Shouldn't teaching be a creative profession? In my mind, most every profession should have opportunities for creativity. I think humans are made to be creative. And if we don't have the chance to use those abilities, we are mostly going through the motions. We're merely "doing" or "implementing" without much opportunity to use our unique gifts or strengths.
I'm referring to creativity here in the broadest sense. It's not just artistic creativity, although that's an important kind for sure. I'm talking about the ability to have ideas, initiate plans, and solve complex problems. Much creativity is needed for these types of activities.
So are you competent and creative? Having both. That's probably the best scenario. Being competent is knowing your stuff. It's being well-trained. It's having knowledge and expertise and maybe experience too.
But being creative is the ability to use what's available in novel and interesting ways. It's the ability to meet the demands of your current situation and add tremendous value because of your unique gifts and abilities. Being an expert is great, but it has its limitations. How are you leveraging your expertise to create the greatest impact? That's where creativity comes in.
I think we've valued competence to the extent in education that it's placed limits on what we're able to accomplish. When we simply double-down on past practices and past outcomes, we're not thinking in interesting ways. We push for more of the same and pile on greater accountability and less freedom for good measure.
The world is changing and the skills needed to be successful are changing too. When we fail to adapt our practices to current and future contexts students will face, we are failing to help them adapt. We must adapt if we want students to also have the ability to adapt and meet challenges. We need creative schools. We need adaptable schools.
Recently, LinkedIn published a list of the top in-demand soft and hard skills of 2019. Creativity was at the top of the list for soft skills. That's right, creativity was number one. It's clear the global economy continues to shift from an industrial world to a world of innovation. Ideas are increasingly important. Creativity is increasingly important.
So back to the original question, are you competent and creative? Does your school encourage you to be both? Or, does it limit your ability to be creative? Do you feel boxed in?
Every organization has some limits. But limits don't have to result in the end of creativity. It's sad when schools create structures and expectations that crush creativity. But it's equally sad when educators fail to use their creativity as best they can in the current situation, whatever it is.
Even if you feel limited in your ability to use your creativity, use it to the fullest extent you can. You can still be creative. You may wish you had more freedom and flexibility in your work, but you can still create within your current situation.
Seek out others who are interested in finding ways to be creative too. You'll be a happier, more successful, and stronger overall as an educator if you're using your creative abilities as best you can.
How are you taking your creativity to new levels? When you're creative in your work, do you see better results and enjoy greater fulfillment? Leave a comment below. Or, share on Twitter or Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.
How do you respond when students don't exhibit the behaviors you would like to see? Do you tell students they need to change? Do you lecture them about responsibility or respect? Do you complain to your colleagues about kids these days? Do you punish or reward?
How effective are those options? Telling doesn't work. Lectures create distance. Complaining doesn't empower anyone. And rewards and punishments mostly work only to get compliance and not to build better better behavioral skills.
But what would be an effective response to harmful behaviors?
What can educators do to better address non-learning behaviors?
Teaching behavior is better than just punishing behavior.
Teach the students the new behaviors you want to see.
If they aren't organized, teach them how to be organized.
If they aren't respectful, teach them about respect and how to show it.
If they aren't responsible, teach them new skills to show responsibility.
If they are distracted, teach them how to focus.
Break down any behavior into specific skills and teach your students the steps to successfully exhibit the behaviors.
How to Teach Behavior
1. Know your own expectations for your students. Have a vision for exactly what you expect. Know exactly what you want to see.
2. Communicate your expectations clearly. Be very specific. Over communicate. Explain why the behavior is important. Use stories and examples to make it clear.
3. Build relationships. Students will always learn behavior lessons better from someone that's trusted and connected.
4. Discuss unwanted behaviors with your students. Don't tell. Ask questions. Listen. Understand.
5. Give students feedback on how they're doing. Correct them. Direct them. But most of all, encourage them.
6. Facilitate reflection with your students. Ask them to think about their own behavior and how they are learning and growing. Track progress.
7. Offer a fresh start each day. Don't bring up previous mistakes except as a teaching opportunity but never to shame or gain the upper hand. Be patient.
8. Always protect the dignity of each child. Don't lose your cool and say something harmful. Don't use shame or guilt to motivate.
How would you treat him/her if his/her grandmother were watching?
