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As educators we can be beacons of change. Ultimately, educators have the ability to catalyze change in students.

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PJ Caposey dives into the many facets that educators can implement change, however at the root of his Ted Talk is the argument that change is inevitable and educators influence how significant that change is.

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Education Evolution | PJ Caposey | TEDxWrigleyville

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Educators shifting the dialog they use inside the classroom can influence small changes in a child's perspective.

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The growth mindset of teachers encourages students to avoid a fixed mindset. If students maintain a fixed perspective, it becomes increasingly difficult for educators to implement change in the classroom. The growth mindset goes both ways, where change requires both parties to have an open and curious mind.

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With 24 years of classroom teaching experience, Giselle Isbell, Athlos Academies director of Prepared Mind, understands the importance of growth mindset in education. In her early years of teaching, it was a fifth-grade student with a learning disability who first taught Isbell the power of a growth mindset. This student struggled greatly with fluency and comprehension, and school learning was hard, frustrating, and time-consuming for her.

"But she possessed optimism and the perseverance to complete any task," Isbell said. "She absolutely believed in her effort, and with the right resources, she made huge gains."

With hard work and a growth mindset, Isbell's student grew up to complete a master's degree and find success in a fulfilling professional career.

"I learned from her that with effort, practice, attentiveness, and meta-cognition you can achieve more than you think you are able," she said. "If we help students discover the value of these habits and attitudes, they will see that productive struggle is part of the learning cycle and not a reason to feel inferior or disengaged."

What is a Growth Mindset and Why Does It Matter?

Mindsets are established sets of personal beliefs and ways of thinking that influence our behavior and attitude toward ourselves and others. Believing you are either "good at math" or "bad at math" is an example of a mindset.

Carol Dweck, Stanford University professor of psychology and author of the book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," is a leading researcher in the field of achievement and success. Dweck's research on mindset looks at growth mindset and fixed mindset and the impact of both on achievement and success.

Growth mindset is the belief that one's intelligence can be grown or developed with persistence, effort, and a focus on learning. Individuals with a growth mindset believe they are capable of learning nearly anything if they work hard and accept failures and challenges as opportunities to grow.

"In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work-brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment," Dweck wrote.

Alternatively, fixed mindset is the belief that a person has a predetermined amount of intelligence, skills, or talents.

"In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success-without effort," Dweck wrote.

So why is a growth mindset so important in learning?

A Growth Mindset and Student Success

Whether a student has a growth or fixed mindset has a direct impact on how he or she faces academic challenges.

A student with a growth mindset will accept challenges and persevere in order to succeed. This student will face learning and challenges with an "I have not mastered this ' yet '" attitude.

A child with a fixed mindset may not engage with the process of learning, believing that any challenges they face are due to a lack of natural talent, skill, or intelligence. They will approach learning and challenges with an "I'm not good at this" attitude.

In her book, "Mathematical Mindsets," Jo Boaler writes, "Yes, we have differences in our brains and cognitive processes, but it is important to recognize that people who accomplish much demonstrate tenacity and discipline. Their learning is a result of their hard work, not simply because of natural talent. Students with a fixed mindset think that if a task is too hard it must mean they do not have the natural talent to succeed. We must help students realize that errors, misconceptions, and questions, if analyzed constructively, help us deepen our knowledge and understanding."

The Educator's Role in Growth Mindset

When educators approach teaching and learning with a growth mindset, they enable their students to grow and become deeper learners. Teachers who have a growth mindset believe in the potential of each and every one of their students. They help each student grow as a learner by understanding that with effort and perseverance, all students can succeed.

Isbell pulls an example of the power of growth mindset in teaching from how many educators approach math teaching.

"In math, we traditionally provide students a strategy to solve a problem with no awareness or recognition of their own intuitive strategies for solving the problem," Isbell said. "When we do this, we unknowingly tell the student, 'your ideas do not really matter, just do it the way the teacher is telling you how to do it.'"

