Mindset

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I admit I can be resistant to change. I fear the unknown and feel uneasy when pushed out of my comfort zone. And yet, when I reflect on the proudest, most memorable moments of my life, they have been when I’ve been the most scared, exhilarated or challenged. I wouldn’t trade being an exchange student in Sweden, or facing the joys and uncertainties of parenthood, learning to downhill ski or zip-line, or facing and overcoming the challenges of hearing loss and tinnitus for anything. These experiences have shaped who I’ve become and remind me I can be strong and discover new realms of capability. The latest challenge is training for my first half marathon. So why am I resisting something as simple as starting a Twitter account?

Typically I need time to listen, process and prepare before I speak. I reflect, I write, I ask questions and clarify. I’m not used to blurting things out (my inner monologue is a constant source of amusement, however), and I wonder if I’ll have anything significant to add to the conversation. I understand the need to connect through social media and the importance of sharing a wealth of ideas and experience. I guess, with my need to lessen the “noise”, I just want to know I will find what is meaningful and relevant for me on such a busy, social stage.

I am currently reflecting on the characteristics of the innovator’s mindset (from George Couros’ book) and asking myself whether I would want to be a learner in my own classroom. Have I established a safe and nourishing learning environment where students feel free to make mistakes, take risks and experience the joyful abandon of “messy” learning? I am blessed with a group of learners who demonstrate every day that they can adapt to changes and be resilient and push through challenges to deeper levels of understanding and wonder. It’s not always easy, but if I expect this growth mindset from them, surely I can do the same.

I feel I am being pushed as a learner this year through professional development opportunities and my school’s professional learning community and primary vertical team. I am opening my mind to ideas for innovative teaching, taking risks by experimenting with documentation walls that chart student and teacher learning and reflection, and excited (and slightly terrified) at exploring the endless possibilities of the genius hour as a school staff and with my own Grade 3 class.

Here’s to the adventure of growth and learning ahead!

 

Kristen Robbins

Grade 3 Teacher

Grosvenor School

To Innovate or Not to Innovate? That is NOT the question

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After leaving the first session with George, we were left with many questions to bring back to our school.

One in particular, is how do we move our school from tiny pockets of innovation, to a culture of innovation?

What we are left with, as well as from reading his book, was that much of the way information is presented to us as teachers – through professional development or implementation of new programs does not necessarily inspire everyone to be creative, and it often does not foster a CULTURE of innovation. Instead what we tend to see is a small group of inspired educators taking it upon themselves to learn something new or to challenge the boundaries and limitations that allow them to create relevant and purposeful learning opportunities for students. And this is great, these are the pockets of innovation that usually exist in a school. What is, and has always been the struggle is creating an environment and a culture where this becomes the norm.

The message that was received from hearing George speak, as well reading his book, was that building a culture of innovation will take everyone in an organization or school working together. That it is not a “top down” or “bottom up” approach, but an “all hands on deck” one. That the goal is not to change for the sake of change, but to make the change meaningful and purposeful. To move away from a culture of compliance to one of creative engagement, empowerment and as George put it… “a chance to do something amazing”.

So with this mindset, we will be sharing our ideas about innovation with our colleagues during our school planning day this coming Friday. We will be present what we have discussed and explored in the ITTL sessions, as well as what we have learned jumping into the world of Twitter, Google Apps, Google Hangouts and blogging as we become part of creating a culture of innovation at St. John’s High School.

 

Meghan Davidson & Jim Anastasiadis
St. John’s High School
Cluster 1971

Our Motto’s Is That We Are All Life-Long Learners

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After the March session with George Couros, I was incredibly excited about introducing new concepts with my students.  Reflecting upon my own classroom, I knew that in order for my classroom to grow (my students and myself) that by introducing technology with my students was the path that I wanted to go.  As a primary teacher, we are constantly learning through hands on, team building and creating.  But after the session, George showed us more ways to have our student’s little brains working and creating.

