Innovative Educators Saturday Beer and Book Club

​George Couros's The Innovator's Mindset was the book choice for the inaugural meeting of the Innovative Educators Saturday Beer and Book Club.  The next time we meet, I feel like the name will have grown by about 3 more terms (original name Innovating Ed Book Club).  Hopefully, like the name, the group will grow in size, as well.  Glad to have Liz as a thought partner.  

"If what's best for learners is our primary concern, equity of opportunities will be created at the highest of levels, not the lowest."

As I read the Introduction, I was already furiously annotating the book.  The calling for innovative educators in order to build innovative students really resonated with me.  That includes innovative education leaders, as well.  Without leaders taking part in the practice of innovation, teachers will not be likely to take on the innovation mantle.  Lead by modeling what you expect.  Liz made a really important point in our discussion that innovation can not be instructed as a task to staff.  That will breed both resentment and half-assed completion of something to comply with the newest item on the checklist.  

​"If students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them."
#InnovatorsMindset

​As I read through chapters defining innovation, I began thinking about my own Instructional Vision which is framed around my core value of Curiosity and Seymour Papert's Constructionism to create a learning space that really embraces the idea of learning being student-driven in a space that resembles a studio - full of tools and supplies to create varied ways to present what was learned.  But, in the behemoth that is the New York City public school system, I felt the only way to bring this vision to life was through a complete revolution of schools and classrooms, redesigned from the ground up.  As I read about innovation being anything really that is newer and better to help my students learn, and that it can be done inside the box, I began to realize that change can (and maybe even should) start small and within the system that I currently exist.  Liz and I talked about the existence of teachers, and leaders, already that have their own pockets of innovation within our school systems.  This can be built upon, it can spread.  Small steps can lead to big changes, and often small steps, done well, are longer lasting so the message can catch on.

"Having the freedom to fail is important to innovation.  But even more important to the process are the traits of resiliency and grit."

We talked about the agents of resistance.  How do we prevent resistance from starting in the first place?  What might hold teachers back from accepting an Innovator's Mindset?  Turning a critical eye to your practice can be enlightening, when it is done from a place of constructive coaching, collaboration, and as co-learners.  So many teachers are stressed and tortured by the looming prospect of test scores.  How can we shift that mindset?  How do we protect educators from potential consequences of low test scores if they are willing to take a chance on trying something different?  Liz and I have both read multiple articles that share research about test scores improving when you drop the wide berth content coverage and focus on deeper learning with more creative thinking and problem solving integrated into the course.  Yet, it still is a fear in taking that risk, making the move to try a different way of teaching.

"Learners are the driver, and technology is the accelerator."
#InnovatorsMindset

Liz and I discussed ideas around digital portfolios.  She had created, when still a teacher, a blog of her teaching that she posted weekly that served multiple purposes.  The blog gave parents a window into her classroom and the topics they studied so parents could really engage with their children.  No more, "What did you learn today?"  She shifted the conversation to be, "Tell me more about _______ that you learned in math/reading/history this week?"  The blog also served her as a reflection tool.  Each year, Liz was able to see what she did the year before, and adjust and improve upon what she had accomplished with her students.  Her school also uses Google Drive as a way of creating a digital portfolio of work for all of their students.  I use website design as a means of tracking the work and research I do in education.  I have this site and old Google Site from when I was teaching that serve to capture my larger goals in Studio-Style learning and using tech to try and make teaching life a little easier.  We wondered about the logistics of getting students started in creating their own digital portfolios.  Do you front load the skill set and tech training?  What does this look like in elementary grades?

"When we think differently about the things that we are used to seeing daily, we can create innovative learning opportunities."

Liz shared some great ideas happening at her school and in her practice.  One thing she immediately took from the book was the idea of getting out from behind her desk into the classrooms more often, even if it is to do email catch-up or scheduling.  This has given her a window into classroom culture she didn't have before.  She is having more conversations with teachers about learning that reminded me of Kim Marshall's Mini-Observations.  Liz also shared that her school is trying to do something new where, rather than have another period of the school day to be an enrichment hour, they are discussing the idea of stopping courses for a week at a time to really have unique experiences outside normal curricula.  This seems to be a great success at schools like High Tech High where I see the posts of @kalebrashad on Twitter with the creations of students during their "Intersession" activities.  I offered to be a week-long course for kids, too.  What a great way to teach a subject you are passionate about.  And even if you feel like you have no unique skill or area of interest to share with students, you can always spend a week sharing the importance of learning by being a learner of something new with the students.  This also builds in the need of the school to learn about the strengths of people in the school community - students, staff, parents, business owners, etc.  School begins to be less about content coverage and more about learning with and from each other.  

"Great educators can work within the constraints of the system and still create innovative learning opportunities for their students."

I am walking away from this with ideas, and a need to frequently refer back to the book for inspiration and reminders.  I also enjoyed the Book Club aspect of this experience.  Sharing ideas and questions with a thought partner made this book read uniquely different than others.  I hope the Book Club continues.  ​