Are we sparking curiosity in our classrooms? Anyone? Anyone?

Are We Igniting Passions in our learners?  Anyone? Anyone?

#IMOOC Season 4, Week 1 #LCInnovation 

In her book: Learner-Centered Innovation: Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion, and Unleash Genius, Katie Martin shares this graphic about Student Engagement:

From: Katie Martin, Learner Centered Innovation IMPPress, 2018. p.374 (Kindle version)

This steady decline in engagement makes me sad.  It would be interesting to see the earlier answers of students in grade Kindergarten to Grade 4 included, because I suspect the percentages for engagement would be even higher in the early grades.  Clearly, we are doing something wrong if we are taking kids who love to go to school and by the time they graduate only 18% of them are having any fun.  It makes me ask myself, "What are we doing to kill the joy of learning in our students each day?"

 Is this what our classrooms look like for our students?

YouTube Clip from: Ferris Buellers Day Off, 1986 

I hope not.  That movie is now over 30 years old.  If the 'sage on the stage' technique was resulting in zoned out students 30 years ago, why are we still doing it?  I recently blogged about the resistance to change I've seen in some educators (more specifically regarding technology) in my January 26th post called "Reno Your Pedagogy."  But the problem extends far beyond a resistance to try new technology.  Technology, after all, is just the tool.  Using technology with good pedagogy is the innovation.  I am a classroom teacher.  I don't set policy or procedures.  I can get up on my soapbox/blog, but I know my blog has a limited audience and may only be preaching to the choir at that.  So what can I do to try to bring the trends on that graph back up?

I can only do what I can do.  I can model practices like project based learning and passion projects and using technology to leverage the collaboration of students in my room with students around the world.  I can be a part of initiatives like the Global Read Aloud, encourage my students to get excited about becoming good digital citizens through social media like our classroom Twitter account, website and blogging or vlogging.  I can give them choice in topics to investigate and how they show their learning, be it coding or #BookSnaps or creating videos.  I can keep trying new things, reflecting on them and tweaking them until my classroom is the type of place Dave Burgess talks about, where they would buy tickets to get in the door.  I can make my classroom as engaging a place as I can and hope colleagues see this and start to buy in.

I can only do what I can do, but as it turns out, that's a lot. Are you with me?  Anyone?  Anyone?

Reno your Pedagogy

Is it Time to Renovate Your Practice?

I may be risking being a bit derivative with this blog post.  There are lots of great educational innovators out there, folks who are driving change and doing it much better than I am - not to mention writing much better about it than I can.  But, this is where my head is at this week, so this is what I'm writing about.  

I was reading a new post from The Plugged In Portable, a great blog by David Carruthers who is a Technology Co-ordinator with the TVDSB, called "The Biggest Barrier Can be Your Own Thinking."  He was writing about how as teachers, we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to innovation in education.  He got my attention with this:  "Far too often though, educators are quick to turn their backs on innovation. They see barriers without any thoughtful reflection, or questioning, regarding how these barriers can be overcome, or if they truly exist in the first place."  He goes on to say, "However, to a much larger degree, I believe these barriers are erected because of attitude, rather than any limitations placed on us by forces beyond our control."  That got me thinking about a staffroom conversation I had with a colleague a few months ago.

I was in the staff room with a few other teachers doing some self directed PD.  We were working on how to use and implement Google Applications in our classrooms.  A colleague noticed what we were doing and in the conversation that followed stated something to the tune of, "I'm interested in technology but I don't want to learn all about this Google thing and convert everything I do to that, so that in a few years the next new thing will come along and I have to start all over."  

My response was, "But, that's how life works, isn't it?"  I went on to explain that I had spent a lot of time and money renovating my kitchen not that long ago. The old kitchen still worked, but it had it's issues and it was dated.  The new kitchen is easier to work in, has more modern and energy efficient appliances, and the new lighting makes it a safer and more productive space.  Did I have to renovate?  No, but I had the means, the know how and the desire to improve it, so I did.  And I'm loving the change.  Just like in our homes, regardless of what we've used for technology in our classrooms in the past, things change, improve or need to be replaced.

