So You're an Educator and You're Not Reading?

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With the amount of information available for teachers, it is just unacceptable to continue making uninformed decisions about what works in the classroom. Never before has so much information been available to improve your practice. 

Take your pick. There are articles, blogs, books, social media, and more. You can connect with other educators all across the globe to discuss ideas and learn from one another. And you can do it all from the comfort of your sofa.

And yet, there are still educators who are not growing and learning. They are still doing it the way it was when they were in school. Teaching as they were taught. They rest in their longstanding beliefs without testing them against research and new ideas.

In a recent Seth Godin post, Did you do the reading?, he suggested that the more professional your field, the more vital it is to read, think, and understand--to stay caught up. To stay current. We want teaching to have increased professionalism, right? We want to our field to be respected. We want our profession to shine.

So we need to make sure we are contributing to the profession. We need to behave like professionals. That means we are reading the important books in our field. It means connecting with other professionals who can push us and test our ideas. And it means reflecting on how our practices align with our beliefs.

It doesn't mean you're going to agree with everything you read. But if you aren't reading material that offers a viewpoint different than your own, how can you be sure of what you believe? My ideas are stronger when they are tested and hold true for me.

I realize if you are reading this post, you are probably among those who are growing and learning and moving our profession forward. You are doing the reading. You are connecting and seeking and innovating. I applaud you.

But teaching gets a bad wrap. Educators are under fire. And if that is going to change, we need to do everything we can to increase the professionalism among our ranks. I urge you to share what you're reading with other teachers in your school. Use your influence to lift others up and strengthen the profession. 

I believe ours is the most important profession. We need to treat it as such.

Question? How can we get more educators taking ownership for their professional growth? What should teachers be reading? I want to hear from you. Share your answer on or .

A few books on my reading list...

Book Love by Penny Kittle @pennykittle 

The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros @gcouros

Uncommon Learning by Eric Sheninger @E_Sheninger

What Connected Educators Do Differently by Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul, and Jimmy Casas

Some of my favorite blogs...

Connected Principals

Starr Sackstein

Ditch That Textbook

The Principal of Change

Ten Things Every Educator Should Say More Often

In a previous post, I shared eight things a successful educator should never say. Admittedly, that is a negative way to think about the impact of words on teaching and learning. Why not consider what we should be saying more, I thought? So here goes.


1. "I believe in you."

One of the most powerful things you can communicate is your belief and confidence in your students, and your colleagues for that matter. Sadly, too many students (and adults) struggle to believe in their own worth and ability. Above any curriculum outcome, we should strive to show our students their own worth and genius. Say to your students, "I believe in you. You are capable. You are important."

via @AnnetteBreaux @ToddWhitaker

2. "I won't give up on you."

When things are really tough, we all need someone to pick us up and be there for us. You can be that person for your students. Every kid needs an adult to fill the gap, a person who is older and wiser, someone they can borrow strength from until they have more of their own. You can be that person when you tell your students, "I won't give up on you."

https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en

3. "I'm here to help."

I strongly believe leaders are servants too. It doesn't matter what your position is in your school, if you have a desire to help others succeed, you can have great influence and make a huge impact. Clearly, you should stand ready to help each student in your classroom. But the most successful educators are ready to help every student in the building. And they use their influence to make the entire school a better place.

4. "I have time."

Anyone feel pressed for time? Yes! We all do, and that's what makes this phrase so important. There are so many demands on our time we become conditioned to protect against anything taking an extra minute. Principals, protect your teachers' time. They need some margin so they feel like they can help each other or their students or a community cause. You can show what you value when you say, "I have time."

5. "Not yet."

Help your students develop a growth mindset by using these two words. When a students says, "I can't" show them how everything changes when you think "I can't, yet." Instead of putting a grade on that paper filled with mistakes, simply write "not yet" and have your students keep working and revising. Remind your students that the expert in anything was once a beginner. Even Luke Skywalker struggled to become a Jedi. He had the force within him, just like our students have it in themselves to succeed.

Thanks for sharing Steven Weber @curriculumblog

6. "Let's work together."