Approaching math teaching with a growth mindset, Isbell instead encouraged her students to find their own strategies to solve a problem. By beginning each of her math lessons with an open-ended problem, Isbell's students were given the opportunity to take risks, face the challenges of failure or frustration, and overcome by realizing failure opens doors to new opportunities and deeper learning.

"Yes, some strategies were more efficient than others, but everyone could be successful," Isbell said. "As teachers, we have to think about what we are asking students to do, and then thoughtfully consider what we can do to help them find an entry point to the task."

Speaking to Students: The Words We Say and How They Support, or Inhibit, Student Learning

When fostering a growth mindset in students, it's important that educators acknowledge the process and effort a student is making rather than only acknowledging outcome and achievement. Dweck refers to this as "praising the process."

Some specific words and phrases that support a fixed mindset include: "You're so smart"; "Wrong answer"; and "You're a natural at this." Some words and phrases that support a growth mindset include: "You haven't been able to solve this problem yet. "; "Great use of several strategies to solve that problem."; and "Mistakes help you learn."

When teachers praise students for intelligence alone, students often respond by not taking chances in their learning, limiting their growth. On the other hand, when students take pride in their effort and hard work over outcomes, they are more willing to make mistakes, accept challenges, and grow as learners.

"As an educator, I asked a lot of questions when students were struggling: 'What is the challenge? What can you do? How will you solve it? What resources do you need? Who can help you?' We have to help students develop strategies to help themselves," Isbell said. "Yes, it takes time and patience to help a student process a situation. Yet, you come to understand that you are not just teaching a content area, you are teaching someone to be a learner and problem solver for life - a Prepared Mind!"

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Growth Mindset and Student Achievement and Success

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With 24 years of classroom teaching experience, Giselle Isbell, Athlos Academies director of Prepared Mind, understands the importance of growth mindset in education. In her early years of teaching, it was a fifth-grade student with a learning disability who first taught Isbell the power of a growth mindset.

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As education has evolved it has shown that for both students and teachers one size doesn't fit all approach is becoming more of the norm. Educators must be aware of this for their students to be successful within their classroom. The following quote sums up the  meaning behind this blog. "Our one-size-fits-all model of traditional education has been based on the false idea that every student in a given class is performing at the same level academically, behaviorally, and socially and that they all need the same things. As a result, many students are bored, frustrated, or not able to access the learning."

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Our one-size-fits-all model of traditional education has been based on the false idea that every student in a given class is performing at the same level academically, behaviorally, and socially and that they all need the same things. As a result, many students are bored, frustrated, or not able to access the learning.

It's time we do the work to ensure we reach all students-no matter where they are or where they want to go. We know that not every child learns the same, which is why we have advanced programs, 504 plans, and individual education plans. But it's not enough.

Schools are creating tiers of support to identify which level of support each student needs. It becomes more complicated as we look at the academic, behavioral, and social needs of each student; a child cannot be summed up in his or her ability to learn. There are so many other facets to take into account. For example, that student who may have no academic challenges in the majority of their classes, but who needs support in one academic area.

Creating a personalized solution, using the agreed-upon supports from a tiered system, allows schools to provide consistent and specific support for all students.

Some school districts across the United States are implementing the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) model, but it's been few and far between. This cohesive model goes beyond subject matter and addresses what support (academically, behaviorally, and socially) needs to be available for each student in order to maximize their learning. It's time for all schools to implement a similar model to meet the needs of every child.

Let's unpack what the three tiers look like.

Tier 1 is the for-everyone foundational tier. As you can see in the chart these are regular, proactive practices and systems of supports that every teacher should make available for every student. A few examples:

Academic work at the student level and pace

School culture of kindness

Graphic organizers (and practice using them) to organize thoughts and projects

Tier 2 of the MTSS provides additional supports for students identified as needing extra skills and resources to access their learning. This is often provided in supplemental or small group assistance. A few examples:

Extra help with academics (and executive function)

A clear referral system for additional student support or instruction

Social communication support

Tier 3 is for students who need more intensive and individualized support. These students have often completed formal assessments to determine the specific supports and programming needed.