9. Review. It's always good to circle back around to important lessons about expectations and how things are going.
What if I don't have time to teach behavior?
Better question: What if you DON'T take the time to teach behavior? If you don't teach the behaviors you want to see, you'll spend much more time correcting issues that might have been prevented. Make sure your expectations are clear.
When you are intentional about teaching the behaviors you want to see, you are being proactive instead of reactive. You don't just wait until there is a problem. Try to see things from the student's perspective and anticipate what reminders they might need.
What do you do to be proactive about teaching behaviors in your classroom? Share your strategies by leaving a comment below or responding on Facebook or Twitter.
Is it more professional to teach in a traditional manner, the way you remember your teachers teaching you?
Or, is it more professional to teach in innovative ways that might be more relevant to today's world with today's students?
Is being professional dressing a certain way, fulfilling your obligations consistently, or having a certain type of professional demeanor?
Maybe some of those things matter for professionalism. But what matters most?
What exactly does it mean to be professional?
It seems to me that being a professional is doing things in the best possible way to meet professional goals. If the ultimate goal is the best possible learning for students, then being professional isn't about doing it like it's always been done, or doing it the way you prefer, or doing it by some personal code that might communicate professionalism for the sake of professionalism.
What's most relevant for being a professional educator is taking actions and designing learning in a way that works best for the learners you are currently teaching, this group of kids, the ones you are working with right now.
Being a professional is understanding the needs of the students. It's seeing things from the perspective of the learner, and then seeking to meet their needs to create the strongest learning environment possible. It's being curious about how your students are experiencing learning. And it's having enough empathy to understand and adjust.
What's your professional identity?
It's only natural to teach in the way that's most comfortable for you. I think most people have a teaching identity that says, "I'm the type of person who teaches such and such way." I've even heard teachers make comments like, "That just doesn't work for me."
They have a certain idea of their teaching identity. And then they build a story for why their students need the type of teacher they value, the type of teacher that fits their identity.
I'm the strict teacher. These kids need discipline.
I'm the lecturing teacher. These kids need to learn to take notes for college.
I'm the cool teacher. These kids need me to be their friend.
I'm the old school teacher. These kids need to value the things my generation valued.
I'm the dominion teacher. These kids need to fall into line and comply with authority.
But what if your teaching identity isn't really what your students need? Are you willing to reinvent yourself to do what's best for today's learners? All of them?
Being professional means doing beneficial things that aren't necessarily your natural inclination.
To me, that's being a professional. It's creating a classroom environment that will engage and ensure maximum learning even if that's not what's most comfortable for me. I'm going to step out of my comfort zone to make this better for my students.
The most professional educators (teachers, administrators, and other roles too) I know are the ones who are willing to do just about anything to make learning better for students. They are willing to adjust their practices to meet the needs of the students.
In fact, they are actively seeking ways to adjust their practices to meet the legitimate learning needs of their students.
Well, I'm not here to entertain. I'm not doing a dog and pony show.
Is making learning come alive a dog and pony show? Is cultivating curiosity being an entertainer?
The kids need to learn grit. They need to learn to do the work, even if they think it's boring. They need to learn perseverance.
Grit and perseverance are connected to things we find meaningful, relevant, and purposeful. Do students find your class meaningful, relevant, and purposeful?
I bet you apply effort to things you find meaningful. In fact, every action you're motivated to take is because you attach some meaning to it. You might even hate doing it. But you attach some meaning to it. Or you wouldn't do it.
What about your students? What are you doing to make learning more meaningful for your students? If they aren't motivated, it's because they don't see the meaning in what you're asking them to do. At least they don't see enough meaning in it, yet, because when they do, they will engage.
What adjustments are you making?
A professional educator is seeking to make learning irresistible.
A professional educator is seeking to meet the legitimate learning needs of the students.
A professional educator is willing to set aside personal preferences for peak practices.
A professional educator is enthusiastic, excited, and energetic about learners and learning.
A professional educator isn't satisfied with going through the motions or arriving at good enough. There is a desire for continuous improvement that starts with the person in the mirror. What are the actions, attitudes, and approaches I need to take to succeed with these students?
What do you think about this riff on professionalism? Does it resonate with you? Leave a comment below or respond on Facebook or Twitter. I look forward to reading your comments.