The entire session I kept thinking of how brilliant it would be for students to learn how to use technology appropriately and how to use technology to further their own learning.  It wasn’t about sitting in front a computer learning through a program, it was based on creating and making connections with students and people around the world. It’s learning at their fingertips.

Innovating teaching is about what we can do to further and enhance children’s learning.  It’s not just about technology, which I think a lot of people were afraid of.  It’s about creating problem solvers, creators, being reflective on their own learning…  I could go on, but I truly believe that this sketchnote that George had created sums it up perfectly.

Characteristics of an Innovators Mindset

 

As teachers, we are constantly learning and that’s what we want to be able to promote with our students.  One of our motto’s is that we are life-long learners, so that’s exactly the goal we need to have for our students.

name: Kimberly Bui
school: Champlain School
Cluster group : 1971

5 Reasons To Have a Collaborative Blog

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This was a quote from Kristin Melnyk, a member of the “Innovative Teaching and Learning Leads” that I am working with in Winnipeg School District.  The program is focused on developing not only educators to challenge the way they think about education, but to also develop innovative teacher leadership, to help this group lead meaningful change within their own schools.

It has been a great process so far, although I have only worked with the group one date personally. That being said, through the #WinnipegSDITLL hashtag as, well as being led by an awesome team within the Winnipeg School District, the learning shared has been great.

One part of the initiative is that educators in the program are asked to blog about something in their classroom or the program, to share their learning through the process, to the ITLL Project blog. This is a powerful way to share that their is a constant space for learning, and it is not focused only on our face-to-face time together, but shows the power of learning throughout.  Reading their blog posts online, will also help build relationships in the times that we are face-to-face as well, as I am able to learn more about them not only as educators, but learners and thinkers. It creates a pretty powerful dynamic for learning and relationships.

There are so many benefits to having this type of “collaborative blog” throughout a professional learning opportunity, and I am so grateful to the team supporting the process.  It has been wonderful to learn from them, but there are so many other powerful benefits.  Here are some of them below.

1. Safe “guest posts”.  Blogging is a powerful way to “openly reflect” on your learning, and in one of my favourite articles on the topic from Dean Shareski, talks about the power of this type of collaboration:“So here’s my plan. Hire a teacher, give them a blog. Get them to subscribe to at least 5 other teachers in the district as well as 5 other great teachers from around the globe. Have their principal and a few central office people to subscribe to the blog and 5 other teachers as well. Require them to write at least once a week on their practice. Get conversations going right from the get go. Watch teachers get better.”

Although I agree with what Dean is saying, having your own blog can seem daunting.  But having a space where you can have a post with some guidance, can help some people feel more comfortable with the process and perhaps realize that it is not only valuable, but they are pretty good at it.

2. Competitive-Collaboration.  This is a concept that is near to my heart.  I believe that we need to learn to work with one another, but I also believe we need to push each other.  In this space, I have noticed that the blog posts are getting more and more in depth, and I wonder if the quality is going up because the group is reading the posts that the others are doing.  They are also not only writing reflections, but either sharing visuals, or creating videos.  We wanted to give them some guidelines (suggested 250 words but shared that it can be more, or less, or anything), but wanted people to be creative in how they shared.Check out this great video posted from Veronique Bedard

 

The learning that has been shared in this space has not necessarily taught people to be creative, but unleashed their creativity.  Pushing each other in space where we also support one another, is where that “unleashed talent” is more likely to come to the surface.

3. Opportunities to Reflect. As Dewey states, “We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” Although the process of change can seem “fast and furious”, this only makes it more important to slow down and think about why we do what we do. If we are truly looking at moving forward, we need to take the time to look back.  There is so much learning that can happen through the process of reflection.  It needs to be a non-negotiable part of the work in true learning organizations.

4. Rich data.  Not all data is measured by numbers, and this blog is proving that. We are seeing this process to be extremely valuable, but this blog has become that evidence.  As I was discussing this process with a group yesterday, how often do we do work in PLC’s and then create evidence that either no one sees, or really, no evidence of learning at all?  This space will be here long after the initiative but shows the evidence of this program.

