Archive for the ‘Leadership Books’ Category

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler explains what you can do for your own thinking and that of your students to be truly limitless. It draws on educational and brain research that points out that the brain changes when we learn. There is also a focus on the power of mistakes, how changing your mind can change your reality and the benefits of collaboration. Flexible thinking is better than fast thinking and learning is more effective when it is multidimensional. Although Jo comes from the field of math, this book is valuable to all educators and all people.

Introduction: The Six Keys

• We know that the brain changes over time. The concept is called neuroplasticity. This means that if you get stuck when you are trying to learn something, it’s important that you not start thinking that your brain isn’t made for that type of learning. The most common type of learning anxiety that impacts about half of the population is math anxiety. Some also suffer from writing anxiety or think that they have no artistic skills. As the title suggests, everyone should think that their mind and their ability to learn is limitless rather than fixed. This agrees with Carol Dweck’s concept of the growth mindset. See my summary of her book here. When you hit a limit, you need to develop a new strategy rather than quit. Reject stereotypical messages and keep going. Praise students for hard work and creativity rather than telling them they are smart. Above all, make sure they know that you believe in them.

1. How Neuroplasticity Changes Everything

• For the last twenty years or so we have known that the human brain is constantly changing. The brain you have today isn’t the one you woke up with yesterday. We don’t come prewired to be good at some things and bad at other things. We ALL have to work to form and reinforce the neural connections we need to do our jobs and live our lives. The big lesson is don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t learn something and be good at it.
• Boeler sites research that shows how learning disabilities can be overcome with the right kind of brain training. Check out her site at YouCubed.org for more information. There are inspirational stories here about people who were told they couldn’t do something and ended up doing great things. Most schools also have gifted programs. The idea that you can identify some kids as gifted reinforces a fixed-brain way of thinking. Gifted kids can benefit from gifted programs, but when they struggle they are likely to give up thinking that their fixed brain has reached its limit. Regardless of what kind of brain you are born with, what you learn will depend on how hard you work and struggle, not what you started with. Jo also writes about how stereotypes regarding women and minorities can lead to lower expectations and lower achievement.

2. Why We Should Love Mistakes, Struggle, and Even Failure

• The times we struggle and make mistakes are the best times for brain growth. Teachers need to promote this concept and learn how to make students struggle. People who face struggle and stop no doubt have a fixed mindset. Students should know that they don’t always have to be right as it’s not good brain exercise. Schoolwork should be challenging. You learn at the edge of your understanding, which shouldn’t be too easy.
• Self-testing and peer-testing are valuable, as retrieval reinforces your brain’s memory circuits. The steps of struggle include, I don’t know this, this isn’t easy, I’m confused, I need to work hard on this, and I think I’m getting it. All of this is true even for kindergarten or younger. Understanding the positive benefits of mistakes can unlock a limitless life. You don’t want to let children give up to save them from struggle as your efforts are likely to backfire. Rather, support them as they struggle. Never give up on any student. See challenge as an opportunity. Change your negative self-talk to positive self-talk. Be guided by your interests, not your fears.

Share this:

Moonshots In Education: Launching Blended Learning in the Classroom by Esther Wojcicki (Woj), Lance Izumi, et. al. explains how technology can be blended with more traditional teaching methods to allow students to have some control of their learning content, style, place, time, and pace. It shines a light on innovative schools and countries, and generally ineffective teacher training. This belongs in every school and every parent’s hands.

Forward by James Franco

• The power of online learning is due to immediate feedback, the student owning some of the learning, and the teacher playing a less central role. Blended learning is online learning used in conjunction with classroom learning. There is some element of student control over time, place, path and pace. According to Woj, the opportunity for blended learning is now. This is a moonshot moment!
• The key ingredient for this kind of change is courage on the part of teachers and administrators. They need to trust students as they traditionally haven’t. Too many teachers today are scripted and teach to the tests. Parents are also overly protective of children and seldom even let them play outside unsupervised. Even when computers are used they often provide electronic worksheets, and many districts block rich learning resources like YouTube. Classroom whiteboards serve to reinforce the central position of the teacher as the “sage on the stage.” We need to teach students to search intelligently and understand the results of their searches. They must determine the credibility of the information they find and separate fact from opinion.

Part 1 – 1. The Online Learning Revolution

• Three things make it powerful. They are: 1) there is immediate feedback 2) the students own the learning 3) the teacher does not play the central role. Blended learning involves online learning in conjunction with classroom learning. The online part allows for some element of student control over time, place, path or pace. Woj feels that the opportunity for blended learning is now and it is a moonshot moment.
• School cultures need to change and it will take courage for teachers and administrators to make the necessary changes. It requires more trust in students and not scripting teacher behavior on a daily basis. Keep in mind that culture change is the hardest thing to do.

2. What is a Moonshot?

• Moonshots involve goals that are difficult to achieve, perhaps seemingly impossible. The main goal of this book is to help teachers “shoot for the moon.” To quote JFK, “We choose to do this not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard”.

Share this:

Never Send a Human to Do a Machine’s Joe: Correcting the Top 5 EdTech Mistakes by Yong Zhao, Gaoming Zhang, Jing Lei, and Wei Qiu explores the fact that technology hasn’t transformed education as much as it has transformed other sectors. Here the authors point out the reasons and suggest a new approach.

Introduction

• The authors have recognized five basic mistaken approaches and devote a chapter to each. The first is that technology could replace teachers rather than replace just certain functions. The second is the focus on using technology to consume information rather than as a tool for creating authentic products. Third is the focus on using technology to prepare students for standardized tests. Next is using the technology as curriculum rather than teaching digital competence. Finally, professional development usually focuses on teaching teachers how to use new tools rather on the needs of students. In the final chapter the focus is on redefining the relationship between humans and machines with a thoughtful analysis of what humans do best and what should be relegated to technology.

1. The Wrong Relationship Between Technology and Teachers: Complementing in an Ecosystem Versus Replacing in a Hierarchy

• In a hierarchy approach, one looks for something better to replace the status quo. In education, there have been hopes that emerging technologies could replace teachers. In an ecosystem approach, the effort is to see what each component does best. In other words, teachers need to find their niche doing things they do better than technology. Teachers can solve unstructured problems, work with new information, and carry out non-routine tasks. They can also deal with social and emotional interactions. The big role for technology is to help the teacher personalize instruction. This involves using technology to assist in diagnosis and to provide a pallet of tools they can prescribe to each student. One-to-one computer initiatives make this kind of personalization possible as do flipped classroom approaches.

2. The Wrong Application: Technology as Tools for Consumption Versus Tools for Creating and Producing

• Technology can be used to consume information or it can be used to create, communicate, and collaborate. For teachers who live by doling out information and expecting students to regurgitate it back, technology looks like an excellent knowledge provider. The standardized tests feed the consumptive use. To take better advantage of technology teachers have to shift their role from provider to facilitator and many aren’t interested.
• If you believe that students construct knowledge as they navigate a learning environment, using technology to do projects and make things should accelerate learning over the passive consumption approach. But many schools don’t allow students to bring devices to class and many also block sites such as YouTube that offer many opportunities. Innovative schools have students blogging and creating their own YouTube videos. The rise of Maker Spaces has also allowed for more creativity and creation. Students who put their work online can also get more feedback than any teacher can provide.

Share this: