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Unlock Unlimited Learning With Collective Efficacy

We want all of our students to succeed. We worry, nudge, and cajole in our efforts to reach every learner. Yet, too often we feel as though we can only do so much, especially by ourselves. Despite our best efforts, success with every student can remain out of reach. Interestingly, the answer may not lie in our best efforts while working alone. A growing and powerful body of research points to the potential of collective effort and efficacy as a game-changer for lifting the learning of students regardless of past performance, socio-economic background, cultural context, or other factors that traditionally have been associated with a lack of learning success. The power of collective teacher efficacy has been studied and documented for years, but a recent meta-analysis of research studies conducted by internationally respected researcher John Hattie places this factor at the top of the list of approaches that can transform student learning. His analysis ranks collective teacher efficacy as far more predictive of student achievement than socio-economic status, prior achievement, or even home environment. However, collective teacher efficacy is more than aspirational statements, goals in a strategic plan, or a collection of instructional strategies. Collective teacher efficacy grows out of a set of beliefs and practices that when combined, create a powerful force for lifting student achievement. Granted, building strong collective efficacy takes time, but the results it can generate in student success are compelling. Here are five keys to building the collective efficacy that can unleash unlimited learning for students. #1: Shared trust. The first key unlocks relationships among team members. Trust forms the foundation on which the other keys depend for success. Building trust requires that we assume the positive intentions of others. When the behavior of team members falls short, we view it as an exception rather than evidence of untrustworthiness. Trust also requires team members to be vulnerable with each other. Admitting mistakes, not claiming to have all of the answers, and asking for help are building blocks for strong, sustainable trust. Trust creates conditions that allow for shared risk-taking, mutual support, and a collective search for solutions. #2: Shared belief in the potential of learners. Learners rarely perform at levels beyond what we expect and support. This key opens opportunity for all learners to learn beyond perceptual boundaries and excel beyond past performance. Unless team members believe that learners are capable and have the potential to learn at high levels, other efforts to unleash exceptional learning are not likely to be successful. Past performance, cultural and economic background, and other factors cannot be allowed to temper our aspirations and limit what we will support learners to achieve. #3: Shared confidence in our abilities and commitment to be successful with all learners. Beyond believing that learners have the potential to be successful, team members must share the belief that they have the power to reach and lift the learning of any individual or group of students. Complementing the belief in our capacity needs to be a shared commitment to see that every student does succeed, no matter the challenges and barriers. Without a strong, shared belief in our potential and a commitment to have a positive impact, the pressure to compromise, lower expectations, or even give up can be difficult to counter. #4: Shared learning and expertise. If we had all of the answers and knew all of the solutions to the problems we face, our task would be easy. However, such is not the case with most learning challenges we face. This key to unlocking unlimited learning requires team members to commit to our own learning and build expertise to confront the difficulties our students face. Shared learning and access to each other’s expertise not only builds a strong team, it allows each member full access to the combined resources of the team. To overcome complex, long-standing learning challenges, everyone’s knowledge and skills need to be applied. #5: Shared framework and criteria for progress and success. Without targets, progress markers, and success criteria, it can be almost impossible to build and sustain team momentum, progress, and focus. On the other hand, when goals are clear, progress can be monitored, problem areas can be identified, and the team is empowered to allocate time, energy, and expertise to areas most in need of attention. Further, success frameworks and criteria can be strong motivators, confidence builders, and evidence indicators of unlocked, unlimited learning. The research is clear. By working together, learning together, supporting each other, and sharing a commitment to the success of all students, we can accomplish amazing things. Each collective efficacy key is important to the success of the whole. When we combine them into an integrated effort, we create a force for learning that is nearly impossible to stop.