Photo from: https://www.pexels.com/search/modern%20kitchen/

Since having this conversation, I've thought a lot about it.  David's post this week brought it and the the issue surrounding it back to the forefront for me.  We innovate, change and update things in our lives all the time.  I mentioned renovations, but we replace our vehicles, change our hairstyles, buy new clothes and pursue new hobbies on a pretty regular basis.  Why is it that when it comes to professional practice, technology in the classroom, or any change in the educational spectrum, that we can sometimes be so resistant?  I get it.  Change is hard.  Change can be scary. Change is work.  But not changing can be scary too.  You can get so comfortable with the way things are, that you fail to see how great they could be. 

I'm not saying everyone has to jump on every new innovation or idea immediately (unless you want to).  What I am saying is don't dismiss change or new ideas immediately, simply because they are a change or a new idea.  Think about them.  Reflect on how you might be able to improve what you are doing with them.  Pick something you think is doable, and do it.  You don't have to gut your house to improve it.  Start with something small like a coat of paint, a new appliance or some throw pillows.  In the teaching realm it might be doing some professional reading, taking a course, starting a professional Twitter account, joining a PLN or going to a workshop so that you can start a classroom website, get students blogging, or revamp how you are assessing student learning.  Challenge yourself to make one change in the way you do things this month, this semester or this school year.  

If you are reading this and find your back straightening up, your toes digging into the floor and you are thinking, "But, I don't want to change what I'm doing," I ask you to reflect on this... Do you really want your professional practice to be the allegorical equivalent of a kitchen with 1950's era appliances and bright orange countertops?

Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/42353480@N02/5759004867

Always put Passion in the Driver's Seat

Always put Passion in the Driver's Seat

Some final thoughts on The Innovator's Mindset and the IMMOOC experience as it comes to a close. 

I've been thinking a lot about this quote: 

"If we reduce what we do to numbers and letters to measure our achievements, then we forget that it is (or should be) passion that drives us."  (p 224 George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset)

Such an important statement, because regardless of whatever else is going on in my classroom, school, district, or the education world around me, it's my passion for learning and teaching that gets me in the car and starting the ignition.

(image from)

There are plenty of others in the car.

Fear is always trying to be the backseat driver.  Fear tries to push me onto the road more travelled.  It's back there nagging at me, reminding me that this could all go terribly wrong.  What if the wifi goes down during an exciting collaborative but tech dependent lesson?  What if no one else is doing the same thing and I look like an idiot?  What if my Students aren't engaged or even remotely interested?  I have to remind myself, that it's okay to listen to those fears and keep them in mind as I travel, but I can't let them take over or I will never get anywhere.  Fear wants to my excuse for staying home, binging on Netflix...playing it safe, and where is the adventure in that?

My learning and training are the navigation system and road maps.  They show me possible bumps in the road ahead and warn me about accidents and dangers to avoid.  They help me apply the curriculum to new ways of teaching and learning.  They remind me to scaffold and differentiate and help me prepare my students for their own journeys, as they guide me on my own.

(image from)

Past experience is the seasoned traveller.  It reminds me that taking a certain route didn't work well in the past, and probably won't help me on this trip either.  It tells me to start early and do my research so I don't get bogged down in rush hour traffic and works well with the navigation system to help me find a detour when I hit construction.

My Professional Learning Network peeps are always up for a road trip.  They are in the car talking about all kinds of different routes to take, interesting side trips, places they've been and would like to go.  What I like best about having them along for the ride, is they are always encouraging, no matter what route I choose.  If I make a wrong turn, they help me get back on track.  If the car breaks down, or I get a flat, they help fix the problem so the car gets back on the road quickly.  If I am tired or discouraged, they listen.  They know the best places to stop along the road to refuel or take a break and recharge.  They will be cheering me on to my destination, where ever that is, hanging out the window with their arms in the air screaming "Yee Haw!"

But passion is the driver. 

It's that same passion that was ignited for me on my first day of Kindergarten when I came home and told my Mom that I was going to be a Teacher when I grew up.  It was passion that gave me resilience when I was supply teaching all those years and wondering if I would ever get a permanent teaching job.  It was passion that gave me the grit to get through days when things were not going well, and the strength to deal with the death of a student.  My passion has pushed me to try new things in the classroom, to take courses, to share my learning, learn from others, to push myself to be a creator and not just a consumer.  It is passion that builds relationships with my students and colleagues and propels learning.  It is passion that leads me to new adventures and encourages new experiences.

