10 ways to remain a relevant educator

The world is literally changing right before our eyes. ‘What is’ is quickly become ‘what was,’ and what ‘can be’ is quickly becoming ‘what is.’ The future is now and we all have a choice as to how we interact with that future. Education is fortunate to be in a position to not just accept, but to be an integral part of how the world is changing. With all the changes occurring, we educators are forced to adapt and evolve. It’s our level of commitment and willingness to adapt and evolve that will ultimately dictate how relevant we remain. Here are 10 keys to remaining relevant as an educator:

1). Eliminate the phrase 'that can't be done' from your vocabulary and replace it with 'let's figure out how we can make this work...'

2). Stop thinking that just because it worked for you in the past that it will work now for today's students...

3). Don't think that technology integration in schools is just a 'fad' that will go away like many other education initiatives have...

4). Embrace the notion that you, the educator, haven't been for a while, and will continue not to be the smartest person in the room...

5). Figure out creative and innovative ways to take learning beyond the confines of the four walls of your classroom...

6). Take full advantage of the many tools and platforms that are available to tap into the wide-world of collaboration and teamwork...

7). Stop believing that an educator-centered classroom that focuses on the educator more than the students is the most productive and effective learning environment...

8). Find ways to make learning relevant, purposeful, and meaningful for your students by focusing on real problems in society that are affecting real people...

9). Don't avoid trying new things and don't run the other way when someone mentions the word 'change...'

10). Lastly, don't be afraid to stand out; don't be afraid of being the first, and don't be afraid of standing up when everyone else sits down...

I’m confident that if we heed this advice we won’t just remain relevant, but we will position ourselves to do great things for kids which in turn will allow our kids to do great things for humanity.

What does 'real-world' education look like?

So often we talk about making education relevant. We talk about making 'connections' to the real-world and events that are occurring all around the world.

We are challenged to find ways for students to see value and relevance to what they are doing in school. We are charged with creating a learning environment that is both challenging and applicable to the very lives we and our students are living.

So, then why do we spend so much time thinking up fake and made-up problems and designing situations for our students to solve and work on?

The truth is, the world definitely doesn't have a shortage of problems that are worthy of our attention and time. In fact, if education became more connected to the world and solving its problems, we just might be onto something...

English: The ability to read and write... the ability to communicate comes second nature to many, but what about those who lack these seemingly 'basic' skills? Roughly 11% (775 million people) of the world's population is illiterate. What if we could change this? What if we could empower these 775 million people?

Social studies: Whether it be the issues occurring in Ukraine, the drama and riots unfolding in the midst of the World Cup, or the ever escalating concerns in Iraq and the Middle East, our students are living in a world of increasing uncertainty, and it's this uncertainty that needs both our attention and awareness. What if our students focused on ways to prevent these types of disputes to make the world a safer place?

Science: The impact on the environment is very real, and it's future generations who will feel the brunt of the negative effects. Let's put more minds to work on this issue and let's bring it to the forefront for students and their future. Sometimes it's the mind of a child that can best see the truth and cut through all the 'gray.'

Math/engineering: Bridges, roads and major infrastructure deficiencies exist across the globe, and perhaps if our math/engineering students were allowed to tackle these real-world problems, some viable and worthwhile long-term solutions could be discovered.

Foreign language: The world is getting smaller and smaller and as global connectedness becomes more and more a common reality, the need for cultural tolerance and global understanding are becoming increasingly important.

Foods/nutrition: There is a global food epidemic and starvation is still a very real problem in our world. Imagine if our students were working toward more food sustainability, more nutritional food and a better means of getting this food to those who are most in need.

PE/health: Obesity rates are rising and overall health seems to be in decline for the masses. We've reached a point when life expectancy is starting to stagnate. Let's allow and work with our students to figure out ways to get that number going higher again. Let's take a step forward in raising students who are health and fitness conscious and are committed to living a long and healthy life.

In closing, let's stop thinking of problems for our students to solve, and let's start working on the problems that are right in front of us...

8 thoughts to help your classroom standout

Take one of your learning objectives and/or goals and ask your students to align it with a real-world problem or concern. Allow and encourage your students to take something they know about and care about in the world, and provide them the opportunity to help make it better. Give learning context and relevance...

Speaking of relevance... who determines in your classroom what is 'relevant?' Each student in your class has a unique and different set of life experiences, so how are we recognizing and honoring their interests. Also, as these interests change, what's relevant also changes...

http://goo.gl/tEZMUC

If we are limiting learning to just the four walls of a classroom, then that is equivalent to buying a Lamborghini and saying you are only going to drive it in your driveway... #globalconnectedness

If we eliminated the traditional titles of 'student' and 'teacher' and replaced both with 'learner,' how would the atmosphere and culture in your classroom change?

