Not only have educators been inundated with information on COVID-19, but they have had to retool, refocus, and rethink completely how they are going to connect with and teach their students. A lot is going on in our world right now, and my first instinct is that we need to slow down and focus on … [Read more…]
Author: George
Since I initially recorded this podcast in early February, a lot in our world has changed since then. Instead of posting this now, I hope that you can glean some insights from what I am sharing and create some ideas to apply to today’s context. That is the whole premise of the Innovator’s Mindset. What … [Read more…]
The worst day of my life was when I received the news that my dad had suddenly passed away. It was seven years ago this month, and somehow it seems like yesterday and also an eternity away. I was in San Francisco for an event when I found out the news. I had received a … [Read more…]
Check out the full podcast discussing these ideas on Spotify, Soundcloud, or iTunes. The following excerpt is from “Innovate Inside the Box“: There is never harm in positively and authentically acknowledging the contributions the adults in our schools make. Don’t wait for someone to leave your building to appreciate them! Say good things about them … [Read more…]
In August of 2016, I wrote the post, “10 Easy Ways To Create an Amazing #ClassroomCulture This Year, to provide some “investment” strategies on making school better for not only our students but ourselves. I remember seeing this tweet by Heather Thompson Day, and it shook me: Many of our students come to school because … [Read more…]
Read More 10 Easy Ways To Create an Amazing #ClassroomCulture #Podcast
You might have seen the below picture below by Anna Vital on “Why People Give Up”: Any single one of those reasons are things that can set us back. They have set me back often. I actually can take every idea listed above and think of a particular time that it caused me to give up, either … [Read more…]
You might have seen the below picture below by Anna Vital on “Why People Give Up”: Any single one of those reasons are things that can set us back. They have set me back often. I actually can take every idea listed above and think of a particular time that it caused me to give up, either … [Read more…]
Ever read a sentence or two, and it just stopped you in your tracks? This quote from Seth Godin’s blog did just that for me: “Ruts don’t dig themselves. Most of the time, we’re in a rut because that’s precisely where we put ourselves.” Yup. Sometimes it is easy to feel lost professionally and personally, … [Read more…]
Success can lead to failure. The Blockbuster video example has been used over and over again because it is a great cautionary tale of how success can lead to comfort, and comfort can eventually lead to failure. I was asked recently to share what makes a successful school, and my answer was the same as … [Read more…]
I discuss the story below more in my most recent podcast. You can check it out on Apple iTunes or Soundcloud. Years ago, I had the opportunity to do my first presentation for a conference outside of the country. I was asked by a group in New York to lead a session at a conference. … [Read more…]
In “Innovate Inside the Box,” I discussed three types of learning essential for educators: Being a master learner requires that we look at learning in three ways: learning about our students, learning for our students, and learning from our students. In the video below, I talk about each concept in under a minute. I made … [Read more…]
Sanée Bell shared the following quote from her book, “Be Excellent On Purpose,” and it has stuck with me: “Students should have rich, relevant, and authentic experiences at school, across the board. If every educator in every school pursued excellence instead of allowing excuses about what students can and cannot do, we would meet … [Read more…]
I shared this video on the idea of “traditional practice” about a year ago: A couple of thoughts: 1. Traditional practice does not equal bad practice. We can’t use the terms interchangeably. 2. Innovation is ONLY innovation if it leads to something better. “New” is not enough.#InnovatorsMindset pic.twitter.com/2VcFbuFcVp — George Couros (@gcouros) February 13, 2019 … [Read more…]
Read More “New” does not equal “good” and “traditional” does not equal bad.
“We are developing the leaders of tomorrow!” This statement has excellent intentions, but it also assumes that students can’t make a significant impact in our world today. What are some of the mindsets and actions that we can take within education to ensure that we develop our students as leaders immediately so that they can … [Read more…]
Read More 3 Ways to Develop Leaders in Your School or Classroom #Podcast