When teachers, and parents, and students, community leaders work together it is powerful. No one ever accomplished anything completely on their own. Someone else always invested, even when it's not evident. When we build partnerships, everyone benefits. When teachers learn together, it has the power to improve teaching and as a result, improve student learning.

7. "Thank you."

Two simple little words. Say them over and again. Be grateful. Our schools will be a better place. Our world will be a better place.

8. "I'm listening."

Show them you are listening. Lean in. You can learn so much. Students have so much to say, so much to share, and they are waiting for someone to truly listen. Seek to understand and not just to reply. Say "I'm listening. Go on." Ask questions. Show the patience and the empathy you know they need.

9. "What if?"

We need more innovative thinking in classrooms and schools. 'What if' is the language of the dreamers and the disrupters. We don't have to do it the way it's always been done. What if we tried something different?

10. "What is best for kids?"

As we make tough decisions, we should always be asking this question. Schools exist to serve students and should do their best to always put the best of interest of students first. It's a simple question, but we need to hear it more. It's too easy for other things to distract us from the most important thing in our schools, serving our students best.

Question: What else should educators be saying more often? Leave a comment or share on  and .

Eight Things Successful Educators Never Say

Words matter. They carry incredible power and reveal our underlying attitudes and assumptions. The words you choose each day can serve to lift others up or tear them down. Your words will build stronger relationships or they will push people away. Your words will inspire more commitment and dedication or they will find excuses or shift blame.

The most successful educators are intentional with their words. They strive for the greatest impact for their students and for their entire school through what they say and do. They speak from the heart and express a desire to serve and help in every situation. They make people and learning top priorities, in that order. They care deeply about students and their success.

Being a teacher is a difficult job. It's a calling. Your work is valuable, far too valuable to jeopardize by using any of the phrases below. You can't afford to allow negativity to creep in. There are too many challenges and only with a positive mindset will you be able to find success.

1. "That's not my job."

In education, our bottom line does not involve profits or increased sales. Our bottom line is helping kids succeed. So when there is something that might technically be outside of your job description, remember that you entered the profession to make an impact and making an impact can involve serving in many ways. You are a powerful example when you step up and take on whatever challenge comes your way. So your job is anything that helps students and learning.

If you have legitimate concerns about your role, you should talk with your principal about those things. There should be strong support systems around teachers. And teachers need to advocate for what they need. But when you wield this phrase, it just makes you look like you're not a team player.

2. "Those aren't my kids."

If you could pick and choose the students in your classes, of course your job would be easier. But successful teachers are advocates for ALL kids, even the ones who are difficult, demanding, or disrespectful. Some teachers think special needs students are not their responsibility. They shrug their shoulders thinking how the special education teacher or the ELL instructor should be the ones to support any struggling learners. This phrase really doesn't show the kind of compassion or empathy all great teachers display.

3. "There's not enough time."

You may feel like you don't have enough time. Everyone feels that way sometimes. But the truth is we all have the same amount of time in each day. Your hours and minutes are the same as every other human on the planet. So when you say you don't have enough time, you are really just saying it's not a priority. The things you don't have time for are not high enough priority for you to give it your time.

4. "It's not fair."

Life is definitely not fair. But it doesn't do any good to use this phrase. Usually, it's just a way of blaming or complaining and that doesn't help anyone. When something doesn't seem fair, don't use this phrase. Tell yourself the truth. You can only control you. Do something to work around the issue. Be grateful for when things do work out your way. When we are grateful, even difficult things seem to work back in our favor eventually.

Sometimes this phrase is used by teachers as a reason not to differentiate or modify instruction for students. But we shouldn't confuse fairness and equality. We need to give students what they need, not treat a student exactly like another who may have completely different needs.

5. "I taught it, but they didn't learn it."

Just because you taught it doesn't mean they learned, and it's not okay to shift the blame to your students. Maybe you need to reflect on your methods and consider what you can do differently to create better learning. If you want to change student learning, you have to be willing to change yourself first. This phrase shows a desire to do things "my way" regardless of whether it's working for students or not.

6. "We've always done it this way."

