My TEDx talk, "The Empowering Future of Education" calls for an updating of what we value in education and the roles of teachers and students in schools. These systemic updates make school more personal and relevant. SEE THE WHOLE TALK on the TEDx Channel
"Teachers have never asked or expected to be called heroes, superheroes, etc. because they know its just empty hyperbole, however, they would love to be treated with respect and like professionals."
@DrBradJohnson
Want to improve teacher retention? "If you want to keep the best teachers, treat them like they are the best. Few teachers leave an environment where they feel valued, supported, appreciated, and treated like professionals."
-
@DrBradJohnson
"Part of the standardization of standardized tests is supposed to be the conditions for administering the tests. How can they possibly be standardized when we have F2F, remote, hybrid, etc. Any standardized test given this year will essentially be useless."
@DrBradJohnson
"We have spent years trying to move past an assembly line type of
#education
mentality. When given the chance to change we need to embrace it, not go back to what is comfortable, or the way we have always done it."
-
@DrBradJohnson
"Reminder as weekend approaches,
🔵"All In” doesn’t mean you have to be at school late each night.
🔵Doesn’t mean you need to take school work home each night.
🔵Doesn’t mean you need to work each weekend planning/grading.
This isn’t All In, this is Burn Out." -
@DrBradJohnson
In many schools, kids have little autonomy. They don’t choose what they learn, how they learn, how they show they've learned, or the pace they learn.
Learning to set & meet goals, while acting with autonomy are keys for successful adult life.
Are we teaching this skill?
#k12
"Standardized tests don't measure divergent ( innovation and creativity) thinking. Our society desperately needs innovative and creative people, yet we do little to develop these skills sets."
-
@DrBradJohnson
Thinking of banning
#ChatGPT
or other websites & tools?
This video highlights how students will always find a way around a ban.
Instead of banning, embrace it.
Whether it's a calculator, computer, Google search, & now
#AI
,
#education
needs to integrate these tools, not ban them
I know it seems odd, but I still cherish all the teacher gifts I've received over the years, great memories. The mugs, the tree decorations, the small crafts, bring it on.
#MerryChristmas
#edchat
#edutwitter
Never thought I'd see the day. What a crazy world - My kindergartener's face says it all, "Please don't be loud or crazy guys, I've got a video conference call with my class at 10." My bad, I replied, Of course you do 😕
#blendedlearning
#edchat
#edutwitter
#RemoteLearning
#edtech
Kick this school year off right by putting first things first. The old school "1st semester scare tactics" need to be retired. Focus instead on establishing classroom culture, norms, & relationships of trust that will endure beyond the school year.
#edutwitter
#BacktoSchool2022
This was not a "Lost Year".
Don't devalue the work of our students and teachers.
Let's not greet them this year by saying "You're behind!", but build on all that they learned in the pandemic namely...
Self-Direction, Responsibility, Resilience, Empathy, & much more.
#edutwitter
Why is High Agency Learning essential?
1. This is how we learn throughout life, other than traditional
#k12
schools.
2. Students fail in
#highered
not because they can't handle rigor, but because of increased freedom/agency.
3. Developing agency empowers future change makers.
In
#education
, we are
#data
rich. We collect data like my little ones collect legos. Unfortunately, sometimes that abundance is paralyzing. Like my kids, the task we have is to make it useful & ultimately leverage it to the greatest extent possible to lead to something magical.
#Collaboration
is a skill fostered by teachers. This skill, which is crucial to success in the work place, so it must be taught & assessed. Students should be given feedback & expected to develop this. No different than other skills we teach. Success starts at school!
#edutwitter
This important shift has never been more needed than now. This year make your focus who you are teaching more than what you teaching.
@thomascmurray
#AuthenticEDU
How we must transform teaching to develop student agency from
@E_Sheninger
.
This places
#students
at the center, offering a relationship-based mentor role for the
#Teacher
. This role, unlike content delivery and
#assessment
, can never be automated by a machine.
#k12
#edchat
Teaching matters, and it's why we will continue to draw in passionate professionals.
The challenge going forward will be...How might we make teaching experiences both meaningful and memorable while being less overwhelming?
"Don't make kids memorize information they can google. Instead, teach them how to:
▪️Navigate information abundance and curate valuable content
▪️Interpret search results and assess the quality + veracity of information
▪️Make ethical judgements about how to use information"
Are you leading or are you juggling?
Focus on what's essential, delegate, and don't micromanage others are a few tools that have helped me quit the circus juggling act and get to the business of
#leadership
.