Fast forward 5 years down the line... imagine if your former students were asked about their experience in your class. If they were asked what is one thing they did in your class that positively impacted and positively affected the world, would they have something to say?

How often are kids in your class given the opportunity to develop and work on strong and thoughtful questions. In other words, what is the ratio in your class of kids answering questions vs. kids asking questions leading to answers? The best answers come from the best questions...

Speaking of ratio... what is the ratio of consumption vs. creation in your class? How much do your students consume vs. how much do they create...?

Lastly, what makes the learning experience in your classroom standout? What makes the learning culture in your classroom unique and personalized to the needs of your students? What's your learning experience 'advantage?'

Who determines what is 'relevant?'

We hear so often that we need to make education relevant.

We hear kids saying they aren't engaged in learning because they don't see any relevance to what is being taught.

We hear educators saying that traditional PD isn't a good use of time because it's not relevant to them.

We would all agree that a little relevance can go a long way when it comes to interest and engagement.

Here's the tricky part...

Who determines and decides what is relevant?

Who is in charge of telling a student what is relevant to them?

Who is in charge of telling a professional educator what is relevant to them?

Marbles rolling around in my head...

7 proven strategies that WILL help you engage your students...

1.  Don't just care...really care!

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own little worlds, but we have got to remember that whatever is going on in our world, is 100 times simpler and less complicated than that of our students.  If a student is having a bad day, or if a student is having a great day, give them the opportunity to tell you about it.  Be interested and actually listen to their stories, because if you can show the students you care, they will trust you, and when they trust you, magical things can happen in an educational setting.  Take an interest in their music, their hobbies, their triumphs and struggles, and use that information to help them.  IF THE STUDENTS DON'T THINK YOU CARE, YOU WILL NEVER MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION WITH THEM!!

2.  Speak to every student at least once every class period - the more the better!

Try very hard to make sure this is common practice in your classroom.  Even if it is a simple "hello" or "how are you doing?" it can mean a ton to the student.  Additionally, making that early connection in the class period allows that student to feel more comfortable, which as we all know, students must be comfortable for learning to take place.  STUDENTS DON'T LEARN WHEN THEY ARE STRESSED AND UNCOMFORTABLE!!

3.  Meet your students where they are; not where they are supposed to be, or where you want them to be...

This strategy can be really difficult, but if you can master it, it can pay huge dividends in the long run.  Every year you start with new students, with different ability levels, different learning styles, and different attitudes toward education.  We have to meet each student on their level.  Their level means their ability, their learning style, and their attitude toward education.  If we treat every student the same, we CANNOT expect the same results!  Just as a doctor evaluates all of a patient's symptoms and treats the patient accordingly, we must evaluate each student and approach the learning process in a manner which is best suited for that individual student.  FORGET ABOUT USING ONE STRATEGY TO TEACH ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS!!

4.  Have high expectations, and expect the best from every single student every single day!

This is probably one of the toughest in terms of increasing student engagement.  I have found that when you push the students and they know you are pushing them, they engage themselves and respond at a much higher level than if you were giving them review work over and over.  Human nature is to enjoy a challenge and a task that requires more than the minimum.  If your students are disengaged and non-attentive, perhaps they are bored, and they need a challenge to get them going.  Let your students know you have high expectations for yourself, and consequently you expect the best from them too.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A CHALLENGE WHEN IT COMES TO STUDENT ENGAGEMENT!! 

5.  Do whatever it takes to get your students out of their desks, and give them every opportunity to be actively moving ! 

Organized chaos is how we should describe our classrooms.  Students need to move, and sitting for 7 hours a day is frankly torture.  Would you want to sit for 7 hours a day and listen to people talk at you...no, I think not.  Try to get your students up and moving every single day.  I am talking about relay races, group work, activities that require building things with their hands, an activity where unused fly swatters are used, and lastly skits and reenactments that make everybody laugh.  THE HUMAN BODY WAS NOT DESIGNED TO SIT ALL DAY!!  

6.  Focus on the three R's - rigor, relationships, and relevance... 

I already talked about rigor (4) and relationships (1), but I wanted to keep all three Rs together.  If the students see no relevance and value in education, then how can we expect them to learn?  We have got to make sure what they are doing in school is practical and relevant, because if we don't we have no shot at engaging them.  Show students the connections to what they are learning and the world in which they live.  Also, use resources to make what they are learning applicable in their current lives, and show them ways to use what they've learned in class.  IF THEY SEE NO VALUE, THEY WILL NEVER BE TRULY ENGAGED!!     

7.  Most importantly...give your students a voice and involve them in the educational process!

Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult things to do in an educational setting, and because it is one of the most difficult, it is one of the most important.  The students know how they learn, they know what they like and dislike, and they hold the key to getting them interested and engaged.  Every day is an opportunity to learn from your students how to do your job more effectively and efficiently.  Students are a free resource that most educators ignore.  Include them in making assignments, teaching lessons, designing rubrics and designing assessments.  What do you have to lose?  They will provide you with a wealth of knowledge, and most importantly, they will be engaged because they are a part of the process.  They now have a voice in how they are educated, as well as how they are assessed...STUDENT INVOLVEMENT = AWESOME!!

