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The Purpose of Passion:  What Can  Schools Learn from the Pro Bowl Make Over?

1/27/2014

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You don't have to be a football fan to learn from the National Football League.  The Pro Bowl has been the showcase for the best talent in the NFL.  And yet, it was almost cancelled for the lackluster, in fact embarrassing, performances that became the norm the last few years that didn't excite players or viewers.  Even the great Peyton Manning could only partially motivate the players to step up and give the fans a good show last year, so changes had to be made or it was going away.  And this year it appears at first glance that it worked.  So while I enjoyed the game last night, I kept wondering,  what can schools and educators learn from this much needed turnaround?

Before changes could be made, questions needed to be asked.  What was the purpose of the Pro Bowl?  Why was the Pro Bowl (once a competitive game of talent vs. talent) becoming a backyard game of touch football?  Where was the passion?  Did it happen because the game was moved up to fill the void between the last play-off game and the Super Bowl and no Super Bowl players could participate?  Was it because the contracts of highly paid players have taken away the monetary incentive to play to win?  Was the venue (Hawaii) too much like a vacation?  Was it because there was no "reason" to play well except for personal pride?  (ex: Baseball plays for home field advantage in the World Series)  Or are all players today just self-serving thugs and don't care about the intrinsic values of performing at a high level no matter what?

Except for the last one, which was a facetious jab at a minimal few (who are most likely NOT Pro Bowl players), there is probably some merit in each of these questions.  It was exciting to see that the solution was to not to make wholesale changes of the content (football), not provide more monetary incentives (that would not have been meaningful), but to change the delivery system.  The old AFC vs. NFC divisional rivalry didn't seem to be enough any more, so each team was created in a "draft" format which led to new combinations:  participants would play with and against different players - even teammates!   They put in some new rules - a way to try something new in a lower stakes environment.  They included rewards for great offensive performances and defensive performances which gave everyone something to shoot for.... and the award was a meaningful man toy - a shiny new truck!  Just these few simple changes made football relevant (fun) again for the players and the results were just what they hoped for - a higher level of competition in a game that could truly showcase the ability and skills of these very talented athletes!  Something new and relevant, created in a purposeful way, ignited passion and elevated the quality of the performance!  Everybody wins!

So what is the take away for educators?  Don't we have talented students who do not do well in our school settings or under perform on the high stakes tests that we require of everyone?  We ask ourselves why?  Sometimes it feels like they don't care. Maybe there is a disconnect between what we value, how we teach the content, and how learning is assessed.  So we must ask the hard questions -  Did we focus on results instead of the learning?  Is the learning relevant and thought-provoking?  When was the last time we did something new for the right reasons?  Did students lose their passion (or never find it) because we we failed to make the learning or the assessment meaningful?  How did we help our teachers learn and apply new instructional strategies to address the changing student culture?  As we examine our educational offerings for educators and students, we must consider what would be the most effective changes to implement if our purpose was to ramp up the quality of the the teaching that would positively impact student learning and student results.  In other words, improve the relevance and the rigor to increase the results.

Learning designs are delivery (instructional) methods that make the acquisition of knowledge and skills more efficient, effective and appealing (relevance).  What is the best way to produce the desired understanding of the content?  How do you know?   Are we finding ways to enhance the talents of all students so that they can demonstrate (apply) their understanding of the content?  Are we finding ways to help all students care about learning and showcasing their understanding in the best way possible?  Are we supporting educators in their learning that will translate to the classroom?  Are we relying on old ways to produce new results? Just as the Pro Bowlers seemed to not care until the game became more meaningful, perhaps the lackluster educational performances that we see are the result of an absence of making the necessary changes to the learning designs for both educators and students!

Solutions?  How about including more authentic learning and assessment.  Make it real!  The hands-on, practical experiences that many of us "oldies" had at home, back when we were kids, don't exist for many of our students today.  Society as we know it has changed with the influx of technology and the huge amounts of information that are available at the click of a button or touch of a screen.  We must teach them to think; to problem solve; to use the technology to work for us as we create and dig deeper, rather than just make everything faster.  All of these things make learning more meaningful and will result in a higher level of engagement. Consider the video games kids play and the many layers each player must uncover or build upon to achieve the goal.  This is an example of great thinking and problem solving using the knowledge and skills they have acquired over time.  Now we must help students bridge that understanding with that of the important educational content and skills that will help shape their future.   While memorizing is an important tool, it is not a meaningful end of learning, and one we have relied on much too often to assess understanding.  Knowing what to do with and when to use the ideas, skills, and concepts that we have learned is the key to uncovering the talents each of us possesses.  This must be learned by doing not memorizing.  

So whether you are a Pro Bowler with great talent, a struggling player, or somewhere in between, there is much to unlock and discover in the world where we learn, work, and live.  The key is to make it real - to provide incentives through the delivery system - to make the participation in the learning and the assessment of that learning meaningful.  Make that your next project, educators.  How will you change your school or classroom to make it an event in which students can't wait to participate?  Remember the lesson of the NFL.... they didn't throw out the Pro Bowl, but they tweaked it just enough to make it meaningful and accessible for all.  Our challenge is to create relevance and rigor to ignite (or rejuvenate) passion, and that folks, is a winning combination!

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What Are We Creating? 

1/16/2014

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"Create a life you can't wait to live."  This quote by Zig Ziglar says so much to me about our outlook, our passion, and our willingness to plan and act in a way to make that happen.  

Notice that the first part of this statement is about the action of creating - not about wishing it to happen or expecting others to make it happen for us.  We can be inspired by our own dreams and the encouragement of others, but each of us creates our present and our future by our dominant thoughts and the choices we make.  Whatever you do, wherever you live, or whatever your age, our choices determine our path.

