Learner-Centered Experiences in the Ideal Classroom (#IMMOOC 4 Week 2)

Ideal Classrooms don't have traditional rows of desks with kids sitting like ducks in rows!

They respect the unique characteristics of learners allowing them to

stretch

and explore

Tore Skogheim https://unsplash.com
as they learn!

The Innovation Ecosystem (#IMMOOC 4 Week 2)

An innovation ecosystem provides contrast to the typical compliance driven educational model, empowering people to learn, improve, and innovate.  For decades, the focus of schools has been largely on test performance and compliance, particularly in test-centric states like New York, resulting in many of the troubles experienced with American schools today.

Innovation cannot exist without a culture that supports and encourages it.  The first, most important cultural factor in considering innovation in education lies in the support of teachers.  Are calculated risks encouraged and valued, or will educational risks result in ostracism or worse if school and community politics get heated? 

We have been working for some time in a bureaucratic system that values collective test scores and performance far more than individual growth and outcomes.  In 2001, when I moved to New York, I first saw a teacher teaching an entire Physics course out of a NY State Regents Review book.  Most other teachers of Regents level courses included test review periods of at least a month at the end of courses prior to Regents exams.  As time went on that year, I frequently heard about the “good teachers” that had 100% pass rates on exams and “ineffective” teachers with lower passing rates.  The focus on passing rates and compliance for nearly 20 years has secured this district a spot on the downward slope.  My beliefs about education were too far out of alignment with this district, so I left at the end of that year for another district- one that still had to comply with state assessments but showed more value for the individual learner.

A few years later, an assistant superintendent from a neighboring district came to my school to discuss student performance review on these tests.  She told teachers that our job was to only teach the content of these tests.  Having had experience in other states, I realized the limitations of the exams.  My students in other settings were afforded richer, more meaningful learning experiences and local colleges frequently gave my former district positive feedback regarding the preparation of our students both for laboratory and classroom work.  I raised my hand and asked about content not included on the exams, sharing that when preparing students for college, we need to be mindful of skills needed at that next level.  I was abruptly cut off by her comment, “You don’t worry about that.  They’ll get what they need when they get there.” 

I’m not easily angered, but for the first and only time in my life I walked out of what was supposed to be professional development training fuming.  I’ve always cared more about the individuals in my charge than about the tests and the data.  While I wholeheartedly agree that data has value in evaluating our progress and in assessing needs and growth of students, it should never be the sole driver of our actions in education.  I also don’t believe that a single test should ever be our end goal!  This notion is just preposterous!

Educator training such as described above, administrative policies, and school cultures that are test-centric, have driven the heart and soul out of our schools.  Our schools need to be places where the individual matters and the success of those individuals must be at the heart of what we do.  Success must also be thought of in a broad sense in schools, with consideration of the unique needs and paths of each child.  To be truly innovative, we need to look beyond prescribed tests to student interest and passion, giving students voice and choice, ultimately empowering students to be drivers of their own education, facilitated by skilled educators who believe in them.

For our schools to be innovation ecosystems, change is needed.

1.       Cultural change from test driven a student driven/”learner obsessed”

2.      Focus Change from siloed a collaborative partnerships with businesses and the community

3.      Leadership Change from traditional authoritarian a collaborative lead learner, supporting teacher development and student learning

4.      Evaluation change from hyper focus on test outcomes a broader view of student impact

5.      Instructional change from direct explicit standards driven, traditional a  students meeting standards along a teacher facilitated path filled with inquiry, exploration, experimentation, and discovery

6.      Learning Change from what is delivered/provided to the individual a individuals actively seek opportunities for personal growth (This applies to students and staff!)

7.      Expectations change from compliance a empowerment, where staff and students work together, maintaining a positive, growth-focused school culture

Martin, Katie, Learner-Centered Innovation:  Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion, and Unleash Genius (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting,  Inc. 2018).