Please respond with any additional strategies you use to engage your students.  I would love to add to this list and compile a much larger list to use with new and experienced teachers, as well as teacher growth and development programs.  Thank you in advance for your help!

10 ways to avoid becoming obsolete...

1). Eliminate the phrase 'that can't be done' from your vocabulary and replace it with 'let's figure out how we can make this work...'

2). Stop thinking that just because it worked for you in the past that it will work now for today's students...

http://goo.gl/kTjolW

3). Don't think that technology integration in schools is just a 'fad' that will go away like many other education initiatives have...

4). Embrace the notion that you, the educator, haven't been and will continue not to be the smartest person in the room...

5). Figure out creative and innovative ways to take learning beyond the confines of the four walls of your classroom...

6). Take full advantage of the many tools and platforms that are available to tap into the wide-world of collaboration and teamwork...

7). Stop believing that an educator-centered classroom that focuses on the educator more than the students is the most productive and effective learning environment...

8). Find ways to make learning relevant, purposeful, and meaningful for your students by focusing on real problems that are affecting real people...

9). Don't avoid trying new things and don't run the other way when someone mentions the word 'change...'

10). Lastly, don't be afraid to stand out; don't be afraid of being the first, and don't be afraid of standing up when everyone else sits down...

Increasing student engagement

If you've worked in education for more than 5 minutes, you've probably had a conversation about ways and strategies to increase student engagement. For the record, I applaud all efforts and all initiatives that assist our schools in becoming more engaging. I think it's also safe to say that increases in student engagement are directly related to a more relevant and more purposeful learning environment for our students.

Perhaps I'm wrong and totally going in the wrong direction here, but I feel we aren't making nearly as much progress as we could be...

What I mean by this is that I think we have too many varying definitions of what 'engagement' actually looks like. I also think we are too varied in our beliefs about what 'relevant' and 'purposeful' really mean in the classroom setting.

via +John Spencer (@edrethink)

I have no doubt that educators are all committed to doing what's best for our students. My only concern is that since we all have varying and different definitions of what engaging, purposeful, and relevant mean, we are having difficulty moving forward with these initiatives and at times are spinning our wheels.

Now, one of the beauties of education is all the varying backgrounds and experiences that educators have that ultimately enrich and strengthen learning opportunities for students. We all bring a certain 'flavor' to the classroom and it's because of that unique flavor and perspective, we avoid possibly being replaced by robots!

So, when we sit down to talk about increasing student engagement, when we talk about making education more purposeful, and when we talk about making education more relevant, we first need to discuss what we as educators mean by engagement, purpose, and relevance.

We need to actually describe what we believe student engagement looks like in a classroom. We need to agree upon what a purposeful education actually means for students in the 21st century. Lastly, we need to come to some kind of a consensus of what is relevant for our students when it comes to preparing them for a successful life.

So, before we talk about strategies to increase engagement, strategies to make education more purposeful, and strategies to make education more relevant, we all need to agree upon what we believe they mean and what we believe they will ultimately look like.

Agree upon a mutual meaning and definition and then begin the strategies discussion... if we don't all agree upon a meaning, then the strategies aren't going to have much meaning and they will have a very inconsistent impact on student engagement.

  

Increasing rigor in schools...

"As we continue to focus on increasing the level of rigor in our schools, it is important to first agree on what rigor is. Rigor is more than just the content of the lesson or even what we expect our students to do. Too often, we simply raise expectations without providing appropriate support for our students to succeed. 

True rigor means creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so that he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels. 

Only by creating a culture of high expectations and providing support so that students can truly succeed does one have a rigorous classroom. Supporting our students so that they can learn at high levels is central to the definition of rigor. It is essential that we craft lessons that move students toward challenging work while providing scaffolding to support them as they learn. To simply increase expectations without helping students achieve at higher levels is futile."

~ At the end of the day, who is more exhausted and tired... you or the students? Don't always work harder, work more efficiently and effectively.

~ Assigning more homework & classwork more frequently does not mean we are increasing rigor.

~ Where do a majority of your class activities fall in regard to the Depth of Knowledge wheel? Make it a priority to shift at least one activity per week to a higher level.

Doing lots of worksheets and learning from the textbook can be really hard; not hard because it's difficult or challenging, but hard because they serve no purpose and have very little relevance to actual learning.

Schools become rigorous when students are pushed not only to know information but also to apply and demonstrate their understanding of that information. Requiring students to reflect on and analyze their thinking and learning might be the most challenging task you can require of any student.