This humane and effective approach to honoring each unique learning profile is creating wonderful results. Just one example of how schools can implement this approach is at LEADPrep Academy.

The challenge is for all educators to demand that there are common tools for support and ways to connect those supports with students needing them to have full access to learning and success.

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One Size Doesn't Fit All in Education - Education Evolution

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Our one-size-fits-all model of traditional education has been based on the false idea that every student in a given class is performing at the same level academically, behaviorally, and socially and that they all need the same things. As a result, many students are bored, frustrated, or not able to access the learning.

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I loved this visual as it displays the freedom of a growth mindset vs. how limiting a fixed mindset can be for students. One thing that made it personal for me was that, as a preschool teacher I need to find myself modeling having a growth mindset for my students while they are at such a young age. In hopes for them to develop a growth mindset before kindergarten. Seeing my students already demonstrating fixed mindsets habits helps me understand where they are and where we want them to be by the end of the school year.

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As teachers, most days and weeks we are busy and it can be difficult to take a minute or two to sit down and reflect on how we are doing as an educator. This blog helps educators come up with ideas on reflecting on where we are and where we can go.

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Written by Marco Fenici

Academic Director and Teacher Trainer in Florence

Why must teachers grow?

The areas of growth that we recommend have the purpose to assist in identifying their needs and determining effective ways to overcome weaknesses and enhance strengths. That way, once they have acquired the necessary tools, they can start designing their course of action to accomplish professional development.

It is generally known that the teaching profession is one of the most directly impacted by social, economic, and technological changes. Consequently, an educator must regard their career as a continuing learning process in order to keep up with this ever-changing world. This means that an instructor consistently has room for improvement since there is always some skill to sharpen or some didactic issue to solve.

However, the path to self-improvement is not a fixed one, it is different for every one of us. So, this personal journey has to be preceded by deep reflection and careful planning before setting our own professional growth goals.

Also, we cannot stress enough that the road to self-development is not for the faint-hearted, since it demands constant attention and full commitment. Nevertheless, it can be a most satisfying reward to be able to see the positive outcomes of the goals we have set for ourselves in our classroom.

What can teachers improve on?

Self-evaluation

Change and evolution require self-awareness. Educators must cultivate the ability to see themselves clearly and objectively through reflection and self-analysis. This way, they see what is happening around them, learn from the situation, and can be able to make the necessary adjustments.

We can divide this process of self-evaluation into three fundamental phases:

First, a teacher must recognize there is a need for change, both within and around them. Detecting that something goes wrong it is the first step towards improvement;

Secondly, they have to determine what areas of their teaching need the most attention. Before setting their goals, they have to figure out which are their strengths and weaknesses;

Thirdly, they must decide on key areas of growth and commit to them.

When it comes to reflecting on the classroom experience, the students' small clues and positive feedback is a rich source of information. That is, paying attention to what students comment in class is an effective way to find out strengths. Usually, we can find that there are recurring themes of conversation which can help identify what is working well or not.

Finding the positive in the students' daily evaluations is a sure way to:

Pinpoint which strategies are the best to engage their attention and interest;

Consider the implementation of small progressive changes.

In conclusion, self-evaluation is a critical step in any process of growth and change. Generally, the path towards improvement becomes clearer when a teacher is willing to admit mistakes and put their students' needs first.

Pedagogical learning

Teachers' efficacy is, arguably, the product of three aspects:

Deep knowledge of the subject-matter or content area;

Professional experience;

Development of teaching skills.

Consequently, due to the fast changes in technology and society, an educator must brush up on their pedagogy to stay relevant. Those changes greatly affect the way students learn and the way teachers teach, so there is always room for pedagogical improvement. As a result, learning "how to teach" and " how students learn " become priorities in a teacher's journey towards significant growth.

In order to improve the way they teach, an instructor can focus on these tasks:

Brush up on the basics; that is, come back to what they once learned but it is now partly forgotten, and renew those skills;

Learn about new theories which can provide useful information about how people learn best;

Learn about new teaching strategies and techniques which can be actually implemented in the classroom;

Improve the way they differentiate instruction in order to meet the individual learning needs of each student. This way, all students have the same opportunities to reach the common learning goals.