5. Everyone is a teacher, and everyone is a learner. As the leader of this program, I truly believe that if the group ONLY learns from me, they are missing out on a huge opportunity.  This is why this space is so crucial.  Not only does the group have the ability to learn from each other, but selfishly, my own learning is being pushed and prodded by this group.  This flattened hierarchy of learning is beneficial to everyone willing to take part and ultimately will benefit so many kids in so many places.  It has been powerful to watch and learn from this great group.

Chris Kennedy recently wrote about seeing a decline in blogging, and a part of me agrees.  That being said, I actually think it is more valuable than ever. Giving people the opportunity to do it in a way where they get to experience themselves first in a safe space, and then seeing the value of learning from others, might be the best way to have them eventually create their own space, but even if they don’t, the opportunity to learn from these collaborative spaces has been extremely powerful.

Kristin Melnyk shared this quote in her blog post:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”—Charles Darwin

What is important to understand is that we can’t change others, but only ourselves. What we can do is create the spaces where change is more likely to happen, and these platforms of open and continuous learning could make that impact.

Innovative Teacher Fail

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“Twitter is so out,” said my 14-year-old daughter when she heard me talking about my day with George Couros. I took the statement with a grain of salt because I know teenagers aren’t known for basing their findings in sound research. However, it opened the door to conversations about how my own kids use their personal devices for learning – at home and at school.

I used to be the teacher who gave the stink-eye anytime I saw a phone in my music class. ‘How dare you bring that portal to the outside world into my classroom?’ Although I’ve come a long way since then, I’m still a questioner. I will question the why and the how these devices are used in the classroom. Mostly because I have no idea.

Example – my innovative teacher fail story:

About five years ago I had a student, Cody. Cody was an energetic, fun, big personality, grade 5 student. Cody LOVED Michael Jackson. He asked me repeatedly and excitedly over the course of the year if we could learn about Michael Jackson. The teacher in me loved his eagerness to learn, but for some reason I could not wrap my brain around how to facilitate this request in the classroom. I was thinking like a “giver of information” and not a facilitator of creativity and curiosity. That year came and went, and, sadly, I had done nothing to encourage Cody’s excitement to learn.

Fast forward 8 months. I had just come back from a leave of absence. Cody was now in grade 6. He and the rest of his class began asking me, “Can we do PowerPoint presentations this year! When can we do them?!” They sounded almost urgent. They so badly wanted to learn using this tool. Upon further investigation, I learned that the substitute teacher, during my absence, had figured out what I couldn’t. With certain tools, in this case PowerPoint, students can direct their own learning. And when they have the incredible opportunity to cultivate their curious nature, there’s no stopping them.

As I continue my journey as a teacher, I hope I can walk the path of innovative education with the creativity, curiosity and excitement that Cody taught me. Who better to learn from than our own students?

Rhona Sawatsky
Earl Grey School
Cluster Group 1971

Dance If You Dare

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We’ve all seen it. She’s the life of the party when she starts bending her knees and shaking her hips to the beat of the music. She’s dancing for the whole room and loving every minute! Get your mind out of the gutter – I’m talking about the baby in the room! From a very young age there is no denying that dance is a part of human nature. But somewhere along the way the love of dance begins to dim as some children realize that dancing means taking a risk. How can we keep dance “normal” as children begin to age?

Reflecting on “The 8 Characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset”, from author and principal George Couros, I found myself thinking a lot about innovators being Risk Takers, and how it applies to dance in my classroom. I am always amazed with the participation levels of my grade 1 students when it comes to taking a risk and dancing! The trick is to warm them up to the experience by introducing new things slowly; making it comfortable, easy, and inviting. I mean, don’t we have to do this with adults as well?

WHERE TO BEGIN

I start the day with basic stretches and body isolations every morning. This makes dance a regular part of our routine, not a “scary” experience, and the kids really enjoy feeling their muscles work, getting their blood moving, and listening to the latest Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift song.