On this wild and winding road trip of life, wether it is a professional or a personal journey, it's my passion that will never steer me wrong and will get me to my destination safely.  No matter who else is in the car with me, I'm going to let her drive.

(image from)

Fanning Your Own Flame

#IMMOOC Season 3, Week 5

This week we have been challenged to create 250 word posts in our blog.  Here's my first kick at the can:

"Do our Professional Learning Opportunities mirror the learning we want to create for our students?"

When we are programming for our Students, we are encouraged to give them choice, help them find their passions, differentiate our instruction and expectations and create a personalized and meaningful learning experience.  A lot of time is spent building relationships with them, getting them to realize their own potential and to reflect on their own learning and goals.

Do we take this approach with the Professional Development of staff?  Traditionally, and likely still in a lot of cases, the answer is probably either a "not very well" or a "no".  There's a lot of "have to", "let's just get through this," and "one size fits all" activities on Professional Development Days.  I'm not laying blame or ranting here.  There's just not a lot of time to fit all the things we need to get done collectively and the things each of us is passionate about individually into the few days of the year we have to do it in.

Picture citation

So how can we ignite our own passions for learning and teaching with the constraints we are given? Some "inside the box" solutions seem to be needed here.  I've got a few ideas...

1.  Professional Learning Networks - online (like Twitter), in your building or at conferences.  Find others who will push your thinking and support you on your journey.

2.  Getting out of the building to mentor, be mentored or see what's happening in other buildings and classrooms.

3.  Take a course, read a book, investigate what you are passionate about.  Don't let that spark go out...fan that flame in whatever way works for you.

Please add a few of your own ideas in the comments section. 

 I'm running out of words, but want to leave you with one thought.  If we won't accept "one size fits all" learning for our students, why would we accept it for ourselves?

The Beginning of Some Beautiful PLN Relationships

The Start of Some Beautiful PLN Relationships
#IMMOOC Season 3, Week 4

Only a very short time ago, when it came to my PLN, I was reliant on the Teachers in my building, ones that I met at Board Professional Development Sessions, the Teachers in my gigantic Dutch Family (we make My Big Fat Greek Wedding look like a small, quiet, family gathering) and a few that I was lucky to meet in my travels or at the odd conference.

All that changed when I decided to take the Integration of Information and Computer Technology in Instruction Online Course through Western University (or IICTI - because that name is a mouthful!).  Our Instructor was a guy named Rodd Lucier aka the clever sheep, and right away he got us using Social Media to develop relationships beyond our classmates.  The class was a little reluctant: much safer to stay within the confines of our close, closed, online course discussions.  Some were fearful.  There were many discussions of the dangers of Social Media via Trolls, inappropriate posts, unprofessional behavior, misinterpretation, Union and College of Teacher Directives, but also the benefits that could be reaped from the power and potential of using things like Twitter for our own networks and for student learning.

At the time, I had a Twitter account.  But, I really wasn't using it.  And, I didn't really understand how to use it either.  Rodd gave us some ideas of how it could be used, made a few recommendations of folks to follow and encouraged us to give it a try.  I had never met Rodd, but I was loving the course, and I figured Western U wouldn't have given him the Instructor job if he didn't know a little about what he was teaching.  Myself and a few other intrepid classmates jumped into the Twittosphere, and we were off.

Honestly, it was like I had been let loose in the world's biggest and best bakery, and everything was free! (Perhaps I should pause here to reveal that I have a love for all baked goods, and that bakeries are second only to bookstores and golf courses on my list of happy places).  Sometimes I gorge myself on Twitter content, and other times, I scroll and enjoy a cup of tea.  The best part is, it's always there, always open and always free to explore.

New to Twitter, I followed Rodd's recommendations and was introduced to the ideas of George Couros, his brother Alec Couros, Doug Peterson, Dean Shareski, Chris Kennedy and of course, my fellow intrepid classmates, T Scott and Agi Orban.  From there, it's like that old shampoo commercial  spoofed by Mike Meyers...

I have become...Twitterpated!

The connections I've made on Twitter have grown exponentially.  My PLN has exploded.  My own learning has expanded dramatically.  I'm blogging and reading some really awesome EduBlogs that I never knew existed before.  My classroom has really changed for the better.  Things like the Global Read Aloud, Passion Projects, Innovator's Mindset, Digital Citizenship, Growth Mindset and our classroom blogs and Twitter account have all come to my students because of Twitter.  I'm in this IMMOOC, thanks to Twitter.  I've made awesome connections with teachers I have never met face to face (and some I have met) and there is a lot of online sharing and discussion going on.  I'm modeling what I've learned and encouraging colleagues to get on Twitter even if at first they are just lurkers and not creators.

