"Many people believe only two kinds of people exist in the world- those who are creative and those who are not." (Burgess p.33)
"If people knew how hard I worked to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."- Michelangelo
We've all seen a teacher exhibit amazing skills in the classroom and think he or she is just a natural born SUPER teacher. Not so! That's like saying someone is a natural born petroleum engineer. You can't discount the years of practice, effort, and their personal and professional passions that have been developed to enable them to have those skills.
"What is this creative process? To a large extent, it is the process of consistently asking the right questions."
Burgess goes on to say that creativity isn't luck or genetics, it's HARD WORK! Planning! Research!
Instead of asking how you're going to keep your students awake today, your question should sound something like this:
"How can I make this lesson outrageously entertaining, engaging, and powerful so that my students will never forget it and will be desperate to come back for more?" (Burgess p.43)
When ideas start coming for lesson ideas- write them down! You can't implement what you don't remember! Make sure you have some type of material with you at all times to be able to document when ideas strike. Keep an ideas note pad with you or use one of those apps on your smart phone. I have a Notes app that was on my phone when I got it. I use it all the time to jot ideas down for PD, conversations, building initiatives, etc as they come to me, I've even used the Voice Recorder feature that transfers speech to text to get a idea down when I'm diving. Additionally, I keep a running document on my home drive at school Titled "New Ideas/ Thoughts". I'm always so glad I have these ideas written down because as my mind gets on other things I'm sure I would forget them or at least the details behind them.
Whatever you use to remember your ideas, keep it simple. You're writing them down for two reasons 1. To remember them and 2. to validate them. If you take the time to write them down, you are giving them worth.
Discussion question #1 - Where/ when do you get your best ideas? what do you do to remember them?
Here are a few of my "take away" points from the rest of the chapter Ask and Analyze:
"If you haven't failed in the classroom lately, you aren't pushing the envelope far enough. 'Safe' lessons are a recipe for mediocrity at best." (Burgess p.48)
" The key to failing without quitting is to shift your paradigm to believe there is no such thing as true failure- only feedback." (Burgess P 48)
" Don't get so wrapped up in what you're doing that you fail to see the feedback that is being constantly provided by your audience."(Burgess p.48)
" Try to evaluate and learn from that feedback without taking it too personally." (Burgess p.48)
A bad lesson will not kill you. In fact, your teaching career and the students in your classroom CAN'T handle you giving up after one attempt, never to try again!
"Any endeavor that doesn't hold the possibility of failure can't accomplish anything meaningful" (Burgess p 49)
Robert F. Kennedy once said, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
Transformation
This chapter focused on making a change in your classroom set up and in your lessons...transforming from good to remarkable!
"Remarkable means that you are so exceptional and different that people talk about you- in a good way." (Burgess p.56)
Burgess asks us to consider these 2 questions in our quest toward transforming from good to remarkable::
- If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching in an empty room? WOW! This is the quote that drew me to this book! I've thought long and hard about it since seeing it. It's so simple yet very profound. What a great way to truly evaluate and self- reflect. As a principal I ask myself "Is our school a place that students, staff and parents are beating down the doors to get in.... and not out?" Are we engaging enough that students rush to get to their classrooms and seats? I think a good place to start is using the rapport you've established with students and your passion as a foundation to carry you through on even the least favorite of your topics/to teach.
- Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for? This one is a little easier. I think we've all have some of these lessons. The lesson we wish others could witness...especially administration doing an unannounced evaluation :) . Trust me... we have plenty of teachers in this building that I could sit and watch all day. In fact many times I leave classrooms aching to be back as a teacher because the whole lesson was engaging even to me as an evaluator !
There's no way that each and every lesson is going to fulfill both of those questions. However, we can make sure that every lesson is worthy of learning if we can focus on 2 things: Positioning and Reframing.
Positioning:
Putting your information in the front of your students' minds... and keeping it there!
"Why should our students bother to learn what we are teaching?"
"It's easy to see why so many teachers use what I call the 'medicine approach'. They say "I know this stuff is hard but if you don't learn this stuff you can't be successful at the next level." (Burgess, 61)
"They are positioning their lesson like it is bitter medicine that must be swallowed in order to get better." (Burgess, 61)
The author suggest that you position your content as if it is amazing!
"If you can't explain why someone should pay attention to what you're saying, maybe you shouldn't be saying it." (Burgess, 62)
We all want to know the purpose behind learning something new. "Why do I need to know this" was always a famous question or "Will I ever need this information again?" Providing the WHY - or the purpose - allows students to put meaning behind the topic. Dave provides examples of how companies use this tactic often to 'stand out' in the noise of society.
Our mission is to provide meaningful learning experiences to make students "linger on learning".
In your classroom make sure you have the information students need front-and-center, along with yourself! Bright colors, sounds (music maybe?), pictures... something to catch the eye! Make it pleasing and interesting. Make it stand out in the noise of life.
Re-framing:
"Re-framing involves providing a new context for the material that helps to break down the negative associations many students come to class with."(Burgess p.62)
In other words, re-framing is taking something that might not seem great, and turning it into something magic. Your students might think they hate math, but that's because they've never experienced math your way! Sometimes all a lesson needs a just a spoonful of sugar - Mary Poppins' style. Whatever you use, make it worth your time and more importantly, their time!
Discussion Question #2- How have you used Positioning or Re-framing in your teaching?
ENTHUSIASM
If you're not enthusiastic about your lesson, how can you expect your students to be?
"If you apply nothing else form this book, but you consistently ramp up your enthusiasm level in the classroom, you will be far ahead of the game and a dramatically better teacher." (Burgess p.65)
"An enthusiastic teacher can learn technique, method, and strategy, but it is almost impossible to light a fire inside the charred heart of a burned-out teacher." (Burgess p.66)
So, how can we be enthusiastic teachers/leaders day after day without becoming completely burned out?
- Fake it: Sometimes you just don't feel it, and that's ok. That doesn't mean, however, that you're off the enthusiasm-hook. Your students still need you to be at your best. So, fake it. The plus side of faking it is that eventually you'll manage to fool yourself as well. It's like laughing. Your brain can't distinguish between a real or a fake laugh, so you do it until your brain is convinced it's real.
- Change your focus: Burgess sums this idea up best when he writes: "As a teacher, your days comprise enough positive and negative experiences to either make you feel energized and amazing OR beat down and depressed. What you choose to attend to creates your reality...Make a conscious decision to focus on what empowers you" p 70
Your day is going to have plenty of ups and downs. The important thing is being able to focus more on the ups. If you're able to focus on something that makes you happy, it will help you keep your energy when you're faced with something less pleasant. Find an enjoyable aspect of the lesson you're teaching and it will help you sail through any more difficult times.
Discussion question #3: What do you do to help keep your enthusiasm alive?