The Evolving Role of the Educator (#IMMOOC 4 Week 1)

How have you embraced the evolving role of the educator? What would you add or revise in the graphic shared in chapter 1?

#IMMOOC #LCInnovation

In a sense, I feel like I’ve been a continuously evolving educator.  In my early days of teaching, I was concerned that I wasn’t as prepared as other teachers.  I never had the same lesson plans from year to year though the overall topics studied in class often were the same.  I envied those who could have their materials together months in advance.  That was never me.  I always looked to my students and adjusted my approach based on a variety of types of student feedback.  I didn’t think of it as formative assessment at the time.  It was just what I did.

One thing that wasn’t addressed in the text but might be addressed under the categories listed is the need for teachers to communicate and market what they do with the larger community.  Many educators are finding it essential to do so to gather and show gratitude for community support of our efforts.  Costly programs, such as robotics, may require substantial support from beyond the school community.  It is also important to showcase the good things going on in our schools.  The negative voices are loud and destructive, but the positive actions in schools are often humble and quiet.

The role technology has played in the evolution of the educator has been amazing!  The ability to connect with educators across the globe on a regular basis for powerful learning exchanges through discourse, videos, and bits as short as simple texts and tweets has greatly enhanced the skills, knowledge, and understanding of the needs of learners that teachers bring to their classrooms.  The resulting sense of community that has developed has sparked the evolution of educators, empowering and equipping them to take risks and try new methods for the benefit of students.


Martin, Katie, Learner-Centered Innovation:  Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion, and Unleash Genius (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting,  Inc. 2018).

Curiosity, Passion, and Learning (#IMMOOC 4 Week 1)

Why is it critical to spark curiosity and ignite passions in learners?

#IMMOOC #LCInnovation

Just over a year ago, I was accused by a colleague of being too enthusiastic.  Fortunately, the deadpan individual has moved on. I unapologetically love what I do and am very passionate about my work.  Continuous learning makes me feel alive, on a continuous growth-focused path.  I carry a continuous spark of curiosity in my soul- always wanting to learn about other people, their cultures, their values, how things work, and why people behave in certain ways.  Unlike my accusatory colleague, I’ve maintained that curiosity throughout my life and I’m thankful for it.  I cannot imagine living otherwise.

As a chemistry teacher, I love demonstrations and labs.  I have typically kicked off lesson topics with activities to spark curiosity and wonder.  When a teacher “wows” a student with a memorable experience, the associated learning is tightly bound in memory because the content has interest and value to the student.  Curiosity is piqued through sensory experiences- color changes, bubbling, odors, or maybe a controlled explosion.  It’s natural to wonder why these things happen.  For me, that has always been the beauty of teaching science.  I appealed to student interest in effective, dramatic ways.

I now serve in an administrative role, having made this change out of a desire to help more students have opportunities in STEM education.  I’ve seen a falling away from creating the sense of wonder and awe in students in favor of overly direct and explicit means of instruction.  I will never forget observing a chemistry teacher a few years ago to hear the teacher in a pre-lab lecture tell the students exactly what they would see and why it was going to happen.  This was painful- it was like telling the punchline of a joke first.  It completely ruined the experience for the students.  In my current role, I’m helping teachers regain the sense of stepping back and facilitating student experiences.  As they let go of what I will describe as excessively direct and explicit means of instruction, they see that student passion drives student learning far better than adherence to standards and prescribed curriculum materials.


In his book, The Innovator's Mindset, George Couros states that "If a student leaves school less curious than when they started, we have failed them."  I appreciate Katie Martin's addition in Learner Centered Innovation, "...if we, as educators, lose our curiosity and ability to ask 'what if,' we and our students lose out." We need passionate educators who fuel the flame of curiosity, keeping it alive and well in our students!

George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. 2015).

Martin, Katie, Learner-Centered Innovation:  Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion, and Unleash Genius (San Diego, CA:  Dave Burgess Consulting,  Inc. 2018).