This has been coined the most dangerous phrase in the language. When you use this phrase, it shows you to be closed minded, inflexible, and possibly even stuck in the past. We can't think creatively or make progress with new ideas if we are so stuck in our paradigms we can't see the possibilities in something new. It's rare to actually here a teacher say this, but I wonder how often this type of thinking is just under the surface. We can get really comfortable doing things the way we've always done them. The most successful educators are willing to step out and take risks.

7. "But that won't work with these students."

When presented with a new idea or possibility, some educators think right away, "But that won't work with our students." Our students are different. They are impoverished, apathetic, troubled, uncooperative, etc. But how do you know what will or won't work unless you try? And trying with a positive attitude is much more likely to result in success than assuming your students are going to fail. If teachers don't believe in their students, who will? The best educators make students feel like they are better than what they ever believed. They are inspirational.

8. "I don't need any help."

No one ever accomplished anything without help for others. We always need help and also benefit from giving help to those around us. This cavalier attitude works against positive relationships and sharing, and quite frankly it works against learning. Learning is a social enterprise. We learn better when we test ideas and gain feedback. To have the best school, we need to have the best teachers and leaders. If you think you can do it all on your own, you are not going to grow and be as successful as possible.

Make Room for Creativity and Change

I just read a great post from Jon Harper (Happiness, Silly) about finding our state of creative flow, those times where we feel we are in our zone and are able to develop our best ideas, create our best moments, and generate seemingly unending personal energy. Jon suggests that he finds his creative flow in those moments when the tyranny of what's next fades away. Too often we are so busy with what's next, our schedules and to do lists, that we don't find those creative flow moments.

Jon's post resonated with me, in part, because I've been thinking about ways our education system could encourage more creativity and change. I agree with him that we don't have enough white space for educators to pursue their own passions and ideas, to find that creative flow.

We need to increase creativity and personal meaning for everyone involved in education--teachers, students, administrators, etc. Creativity results in greater meaning and personal relevance. It results in more perseverance. It results in positive change. It turns schools into learning organizations instead of information organizations.

But too often, leaders want to get behind people and push them toward an outcome. We develop one-size-fits-all programs. We hold never ending trainings. We mandate this or demand that. We pile on more paperwork.

It's piled on from every level of our system. What's next is coming at us from federal, state, local, and building levels.

We even require a lot of the new stuff in the name of change. We need to change this or that. We need more technology integration. Everyone must use this new method or strategy.

And this crazy dance goes on with noble intentions.

But what if there is another way? What if we provided more white space to allow professionals to develop their own ideas, to start their own movements, to share more of who they are and what they believe in as educators?

Instead of pushing, maybe just a nudge is all that's needed.

A nudge that encourages, "You have great ideas. You should share that."

A nudge that challenges, "How could we give students more ownership in that?"

A nudge that hopes, "Wouldn't it be great if..?"

To unleash the creativity latent in our profession, we have to make room for change. We have to stop pushing and pressuring and start providing conditions that allow for new ideas and problem-solving.

It will require trust. It will require taking things off of people's plates. It will require leaders who support risks and celebrate ideas. But it will be worth it. Make room for change.

Making Learning More Meaningful

Why have we placed such a high value on sense-making over meaning-making? Sense-making involves understanding and demonstrating a content or skill. Much of the work we do in school is related to sense-making and there is nothing inherently wrong with this. We need to know facts and learn skills. But why don't we make greater efforts to connect sense-making with things that bring meaning? Meaning is what helps us to really make sense of the world. It's coming to a place where we understand why our sense-making matters. Meaning gives relevance to our learning.

Daniel Pink explains in his book Drive that people are more effective, more motivated, and more connected to the work, and all areas of life, when conditions exist that allow for autonomy, mastery, and purpose. When we have autonomy we feel we have a voice and a choice. When we are able to do things well (mastery), it makes us want to try even harder and do even more. And when we have a sense of purpose, we feel our contributions matter and that what we contribute is bigger than ourselves.

