A Spoonful of TED.comHelps the Changes Go Forward

9/23/2015

Thank you, Steve Knight.

Steve is a long time Chemistry teacher at Winthrop High School in Winthrop, ME. I worked for Winthrop High School from 2004-2009, and in that time I grew as an educator tremendously. One afternoon in 2006 (I think), Steve and I, who were collaborating as co-chairs of the NEASC accreditation process, were discussing our plans for the accreditation process, when Steve asked me, "Do you watch TED?"

"Ted who... Danson?" (I don't remember if I actually said this, but given my snarky nature and SUPERB wit (can't you tell?), I can totally see me actually saying this)

"No," said Steve, "TED.com. Every day during lunch, I need to get my TED fix. You should check it out."

TED.com changed my world. For the better. And I eternally owe it to Steve for showing me that door.

I'm not saying anything new, here. TED.com has been around for a long time, and has been referenced millions of times by educators. I know this. But everyone gets inspired. And everyone has their "go-to's" for inspiration.

I am in the middle of leading some massive paradigm changes in our school district (AOS #94):

Eliminating unhealthy grading practices (with the hopes of eventually eliminating grading at all).
Changing age-based "grade levels" to levels based on ability and proficiency.
Building a schedule and school structure around the student needs, not teacher capacity.
Focusing on complexity and depth over content and breadth.

... to name a few.

Many of the changes are slow to take hold. All of them come with a fight. The fights come from all sides, depending on the situation: students, parents, teachers, administrators, board members. These fights, though, are worth fighting, because the systems we are changing are in desperate need of updating and alignment. I am continually optimistic and idealistic that these changes will happen, given focus, drive, and consistent leadership.

So, what keeps me idealistic? What drives that optimism?

Coffee and comedy help. But so does TED.com.

When I get to the point that I feel like I'm losing hope in these changes actually happening (and this happens to me regularly), I purposefully go to get my dose of TED.com... a source of inspiration that Steve Knight gave me.

And then, I'm back. The optimist. The idealist. The optimistic-idealist that gets back to work to make these necessary changes actually take hold and work. Meaningfully. Systemically. For a long time.

Since I love lists, here's my top TED talks.

1) Ken Robinson

**OK... I admit to cheating here, giving two videos. But I couldn't pick which one I liked more, so... I chose both. It's my blog, and I can do what I want!

These videos both shocked and inspired me in terms of the need for creativity, depth, and innovation in our schools... and what are some of the potential root causes (unintentional and intentional) for why our students, teachers, and schools are falling behind in these areas.

2) Dan Pink

How might we engage our learners? How does motivation work? This talk by Daniel Pink discusses the nature of motivation. Keep this question in mind: how do we use "grades" in our schools? As carrots? Sticks? Both? And how's that working out for all kids?

3) Angela Lee Duckworth

How does success happen? Trial... error... more error... lots and lots or error. Getting through all of that error can be exhausting, and many students lack the stamina to push through. Grit is a key component of learning. In a standards-based learning environment, just because you didn't get there the first time, doesn't mean you're a failure... it just means you need to try again. And again. And maybe again. Let's celebrate and build THAT into our students.

4) Carol Dweck

** Do TEDx talks count? Yup! Again: my blog, my rules!

The power of "yet." Learning is a process; a continuum. Just because you didn't learn it today, doesn't mean you'll never learn it. This video goes hand-in-hand with Angela Lee Duckworth's.

5) Todd Rose

Standards-based learning environments often start and end with grading. We've used averaging for decades as a means (ha!) to that grading end. But when we average grades, how accurate are they?

6) Craig Messerman

Think Standards-Based Learning models are lowering the bar for our kids? What if the bar was already lowered, and the kids knew how to get over that bar without actually doing anything hard? What if we knew this, and didn't do anything about it?

7) Rita Pierson

This. Just: this.

All day, and everyday. This.

There's my list. What's in yours?

B-B-B-BONUS!

Reggie Watts

Because Reggie Watts.

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