We can safely affirm that methodology is at the core of the success of the learning and teaching process; so, studying the best approaches and adapting them effectively to their classroom's idiosyncrasies is a course of action worth being taken by any committed teacher.

Find more about how teachers can improve their lessons by reading our blog article.

Adaptability

The teaching work is especially demanding and consistently changing; so, being able to respond effectively to an uncertain environment is widely considered an essential ability for educators. The following situations are examples of what teachers must navigate on a daily basis:

Respond appropriately to students with diverse learning needs;

Face and handle unexpected situations in the classroom;

Interact and communicate with colleagues, students, parents and administrators;

Implement new strategies and techniques in their teaching practices;

Make changes in lesson plans.

Certainly, being able to adjust to new conditions reduces stress and anxiety and, as a result, contributes to the educators' well-being. Moreover, instructors who challenge themselves when circumstances change prove to be:

More focused on improvement;

More prone to think ahead when it comes to anticipating potential student struggles.

In conclusion, we can say that when a teacher is versatile and willing to develop their craft, they bring into the classroom a flexible learning atmosphere that fosters students' motivation and engagement.

Communication

By the very nature of their profession, teachers are constantly interacting with a great number of people: students, parents, colleagues, administrators, etc. And, although the rapports that teachers establish with the surrounding adults are important too, we are focusing on what happens in the classroom with students.

A fundamental and challenging part of teaching is being understood quickly and accurately by students. So, the success of the students' learning process is guaranteed when the message gets across to them and effective communication is established.

Furthermore, many studies show that students' lack of motivation and eventual school dropout is a direct result of educators' poor communication skills. Therefore, a dedicated teacher must avoid at all costs frequent misunderstandings in class, which usually lead to students' frustration and lack of interest and enthusiasm.

What communication skills are required to grow as a teacher?

An educator willing to improve their performance in class should master these communication skills:

Active listening;

Speaking clearly and concisely;

Non-verbal language (keep eye contact, smile, energetic body language to transmit enthusiasm);

Consistent constructive feedback;

Deliver instruction in a way that lessons keep students involved and engaged;

Management of the classroom in an observant and empathic way.

What are the benefits of an effective communication?

Students can more easily integrate new contents and information with previously acquired knowledge, thus achieving significant learning.

Teachers build a rapport with students that foster the open exchange of ideas and opinions; thus creating a learning atmosphere based on trust and respect;

Feeling actually listened to and not judged encourage students to participate and interact; a safe learning environment promotes their will to cooperate. As a result, their investment and engagement to the learning process increases exponentially.

A supportive teacher-student relationship have a highly positive impact on the students' achievement of academic goals.

When an educator makes the effort to mentor and offer guidance to students, the latter's confidence and self-steem is enhanced. And, consequently, they feel more motivated to work hard towards the obtainment of their objectives. Students' positiveacademic progresshighly depends on teachers' effectiveness to perform their tasks. And, at the same time, this effectiveness is directly affected by the way educators communicate with students.

So, as we can see, all the elements of the teaching-learning process are intimately interrelated. They influence and impact each other in many meaningful ways. And, observing carefully this complex net, we can find that communication skills are a crucial part of it.

Organization

As we have discussed earlier in this article, classrooms are unpredictable environments. And consequently, one of the many tasks of teachers is organizing and preparing for what might come up unexpectedly.

Generally, organized educatorspromote more effective learning environments, which greatly benefit the academic advancement of students. When the classroom runs smoothly and efficiently, that orderly atmosphere contributes to an efficient transfer of knowledge.

Moreover, planning ahead provides a comforting sense of control to teachers, who feel more confident in their methods and strategies. That is, advanced preparation allows educators to consider the possible consequences of whatever may happen in the classroom. And, as a result of this careful planning, teachers can avoid overwhelming and stressful situations which affect negatively their performance in class.