February 08, 2021

The Case for Classroom Observations Despite the Pandemic

The question of whether to continue classroom observations during the pandemic has stimulated debate and led to varied responses as teaching and learning contexts have shifted from in person to hybrid, remote, and other strategies. Some people have argued that the challenges of new and shifting instructional arrangements make observations logistically difficult. Others have observed that conducting observations adds needless and avoidable stress for educators. Still others question whether the information collected is useful since disruptions and frequent transitions undermine the consistency of instruction and flow of learning. Each of these arguments has a measure of merit. Traditional in-person walk-throughs are not as accessible in hybrid settings and not practical in remote learning arrangements. Yet, technology tools available in most schools make virtual visits to online classes manageable and breakout rooms, chat messages, and other features make connecting with and listening to students doable. The argument that observations during challenging times can add stress makes sense. However, the purpose of classroom observations as opportunities for support and improvement, not as opportunities for embarrassment and criticism, needs to be emphasized even more during the pandemic than at other times. We need to reinforce the purposes of observations and potential benefits to reassure and dispel unfounded concerns. Finally, while use of information collected from observations during this time might not be useful to inform year-to-year trends, there are compelling reasons to collect data even now. Despite the challenges and adaptations to be thought out, here are eight reasons to consider conducting classroom observations, even during the pandemic. First, classroom observations can reinforce our commitment to and support for the work of educators. Taking time to observe, listen, reflect, and converse conveys respect, caring, and value for the work going on in classrooms. Second, classroom observations now can support the collection of information regarding how learning and teaching processes are continuing while under stress. Examples of adaptations, innovation, and creativity can be shared within the school community and communicated to the community at large as reassurance that learning and teaching continue despite the pandemic. Third, observations can reveal needs and challenges that are not obvious and may not have been identified through other channels. Teachers may be reluctant to report some conditions that limit their effectiveness. In some instances, they may not even be aware of barriers and limits that classroom observations can surface. Fourth, classroom observations can reveal resource needs and inconsistencies that need to be addressed. Again, individual teachers may not be aware of technology and other resources that could be made available if the need is documented. Real-time observations can inform decision makers and result in better, more equitable distribution of resources. Fifth, classroom observations and conversations can help to identify professional learning needs that are unique to the pandemic. For example, multiple observations may reveal a common issue with a technology tool and point to the need for additional instructional and classroom management strategies. Sixth, classroom visits can support the collection of stories of resilience, quality practices, uninterrupted learning, and heroism to share as inspiration and examples to others. Often a compelling example or powerful story can give hope to persist despite the challenges. Seventh, classroom observations are important opportunities to communicate caring and support for the work of educators in personal and specific ways. It is important to offer general support and gratitude for what educators and learners are doing during this time. It is equally important to communicate specifically and personally our respect, appreciation, and encouragement in response to what we see. Eighth, classroom observations can support the collection of information that will inform planning needs and priorities for the transition once the pandemic subsides. We know that some students have struggled to learn at expected levels. New solutions and strategies have been developed that need to be captured and utilized. New technology tools and innovative applications have been discovered that will be useful long-term and will need to be supported during the transition. If we are unaware of and attention is not given to these and other issues and opportunities, we risk losing them as we move to a new post-pandemic normal. Certainly, it can be tempting to suspend classroom observations during the pandemic. Yet, making such a choice risks missing opportunities to encourage and support staff, ignoring information that can inform decision-making, and missing crucial insights that can build understanding and support within our communities.

Learn how to conduct more effective observations with the weCLIMB Observation Solution