Every action (or inaction) has a consequence - intentional or not.  Do we plan (and act accordingly) to succeed or set ourselves up for failure by failing to plan?  Do we live life with purpose and expectation of good things?  Every morning we wake up with a new opportunity to make a difference in our own life and the lives of others.  Do we take advantage of that opportunity by our intentions and our actions?  As you look in the mirror each morning, ask yourself, "What will I accomplish today?  How can I make a difference?  Who will I touch or influence?"

We must also recognize that not every plan will turn out as we intended, so we must anticipate roadblocks and be flexible when things go awry. These things don't keep us from our intended goal, but certainly may offer us a detour or a longer path.  Again, what will we do in response to these challenges?  Creating is messy. It takes time and effort.  It is much easier to buy a packaged product or follow someone else's lead, and sometimes that is OK to not reinvent the wheel. But make no mistake, SOMEONE took the time to do the creating, and we can't always assume that there will be something out there that will fill our need.  Creating does not ensure perfection, but it does give us a chance to control our own destiny.  

The action of creating should come with a vision, a plan, and ultimately a decision.  My dad used to tell me, "Not to decide is to decide."  Those are powerful words.  We can choose to sit back and wait or we can choose to move forward.  But if we wait too long or are indecisive, the results are no longer in our control.  Choosing to create takes courage.  There is no one to blame but ourselves if something goes wrong, yet the success is ours as well.  When we create our own destiny, the reward seems so much sweeter. 

Purpose requires Passion.  "Change your thoughts and you change your world."  Norman Vincent Peale offers an important perspective that must be present if we are to "create a life we can't wait to live."  If you "can't wait to live," you are excited, eager, and enthusiastic!  And your attitude is contagious.... so so choose to be positive and passionate.  There are a multitude of quotes out there that encourage us to strive to think positively, so why not choose to have an attitude that will produce positive results?  One of my favorites is "Attitude determines our altitude."   Whatever thoughts dominate our consciousness will provide the framework for us to see possibilities, to achieve, and to persevere through the inevitable challenges that come our way.  Unfortunately too many of us choose to to be discouraged, fail to start or just simply, give up.  It is an ongoing internal battle to maintain this positive outlook.  Of course there are days when we are discouraged, but choosing to find that light at the end of the tunnel gives us a place to focus besides on our present situation.  Move forward with thought, word, and deed.  Rear view mirrors in cars are an  important feature, but the windshield is bigger for a reason.

We are educators.  Change happens to us every day, every school year,  without fail.  We often have no real say over the policies and decisions (that impact our schools and classrooms) made by voters, legislatures, board members, and others despite our best efforts to influence those decisions.  But no one else controls how we respond.  Every day we have the opportunity to make a difference in spite of the changes going on around us.  Choose to be a positive part of the change.  Choose to create a classroom, school or district where everyone is excited to go to work and to learn each and every day.  It begins with you.  "Choose to create a life you can't wait to live" and then spread that passion to everyone you meet!




 

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Time....to get writing again!

1/1/2014

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How Will You Spend Your Time This Year?

Peter Drucker, a well-known management consultant and author wrote, "Time is always in short supply.  There is no substitute for time.  Everything requires time...All work takes place in, and uses up time.  Yet most people take for granted this unique, irreplaceable and necessary resource." *

Time seems to have gotten away from me in the last 9 months.  My writing took place in the classes I taught, when planning for workshops, and in emails to friends.  I no doubt wasted a lot of my time as well.  So I as the clock ticks to midnight and the beginning of 2014, I have resolved to get back to writing regularly in my blog.  I miss the connection that I get from putting my thoughts on "paper."  To that end, today's topic is time... inspired by the fact I don't manage it as well as I once did; it's something everyone could use more of; and it's something rarely given despite its value.  

There is no greater gift than to give of one's time.  There is no greater resource when learning new things and making changes in one's practice than being allowed the necessary time to consider, plan, implement, reflect and revise.  Time is of the essence.  Time heals.  Time marches on.  Time can be frittered away, or used to do great things.  It only requires a moment to make a difference - to touch a heart, to share a smile, to do the right thing.  Time spent with our children, our significant other, our families and our friends is just as valuable for us as it is them.  There are many choices that we can make with our time....every day!  Consider how you might spend your time ....
  
A time to dream
   A time to do
      A time to relate
         A time to renew

                                         A time to inspire
                                             A time to prove
                                                 A time to consider
                                                     A time to move

                                                                                    A time to uncover
                                                                                        A time to review
                                                                                           A time to unlock
                                                                                               A time to make new

A time to give
    A time to receive
       A time to follow
          A time to lead

                                       A time to question
                                           A time to explore
                                               A time to cherish
                                                    A time to adore

                                                                                A time to reflect
                                                                                     A time to pray
                                                                                         A time to relax 
                                                                                             A time to play

A time to be sorry
    A time to forgive
       A time to commit
          A time to let live

                                             A time to laugh 
                                                A time to share
                                                    A time for silence 
                                                       A time to care

                                                                                 A time for courage
                                                                                    A time to retreat 
                                                                                        A time to overcome
                                                                                            The throws of defeat

How will you choose your time each day?
Who will you influence by what you do or say?
Choose to make a difference, to love and give thanks. 
Choose to be kind, find good, - leave nothing to chance. 

And when it is all said and done.....Time will tell.




*As quoted from The Best of Success:  A Treasury of Inspiration by Mac Anderson & Bob Kelly, copyright 2009, Simple Truths.

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    Author

    Vicki Bechard, 
    Owner and Lead Consultant

    I express myself best when I write, even though most who know me think I talk quite a bit!  

    I'm an educator first and foremost whether my students are kids, teachers, or my own children and grandchildren.  

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