impact.
3. Growth means risk. You can't grow without risking something. We stay with what's familiar because we are comfortable with it, but that's not progress. We need to have a growth mindset. When we take this approach, we thrive on taking risks and trying things that aren't a sure thing. We want to take risks. When we fail, it's not fatal. It's just proof we are trying.
4. You can't expect to do the same thing and get different results. Most every teacher is not entirely satisfied with how students are learning. Most see problems with student motivation or engagement. Is it reasonable to think these issues will improve without changing teaching or education? Change and innovation are necessary to solve the problems we see in our schools.
5. Giving up "good" can help you find "great." As Jim Collins pointed out, good is the enemy of great. It is hard to embrace change when things are going well. My test scores are good. I'm a respected teacher. Our school is a shining star in our community. When things are going well, it's harder to see the need for change. But we should never be satisfied. We should always seek ways to improve learning for our students.
6. New opportunities are waiting. Letting go is hard. It can be very difficult to put aside the things that we find most comfortable. But when you step out of comfort zone, there is potential for incredible fulfillment and reward. We stand to gain so much for our students and for our own personal fulfillment. Innovation and change starts with a belief that there might be a better way. We have to believe these opportunities await.
7. Personal preferences can be harmful. Some people resist change because of their personal preferences. Even if they see an idea has the potential to improve things for students and learning, they may not embrace it because it makes them uncomfortable. It's not what they prefer. Educators cannot afford this mindset. You must be flexible in your state of mind and welcome any opportunity that can move education forward.
8. Your students need to see adaptability. You have the opportunity to model change and innovation for your students. When you are innovative in the classroom, students are more likely to become adaptable, innovative learners. These skills will serve them well. We can't expect students to be innovative unless educators are first willing to be innovative.
9. Leaders embrace change. Effective leaders embrace change and help others embrace change too. Whether you have a formal leadership position or not, your school needs leaders who are problem solvers and who are willing to try new things. Every person can be a leader. Your words and actions can help positive change occur in your school.
Question: How will you embrace change in your classroom or school? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or share on Twitter or Facebook.
Every time I hear someone talk about having a "teacher training" I cringe just a little. For some reason, it makes me think of our dog Max. He can do all sorts of tricks. Sit. Spin. Beg. Rollover. He's a smart dog. He's been trained to do his routine on command, and he's a quick learner. As much as I like Max, I don't want to associate his tricks with the development of professional educators.
I realize no one intends to relate "teacher training" to training a pet, even if the word training doesn't seem to entirely fit with the complexities of professional learning. I guess for me the word carries some baggage, some negative connotations.
Google defines training as follows:
It's kind of funny that the example provided is "in-service training for staff." That sounds like some of the worst professional development I've ever experienced.
The problem with training is it often refers to the one-size-fits-all, sit and get professional development that is known to be highly ineffective. It doesn't allow for individual differences. It makes teaching a set of rules or procedures intended to guarantee a certain outcome.
But that's not how it works. Teaching is a more of an art than a science in my book. What works for one teacher rarely works exactly the same for another.
The things that we learn in teacher training are rarely ever of enduring value. It's usually one new program or another. It won't be relevant in 10 years, or it's the latest fad but has very little personal meaning. Everyone is expected to benefit from it the same.
So instead of teacher training, let's promote teacher learning, development, growth, networking, and collaboration. Authentic learning and reflection allows teachers to take what they learn and make it their own. Successful teachers don't simply implement what they've been trained to do. They make complex decisions based on accumulated expertise and professional autonomy.
I'm not calling for a ban on professional development. Let's just end the bad PD. Sometimes it's referred to as teacher training.
Question: Does teacher training have a bad connotation for you? What do you want out of your professional learning? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on Facebook or Twitter.