Innovation

Nowadays, innovation, imagination, and creativity are having an increasingly prominent role in classrooms. Educational environments are constantly evolving and adapting to social and technological changes, so teachers need to find new powerful tools to keep students engaged and on task.

Think in unique ways to make learning significant and fun at the same time;

Willing to try new strategies and techniques to achieve students' academic success;

Alert to the individual learning needs of each of the students;

Identify potential student struggles and challenges (loss of interest or focus, lack of understanding, low engagement, demotivation);

Find new ways of motivating and encouraging students to successfully reach their objectives;

A lifelong learner who never stops developing their teaching skills;

Focused on consistently improving their performance in class;

Teach students to question everything and cultivate critical thinking.

Encourage students to take intellectual risks.

Promote collaborative work.

What characterizes an innovative teacher?

In order to achieve an actual meaningful classroom experience, educators must challenge themselves and confront new possibilities, diverse ideas, and perspectives.

Keeping an open mind and a critical eye can help obtain a fuller picture of the complexity of the teaching-learning process, thus avoiding both stagnation and dated didactic approaches.

Leadership

Follow their lead;

Allow themselves to be influenced, and even changed.

The role of a leader in a classroom implies that students trust a teacher enough to:

This is a direct consequence of having excellent communication skills. That is, cultivating an atmosphere of openness and reliability fosters an educational environment where student empowerment can develop unhindered.

Students tend to be inspired to achieve more than they thought they could;

Their horizons and aspirations broaden in ways they never could imagine, only because a teacher made the effort to support and advise them appropriately.

An educator that promotes confidence, honesty, commitment, integrity, and growth becomes a positive role model. Under their influence:

Read our blog article on how to create a more positive school environment if you wish to explore more about this topic.

Answering questions in a practical and useful way;

Giving constructive feedback;

Listening actively;

Helping determining where there is room for improvement;

Supporting their pupils through hard times.

Similarly, a teacher who focuses on developing their students' s potential proves to be specially qualified to mentor and guide them in the right direction. An educator who cares to find out what students need can transform their learning experience by:

Observe and determine what changes are needed;

Research and decide how to carry out these changes;

Facilitate their implementation;

Evaluate the results;

Make adjustments if necessary.

Being a leader in the classroom also implies becoming an agent of change. That is, taking up new initiatives and making them work efficiently for the benefit of the students´ academic progress. An educator's role as an agent of change entails these tasks:

In conclusion, leadership in a classroom means guiding students in their individual learning processes in a meaningful and significant way. A teacher leader listens, inspire, counsel, and encourage students to become their best selves and live to their full potential.

Dig deeper about teachers as leaders in our blog article on the Erasmus + Project of the same name.

Continuous learning

Being a dedicated teacher means going through a lifelong learning process. So, an educator who has a clear sense of improvement and progress should consider continuous learning a priority.

In order to maintain and improve efficiency, educators should keep themselves up-to-date regarding instructional methods, educational technology, the curriculum, etc.

Furthermore, another powerful reason for never stopping learning is to avoid burning out and demotivation. Undoubtedly, going the extra mile to keep teaching practices fresh and engaging helps foster a successful learning environment.

Participate in workshops, seminars and courses;

Group with other educators who are open to share their ideas, methods and techniques;

Observe colleagues' classes:

learn what works for students from a delivery standpoint

focus on teacher-student interaction to learn what pulls the class into the lesson.

What can teachers do to keep learning?

Gather useful information from all resources available in order to face their daily tasks properly armed with adequate tools;

Take away from those sources all that is meaningful and can impact their work for the better.

The classroom experience is extremely rich and complex. So, teachers should:

Conclusion

As a final reflection, we consider it's necessary stressing the importance of professional growth in teaching. Educators are prominent figures that can have a huge impact on students' both academic and personal life. So, they should assume the responsibility to consistently improve their performance in the classroom.

Considering they play a pivotal role in the intellectual growth of students, developing their teaching skills should be at the top of an educator's priority list. Poor instructional skills can have far-reaching repercussions in their lives since the students' perception of the classroom experience relies greatly on the teacher's performance.

