Connected Learning with #IMMOOC

This week I am gearing up for my very first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros.  This book was by far the very best of all of my professional reading this summer and I am excited to connect with other educators in conversation about the powerful ideas around innovation in education.  I actually blogged about my top takeaways in a previous post this summer.  In fact, this book was the inspiration for creating my own blog to share my reflections.  You can read more about that here, Embracing the Innovator’s Mindset, if you’re interested.  The purpose of my post today is to start my thought process on why innovation is crucial to education.

It’s often said that we are educating the leaders of the future.  One of my favorite quotes along this same vein is, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” (Margaret Fuller)  If we as educators truly believe this assertion that we are responsible for educating our future leaders then it is imperative that we embrace an innovator’s mindset.  We cannot teach our students today as we were taught in years previous.  This is not to discredit the instruction we received as students.  Rather, we must acknowledge that if we are to cultivate students who are ready for the careers of the future we must look toward the future with regard to our instructional practices.  Our students must see us trying new practices and methods in our classrooms.  Students benefit from seeing adults taking on the role of learner on a daily basis.  I love walking into classrooms and seeing teachers working alongside their students in collaborative groups; the teacher as facilitator of learning rather than purveyor of knowledge.  Likewise, students and teachers need to see me taking steps to innovate my practices as a school leader.

We need to seek out opportunities to connect with other educators to learn about innovative practices and we must be willing to take risks in experimenting with new methods.  Opportunities abound via social media to connect with other teachers and principals to participate in shared learning.  I love this quote from Couros, “Sometimes the most valuable thing you get from the network isn’t an idea, but the inspiration or courage to try something new.”  I look forward to the reflections and new learning I will gain from participating in the Innovator’s Mindset MOOC over the next six weeks.  I’ll be posting throughout the experience, so stay tuned!

-Beth

https://twitter.com/bcohen411/status/775347068659441664

Tweeting to Reflect

Educators often speak about the power of reflection on teaching and learning.  I ran across the quote below by Peter Drucker and immediately made a connection to the classroom walkthroughs I conducted last Friday.  I decided to capture photos of the learning that was taking place as I made my way through the English pod during Block C and Tribe Time (our lunch and tutoring period.)  I then took some time to tweet out the photos and short descriptions of the learning that was visible in the photos.  I saw teachers working one on one with students as they worked to provide feedback through peer writing review.  I heard students posing questions to one another regarding a piece of text they had been closely reading and analyzing.  I also observed teachers conducting individual writing conferences with students.  

By documenting the learning that is taking place in our classrooms via Twitter, I can later go back and reflect on the evidence of our classroom practices.  I have never really thought about Twitter as a platform for reflection, but that is exactly what it can be for teachers and students alike.  In the days ahead I plan to tweet more regularly about the positive things happening in our classrooms and then reflect intentionally on what I’ve learned.

https://twitter.com/bcohen411/status/771749284408594432

https://twitter.com/bcohen411/status/771780416831262720