The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity

by George Couros

our job as educators is to provide new and better opportunities for our students.

Change is an opportunity to do something amazing. #InnovatorsMindset

Inspiration is one of the chief needs of today’s students.

As leaders, if we ask teachers to use their own time to do anything, what we’re really telling them is: it’s not important.

The focus on compliance and implementation of programs in much of today’s professional development does not inspire teachers to be creative, nor does it foster a culture of innovation. Instead, it forces inspired educators to color outside the lines, and even break the rules, to create relevant opportunities for their students.

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

If we want people to take risks, they have to know

create a culture that encourages everyone to be a teacher and a learner.

What I care about is that kids are inspired to be better people because of their experiences in my school.

❤️

I believe education’s why is to develop learners and leaders who will create a better present and future.

Innovation can come from either “invention” (something totally new) or “iteration” (a change of something that already exists), but if it does not meet the idea of “new and better,” it is not innovative. That means that change for the sake of change is never good enough. Neither is using innovation as a buzzword, as many organizations do, to appear current or relevant.

It is becoming increasingly clear that we don’t necessarily need to transform the role of teachers, rather create a culture that inspires and empowers teachers to innovate in the pursuit of providing optimal learning experiences

for their students.[16]

Innovation, though, starts not by providing answers but by asking questions. To be innovative, these questions focus on having empathy for those we serve.

Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?

When we approach leadership with an innovator’s mindset, we lead with empathy—meeting people where they are—to help them find or create solutions that work for them.

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”

having support and feeling supported are two different things. Administrators often encourage risks while refusing to take chances themselves.

If you are not trusted to make a common-sense decision, why would you go above and beyond to become

innovative?

As leaders in education, our job is not to control those whom we serve but to unleash their talent.

One persons innovation may not work well for another person... I think it’s important to share awesome ideas with the intent of generating more awesome ideas at the root this is just sharing what’s going on in the classroom and FB was a good fit for this teacher

let people know you are about the kids;

If you had to choose between compliant, engaged, or empowered, which word would you want to define your students?

Before you add a new initiative, ask yourself: Is this adding or subtracting to the already full plates of the educators I serve? Is this new program or initiative going to help us achieve our vision and, specifically, what are the goals for how it will impact learning?

With too many initiatives, we only scratch the surface and remember very little about the purpose of the latest approach, much less the reason that trendy technique was “a must” three years ago.

Having a laser-like focus on a few things allows us to go deep and push our thinking, while creating new ideas to move forward.

Yaaaasssssss!!!!