And, I have The Clever Sheep to thank for it all. 

Now that I've completed all three IICTI Courses, I don't chat with Rodd quite as often.

  But, "We'll always have {Twitter}..."

P.S. Other Great Twitter Accounts to follow:

I've mentioned a few folks to follow in my post above.  Here's a few more great ones to follow (in no particular order) if you are not already following them:

Brenda Sherry,  David Carruthers, Marc Hodgkinson,  Brian Aspinall, KimPollishuke,  Derek Tangredi, DawnTelfer, Jen Aston, Stephen Hurley, Harry Niezen, Jennifer Casa Todd, Jen Giffen, Donnie Piercey, Dave Burgess, globalreadaloud & Pernille Ripp, TaraMartin, Bill Ferriter, Annick Rauch, Katie Martin, Heidi Solway and honestly, too many to mention.  You can also follow me through My twitter handle, and see all the great people I follow there!

Just say "No," to the Status Quo!

Just say "No," to the Status Quo!

#IMMOOC Season 3, Episode 3 

This week as part of the IMMOOC for The Innovator's Mindset, we've been asked to blog about..."What is one thing that you used to do in education that you no longer do or believe in? Why the change?"

There are probably many technological changes over my 20 plus years in the classroom that I no longer use, like ditto machines, filmstrip projectors and VCRs.   I sometimes miss the acetone smell of freshly duplicated dittos.  But I don't miss the agony of having the page mangled by the machine, or the look of boredom on the bright little faces of my learners when faced with, {aghast} 'another worksheet'.

And in reading chapters four and five of The Innovator's Mindset this week, the words that jumped off the page for me were in the section on the Power of "No" versus a culture of "Yes."  As George Couros writes..."The problem is that when you say "no" to innovation - for any reason - people feel reluctant to attempt trying new things in the future....Sooner or later, the innovators will get tired of asking for forgiveness.  They'll move on to places where they're trusted to use their creativity and passion - or, perhaps worse, they'll settle into the status quo.  In either case, learners will be deprived of their ingenuity." (p.72-73)

I used to be that "status quo" teacher.  I was young.  I had worked hard to get that first job and I sure didn't want to do anything that would rock the boat, or even worse, cause me to look bad to the folks in the office, or jeopardize my job when still in probationary status.  But, as I looked around my classroom, I saw so many ways I could improve the learning environment for my students.  And most of them involved new technology or teaching methods, or classroom environment (like seating) that required me to look for funding outside of my meager classroom budget, or invest in my own learning through courses and workshops.  

So, I started to take some risks.  I tried some new things.  I wrote grant applications, I entered contests, I asked for additional funds from non traditional sources.  I ran fundraisers and got colleagues and parents on board to help me.  We wanted a SmartBoard and computers in the room.  So, I sold a lot of cookie dough, pizzas and bargained with my Principal to match any funds we raised.  We got that SmartBoard and each year added more desktop computers in the room.  I saw the value of 1:1 iPads, so I wrote applications for them and we got them.  I've worked a lot of Bingos.  My family cringes when they see me coming with yet another fundraiser.  I spent weekends and nights on the computer taking courses and going to workshops so I could learn how to use this technology effectively in my classroom.  I pushed my own envelope and sometimes I failed, but more often I succeeded and my students benefited from our trials and tribulations.  

So what is it that I no longer do in education because I don't believe in it?  I no longer accept the limits of my classroom budget, or the twenty year old lessons of Teacher's college.  I no longer worry about a plan that might not work, or a new method that might be a bit scary for me.  If I want to try some new technology, but I don't have the budget for it, I don't accept that as a reason to stop trying to get it.  When it comes to innovation and change, I'm an early adopter.  I'd rather beg forgiveness for a failure, than not try at all.  I just say "NO" to the status quo.

