To put it simply, “Why” is the root of all change. Why do you get up every morning? Why do you go to bed at the time that you do? Why do you do things differently in the present that you did differently in your past? These are all questions at the heart of humanity and our … Continue reading The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been

One of the biggest concerns that we have as educators is the attention span of our learners. In a traditional lecture-based format, some lectures can span 15 minutes with activities, while others span 30 to 45 minutes and then the following day is work. Creating shorter self-paced video content allows for greater in class instruction time. This concept was implemented during the early onset of … Continue reading Pacing & Professional Learning

How can I help a learner develop a growth mindset? There are at least 100 diverse ways that this question can be approached. For starters, I must embody the growth mindset within myself. I must embrace my failures and shortcomings and accept them as growth opportunities. Secondly, I must be able to demonstrate this in the classroom. How do I demonstrate this in the classroom? This is where … Continue reading The Power of the Growth Mindset

One of the key terms used in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) model of learning WICOR strategy is inquiry. Why include inquiry in this learning model? As we have learned throughout the entirety of this course, questioning opens the pathway to many different doors within student learning. To prepare learners to have curiosity and a questioning disposition, you must awaken the inner inquire within them. That desire … Continue reading Inquiry Based Learning

When did it become acceptable to teach state standards instead of life standards? The single greatest fear I have in life is the dumbing down of America. We are making kids are better drones than actual critical thinkers. Douglas Thomas established early on in his video that, “learning is a natural process that happens every day from the day you’re born … Continue reading State Standards vs. Life Standards

Adding activity’s doesn’t always guarantee learning. While Kinaesthetic learning is one of the many areas in which our  learners commit new material to memory, this method if not combined with meaningful investment on the learner simply means that they are just moving their arms or legs for an activity. Activities on Best Buy focused on a specific goal for the liner to achieve. That is how … Continue reading Collaboration for the sake of collaboration

A Houston-based teacher and comedian has defined his career of the following quote.  “I am professionally developed!”Eddie B. What he means by this statement is that he is qualified and trained to do the job that he has been said to do. Teachers consider professional development a waste of time. That’s a bold statement, so … Continue reading “I am professionally developed!” 

Discipline #1: Focus on the Wildly Important Goals (WIG) Discipline #2: Act on the Lead Measure Discipline #3: Create a Compelling Scoreboard Discipline #4: Create a Cadence of Accountability The whirlwind of life is such a significant factor because everyone is caught in the storm. There is an enough time to work, breathe, eat, work out, sleep, and exist in the world. The whirlwind of life makes strategy execution complicated because there … Continue reading The 4DX Overview