#adminchat
#suptchat
#Principal
"If you’re a teacher… don’t assume your students know you care about them. You gotta show ‘em… every day. If you’re an administrator... don’t assume your teachers know you support them. You gotta show ‘em… every day." -
@SteeleThoughts
I hope you take time to reflect on the
#blendedlearning
you did this week. I recommend you commit to SLOWING DOWN. Take a deep breath, look at what you are asking students to do and then cut it back, in some cases cut it back a lot. Narrow the focus and go
#deeperlearning
#edchat
What if we reframed mistakes as learning opportunities instead of failures?
What if getting it right eventually and improving was expected instead of either getting it the first time or giving up?
Would we foster more
#resilience
,
#GrowthMindset
, and
#Perseverance
?
#edutwitter
Who is telling your story?
So much of education is determined by policy, funding, & systems that are determined by elected officials.
If you don't tell your story it will be forgotten or miscommunicated.
Champion the work of teachers
@tabitha_pacheco
is an inspiration.
#ucet23
Don't forget to celebrate those who struggled to get out of the learning pit this year just as much as our notable high achievers.
Their effort cannot go unnoticed.
This goes for teachers too
#edadmin
Why do teachers stop loving their jobs?
There are many reasons, but it is clear we can do more as
#edadmin
, parents, and general public to help.
Education can & should be the most rewarding and fulfilling profession, we need to help remove all we can that distracts from that.
Our cheerleader in chief, State Supt
@DicksonSyd
highlights the roadmap to achieving the hopes and aspirations we all have for our children and our students defined in UT's Portrait of a Graduate
#UtahGrad
#TogetheratUCET
I'm helping to write statewide competencies for
#uted
#K12
in the area of
#wellness
. Which of these
#SEL
skills and dispositions do you feel need to be represented in all
#UtahGrad
s? What role does self-advocacy play?
Take care of yourself this summer so you are refueled and refreshed.
👉 Say "No" to a summer of planning
👉 Say "Next time" to that PD offering
👉 Say "Not now" to your inbox
⭐ Say "Yes" to the snooze button
⭐ Say "Yes" to time for gratitude
⭐ Say "Yes" to time for loved ones
#Collaboration
is a skill fostered in schools. This skill, which is crucial to success in the world, must be taught & assessed by teachers. Students should be given feedback & coached to develop it. No different than other skills we teach. Success can start at school!
#edutwitter
Why Do We Procrastinate?
Hint: it's not because we are lazy.
🤔 This understanding gives us more grace for ourselves and empathy for others which we could all use.
Rethink the importance of self-directed learning.
"The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual, the burden of pursing his own education." - John W Gardner
Teachers from every K-12 school in
@Iron_Schools
have converged on
@LaunchHS
to make personalized plans and receive customized supports to implement strategies of Utah's Personalized Competency-based learning framework as they become more effective teachers for today's students.
What is the number one question affecting education today?
Can I trust you?
(Do parents trust teachers? Do you trust your leader? Do you trust your school board? Do they trust you?)
The pillars of trust are powerful learning today w/
@DavidHorsager
at the IronStrongConference
When relationships come first most students and adults exceed expectations.
"Relationships before rigor means that students will work harder for teachers they trust, feel connected to and know cares about them. Its the same for adults too." -
@DrBradJohnson
If there is one skill our world is lacking, in painfully obvious ways, it is Empathy.
#Education
must be first about understanding others and the world around us. I love how this is emphasized in
#DesignThinking
seeing other's perspectives is key to good design in
#PBL
and beyond
So many opportunities for professional learning and growth this summer.
TAKE TIME also to Relax & Refresh!
Just because you can
doesn't mean you have to.
#edchat
#edutwitter
#PLN
I'm excited to be the Keynote speaker at the
@UENpd
Reimagine Learning event on July 29th. I look forward to guiding
#educators
towards making remote and
#BlendedLearning
"DesignED on Purpose" in this transformational time in
#k12
#education
Sign up here!
Impostor syndrome: “I don't know what I'm doing. It's only a matter of time until everyone finds out."
Growth mindset: "I don't know what I'm doing yet. It's only a matter of time until I figure it out."
The highest form of self-confidence is believing in your ability to learn.
We can't simply expect students to be responsible, self-directed, or take initiative, we need to teach these skills. Slowly releasing the "structures of school" to foster independence, rather than reliance on hand holding, is key to preparing students for their future.
#education
Our students
@LaunchHS
are already getting started with this work and have made their own delivery service as one of their school projects to solve a local problem.