February 01, 2021

What Binds Us Together – And Must Be Our Focus

These are times of stress and uncertainty. Opinions and perspectives about what should be done abound. Some people want students to be in school full time while others point to the risk of virus transmission among students and staff. Some people argue for high standards while others urge flexibility and compromise until the pandemic passes. These and a myriad of other issues are worthy, but solutions that are responsive and sustainable will not emerge from pressure and conflict alone. If we hope to find the most useful and responsive solutions, we need to start by reminding ourselves of what binds us together. By recognizing and drawing on the important foundational elements of our work, we often can find answers to our most vexing questions. By focusing on what binds us together, we can build our confidence and exercise the judgement needed to find our best strategies and generate needed outcomes. Let’s consider four of the ties that we can rely on and leverage during difficult times. The most fundamental to what binds us together is a common purpose. Now is a good time to revisit and reflect on what our work together is intended to accomplish. Understanding the role and contribution of our work for learners, the community, and society can provide a shared context and focus. Agreement on shared purpose can open avenues for rich, robust discussion about how to best to accomplish our purpose without rupturing relationships and pushing us apart. Disagreement in this context can stimulate creativity and support productive disagreement. We are also bound together by community. For the work of schools to succeed, we need to do more than occupy common space. Foundational to community is a belief that each person deserves to be valued, respected, supported and have a path to success. Communities survive and thrive through interdependence. Each person, each team, and each staff member has a role to play and contributions to make. When communities are built around common purpose creativity can thrive, disagreements can surface, and consensus can be built within a safe and healthy space. We are also bound together through the service we provide. Education is service in support of the common good. Schools are one of the few crucial institutions in society with this mission. The presence of schools within communities represents an investment in the future. The work we do with learners, colleagues, and members of the community allows us to be part of something greater than ourselves. Further, we are bound together by hope. Each day and year gives us the opportunity to start anew. We share a focus on preparing children and young people for a happy and successful future. Each day we engage in work that will make a difference for students long after they leave us. Hope can be the energy that sustains us through difficult and trying times like these. These foundational elements can help us find our way through conflict without sacrificing relationships. They can open doors to new ideas and opportunities without abandoning what sustains us and makes our work worth doing. Alternatively, disagreements and other forms of conflict without a context of what binds us together can become destructive and bring harm to teams, organizations, and the people who are part of them. If all we share are the issues on which we disagree, arguments often become personal and conflicts become “zero sum,” where someone’s winning means someone else must lose. Little good can come from this approach.

February 01, 2021

What Is Your AQ and Why Does It Matter?

Remember Blockbuster? This company had such a big share of the market we thought it could never go out of business—and yet it did. It was their inability to change course and adapt to and compete with emerging technologies that caused them to be left behind. In truth, there is a lesson there for all of us: People, like businesses and all professional organizations, must embrace change to remain relevant to those they serve. In fact, how well we adapt to change will determine how far we will go. AQ, or Adaptability Quotient, is a person’s ability to adapt to a fast-changing environment. It is the third leg of the success-predicting stool made up of IQ, EQ, and now AQ. And it may just be the most important of the three. The relevance for us as educators right now couldn’t be more important. If there was one thing the pandemic has taught us it is the importance of being able to adjust and to do so quickly. Within a week in March of last year, teachers went from teaching in person in their classrooms to teaching online from their computers at home. Few were ready to do so, nor could they even fathom the multitude of challenges they would face teaching from a remote setting. It was, and still is, an emotional maelstrom for both teachers, students, and parents. Those who haven’t been able to adapt remained adrift and are miserable. Those who accepted the inevitable and learned how to navigate the new environment are prevailing, achieving, and learning new skills they will bring into a more normalized environment when it returns. The lesson is clear: Adapt or become obsolete. Adapt or be left behind and left ineffective. So how do we assess our AQ and what are important strategies for improving it? First, we need to ask ourselves, “In what areas are we feeling most out of our comfort zone and what are our emotions when we enter these arenas?” Do we push back and refuse to learn and change? Do we spin in a state of resentment because we are being forced to change? Or, do we take a pause, and then take the necessary steps to embrace the change we are confronted with, trying to see the possibilities and the opportunities it presents? In truth, the latter is the only productive stance. The world will not wait for us while we moan and groan, it will move by us quickly. Second, we can accept the inevitable quickly and start to adapt to it quickly. The longer we wait—refusing to accept what life is presenting us, the harder it will be to find success. Once we accept the conditions we find ourselves in, we can begin to use them to our advantage. Third, we can sharpen our ability to determine what is relevant and learn to discard what is no longer relevant. Not every change we are confronted with is an important or critical one. Likewise, many of the things we used to think were critical simply are not. In order to make room for the new we need to be able and willing to get rid of those things we are stubbornly holding on to that are bogging us down. These are not often easy things to pinpoint, but we need to be open to them when they are pointed out to us. Fourth, we can learn to read early signals that we are going to have to adapt and anticipate how soon and exactly how we are going to need to change. It does no good to simply bury our heads in the sand and hope that the change we see on the horizon won’t happen. How much better is it to make friends with the anticipated change and prepare ourselves and our students for it. Fifth, we can become active “unlearners.” In other words, we can prompt ourselves to challenge what we think we already know, as well as our learned biases, when we are presented with new information. It would be a shame to hold on to the narrow biases we were taught in our youth as we try to navigate a world that has moved passed them. Sixth, we can become active explorers and tap our natural curiosity to seek what we think might be around the corner. We can also remain dissatisfied with our current teaching practices—even seeking better and more engaging ways to work with young people as we adapt to change, and even because of it. In truth, the ability to adapt is a key survival skill that we all must embrace, as well as teach to students. It involves maintaining an open mind—even when the mind wants to reject what it is learning. It requires maintaining an open heart, even when one’s feelings get hurt and are dismissed. And it requires developing the will to continuously improve rather than stay in place or regress. If we can do these things and teach our students to do the same, we can look forward to a rich, exciting, and rewarding future in which we are active contributors and not dinosaurs.

