Stop Talking About Potential

Potential: It's a dirty word in our business and almost always misused. When it's said that a student isn't working to his or her potential, there's a good chance that this claim has more to do with our expectations than any student's ability.  Maybe it's not that students aren't working hard enough, it's that somehow we aren't reaching and activating their potential. Maybe we need to rethink exactly what it is we want our students to "know and be able to do." 

Piaget's quote points to our students' shared potential, and it's from 1964!  Good teachers have always been challenging both their students and their leaders to make teaching and learning transformational. Good teachers have always taught kids first- content second. Medfield's Neal Sonnenberg wisely states that teachers need to be taught "attitude and aptitude" when taking he plunge with integrating new content, tools, or techniques. Why stop with staff?  Attitude is a growth-mindset, initiative and a willingness to stretch. Isn't that what we ask of our students if they are to grow to become critical thinkers? 

Why would we expect every student to meet the same objective in the same way? That's why we modify, accommodate, differentiate, personalize.  Knowing what to teach (and how to teach it) is critical, of course, but it's also meaningless without understanding the recipient of your effort. Personalize learning has to begin with the person first and the content second.  To be clear, Differentiated instruction and Personalized Learning are intersecting models with many shared goals, but one is more student-centered while the other is more Teacher-centered. Just look at the names- one model is about teaching while the other is about learning, but even the consideration of the direction or flow of content can dramatically shift the way a teacher approaches his or her craft. The overlap is the sweet spot, because it's about the connection,  and the relationship is always critical.

Personalization begins with empathy and is maintained by relationships.  Consider the message and commitment expressed by joint goal-setting,  shared reflection and collaborative evaluation. It tells the student we recognize their uniqueness as a learner and want to partner in identifying and helping to teach their "potential".
Jed

Teach unto others...

TEACH UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE TAUGHT UNTO YOU

This is easier said than done, maybe, but it’s a simple concept. In his blog, George Couros asks, "Would you want to be a student in your own class?" That question can spark a personal revolution, particularly if the answer is "no." If we step back and take an honest look at our practice, and place ourselves on the other side of the desk, it can be surprising to find that some of the most effective behavior-changes may be or own. 

A great challenge I try is to find my third grade self among my students. Usually it's several students who share traits that remind me of myself as a student, and it invariably prompts a little more patience and understanding on my part when things get itchy in class.  This isn't about just connecting with my class, but respecting and identifying common learning styles and preferences as well as those that do not align with my own experience. If I can personalize expectations and objectives based on what I've learned, then I'm more likely to consider unfinished work, resistance, or even behavior outbursts differently. I've come to find that what may look like blank refusal or failure to comply can actually be a clear message or request for help that is my job to answer. The first step is not getting hung up on compliance!  Conversation and compromise beat compliance and control all day long.  Wouldn't you want to know that someone has taken into account your skills and interests to push and support? Empathy is at the heart of personalized learning for students at all levels. 

There's a reason that teachers resent being treated like students during professional development. First, it creates hierarchy, separation, and an instant set of rules to follow. As soon as I'm handed a green puzzle piece or teddy bear counter, I'm being randomly grouped, impersonalized,  and so the resentment begins… Second, it can be insulting to professionals to bypass an opportunity to have an intellectual conversation, whether it's looking at student work or collaborating toward innovative instructional strategies. 

Yes, we need to explore and experience the projects and tasks we ask our students to do together, but if we can't adapt the 4c's (communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking) as reflective adults, then we have missed the point of professional development. Teach with respect and integrity. Also teach with transparency. A great example is the integration of new technology in classroom. We recently had a rather large group of important people visiting our class looking at integrating tech to personalize learning. In preparation, I asked my students to think about ways of inviting guests to engage in the tasks at their particular station. I specifically explained that whichever app, robot, or station task they were using should be shifted to easiest levels for the adults to try. Adults don't want to feel dumb. You can imagine he looks on the students’ faces. It became a powerful message. Talk about empowerment! 

The students had become the Experts, helping to show how our classroom leverages tech to enhance learning. My students are used to explaining the "what and why" of what visitors see, and that piece has been fascinating.

If we can get into the habit of explaining how and why we decide to do what we do, and share this with our students, we are empowering our community, with shared goals. Sometimes posting numbered objectives doesn't cut it. It may inform the occasional observer, and satisfy a checklist, but taking just that moment to reflect (out loud) on the purpose of an activity can bring the authenticity and purposeful action we're looking for with our students.