Category: Learning
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What K-12 Got Right About Leadership Development That Corporate America Is Still Figuring Out.
The last corporate leadership workshop I attended had a breakout session on psychological safety. The facilitator called it a breakthrough concept. I smiled — because I’d spent the better part of two decades as a school principal, building it into every staff meeting, every coaching cycle, and every difficult conversation with a struggling teacher. Education…
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Snacks, Seat Time, and the Illusion of Learning
Organizations spend billions on professional learning every year while quietly accepting that very little of it will actually change what people do on Monday morning. More specifically, when professional learning is a standalone activity, the intended outcome is left entirely up to the participant’s ability and desire to internalize and implement the learning. Facilitators come…
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Relationship-Focused Education
The current understanding of effective teaching and learning emphasizes voice, engagement, and rigor as crucial to deep learning. Building relationships, relevance, and rigor (as framed by Dagget) are essential. It’s not just about teacher-student relationships, but also student-student and adult-adult connections are crucial. These relationships are rooted in a social contract of respect, trust, empathy,…
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Mistakes Make Our Brains Learn
During a classroom visit, I witnessed 3rd-grade students collaborating on a math problem. When the assigned scribe made a mistake, a student advocated for correcting it, emphasizing that mistakes help us learn. This mindset, embraced by the class, promotes learning and growth, and is valuable for adults in all aspects of life. Embracing mistakes as…