January 25, 2021

Planning and Managing the Transition Back

Most schools across the country are making the transition from some type of remote or hybrid experiences to face-to-face teaching and learning. For most of us, moving back to more direct, in-person contact with each other is a welcome prospect. Nevertheless, we need to attend to several issues and implications as we make the transition. Predictably, there will be people who assume that the process should be simple, immediate, and problem-free. Yet, our students will require some time to adjust after a long period of learning in a remote context without the support and distractions that come with learning in the same physical space as classmates. We too will need time to recalibrate our practices and expectations to reengage with students face to face. We need to keep in mind that students have experienced different routines, expectations, and connections while learning remotely. Some of what students have experienced may easily and gleefully be abandoned in favor of what they recall from past face-to-face learning experiences. However, there likely are aspects of learning in the past several months that students want to bring back with them to the classroom. For example, most students have learned how to more fully integrate technology in the process of learning and may be reluctant to return to an instructional context that is less reliant on and integrative of technology. They also have learned skills and strategies for learning independently and accessing remote resources that can enhance learning back in the classroom. Now is a good time to survey students, hold focus groups, or interview students about their learning expectations and preferences as they transition back. Students will be happier and the shift will be smoother if the perspectives and preferences of students are considered and reflected in their experiences as they return. Similarly, our expectations for student behavior had to be modified to reflect the context and variables present in remote learning. The return to in-person learning means that some of the flexibility students experienced might be lessened, but we need to be cautious to avoid tightening behavior expectations just because we can. Now is a good time to reflect on the behavior expectations that will best support learning. We need to draw on what we learned about motivation and engagement driven by learning interest and commitment, rather than rely on forced compliance through threats and consequences. The fact is that ownership for and commitment to learning grows when students have more choices in their learning and greater voice about how they will learn. For some educators, remote learning has been a reality since the beginning of the year. We have formed relationships and come to know our students in a distance learning context. These relationships can be strong, but they still will need attention when we return to in-person learning. We need to allocate time to renew relationships in a different context and build an in-person learning community. Of course, our efforts need to build on existing relationships with students and we need to support students to expand and deepen relationships they have formed with each other. Without question, the transition back will come with some anxiety, angst, and reluctance for some students. The more we can support them and reinforce relationships, the smoother and faster the transition will occur. We also need to be alert to signs of emotional, psychological, and even physical trauma as students return. The past months have been stressful for all of us, but for some students the stress was compounded by family disruption, strife, and abuse. It was difficult in remote learning contexts to always pick up on signs of abuse and neglect and signals of emotional and psychological problems. For students whose remote learning experiences were colored by trauma, the transition may represent a welcome change, or it may represent more stress and lead to acting out and other troubling behaviors. We need to be ready to step in and provide support and connect them with any resources they may need to find their way forward to safety, good health, and success. In fact, this is a good time to review with colleagues the array of available resources and processes for accessing services. Of course, we need to pay attention to where students are in their learning. Rest assured that they will not all be in the same place. Some students may have thrived during remote learning. Others will have struggled and fallen behind. We need to learn what students know and are ready to learn, and chart with them a path forward. Trying to replicate everything students have missed will not likely be the best choice. Rather, consider focusing on key concepts and skills students will need to support their progress. As time allows, these students will be better able to fill in content gaps using the core strategies and skills they have learned. Finally, we need to stay attuned to our needs and feelings. While we may also be looking forward to the return to in-person instruction, it will take some time to find our stride and feel comfortable. We need to give ourselves some slack to adjust, while remembering and using what we have learned from remote instruction to lift our practice and enhance our impact.

