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…]
Author: George
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
I was recently participating in a FlipGrid book study on “The Innovator’s Mindset” and was asked this question by one of the participants: In writing a book on innovation, did you ever struggle with the idea that you were using a very “traditional” format? I loved the question, and here a couple of thoughts. 1. … [Read more…]
This blog post by a student was something that really resonated with me and challenged my thinking. I did an accompanying podcast to talk about some of the ideas here, but you can also check out the full post below. Karen’s (the student) post is a must-read for educators. Check out the podcast on iTunes … [Read more…]
Read More “I hate doing school things, but I love learning.”
In October 2017, I posted the article “4 Ways to Not Let Others Dim Your Light.” Often, when I share articles like this, it is an opportunity to use my struggles to help others. I decided to revisit this post in the form of a podcast and talk it through, but I also wanted to … [Read more…]
Read More 4 Ways To Not Let Others Dim Your Light (#Podcast)
This week, I have released episode 1 of a weekly podcast that I have planned for years but, finally, have taken the initiative to put together and release it to the world. Each podcast is meant to be 10-20 minutes long and discuss something I have been thinking about, and hopefully provide some inspiration or … [Read more…]
I am excited to announce that Katie Novak and I will be starting an Instagram book study on January 22, 2020, on my co-authored book, “Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator’s Mindset.” There are three main goals of this book study: To dig deeper into the ideas of the book … [Read more…]
Read More #InnovateInsideTheBox Instagram Book Study! (Starting January 22)
For the last three years, I have shared some of my favorite quotes from the past year that have inspired me or made me think deeper about a subject. I wanted to provide some for this year as well. Have an amazing year and beyond!! 2017 | 2018 | 2019 “Students should have rich, relevant, … [Read more…]
From James Clear on the idea of”Giving Up”: Life is a constant balance between giving into the ease of distraction or overcoming the pain of discipline. It is not an exaggeration to say that our lives and our identities are defined in this delicate balance. What is life, if not the sum of a hundred … [Read more…]
In 2019, I have set the goal to run at least 100 miles using the Aaptiv app each month. Currently, I have achieved this goal for 11 out of 11 months, and only have the month of December to go. My running has become better, and each month, I seem to be going above and … [Read more…]
A book that shifted my thinking to focus on what people can do versus what they can’t do was Jennifer Fox’s “Your Child’s Strengths.” From the book: Children cannot develop interest in a subject just because adults tell them they should be interested. Children become unmotivated when they don’t understand the importance of what they are required to learn. … [Read more…]
Read More Valuing the Strengths of Learners that Go Beyond Academics
A book that shifted my thinking to focus on what people can do versus what they can’t do was Jennifer Fox’s “Your Child’s Strengths.” From the book: Children cannot develop interest in a subject just because adults tell them they should be interested. Children become unmotivated when they don’t understand the importance of what they are required to learn. … [Read more…]
Read More Valuing the Strengths of Learners that Go Beyond Academics
I have always struggled with the “it is easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission” mentality. I know this is a mantra for many, and sometimes, depending on where you work, it makes sense. I am someone who gets bad anxiety and wants to do right by those I work with and for so it … [Read more…]