Nocking the Arrow

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Nick Foles, was voted "most valuable player" of SuperBowl LII . He is also two years removed from contemplating leaving the game of football entirely after being traded, benched, and cut. As well as he played last Sunday, Foles's post-game comments reinforced the power behind what many educators are channeling to students as " growth mindset ." The backup QB who became SuperBowl MVP provided us with a meritorious message of humility and learning, along with a rock-solid game plan for life. Foles said, “The big thing is don’t be afraid to fail. In our society today with Instagram and Twitter, it’s all highlight reel. All of the good things, but when you look at it, and failure is a part of life. That’s a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of times and made mistakes.” “I am not perfect, I am not Superman. I may be in the NFL, and we ...

"Play is the highest form of research."  - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.”  – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl...

"Praise, when used correctly, can help students become adults who delight in intellectual challenge, understand the value of effort, and are able to deal with setbacks. Praise can help students make the most of the gifts they have." - Carol Dweck "Good job!"   "Way to go!"   "You're so smart!"   "You're the best!"   How many times have you heard yourself, or another teacher, lavishing this type of effusive praise on students? Praise like this may cause students a temporary feel-good moment, but in the long term, these forms of generic, inflated praise can have a detrimental effect on student achievement. What is the purpose of praise in the classroom? Praising students with intent can reinforce positive behaviors, raise academic performance, and improve classroom relationships. Effective use of praise makes the classroom a more inviting and supportive learning place, for everyone. In many classrooms, negative or...

@CathyNDavidson @EdTechExposed @mariagalanis @robert_schuetz What does it mean to be a change leader in #education ? #edchat — Eric Patnoudes (@NoApp4Pedagogy) December 8, 2015 This is a terrific question, Eric. I'm shootin' from the hip with my answer. It's tough to answer in 140 characters or less, so here's my long-form answer. I will start by breaking this concept into bite-size pieces.  Change - Not just for change sake, change leaders in education acknowledge there's always room for improvement. Advances in science and technology have driven change in many professions, just ask any dentist, doctor, journalist, farmer, or automobile mechanic. Change leaders see things for what they can be, not just what they are. This vision comes from reading, writing, discussing, and most importantly, learning. Leader - The leader gets others to see and act upon this vision of change. They lead by example, taking risks, and sharing their learning transparently....

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." - Albert Einstein What do you get when you mix one part Carol Dweck , with one part Will Richardson , with another part George Couros ? You get a concept I call the learner's mindset . What is a learner's mindset? Not only is it an inner narrative describing personal growth and fulfillment, I believe possessing a learner's mindset is a crucial element in the true transformation of schools and education. "I am convinced that the best learning takes place when the learner takes charge."   -  Seymour Papert “Innovation is not reserved for the few; it is something we will all need to embrace if we are to move forward.” - George Couros ,   The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity “learning a passion for learning is more important for your practical success than learning any particular facts ...

#TeacherAppreciationWeek - Earlier this week, social media was peppered with requests to thank teachers who have significantly impacted our lives. How fortuitous for me that Mother's Day occurs so close to Teacher Appreciation Week since my mom is the teacher who has had the most significant impact on my life. Mom was actively involved with our schools, but never as a professional educator. Nevertheless, I've learned more from her than any of my "traditional" teachers. Mom never positioned herself as instructor for my brother and me. She shared what she was learning, took interest in what we were learning, as well as, what we wanted to learn. Our current conversations frequently center on current events, what we're currently reading, and of course, the weather. Lynae (mom), with my sons J.P. and Trevor There weren't a lot of rules in our household, we were expected to know the difference between right and wrong, live by the " golden rule "...

Wanting a break from last week's IETC conference in Springfield, I decided to walk across the street to the AMC-8 theater to see " Big Hero 6 ". I thoroughly enjoyed my second viewing of " Big Hero 6 " with a big bag of popcorn and a large Coke. If you are a teacher or a student, you will love this movie, not only because it's a captivating story, but also because it features themes currently prominent in learning and education. A box-office hit, here are six themes from this movie that will have teachers and students laughing and cheering from their theater seats. STEM EDUCATION - 14 year old robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada uses his engineering skills to inventively help his heroic friends overcome an evil adversary. Science, math, and technology are featured problem solving tools for Hiro and his robot friend, Baymax. When times get tough, Hiro encourages his friends to find solutions through creativity and innovation. Credit to Disney for trut...

Comedian and entertainer  Howie Mandel uses fist taps instead of hand shakes as a coping strategy for his mysophobia . Years before this became a popular greeting method, I was using fist taps to connect with my G343 Psychology students. Early in the course, we would use our hands as models when learning about human brain anatomy. The hemispheres and lobes of the brain were represented by both hands and the position of the fingers and knuckles. To promote our psychology learning club, or learning community, we would touch fists when entering or exiting the classroom, and to acknowledge each other when outside the classroom. This gesture became a symbol of connection for a few hundred psychology students. This year, I am using a similar theme to promote connected learning at our school. During our summer institute day, I introduced my fist, specifically the four knuckles, as symbols for improving learning at our school. Knuckle of index finger - put learning first . 9 out o...

Informal learning is the primary source of knowledge for every single one of us. To clarify, for most people, approximately two-thirds of our lifetime is spent learning informally, or outside formal education environments. As you can see from this graphic provided by the U.S. Department of Education , the percentage of our waking hours spent learning in formal educational environments increases at the onset of elementary school, but then decreases dramatically following high school graduation. Learning supported through Internet connections and social networks is impacting the time spent in formal learning environments as more people choose opportunities other than college to continue their education. Knowing this information, educators that want to make a life-long impact on their students' learning should consider embracing the characteristics that feed informal learning. This can be accomplished by emphasizing a growth mindset, a love of learning, and an entrepreneurial spirit  ...