January 11, 2021

Six Leadership Strategies for the Start of a New Year

Certainly, 2020 was a bewildering, nerve-fraying, distraction-filled year. Few, if any of us, would have guessed when the virus emerged that our lives and work would be so disrupted for such a long time. The year will be remembered for many unpleasant things. Yet, it also offered important lessons. It taught us much about leadership in uncertain times. The experience also presented challenges few people even imagined we should be prepared for. We were asked to lead anyway. As we “turn the page” to face a new year, we would do well to let go of what might have been and what we wish we had known from the beginning. The best we can do is to value what we learned, forgive ourselves for what we might have done better, and leverage the lessons and experiences we gained for a new start and more successful and satisfying year ahead. Difficult and disappointing times like we experienced last year can still offer insights and opportunities important for recovery and moving forward. In fact, they can be foundational for a future that goes beyond just returning to what had been to create a better new normal. Nevertheless, there is little chance that such a shift will occur unless proactive, committed leadership is present to nudge, encourage, and guide the process. Our opportunity as we begin a new year is to find and utilize strategies that can inform and inspire those around us to move forward to what can be, rather than be satisfied with returning to what was. Here are six leadership strategies we can employ now and throughout the coming year to help us make this challenging but crucial transition. The first strategy is to revisit and reexamine the core beliefs, values, and purpose of the organization. Everyone has been buffeted over the past year. Taking time to refocus and regain clarity about who we are and what we exist to do can offer powerful leverage for examining practices and exploring new perspectives on our work. For example, we might recommit to having the interests of learners and learning as the key criteria for post-pandemic decisions and direction setting. A second strategy is to capture the most important lessons learned from the pandemic experience. It might seem that what has been learned will naturally translate into post-pandemic practices. Yet, experience shows that without intention, focus, effort, and expectation for this type of learning to be preserved and applied, it will be lost in pursuit of a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Collecting and documenting key ideas, practices, and innovation that emerged during the pandemic now can prevent the natural loss of focus and abandonment that otherwise is likely to occur. Third, commit to moving forward, not backward. Language is important. It focuses attention and sets expectations. Implying that life will return to normal after the pandemic risks ignoring and losing valuable insight, innovation, and an opportunity to level up. As plans are discussed, we need to challenge tendencies to fall back, let go, and prioritize what was familiar. Fourth, resist pinning hopes to a specific end date for the pandemic. The development and growing availability of vaccines can lead to unrealistic expectations and premature declarations of the end. It is likely that there will be setbacks and disappointments in the coming months. Children and young people may be among the last to receive vaccinations. It is difficult to predict when the end will arrive. We need to keep the focus on serving the needs of learners rather than becoming preoccupied with what is likely to be an uncertain end to the pandemic. Fifth, close doors to practices and behaviors that need to be left behind. One of the benefits of the disruption we have experienced is that some traditional practices from the past had to be left behind in favor of what would work in a virtual context. As examples, teachers had to rely less on behavioral compliance and find ways to convince students to commit to learning. Educators faced the challenge of nurturing greater learning independence skills among students, since constant observation and supervision were not realistic. These shifts in practice are worth maintaining in post-pandemic classrooms. However, unless we establish expectations and find ways to close the door on these traditional practices, we can expect to see them return. Sixth, set an ultimate benchmark for success that pins the success of everyone to the success of each one. The end of the pandemic is a time for optimism and vision. This is a good time to move beyond functioning as though success for some or even most students is good enough. Now is the time to commit to the success of all students and connect their success to ours. Unless we find a way for each student to be successful, we cannot consider ourselves to be completely successful.

