8 #EduRisks Worth Taking

Taking risks means different things to different people. Sometimes they work out and sometimes they don't. This sort of culture only exists where support structures are in place and autonomy is front and center. Every day we should be asking ourselves this very important question: What risk did I take today? An #EduRisk could be something as simple as utilizing Google Docs in class so that students can collaborate on a project. Or changing the seating arrangements from rows to pods to promote more discussion. School and district leaders can take a risk by letting their staff and students know that failure is perfectly acceptable and that risk-taking is encouraged. The bottom line is that they only way we grow is by starting somewhere and then move forward. One of the hardest things to do is putting yourself out there and trying something new. It's incredibly uncomfortable and could potentially open you up to criticism. You know what? That's perfectly fine. Because at the end of the day you deserve better and more importantly our students deserve better. 

Here are eight examples of #EduRisks worth taking to promote the success of students and grow as an educator...

• Implement a Pineapple Chart initiative to encourage staff members to share best practices with each other on a consistent basis. You can learn more about this by reading Mark Barnes and Jennifer Gonzalez' book Hacking Education. 
  • Pro: Foster sharing among faculty members 
  • Con: Educators have been living in isolation too long and might be reluctant to participate
• Start a Student of the Day initiative to recognize every single student in your school. I wrote about this initiative in a previous blog post that you can access here. 
  • Pro: Every students should be recognized for the great work that they do on a daily basis. 
  • Con: Some may say that not every child deserves to be recognized. 
• Leverage the power of social media to tell your classroom, school, or district story. Informing stakeholders of school happenings in real time via Twitter or Facebook can do wonders with support a healthy online reputation. Read this blog post on branding in education. 
  • Pro: School stakeholders will stay well informed and educators have control of the story that is told. 
  • Con: Some might say that the virtual transparency might be raise privacy issues and that social media has no place in education. 
• Start an Advisory Program in your school. Research says that every child needs an adult advocate. There is no better way to do this then by having staff members connect with kids through character building activities. Learn more about Black River Middle School's advisory program by clicking here.
  • Pro: Students and teachers develop stronger relationships with each other.
  • Con: Some may say that Advisory is just another thing that we have to do and parents should be the one's raising their children. 
• 1:1 Chromebook Rollout or making devices accessible to every student should be strongly considered. Through creative funding, grant opportunities, or allowing personal devices in the building will help build momentum toward an innovative learning environment. 
  • Pro: Students can learn and show what they know about the topic at hand in ways once thought unimaginable. There are so many ways that students can drive their own learning when having access to devices. 
  • Con: Devices do not belong in the school setting. Students can do bad things with computers. Districts should not be funding digital curriculum, infrastructure, and devices. 
• Student Roundtable discussions provide school leaders with an opportunity to see what is working well and areas of improvement. It's important to remember that school is about students not about what makes adults happy. Selecting a group of about 12 students from across multiple grade levels and meeting with them on a monthly basis can work wonders. Tip: let them build part of the agenda by using a tool like Google Docs. 
  • Pro: Moves school forward in a positive direction by incorporating student voice in the decision making process. 
  • Con: Some people think that students might rule the schools if they are giving too much voice or power. 
• Choice in all about how students are able to show what they know about a given topic. When students are given the autonomy to show what they know from a tech and not tech perspective more often than not productivity will rise. Providing a list of options for students gives them the power to choose how they learn and be assessed. 
  • Pro: Students can thrive within various learning experiences when given the option of creating iMovies, PearDeck presentation, designing and printing on a 3D printer, or using Blendspace to flip learning. 
  • Con: Some may say that all learning experiences and assessments should be standardized so that all students are on an even playing field so that their progress can be gauged accordingly. 
• Seating arrangements should promote collaboration. Classrooms should not resemble a cemetery where seats are situated in rows. Teachers should be the guide on the side and promoting discussion about important topics. Some control of learning should be given to students through tech and non tech ways. 
  • Pro: Students will be much more comfortable and engaged when learning in a space that promotes collaboration, discussion, reflection, and creation. 
  • Con: Some may say that discipline issues will arise if students are given free reign to sit in pods as opposed to rows. 

The time is now to take an #EduRisk and create learning experiences that are memorable and meaningful. It's a team effort and will pay off in the long run. The whole point is to create an environment that students will remember for a lifetime and twenty years down the road can look back and speak fondly of their time in school. 

Brad Currie is the author of All Hands on Deck: Tools for Connecting Educators, Parents, and Communities and the newly released Personalized PD: Flipping Your Professional Development. He is one of the founding partners of Evolving Educators LLC. Brad is a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader and Google Certified Trainer. Brad currently serves as a K-8 Supervisor of Instruction and Dean of Students for the Chester School District in Chester, NJ. He is a Google Certified Trainer and speaks nationally about tech integration. Learn more about Brad by following him on Twitter @bradmcurrie or visiting his website at www.bradcurrie.net.