Nice side hustle for them as well. Despite school lunch being free for all right now they are doing well.
One reasonable token of support from the government to restaurants would be to decentralize and contract all school food-production to local restaurants. It provides consistent revenue AND gives children a diverse and healthier local food source. Probably save tax dollars too.
The era of constant change can be exhausting. How can we make it empowering & energizing?
Put people first 🥇 through...
🔷Inspiring w/ Purpose
🔷Going All in (not corner cutting)
🔷Enabling Capabilities to Succeed
🔷
#Culture
of Continuous Learning
🔷Inclusive
#Leadership
#edchat
How do we best use technology?
When it allows you or your students to do something you couldn't do without it.
The goal: to personalize and provide rigor, relevance, and empowerment.
Love learning with
@E_Sheninger
today at the Iron Strong Conference
#disruptivethink
#edtech
Students should be explicitly taught and supported to develop the daily habits that are going to make their dreams become reality. This is just as important, if not more, than the curriculum we teach in
#k12
#schools
.
#edchat
#education
#edutwitter
"I believe teachers carry an extremely quixotic mindset…that no matter who is walking into your classroom each year, no matter the baggage they bring or trauma they’ve endured, educators can reach them & make an impact." -
@RaeHughart
📸 credit Gary Chattman's book cover.
Grateful to
@michaelbhorn
for including me & the work in our district in his new book. It's a great resource for any innovator striving to create schools that better serve students and families. Thanks to all tagged here, and many more, for their support of our work.
#edutwitter
A3/A4: Issues I want to address with students:
1: Do you feel cared for?
2: How can I help you be successful?
.
.
.
1,000,001: Could you please conform with Dress Code
2,000,001: Please turn on your camera for your teacher.
#utedchat
Some things I’ve heard as
#teachers
prepare for
#remotelearning
: “Cameras must be on, students must click every 2 minutes to prove attendance, students must join my zoom at a particular time each day... the obsession with power and control is real. Let's not make more barriers.
Looking forward to offering the keynote on March 16th
@ucet
to help all educators feel "Refreshed by Reconnecting" to the reasons they chose to be educators in the first place. Rebooting priorities, powering down distractions.
#SelfCare
#Wellbeing
Flipping the 4 questions of a PLC to help learners to own them with
@plugusin
.
Bill's expertise and authenticity are two reasons we love having him at the Iron Strong Conference.
Let's redesign the role of the teacher to prepare students for their future, not their parents past.
An educator's role based on relationships, mentorship, & personalized instruction over compliance & a one size fits all approach. More empowering for all.
👇 📸
@katiemartinedu
Education has become about minimizing weaknesses, but success in life has always been about maximizing strengths. Let's focus on student growth and strengths, empowering students for future success.
#k12
#edutwitter
#edchat
If kids aren't taught...
Critical thinking
Persuasion
Negotiation
How to set goals
Healthy habits
Time management
How do we expect them to be prepared for the real world?
Kids don't just learn these skills by osmosis, we need to teach them.
#k12
#edutwitter
#edchat
#skills
In 1995 Bill Gates trying to explain the internet makes us laugh now looking back.
But we face the same difficulty today in explaining the shifts towards personalized competency-based
#education
to folks who can only compare it to the traditional schools they've experienced.
Teachers, there is no winning with perfectionism, so let go a little.
We don't need perfect,
We just need YOU!
Too many
#educators
are burning out seeking to do too much or beating themselves up over not being enough. Just be authentically you.
#education
#edutwitter
#edchat
What if we stop viewing 2020 as the year that was cancelled and start viewing it as the year we have been waiting for?
Here's to hoping a beautiful future blossoms from the tragedies of this year.
Parents try to teach values in conversation, but children learn more by observation.
No matter what we say, kids discover what matters to us by watching what we do. Where we focus tells them what we prize.
A key to being a good role model is paying attention to your attention.
I'm busy... on a live stream...
If I don't respond over the next week you'll know why. This is my new desk and my work is shifting focus
#onpurpose
to further developing my family relationships and creating enduring memories.
It's hard work, but someone has got to do it. 😜
Creativity should not be taught as an elective only, as if it were a luxury, but should be a focus in every class.
Today's complex world requires creative folks to help us design for tomorrow.
#edutwitter
#edchat
#Creative
#K12
Be quick to support, and slow to judge.
Remember this as you begin the school year and meet many new students and parents, or new teachers and staff.
What we see is only a small fraction of what others are dealing with.
Be patient and kind.
#BacktoSchool2022
#edutwitter