December 28, 2020

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Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

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A Thank You Letter to Educators

All of those who work in our schools can be proud of the way they faced the unknown with the COVID-19 crisis and found unique ways to serve our students. Examination will reveal that whenever our country has faced a huge task, America has turned to the schools and all the people who work in them to get the job done. In the last 120 years, we have had three different eras that required the county to change drastically. Schools and the entire school team performed magnificently in each of these eras to keep this country a world leader. Indeed, in the past 120 years, one decade after another, the entire school team served with distinction. We need to be proud of the role teachers and staff are still playing. Remembering success in the face of past challenges can serve all of us well today and tomorrow. First was the manual labor era. In the 1800s it took 95% of our population to feed this nation. Planting, tending, and harvesting crops were regarded as more important than schooling. A minority of children were educated. School schedules revolved around the labor needs of the family farmer. It also was assumed that anyone could teach. Later, requirements to teach were enacted. To teach, a person had to have attended school one or two grades beyond the grade they taught. Manual laborers made up the bulk of workers in both rural and urban environments. The workday was 12 hours…and the work week six to seven days. Less than 5% of our population entered college. The standards and requirements in schools were not very high. “Come when you can” was more of a rule for students than “come every day.” Then came the industrial era and everything changed. It brought a migration from the farm to the city with a need for a large workforce that could read and write as well as operate industrial machinery. As the complexity to produce, operate, and maintain equipment increased, so did the need to have a workforce that could read and write, as well as run, fix, maintain, and build industrial equipment. The call to meet the needs of our country changed. Our schools were counted on to meet this need. We realized that to support a mass production economy, we had to have a mass consumption society to keep things going. To get more kids in the classroom and have them be successful in the workforce, we implemented a system of mass education that included students from every background and social status. Our country prospered and thrived as a result. Then came World War II. The government promised all GIs a free high school or college education when the war was over. To facilitate their success, funding was provided to support education opportunities for them at unprecedented levels. By the 1950s, over 50% of all eligible young people were in high school. We increased teacher certification requirements again. Our teachers had to have more skills to teach their students with a wide variety and level of abilities. Both worker and management needs in business and industry as well as demands for professional skills increased—and college enrollment rose to 10% of the population. The industrial era also brought social and labor unrest, rebellions, and demands from minorities for more rights in the 1960s. Again, the country turned to our schools to integrate, include more students, teach our minority students, and educate children with different physical and mental needs. Schools responded. By the late 1970s, over 90% of all our children eligible to be in school were in our classrooms. Teachers took a more respected place in society. Employment as a teacher without a degree was not allowed. Requirements for continuous teacher certification included additional college study and certification periodically. The master’s degree became common and even more advanced degrees were not rare. Then, the 1980s introduced the high-tech era. The computer brought the need for even greater skills and more sophistication in the workplace. Accelerating the trend of the industrial era, fewer people were needed to produce greater quantities of work. Fewer people were needed to get more work done a whole lot faster and much more accurately. Again, our country turned to our schools to prepare students for a new kind of work and job. And again, as they have through history, educators did the job. We have now moved to a high-tech knowledge and skill-based society. Most jobs are no longer in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Education now faces the challenge to meet the needs of this latest era. The wide range of comprehensive services schools provide to students, parents, and society now exceeds those of almost any public institution—and more seems to be expected of schools as the days pass. Leading up to and during this COVID-19 crisis, schools continued serving students in ways that are unbelievable. In addition to teaching them, schools bussed children to school and took them home every day. Schools were feeding students both breakfast and lunch at school and taking meals to their homes. Schools provide healthcare. Counseling services are provided and attention is given to the social needs and extracurricular needs of students. Schools compensate for mental and physical strengths and weaknesses of students. And services for students with special needs are provided. Schools have had to teach students at home and at school. During the crisis, many teachers taught their students online and then had to turn around and teach their own children. These realities should make the entire team of every school proud. The entire team means everyone: administrators, teachers, counselors, paras, coaches, administrative assistants, nurses, cooks, custodians, bus drivers, members of the board of education, and support staff. Each member of this team is vital to meeting the needs of our students. They have done the exceptional during one of the most difficult times of our history—and they will continue until the crisis is over. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The entire school team has done more good for more people, more consistently, and more effectively than we would have thought possible just a few years ago. The tradition of superior performance continues in our schools. Bless all of you. Just take a moment to take pride and joy in what you have achieved. You are all wonderful.

