TL;DR: Believing in students and setting high expectations for them can help them be successful. Find ways to get your students interested. Make sure the lessons and activities you are teaching are relevant. Know what your end goal is and makes sure it is clear to your students, too. Provide opportunities for your students to reflect on their own work. … Read More
Beat Overwhelm with a Goal Setting System That Works
TL;DR: The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a goal-setting framework based on four critical components of execution: focus, leverage, engagement, and accountability. Focus and decide on only one or two goals that are most important to your success. Measure your success using a lead measure (predictive, proactive, and push you closer to your goal) rather than a lag measure … Read More
The Art of Reflection
TL;DR: Reflection informs our thinking and supports continuous growth. Reflect on your priorities, core values, personal and professional goals, and determine your next steps. Tools for reflection include journaling, meditating, walking/hiking, art, sticky notes, exercise, blogging, and more. Fifteen weekly reflection questions for educators are shared. When teachers and students transitioned to remote learning, social distancing, and working from home, … Read More
Think Better: Where Do I Begin?
TL;DR: Introduction to a new series: Think Better. Understanding that our thoughts are powerful and have meaning can provide many benefits to educators. Think better by understanding how growth happens, not overanalyzing, and focusing on today. What does it mean to think better? Through my lens, it means using our thoughts to propel us forward instead of holding us back. … Read More
Involving Families in Goal Setting and Reflection
TL;DR: The value of family involvement in goal setting and reflection. A low-tech method for involving families. A technology-based reflection tool for involvement of families. When it comes to goal setting, it’s important that we make it relevant and authentic for our students. Beyond that, we also have to involve their families. “It takes a village to raise a child.” … Read More