Mo Physics Mo Problems

I have dived into reading the next 3 chapters (Chapters 4 - 6) of LAUNCH by John Spencer and A. J. Juliani which cover the first three steps of the LAUNCH Cycle. The book does a great job going into depth about what each step entails and what it looks like with specific examples.  I would be doing the work of the authors a great disservice trying to create a Cliff’s Notes version of their text, because what resonates with me for my classroom practice may not resonate with others.  Also, the text is so rich that it needs to be read.  It’d just be retyping the book. I think that’s plagiarism. In lieu of that, I hope to provide some of my highlights below. Step 1: Look, Listen, Learn I love the way that this step is framed.  It’s the why of the process.  But, it’s clear that the “why” is not an extrinsic motivation.  The desire to create comes from the student.  So, this first step is seen as raising interest or awareness . The authors go over 7 different ways to tap into s

Over the weekend, I finished George Couros’s Innovator’s Mindset .  I highly recommend reading it to understand why we should foster a culture of innovation in our schools and where to start.  A culture of innovation makes everyone a creator in our schools, unleashing the creativity that is in all of us. The Innovator’s Mindset frames the steps to create that culture of innovation in a school and it gives some powerful examples of creation in the classroom.  That’s where the new book by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani picks up.  The book LAUNCH is focused on the importance of a clear framework for the creative process.  I’ll dig into that process in later posts as I get deeper into the book.  But, let’s start with the why of creation in the classroom. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Learning Domains Complex Creating ↑ Evaluating Analyzing Applying Understanding Simple Remembering Looking at Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of learning domains, the highest o

"T he powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman The last section of George Couros's book asks the reader to make the innovator's mindset a reality by creating a culture that encourages innovation.  To this end, the readers must take action.  He sets forth a series of questions reflecting on 5 key elements set up in the first sections of the book.  These elements are essential for unleashing the talent of the individuals in our classrooms and schools.  This is what the book is leading up to. Not some magic one size fits all solution. It's the insight to create the solutions that are right for your situation. George has frames the argument, it's our turn to fill in the canvas. If you haven't answered these questions for yourself, you haven't really "finished" the book.  Below are my answers to these questions as they relate to my classroom practice. Strengths - Based Leadership Do I know and buil

Rather than typing out a reflection for part 3 of the book, I thought I'd take the author's advice and use technology to create. So, I decided to use Google Draw to create an image that reflects my big takeaways from Part 3: Unleashing Talent. I actually loved this process.  I look forward to playing more with Google Drawings when all of my students will be 1:1 with Chromebooks in the fall.  It won't be a mandate, but I'll demonstrate it as an option for expression.

In part 2 of The Innovator’s Mindset George Couros eloquently lays out of what we need in our schools to allow for the innovator’s mindset to be nurtured.  But none of these needs are physical things.  They are not new furniture, devices, or costly remodels of physical learning spaces.  These are alterations to the cultural spaces of our schools. They represent a change from a culture of schooling to a culture of learning.  Where schooling is something we as educators do to students and learning is something that students have the freedom to do for themselves.   The innovator’s mindset encourages our students not to get schooled but to get their learn on. Yes I just time traveled from the 90’s As schools, we need to start with trust as a given.  George argues that if learners are forced to earn our trust, they already start in a place without the freedom to take ownership of their learning.  I will always remember being told that I should start the school year being st