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If you were to look at one thing this year and ask, "I wonder if there is a better way?" What would that be and how could it change?

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Teachers work extremely hard and the job can be thankless some days. Seemingly, more and more is being placed on teachers and educators, where they have moved from full "plates" but to full "platters".

So why do I focus on "innovation" so much in education? Doesn't this become just another "thing"?

The reality of our world is that we all have 24 hours in the day, but how you use our time is important. How do we get the most out of it? Innovation is not about doing "more", but about doing things "better". Time, like money, is a currency, but I believe it to be more valuable. The more we get out of our time the better.

Here is an example...

Kids write in a journal to improve literacy. What I have seen many students do is that they will write into their paper journal, and teachers will take 20 to 25 of those notebooks home to write to each student. But when you look at this formula, who is becoming the most literate? The ratio favors the growth of literacy in the teacher over the student.

But what if you had the students write in a blogging platform and instead of the teacher commenting to every student, you have students comment on five other student's blog posts? Instead of writing once, they will write a minimum of six times, but probably more, as many would want to respond to the comments they receive. Yes, as a teacher, there will be some set up to make this happen, but long term, would you not save time and actually have students write more than what they were before?

Maybe this example is not relevant to you or your situation, or maybe you don't have the access to make this happen to the point that would be beneficial to your students. Innovation is not about someone else finding the answers for you, but about looking at your own context and finding your own solutions to move forward. Hence the reason I believe innovation is all about mindset, not skill set.

I challenge you (and myself), to look at just one thing that you are doing, ask "is there a better way?", find that way, and see how it goes. Let that one thing, lead to another thing.

Don't add time, just try to think different. It takes some time to get there, but long term, the investment will pay off.

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Teachers work extremely hard and the job can be thankless some days. Seemingly, more and more is being placed on teachers and educators, where they have moved from full "plates" but to full "platters". So why do I focus on "innovation" so much in education? Doesn't this become just another "thing"?

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Suggest an additional tip to the 4 suggested or simply provide your thoughts on the article.

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Educators (and people) are creatures of habit.

Sometimes we do things because we have done those things in the past. No other reason.

Example...

I have watched so many teachers sit through dull, bullet-point slide presentations, wanting to be anywhere else but in that room. Then, many of those same educators work with their students to create the same type of "read off the slide" presentations in schools. If we hate sitting through it, why would we teach it?

As teachers, we sat through monotonous admin days, wasting time on excruciatingly long conversations such as whether students should wear hats or not in school. We swear we would never do this if we were the principal, but then that same process is recreated, time and time again. And then we wonder why things look the same in the classroom.

Now do these things happen in every school, all of the time? Nope. But they do happen way too much.

One of the things that I truly appreciate is all of the amazing educators on Twitter sharing glimpses into their classrooms and professional learning days, making great things happen as the norm in their schools, not the exception.

How did they become that way? No one pushed them to that; they pushed themselves. They inspired themselves to try different things, ask challenging questions, and make new habits and norms. They asked "why wouldn't I try it this way?", instead of being worried about what could go wrong.

Four hints on being that "jolt" you need for yourself:

1. Walk into your schools any day and every day and look at everything you see and do and ask, "Why do we do it this way?" If "it is best for our students" doesn't come into the conversation, change what you are doing,

2. Ask questions and encourage having your ideas challenged. Iron sharpens iron.

3. Support others in their journey, but also help them move forward. We don't just need "pats on the back"; a "push" now and then helps us to grow. People will leave if they do not feel they are being challenged and developed.

4. Model what you seek. Don't hope that others will change while you are the same.

A good friend of mine talked about how wonderful it was to be inspired, but also stated that she knew it wouldn't last long. It is like smelling sniffing salt. It can wake you up momentarily, but the hard work and struggle have to come from you, not somewhere else.

Be that "jolt" to yourself. It is the only way things get better and grow.

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4 Ways to "Jolt" Yourself Toward Meaningful Change

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Educators (and people) are creatures of habit. Sometimes we do things because we have done those things in the past. No other reason. Example... I have watched so many teachers sit through dull, bullet-point slide presentations, wanting to be anywhere else but in that room.

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Pats are nice, but a push can be even better. Iron sharpens iron!

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There are so many ways that teachers can communicate to parents...not just through a phone call. Yet this form of communication is preferred and can be incredibly time consuming. A quick email/text can be just as effective.

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Just Do It comes to my mind. I have found that anytime I wanted to improve myself it came with hard work, pushing myself, and stick-to-itness. And Shanley once told me when you try something new you become a novice and need to build mastery. What I’m trying to say is, that road to success at trying something new takes vision, courage, and overcoming failure. And in the end you will succeed! Isn’t this the same lesson we try to teach our students! So Just it!

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Helping students with test taking techniques

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Helping students with test taking techniques

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What is the best way to create a Test Taking Tips Treasure Trove for teachers to offer tips and students to find, learn, and use them?

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The more we get out of our time the better.

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The more we get out of our time the better.

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This idea really got me thinking..."what if you had the students write in a blogging platform and instead of the teacher commenting to every student, you have students comment on five other student’s blog posts? Instead of writing once, they will write a minimum of six times, but probably more, as many would want to respond to the comments they receive."