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Thoughts on George Cuoros Presentation at TCEA 2016


Deeper thoughts after a session with George Couros!


Innovative Mindsets 

It is more than New & Better
Not exactly Change all the time either,
It is more of being better at what you do.
You have to disrupt what you have BEEN doing, to be better. Disrupt your routine.YOU do it first. Have that meeting without paper if you want a paperless class to actually happen.

He quoted:

We need to find the best people & find job titles for them, not fit the people into the job titles.

Think about this:
1. Show what you are doing in class each day. What if we tweeted one thing?  What would it do to the learning of everyone?
2. Connect with another educator of same grade and learn from each other.  

It matters when you are sending it out to the world.  Suddenly you want to get it right. 
The freedom is powerful to share. Same thing with kids.


Rock Paper Scissors Game  - overcoming obstacles in a room when 500 educators play a game.
https://twitter.com/iEmpowerRC/status/695420583790530568


What if your dream job was opening up tomorrow? If they just googled you -  would you get the job?

If we don't start with the positive we will end up with this....
In 2040 there will be no presidential candidates because of negative media?


We need to be about more than making better students ... its about making better people.

For example when Martha blogged about her school lunches and it went viral because the school tried to stop her.  Her goal was to raise awareness about people and food, to raise $7,000 for a kitchen in Africa.  She raised $72,000!  You keep blogging Martha!! 


"If you are data driven= weakness focused" 

- it is like playing wack-a-mole with education.  

Focus on what you do well, build from there.


If all you do is the same thing others have done in the past, who will want to copy you?
 Think differently.








Who is your hero?  Do  your kids know?  Who will be their hero?  What will they come back to say about you? 

"No standardized test ever changed my life."
No teacher gets up every day - to go to school to suck either.

Its not about school, it is about learning.  The higher up the admin chain you go the more people you serve.  Can you sit in your class all day and do what you are asking kids to do?

We don't have to teach curious?  They walk in with that, but do they leave curious and wanting to know more....?  Why?

Nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm - Ralph Waldo Emerson



Our biggest barriers is ourselves.

Technology is not just a tool, that makes it optional. Technology will never replace great teachers.

"compliance isn't teaching" 

Image result for no cellphones in school  This tells kids you don't trust them at the DOOR! Change that!
Embedded image permalink


We need to create problem solvers - NO we need to create problem finder!
From Ewan McIntosh Blog: (speaker at TEDX)
Currently, the world’s education systems are crazy about problem-based learning, but they’re obsessed with the wrong bit of it. While everyone looks at how we could help young people become better problem-solvers, we’re not thinking how we could create a generation of problem finders.
And I’ve discovered just how many per cent of our learners are working in a problem finding curriculum.

http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2011/09/ewan-mcintosh-tedxlondon-the-problem-finders.html

Teach kids that failure is o.k.  We need to fail to learn.



We do not learn from experiences but from reflecting on those experiences.

Best way to have a good idea, is to have LOTS Of ideas
Know when to be the sage, and know when to get out of the way.

Twitter first graders teaching you how to use twitter.


Teacher posted kids singing in the choir - and now are famous choir. Do you think they want to get it right now? That is Gym Class Heros they are on stage with.



It is about your legacy.  What are you doing to empower learning?  What are you learning?  
What will kids come back and say to you?

The biggest game changer in education... is YOU - the teacher who asks what is best for this child?

Read more by George here:  http://georgecouros.ca/blog/








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