Congrats, you have...SHAPESHIFTER SAVVINESS!!
Watch the video below for a short-n-sweet recap of your results!
Want Top-Flight Resources?
To complement your unique teaching talents (i.e. your special superpower!), I've curated a tailored set of resources just. for. you.
Shapeshifter Savviness :
On any given day, if an administrator were to peer into your classroom, he or she would struggle to find you...and that's because you're usually bent low in a huddle of students, coaching them through their work, rather than standing-to-deliver at the front of the classroom.
Students are perched in any corner of the room, dialed in and working to the tune of soft deadlines. A collaborative spirit fills the air as they swap and share tactics amongst each other.
If you starred in a teacher-movie, you'd be:
Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society
But perhaps the best part about your superpower is this...
When it comes to learning truly, madly, deeply with your students, you let nothing get in the way.
No test is too big, no individual need is too small; you let nothing get in the way of your students' best interests and genuine happiness while under your care.
Three cheers for your foundationally firm yet flexible nature because, hint: this field needs you!
Like Superman,
we all have our Kryptonite...
- The standards struggle is real...you find yourself caught between the two worlds of high-performance and high-interest, so decision-making can be tough.
- The very thought of uttering 'no' not only weakens your knees, but it also cripples your weekend plans.
- Involved as you are, the chances of stretching yourself too thin run high.
Well, hot dog!
It must be lucky-tray day in the cafeteria!
ENTER ...
YOUR TAILORED, SUPERHERO BLUEPRINT
because every great leader needs a plan...
Now that we've drilled down into your core teaching talents, why not use this knowledge as power?! It's time to spring into action and level-up learning.
Like Lucius to Batman, or Edna to the Incredibles, I've been working on some new gadgets to enhance your awesome capabilities.
Here are the blueprints:
Strategy 1 | Go beyond engagement. Aim to empower.
With your style, energy, and warmth, there's no doubt your students are engaged. Now it's time to pivot toward an even greater instructional cause...empowerment.
Show your students just how powerful their voices are, for instance, by getting their work in front of authentic audiences!
Beyond grades, college credits, and exams, how can your students use the communication skills they're learning to shift mindsets or purport change?
Follow your gut, and chase those projects, friend!
Strategy 2 | Talk with your curriculum map.
There's lots of talk about standards these days, but here's the legit word (you may not have heard) on the street...
There's a difference between standard-ized and standards-based.
In other words, your map (especially if dictated by someone else) is welcome to tell you which skills to teach...
But you--and your learners!--should be free to determine the content. This'll help you quit feeling like you gotta cover it all, ya' dig?
Strategy 3 | Innovate in sips.
Truth: you've got plenty of creative ideas to go around. You *live* to lesson plan!
But those ideas only get air time after you've managed all your other obligations.
So it's here I ask: why not do both?
As a winning strategy, focus on innovating INSIDE the box!
Just as exam black-out dates are sharpied into the calendar, block out some non-negotiable time per quarter to carry out your creative ideas.
It's not how much time you commit to meaningful learning, it's whether you commit at all that makes the impact!
Consider this your path toward maximizing instructional impact and leveling-up learning in your classroom.
Shazaam!!
Ok, Jill, sounds like a (super) plan, but how can I spring into action?
Resources, Just-for-You
Give your students learning experiences that actually translate into the real world *while* you check-mark your learning targets. Everyone soars!
Grab this resource and
give your students:
- a means for practicing writing beyond the status quo essay
- experience with modern communication platforms
- creative license + permission to innovate
- a voice + choice in the learning process
- the chance to actually apply what they're learning to real contexts!