November 23, 2020

Four Triggers to Unleash and Sustain Powerful Momentum

The challenges and uncertainty we face this fall can feel overwhelming. These are circumstances that can sap energy, undermine confidence, and pile on harmful stress. Without a focused, difference-making strategy, we need to be ready to deal with growing frustration, confusion, and even burnout. Fortunately, this does not have to be an unavoidable prophesy for the coming weeks and months. We have available to us a powerful set of motivation and momentum building triggers we can engage to counter the challenges and uncertainty we are facing. When employed authentically and strategically, we can tap maximum energy and build unmatched commitment within the organization we lead. First, we must define, share, and embrace a clear purpose with which everyone can identify and find worthy of their commitment. For example, it may be that our purpose is to ensure that despite everything that is happening around and to us, “We will work together to provide students with rich, engaging, authentic learning experiences that build back learning lost in the spring.” In this context, the purpose can be a rallying point for everyone. “The pandemic will not defeat us or disadvantage our students!” Finding a common enemy and joining an effort larger than ourselves can be a powerful motivator. Second, we need to explore, discover, and commit to what needs to be done. For example, we might identify strategies to accelerate learning by focusing in key areas for some students. For others, we may need to build bridges and fill gaps to help them get back on track. Still others may need care and support to overcome trauma and setbacks that are getting in the way of their learning progress. Importantly, we need to be clear about what we want to accomplish and what success will look like. Third, with a clear, compelling purpose in place and a common understanding of what we intend to do to accomplish the purpose, we can give staff members reasonable autonomy to do what needs to be done. Herein lies the magic. When educators understand why they are working toward a common purpose or goal and grasp what needs to be done to accomplish it, flexibility in how to design learning experiences, engage students, and stimulate progress can unleash boundless energy and creativity. We empower teachers to bring their best selves and a full commitment to making a difference for students. Fourth, we must create connections, bridges, and bonds across the organization so that everyone feels a sense of belonging. When people work together, learn together, and even play together, magic happens. Conversely, when people feel isolated and abandoned, little momentum and progress is likely to be sustained. We need to find ways for people to reflect, share, imagine, and create together. Here we need to focus on process and progress, not just the outcomes to which we are committed. We, too, need to play a central role in this process. People across the organization need to see and feel our enthusiasm, commitment, and focus as the year unfolds. Frequent check-ins, focused encouragement, and shared learning are essential leadership behaviors to activate this trigger. When employed strategically, the magic of these four triggers is that we create a clear “why” for our work together, consensus on “what” needs to be done, and invite creativity, flexibility, and responsiveness in “how” the work will be done. When supported by a sense of respect and belonging, the combination is virtually unstoppable regardless of the challenges we face.

November 16, 2020

A True Story With a Positive Ending

A celebrated high school teacher of the year and candidate for the master teacher award in her state began this school year teaching her students in a concurrent environment. As such, she was teaching remote students at the same time she was teaching in-person students. Every day for the first two weeks of school she went home in tears. She was certain that she was failing with every student and she had totally lost the confidence that had been a hallmark of her teaching prior to the pandemic. She even started looking for another job. Then, she decided to do something very simple. She said to her students, “Am I bad at this? I don’t think I’m doing a good enough job. You have to tell me how I can do better.” Her students immediately replied to her, “Oh no, you’re not bad at this. We’re all struggling. We’re just happy we have you as our teacher and that you are hanging in there with us!” And it was their comments that lifted her out of her teaching “funk.” She went on to tell her students that she would need their help every day moving forward. She explained that there would most likely be days when a lesson wouldn’t work, or a new strategy would feel awkward and perhaps would not be as effective as something else they had done. But it was still important that they keep trying new things and new ways of learning so that everyone could find a way to be successful. Therefore, it was more important than ever that she receive their candid feedback and ideas for improvement. The lesson: Don’t be afraid to admit to students how you are feeling. And don’t be afraid to make yourself vulnerable—or to say, “Let’s figure this out together.” This is new territory for everyone. Students are feeling as uneasy in this environment as we are—perhaps more so. And, if we ask them, they can help us get better at this new way of teaching. When we engage students in this way, they are more likely to lift us and our instruction up and be more engaged themselves. Here are some simple questions you can ask students to answer at the end of a lesson or at the end of the week to reinforce the importance of working together on the common goal of making the learning experience better.