Get started today in finding your personal areas of growth, explore more than 200 courses from our catalogue:

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Areas of Growth for Teachers > What Can Teachers Improve On?

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A useful guide to identifying areas of growth for teachers in order to evolve both professionally and personally

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The above article is a great reference for the learning experience behind change for educators and administration. It references that for change to be successful within your school system administration must include input from staff. This allows for teachers to also feel they have some control in the change. Setting up strategies as a school to help with setbacks from change will help both educators/administration and students.

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Northwest Missouri State University Online

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"A leader is someone who helps improve the lives of other people or improve the system they live under." - Sam Houston

Change is, ironically, a constant in our lives, but not all change is an improvement. Skilled educators focused on improving and transforming their schools have patience and endurance, and if they are going to be successful, they require cooperation and collaboration. And that takes leadership.

A recent eight-year-long study of the actions and impact of 411 leaders of academies in the UK found that "only 62 of them managed their turnaround successfully and sustainably transformed their school. While other leaders managed to create a school that looked good while they were there, but then went backwards, these 62 leaders built a school that continued to improve long after they'd left."

The researchers found that the successful change architects challenged how their schools operated, engaged their school communities and improved the teaching. And this was accomplished through nine key steps taken over three years. Among the nine keys to creating and managing sustainable change, these educators identified the need to stay in their positions for at least five years since change takes time to begin to show results. They also committed to expelling less than 3 percent of students in order to show parents and students that they wanted to fix the problem and not pass it along to someone else. Another key goal was to engage students by keeping 95 percent in class.

Since sustainable change can't be accomplished by principals alone, getting the support of school leadership, the school board, parents and staff is essential.

Sometimes the change that happens seems to be out of our control; it is something that happens to us instead of something we initiate. In order to manage change in your school environment, it's important to manage this perception. A recent article from TeachThought about managing change in schools identifies strategies that can help.

Encouraging input from staff helps them feel like they have some control of the changes being implemented. When everyone feels included and has some sense of ownership, there is less resistance to change. Starting with small but visible changes can also help, particularly in a school environment that is resistant to change.

Having a strategy to deal with setbacks is helpful, as is having an understanding of the history of change in your organization. Have there been significant initiatives in your organization and, if so, when were they begun and how did they turn out?

According to Iain Lancaster in the TeachThought article, it's important to also appreciate the skeptics. "If someone poses a reasonable question for which we can't provide a reasonable answer then we need to rethink something that's being proposed. It's great to be optimistic about new initiatives, but the skeptics are the ones that keep us grounded in reality."

Northwest Missouri State University offers a fully online Master of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction (MSEd. in C&I) program with an emphasis in Engagement, Learning, and Achievement. This advanced degree program is designed for educators who want to learn the best instructional strategies for student success with courses that emphasize technology, change management and student engagement.

This is a flexible 30-hour program with multiple start dates and accelerated coursework. Students can complete the degree in as few as 12 months. Change Management in Education is among the courses in this program. Students in this course "investigate organizational frameworks designed to best facilitate change and apply these structures to today's schools."
Learn more about Northwest's MSEd. in Curriculum and Instruction online program.
Sources:
TeachThought: 5 Strategies for Managing Change in Schools
Harvard Business Review: Research: How the Best School Leaders Create Enduring Change
Have a question or concern about this article? Please contact us.

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What Does Managing Change Mean for Educators?

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Change is, ironically, a constant in our lives, but not all change is an improvement. Skilled educators focused on improving and transforming their schools have patience and endurance, and if they are going to be successful, they require cooperation and collaboration. And that takes leadership.

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The above video displays how educators need to be flexible with their curriculum and integrate student feedback to foster change in both parties.

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Teachers as change agents | Karl Lindgren-Streicher | TEDxLangleyED

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We all have professional development each month and as educators we hope for it to be engaging and beneficial. This video allows educators and administration to be aware of how we can make sure teachers are getting what they need out of professional development days. Interaction between educators and administration is the best way to learn new ways of teaching.