These conditions are far more powerful than extrinsic rewards, because deep down we know that things that are most meaningful are ones that stand the test of time. Extrinsic rewards satisfy for a moment, but they don't deeply satisfy. They only feed appetites for more recognition, more rewards, or more pleasures. We need meaning, not more stuff, not better grades, not more rules or policies.

In our hurried, success-driven, hyper-connected culture, there is a hunger for meaning in ways like never before. We need something greater than ourselves and our shallow appetites (more stuff, more fame, more instant gratification).

So how does this all translate to the classroom? Let's ask students to do stuff that really matters, to themselves and to others. Learning shouldn't happen in isolation from real impact. Open the world and find ways for students to make a difference now. Give students the freedom and flexibility to do something amazing. As I think about the learning experiences from my school days that I remember the most, they are ones that were personally meaningful to me. We can't expect sense-making to last beyond the test if we don't help students have personal meaning connected to the learning.

Make learning personally meaningful and students will find their passions and become self-determined, lifelong learners.

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

Why building commitment is better than gaining compliance

Education seems to be the worst about trying to 'fix' the system with the latest program or the next big thing. Ask just about any teacher who has been in the profession a few years and they will trace how this program came and then faded and then the next thing came along, and it seems like a never ending cycle. I've heard this same narrative for the 20 years I've been an educator, both as a teacher and as an administrator. And, it's frustrating.

We keep trying to improve by implementing a new thing, a new policy, a new set of standards, when these strategies are not ultimately the most important thing to improve. Todd Whitaker has been quoted widely, proclaiming "it's not about programs, it's about people." And we know, almost intuitively, instinctively, that this is true. But the programs and 'accountability plans' keep coming. And the very thing that is intended to improve education is killing creativity and hindering innovation.

But don't we need new ideas in education? Aren't our schools in need of a major update to meet the challenges of today? Absolutely! But the answers to the questions we face aren't found in external mandates. We need to unleash the problem-solving power of the people who have their boots on the ground, the educators working every day in schools. What we need is to find ways to empower teaching and build even stronger commitment among educators.

Building commitment will always be better than gaining compliance, and here's why. Commitment results in buy-in, belief, investment, ownership, and extra effort. Compliance, on the other hand, is little more than checking a box or filling out a form. It may result in some change in behavior, but it may only get the appearance of a change in behavior. As soon as the new thing isn't monitored closely, old ways return. There isn't any lasting change.

So how do we get more commitment? We remove the barriers to true collaboration and communication in schools. We ask teachers their opinions. We value their ideas. We get everyone at the table. We set goals, but we get the goal-setting as close to the action as possible. The graphic below suggests that classroom level goals have far more impact than district or school goals. So why do we continue to write comprehensive school improvement plans that are longer than Gone With the Wind?



I believe the greatest thing we can do to improve our schools is invest in people and their ideas--cultivate innovation and risk-taking within schools. When we have compliance-driven cultures, teachers are often afraid to try something new. What if it doesn't work? What if my test scores are lower? What if my principal doesn't like it? This type of thinking sucks the passion out of being an educator. Educators are thinkers and problem-solvers and need the opportunity to explore whatever ideas they believe have the potential to improve learning.

When rich conversations are happening in schools, it becomes the source of amazing synergy. This idea was magnified in my thinking by the book Crucial Conversations (2012). It details how we need to have more authentic, completely honest conversations in organizations, and even in families and other relationships, where we share ideas openly and confront problems constructively. The authors shared how synergy develops:

"As everyone on the team began to explain his or her opinion, people formed a clearer and more complete picture of the circumstances. As they began to understand the whys and wherefores of different proposals, they built off one another. Eventually, as one idea led to the next, and then to the next, they came up with an alternative no one had originally thought of and that all wholeheartedly supported. As a result of the free flow of meaning, the whole (final choice) was truly greater than the sum of the original parts." (p. 25)

And so we need to get more input from teachers, and even students and parents, as we seek solutions that are unique to our individual schools. And here is the best part. This is really important. As people develop a shared meaning and have a voice in the solutions they develop, they willingly act on whatever decisions they make. They get behind the decision and put the full measure of their conviction behind it.