How do you think the lesson went today? What ideas do you have for how we might make my instruction and your learning even better?

What are the three best aspects of your learning this week? What made your learning experience effective?

What are two areas in which you struggled to learn this week? How might I help you be more successful?

What learning strategies worked best for you this week? Where do you think we should focus to help you broaden and strengthen your learning strategies?

What would you like to see us do more of? What might we do less of?

Do you need a dose of inspiration yourself? We suggest the movie Freedom Writers. Do you have a story you would like to share? Email it to InYourCorner@masterteacher.com and we may post it on our In Your Corner website.

October 26, 2020

Relax: We Are Built to Be Challenged

We might long for the days when life was calm and most of what we faced seemed familiar and predictable. We did not feel constant pressure and the need to learn and adjust. The recollection may be more nostalgia than reality, but it still speaks to an important truth. We idealize times when we felt in control, when learning and adjusting were not constant pressures, and we knew what to do in most circumstances. Sustained periods of calm, predictability, and drawing on what we already know can seem ideal, but they also carry risks to our vitality and our leadership. The fact is that humans are built to learn and grow through challenges. Without significant problems and difficulties, we can become complacent, unaware, and disconnected. Interestingly, we can also find ourselves worrying about small things because really important challenges are not occupying our energy and attention. These are not times when we typically experience new learning and develop important new skills. It is true that we occasionally need to spend time in our Comfort Zone. We may need to recover and reenergize ourselves. We may need to reflect and process what we have experienced. However, this is not a place to spend extended time. As much as we may long for those days now, the unique challenges and novel circumstances within which we find ourselves can be gifts to be treasured. For most of us, the pandemic and its implications for learning and teaching has challenged much of what we have known and relied on in the past. New challenges to long-standing practices and increasing complexity of problems have led to the development of new skills and broadened our knowledge and understanding of what it means to lead. These are characteristics of our Growing and Learning Zone. Here, we experience pressure and stress that drives us to examine, explore, and learn as we respond to what is happening and what may lie ahead. While the experience may be uncomfortable, it is healthy and growth-evoking. Nevertheless, at times we may find ourselves overwhelmed, feeling that things are out of control and we are not capable of responding adequately. These feelings may reflect reality or our perceptions of reality. Regardless, the feelings will guide the experience we have and how we will respond. These feelings define what is known as the Panic Zone. When we feel panicked our judgment can be compromised, we are more likely to revert to old ways of reacting rather than responding creatively. When we find ourselves in a panic zone, we need to be careful and avoid staying there for long periods of time. Doing so can threaten our health and our career. So what strategies should you employ when you find yourself in each of these zones? If you discover that you may be in your comfort zone for too long, look for worthy, purposeful challenges to take on. Consider problems that seem to keep coming back, problems that never seem to go away, or an action that would make an important difference to improve teaching and learning in your school or schools. Identify the new skills and learning you will need to develop and embrace the experience. If you are in your growth and learning zone, appreciate and value the experience even though it may feel uncomfortable. Know that these are times for which you were built. Accept that at times you may be confused and uncertain. You may even make some mistakes. Remember these are crucial aspects of the learning process. Be patient with yourself. Take time to reflect on what you are learning and how you are growing. Remember: Learning takes time. Tension and pressure can stimulate your creativity and give you reasons to imagine and invent. If you become exhausted, it’s fine to retreat to your comfort zone temporarily, but do not stay too long. If you find yourself in your panic zone, it is time to step back and gain some perspective on what is happening. Focus on what elements and aspects of the situation you can control. Resist holding yourself accountable for things over which you have no control. Look for learning opportunities. These elements can help you to move back into your growth and learning zone. Avoid allowing guilt and regret to overwhelm your thinking and actions. Use your personal and professional networks to help you sort and make sense of what you are experiencing. Also, don’t be reluctant to tap professional support to help you move forward. Above all, remember that what you are experiencing will pass.

October 19, 2020

The Master Teacher Blog