We have the technology...We can build Schools of the Future

We have the technology...We can build Schools of the Future
#IMMOOC #IMMOOCTVDSB Innovator's Mindset Season 3, Week 2

I may be dating myself here, but when I read George Couros' prompt this week,  asking us to blog about what a school we built from scratch would look like, the opening to a classic Seventies t.v. show: The Six Million Dollar Man, starting playing in a loop in my head.  In my defense, I was very young when this show aired.  Have a listen, but it goes like this...

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.  We have the technology.  We have the capacity to make the world's first bionic man.  Steve Austin will be that man.  Better than he was before.  Better, stronger, faster."

So, I asked myself why this particular ear worm was taking up space in my brain and why my dendrites and synapses were connecting it to my school of the future.  This is a topic I've thought about and explored a great deal in the last year or so.  I teach in a 90 year old building with declining enrollment, one that may well be replaced with a new school very soon.  As someone who may be working in a school built from scratch in the near future, I've given a lot of thought to how I hope that new building will look.  I also recently took a course on Technology in the Classroom through Western University in Ontario, where we were asked to think deeply and plan not only our classroom of the future, but a school of the future as well.  If you want to dive a little more deeply into my thoughts on this, check out my post from January 2017 on Designing a classroom of the future and my March 2017 Post on Schools of the Future and the Internet of Things.

To give you the short version of my vision, it would include:

- flexible, sustainable, learning environments where Inquiry Learning is the norm, not the exception

- Internet of Things Technology that meets the needs of all learners and runs seamlessly (with WiFi that never goes down, 1:1 devices that either don't break down or are instantly repaired by IT Robots)

- Innovative Educators that are facilitators in an engaging and passion filled classroom, helping students find their own questions to explore and reflect on

- Makerspaces, Learning Commons, and Community Partnerships

- a culture where taking risks is expected and failures are just steps on the journey to empowerment

- World wide connections through activities like the Global Read Along, IMMOOC's, online learning and charities that show our students that they can make a difference in this world

If I was writing the opening theme to my Six Million Dollar School, it would go something like this:

"Everyone, we can rebuild our schools.  We have the technology.  We have the capacity to make Schools of the Future.   Our schools will be ready for the next century.  Better than they were before.  Better, Connected, Innovative."

Students would be banging down our doors, begging to come in and learn.  I wanna teach at THAT school.

Innovation Battles Adversity

#IMMOOC Season 3, Week 1 Blog

As part of the Innovator's Mindset IMMOOC this week, we were asked by @gcouros write a blog responding to two prompts: 1.  Why is innovation in education so crucial today? &
2. Talk about a time you dealt with adversity in education, and how you overcame it.  

I've spent most of my 20 plus years in the classroom as a Special Education Teacher.  In that time, I've seen students struggling with adversity that I cannot even imagine.  Physical disabilities, Developmental Delays, Learning Disabilities, Poverty, Brain Illness, Families in crisis, Low Self Esteem, Severe Anxiety and problems and issues that certainly never came up as part of my Teacher Training.  I've faced adversity in my own life, but the problems I've faced from time to time often seem so trivial compared to what my Students deal with daily.

I know that for some students, school is a safe haven, a place away from the chaos of their lives, and for others, school is a hell that they just try to survive.  I've always tried to make sure that my classroom was the first and not the second.  I work hard to build relationships with them, to help them see their potential, develop a Growth Mindset and find their passions. In my own way, I try to be like Dave Burgess writes in Teach Like a Pirate, to have them "knocking down the classroom doors to get in."  Like a chameleon, I've constantly modified my methods and my practice to meet the needs of the kids in my room.  To paraphrase George Couros in the Introduction... "What I care about is that kids are inspired to be better people because of their experiences in my [classroom]."  

So, for me, through my Special Education lens, Innovation has been a way to overcome adversity.  It's a way to level the playing field of roadblocks thrown in the way of my students. Wether it's technology like Speech to Text, that allows them to get their thoughts down on paper in a way that a Learning Disability kept them from doing in traditional assignments; or a Passion Project that has them fully engaged in their own learning; or completing a video to avoid the crushing anxiety that live presentation might present...it's breaking the barriers that once held them back. 

That said, I don't want to even pretend that my classroom is full of unicorns and rainbows.  I've had failures.  I've tried things that crashed and burned.  I've had students that I've been unable to reach or help.  These break my heart and challenge my spirit.  But, I keep trying.  I keep learning.  I try to stay focused on the success my students have found, and I keep looking for that next innovation that will battle the dragon they have to face.