I have been teaching from home. Almost every day I have posted an activity, assignments, or video of some kind. I have taught myself to make my own science videos. My partner teacher and I are now working on making "Labs-To-Go" so students can pick up labs with their free lunches at school. This way, they might be able to continue their hands-on science experience. This will be especially important, as Jay Inslee recently announced that we will not be returning to physical school in Washington state this year.
Meanwhile, I have been completing (a little bit late due to all the changes) our school's 2nd semester book study. I enjoy these book studies because it is a low-pressure way to investigate different ideas in teaching. They help me to take that step back and look at my own practices, as well as what I might be able to change or try to help me improve.
The book I read this time is The Innovator's Mindset, by George Couros. I actually think it is important for me to identify my struggles with the book first, then explain the parts I found useful.
Like most books written by educational experts, I felt a little bit like I was being preached to. While Mr. Couros does not force many ideas upon his reader, his main thesis appears to be "if you are not using social media, you are not achieving to your fullest as a teacher." He believes, based upon this book, that teachers should be doing the following:
- Using social media to get ideas from other teachers
- Using social media to give ideas to other teachers
- Have students share their work and get honest or natural feedback
I do not necessarily entirely disagree. However, in my teaching career I have been embarrassed or ridiculed enough on social media (or even regular media) that I often find myself avoiding these places. It is a personal theory of mine that a person's creativity can be helped by seeing others, but is often replaced by the creativity of others when exposed to too many new ideas. For example, if I want to write a genuinely new piece of literature, reading lots of books may limit my ability to do so, because i have now strictly defined what good literature is. I can no longer do something truly new.
Couros seems to agree partly with this when he provides the idea that teachers can become overwhelmed with too many initiatives. With this point I agree. However, he was giving this idea from the perspective of an administrator providing teachers with new programs or strategies to try. Two or three is okay, Five to ten is far too many. Thousands, as are provided by social media, can be absolutely overwhelming and make a person feel like a non-innovating teacher for not trying everything.
Once again, based upon his writings, Couros seems to believe that the benefits of social media in teaching outweigh the risks. I believe that the jury is still out on that one.
While the above may seem like a rebuke of the book, and I suppose it is, there is something else I think is important when approaching any form of professional development. Teachers, and I imagine many other professionals, roll their eyes a bit at most types of training. This is because "we have seen it all before." After returning to my classroom after a particularly useless training, I was asked by my students (whom I had already told, but repetition is an important way to learn I suppose) why I was gone.
As I often do, I told them I would prefer not to be gone, but I had to go to a training. They asked why I went to these if I did not learn anything, trying to put words in my mouth. I took a moment to pause. At this point I developed an important self-philosophy. I told them, I think it is my job to find at least one thing at every training to take away and try, or just to learn, otherwise I am truly wasting my time as a professional, and that would be on me.
This book definitely does not fall into the category of useless. I would actually highly recommend it, but I would also encourage the reader to think critically about Couros's words and decide which parts jive for them, and which parts do not.
For me, all the ideas he has surrounding innovation were important to consider. I liked that he encouraged teachers to use and hone their strengths. I felt that this was also a good thing for a teacher to keep in mind when encouraging his or her students. He also provided several frameworks to assess one's abilities and identify these areas of strength and weakness. Despite being a fairly connected individual, I think it is important for me to find some ways to network as a teacher. I think, since I remain leery of social media, I may start more locally. I have found that an honest in-person conversation is often more meaningful than scrolling through hundreds of ideas on twitter, for example.
One essential one was, once again, pick one or two things to try out, not forty or fifty. In this time in particular, as a teacher it is tempting to try out lots of different digital applications and see what works. I am trying to limit myself to learning just a few things moving forward. Here is my list:
- Using Screencastify to make instructional science videos
- Helping to create lab-to-go kits with associated videos with both instructions and eventually results (for students unable to pick up kits)
- Using Zoom twice a week for "office hours" in which students can ask questions
- Posting simple assignments using methods we have already used in class so that students do not get overwhelmed learning new programs
The list is short, and I feel like I am providing strong instruction despite our unexpected hiatus. I would encourage teachers to be innovative without doing too much. This is a great time to push yourself as an educator, but attempting a little of everything would be more exhausting than trying to master one or two things. Now is not the time, as a teacher, to be a jack of all trades, I guess is what I am saying.
Thank you to Mr. Couros for making me think about my practices, and I think, make a few significant improvements. Innovation is assuredly our path forward now, but I think it must be a measured dose to be successful in the long term.
