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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Katie Martin
Read between
June 26 - July 17, 2018
Three things I ask you as you read this text: Identify what has challenged you. Identify what has been reaffirmed. Identify what you will do moving forward.
authentic learning is often at odds with the expectations placed on many teachers
If we want to change how students learn, we must change how teachers learn.
People, not programs or tools, drive change in schools.
The educators who are making these changes and the ones who seek out even greater learning opportunities open classroom doors, work within existing constraints and barriers, and build networks to continuously learn, share, and innovate.
if we, as educators, lose our curiosity and ability to ask “what if,” we and our students lose out.
They have learned that the better the questions they dream up, the more interesting the information they discover.
But it’s fair to point out that just because we can find the information doesn’t mean that a Google search should be our default.
Truth. Wonder about it first.
Our job is not to provide the answers that can be found in a textbook or in a webpage but to create the conditions that inspire learners to continue to wonder and figure out how to learn and solve problems and seek more questions.
As educational institutions, we can and must do better to create coherent learning experiences for students to explore their passions, understand their strengths, and find their place in the world.
Teachers don’t have to know everything, but as partners in learning, they can model lifelong learning and empower students to explore their passions and interests while employing valuable skills.
If we don’t pay attention to the systems we design and how they impact learning, they can become hurdles to jump over instead of supporting the teaching and learning that they were intended to create.
this endeavor isn’t a one-man job.
our behaviors are impacted by the cultures where we work.
When schools or districts focus on compliance and mandates to implement programs and procedures, voice and choice are limited, which squashes creativity and innovation.
“Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you share them with others. Show early and show often. It’ll be pretty when we get there, but it won’t be pretty along the way.”
We would all be better off if we eliminated the notion of perfection and instead strove for continuous growth and improvement, not just for our own emotional well-being but to actually create better ideas and products.
To close this gap in how we want to learn in schools will require changing how we design learning experiences for educators.
The misalignment between what we say we believe and what we do creates tension for people and impacts motivation.
A hyper focus on improving standardized test scores can prevent us from the larger goals of developing learners who can think, communicate, and be contributing members of society.
What is more valuable than retaining and being able to regurgitate information is knowing how to find and make sense of the right information.
The challenge is that many adults who are guiding young learners don’t always know how to make sense of the information themselves and, therefore, are not teaching students in school how to learn and evaluate information online.
Libraries, libraries, libraries, libraries. With LIBRARIANS.
What these experiences have taught me is that we can’t control learners and simultaneously expect them to be motivated.
Learning that comes through exploration of new tools and resources is an inherently different experience than what results from following a strict lesson plan or planning how to integrate technology.
Prioritizing what matters most can help us go deeper and create better learning experiences that meet today’s and tomorrow’s desired outcomes.
If we are going to change how students learn in school, we will need to work within these constraints and think about how we can meet (and go beyond) the standards.
As educators, we need to leverage resources to create opportunities and connect students with one another and resources to develop lifelong learners. If we want to inspire innovation rather than compliance, teachers and students need time to experiment with new ideas, openly reflect, connect, and revise to ensure authentic learning and growth.
Systems need to be in place that promote innovation to improve how teachers collaborate, learn, and teach on a regular basis.
To foster mindsets that empower creativity and innovation, effective teachers also know they must step back and let students grapple with problems so they can truly own their learning.
I find that working on teams where we have taken the Strengths Finder assessment (StrengthsFinder.com) and been deliberate about building from our individual strengths has made a considerable difference in how we see one another and work together.
The goal of professional learning and development shouldn’t be to just get better at what has always been done; it should be to better meet the needs of learners in your classrooms and move forward.
By bringing learners’ experience and questions into the classrooms, we can solve meaningful problems and ignite passions to learn from the amazing ideas and insights that students have.
the students were able to see that their ideas matter. By putting ideas out in the world, they begin to understand the power of asking better questions, generating new ideas, and believing they can actually make a difference.
and it’s not about adding more; it’s about looking at the time in the day differently, revising and updating our roles, and unleashing the genius that exists in each individual.