HOW TO CREATE A DANCE CULTURE IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Once students are comfortable moving in the morning, we progress to a super simple choreographed dance that incorporates a little more energy. My absolute favourite time of the year is October when we learn “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (a very simplified version). The kids go crazy for dancing like a zombie, especially on Halloween when they are in their costumes!

RISK TAKING

After they have practiced these skills they begin to think of themselves as “dancers” and are much less intimidated by the risk involved in dance expression. This is when the characteristics of innovation can really be seen. Students can work together and create short dance pieces on any topic, and they feel comfortable moving their body. For example, we created dances titled, “Snowflakes”, “Autumn”, and “Feelings”. All were beautiful, empowering, and totally created by the students.
I was going to blather on about all of the amazing things that have come out of exploring dance with my class, but when I revisited the Manitoba Dance Curriculum I found these excerpts that really summarize all of my thoughts and practices.

“Dance enriches a vibrant culture and is integral to human life. It has the power to illuminate, deepen, broaden, and enhance human experience. Dance offers a unique way of perceiving, interpreting, and communicating diverse life worlds. As one of the oldest and most primal of the performing arts, dance has existed across all cultures and historical periods. It has always been a socially significant component of all civilizations, and remains a relevant symbolic tool for people around the globe today.

The fusion of body action and cognition manifested in the dance Framework promotes self-initiated learning, active problem solving, openness, collaboration, innovation, socialization, empathy, flexibility, critical and divergent thinking, and risk taking. Dance has the potential to promote responsibility and leadership and to prepare and inspire future citizens of the world to understand and address the most critical challenges of their times.”

As teachers, and citizens, let’s work hard to keep dance bright in the eyes of our children as they age. They payoffs are great. And, even if dance is a little uncomfortable for you, reflect on why? Is risk taking holding you back?Untitled__Dance_Blog-Final_Copy_copy___page_2_of_2_

 

 

Jenna Kennedy
Strathcona School
Cluster 1971

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What Is Innovation? Innovating Curriculum!

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After listening to George speak, I have a new and deeper understanding of what innovation is. Innovation is using new and creative practices that meet the needs of students today, and prepares them for their needs in the future. I often think about whether or not what I am teaching students really matters? I teach in the inner city, and many of my students experience tremendous struggles at home. Getting my students engaged in learning can be difficult when so often they come to school tired, hungry, and emotionally exhausted. Yet, I am mandated to teach students about topics like monerans, protists and fungi in the science curriculum? Or topics, such as confederation. Is that what these students really need? Is knowing the definition of a protist essential to their future? Probably not. Focusing on teaching both social and academic skills, like researching online or collaborating with others is more important; however, I do not believe that the Manitoba curriculum reflects this. Perhaps a more innovative curriculum could help teachers adopt more innovative practices? Yes, some might argue, that we do have “cluster 0” that indicates the skills we should be teaching, but cluster 0 is only one cluster, in addition to all the other clusters, general outcomes and specific outcomes. I feel that the way the curriculum is formatted, does not really highlight the importance of teaching skills.

Anna Choy
Shaughnessy Park
Cluster 1971

Impacting Statements

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My first session with George really made me reflect on my own teaching practices. He made a few arguments during his presentation that really stuck with me. The first being that we tend to teach how we are taught, but not necessarily what is the best for our students. I connected this idea to what Jennifer Katz (Education professor at University of Manitoba and author of Teaching to Diversity) spoke about during one of her presentations. She asserted that we do not expect any other profession to engage in older or outdated practices just because the professionals are use to operating in a specific way. Take a doctor for instance. Knowledge in medicine and science has grown tremendously. When new and better medications come out, we expect doctors to use those medications. It is not acceptable for doctors to keep using the older and less effective medicine just because that is what they are use to. Just like a doctor, teachers need to adapt, change, and or update their materials, lessons, and teaching styles to meet the needs of the current generation and generations of students to come. This means accepting that we must continuously be learning and changing. This directly links to the second statement that impacted me. George strongly asserted that teachers need to stay current and adopt current practices, including the use of technology, in order to be relevant. If we do not adapt and change to our environment, then teachers will become “extinct” so to speak. Although this statement originally made me uncomfortable, for I felt that my job was threatened, I understood the importance of what he is saying. I try my best to be as innovative as possible, as most teachers do; however, time, lack of money, lack of training, lack of technology, and lack of support from colleagues and/or administration are all barriers to innovative classrooms.