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Providing Effective Professional Development for Educators

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Educators have the ability to change at any point in their career. However, the sooner they welcome change the greater amount of change they can make throughout their career.

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This blog references the book we are reading in class. David Geurin gives 9 reasons why educators should embrace change. It gives great perspective on if educators embrace change there is much benefit that comes along with that.

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I've been reading Question: How will you embrace change in your classroom or school? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or share on The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. The book is fantastic. It goes in-depth explaining the how and why of innovation in education. It makes a compelling case for the power of innovation to improve schools. The book got me thinking about why educators need to embrace change. As I've learned from Couros, it's possible for every educator to be an innovator.
Innovation requires a willingness to look at problems with new eyes, and to see challenges as opportunities. Students are going to need skills for their future beyond the academic achievement goals that have been the overwhelming focus of the past. To help students be future ready, schools will need to help students become adaptable learners.
Schools need to help students develop leadership skills. They must be global citizens and understand how to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. They need to solve complex problem, work in teams, communicate effectively, and have digital skills. We need to make creativity a top priority. But the only way schools will meet the demands of the changing world around us is to innovate and embrace change.
If you still aren't convinced, here are nine reasons educators should embrace change.

1. Change is inevitable. It isn't productive to resist it, because it is impossible to avoid. Change will happen. When you embrace it, you can influence the direction and outcomes of the change. Change either happens to you, or you take ownership of it. Most of us become comfortable with things the way they are, even though everything around us may be changing. The only way we can provide schooling that is relevant is to accept change and learn and grow.
2. You can make a difference. Some people resist change because they believe it won't matter anyway. But your efforts to embrace change will create better learning opportunities for students. Believe in your ability to use change to make a positive impact.
3. Growth means risk. You can't grow without risking something. We stay with what's familiar because we are comfortable with it, but that's not progress. We need to have a growth mindset. When we take this approach, we thrive on taking risks and trying things that aren't a sure thing. We want to take risks. When we fail, it's not fatal. It's just proof we are trying.
4. You can't expect to do the same thing and get different results. Most every teacher is not entirely satisfied with how students are learning. Most see problems with student motivation or engagement. Is it reasonable to think these issues will improve without changing teaching or education? Change and innovation are necessary to solve the problems we see in our schools.
5. Giving up "good" can help you find "great." As Jim Collins pointed out, good is the enemy of great. It is hard to embrace change when things are going well. My test scores are good. I'm a respected teacher. Our school is a shining star in our community. When things are going well, it's harder to see the need for change. But we should never be satisfied. We should always seek ways to improve learning for our students.
6. New opportunities are waiting. Letting go is hard. It can be very difficult to put aside the things that we find most comfortable. But when you step out of comfort zone, there is potential for incredible fulfillment and reward. We stand to gain so much for our students and for our own personal fulfillment. Innovation and change starts with a belief that there might be a better way. We have to believe these opportunities await.
7. Personal preferences can be harmful. Some people resist change because of their personal preferences. Even if they see an idea has the potential to improve things for students and learning, they may not embrace it because it makes them uncomfortable. It's not what they prefer. Educators cannot afford this mindset. You must be flexible in your state of mind and welcome any opportunity that can move education forward.
8. Your students need to see adaptability. You have the opportunity to model change and innovation for your students. When you are innovative in the classroom, students are more likely to become adaptable, innovative learners. These skills will serve them well. We can't expect students to be innovative unless educators are first willing to be innovative.
9. Leaders embrace change. Effective leaders embrace change and help others embrace change too. Whether you have a formal leadership position or not, your school needs leaders who are problem solvers and who are willing to try new things. Every person can be a leader. Your words and actions can help positive change occur in your school. Twitter or Facebook.

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9 Reasons Every Educator Should Embrace Change

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I've been reading Question: How will you embrace change in your classroom or school? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or share on The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. The book is fantastic. It goes in-depth explaining the how and why of innovation in education.