Anna Choy
Shaughnessy Park
Cluster 1971

My ITLL Reflection, Cluster 1871, Tyndall Park School

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I am hugely grateful for the opportunity to take part in the Innovator’s Mindset workshops over the course of this year. I appreciate the change to invest in my own learning, and, as a new teacher, I feel that I am being invested in.

One idea that most resonated with me while reading The Innovator’s Mindset was that of the growth mindset vs fixed mindset. I believe that this attitude, when adopted by student’s and staff, has the greatest leverage in supporting other positive behaviours. Those who think with this lens are more likely to exercise the grit and perseverance when any challenges show up.

“What gets measured gets managed” – Peter Drucker

As we explore the use of the technology throughout this learning experience, I am interested in how we use it to enhance assessment. This year, Tyndall Park school has introduced the program Manga High (mangahigh.com), an online educational tool, in our grade 3 and 4 math program. I find it most helpful that through this program provides detailed feedback on each student every class. Without having to create an assessment, I can search the program to see how the students are doing with each module. This is so valuable as it gives us the ability to track student progress at a whole new level. I feel I am more effective in planning lessons as a result.

My one concern I have with my relationship with technology is that I often am quick to use tools without any idea of the outcome I want to achieve. George’s diagram in the The Innovators Mindset that showed the good and better reasons to use technology illustrated this point well. Being the millennial I am, I find myself incorporating new tools, apps, and technologies into my life, even when its not necessary.

Looking forward to continuing our ITLL sessions!

Josh Winestock
Music/Math Support
Tyndall Park School

Every Bit of Knowledge Counts

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My class has just finished just about three months of intensive work on their Explora Vision Project and Science Fair Projects. These are inquiry based projects driven by the students’ curiosity over the topic of their choice, and as well by the desire to aim at a calibre of work that meets the competition level criteria. As these are projects that required an application of all the skills the students may have or are yet to learn as of this point, there was definitely a range of skills and learning needs that needed to be met and scaffolded for each individual student. Among the skills called for were: skills in applying reading strategies (such as visualization, making connections, questioning, analyzing, evaluating and summarizing), skills in effectively writing a report or a persuasive piece, skills in the use of technology to research and to present information, skills in organizing tasks and time, and skills in orally presenting to an audience. Indeed, with the immensity of the task and skill set demanded, but with not enough time to spend in conferencing one to one with each student, as a teacher, I knew I needed to pull out not just my strategies as a teacher that I’ve always tried, I would also need to innovate my teaching. I needed to learn to tap on the power and ease technology can offer to meet at least some of the tasks we needed to do.
Knowing just the basic so far in using technology, I knew, I could at least tap on its potential to make our task efficient. Thus, I emailed students both as a class and individually, tasks, schedules, reminders, or feedback about their work so far. We’ve communicated by email even through weekends, after school hours, or even during the Spring Break! In the classroom, I noticed that even students in the same group have also started using email to communicate their share of work to each other. It saved us so much time, as well as maximized the time we have for enhancing the depth of our research and quality of our work. Having spent so much time browsing the online resources, students have had the chance to access tons of information in print, images and video format. They have also discovered how to locate scholarly articles if they are looking for Scientific Studies done so far on their topic!
What I realized? Every bit of knowledge counts… it is not to be underestimated. Something as simple as an email could be a powerful tool to make the task efficient and meaningful.

By Melinda Severa
Prairie Rose School