Author: Aaron Hogan

I Feel Like a Fake

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

Confession time–I feel like a fake.

Earlier this week I decided to take on a new challenge: sketchnoting. I saw a tweet that pointed me to some resources and provided a few manageable first steps.

That afternoon, I found a copy of Mike Rohde’s The Sketchnote Workbook in town and bought a stylus to help me out (because, let’s be honest, I need all the help and confidence I can get). I got to work, and to make a long story short, here’s what I was able to put together by the end of the night:

IMG_0440Since I was pretty proud of how much I had accomplished, I shared my work with the world.

That looks great, right? I’m no artist, and that looks like I’m at least competent (if you disagree, you’re probably right… but no need to crush my dreams here). It looks great to see that eight hours after first considering the idea I’m taking care of business with a halfway decent sketchnote that’s ready to be shared on Twitter, right? But there’s a problem with this.

The problem is that if you look at where I actually started, it looks something more like this:

IMG_0441
The actual first attempt–practicing writing my letters (and not doing a great job)

I wasn’t about to share that. That’s what I work on with my 3 year old; it’s not what I need help with.

Except that it is.

It’s exactly where I needed to start. I needed the basics, and I  needed the eraser end of that stylus more than anything.

It didn’t take long for me to realize (1) that it was good for me to be working on something I enjoyed that stretched me and (2) that I needed to be more honest about my weaknesses and limitations

There’s no place for shame in learning. (tweet this)

There’s a lot of talk about the value of risk in education right now. It’s hard to spend much time reading online without coming across something–a new study, a new TED talk, a new insight in a tweet–that doesn’t touch on the value of trying something new.

But my experience hiding my first steps that I wasn’t proud of made me begin to wonder this:

At what point does an educator’s talk about risk become a safe place for him to hide? (tweet this)

We like safety, but I think we’ve done a good job of bringing the value of risk into our conversations. Still, I think we have room to grow in living out the implications of those conversations.

The frustrating thing to me is that I’ve been sitting on this “there’s value in risk/you can learn through failure” idea for far too long.

In the classroom, J.K. Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Address on the importance of imagination and the benefits of failure served as a point of departure for this conversation with students. Before I had every heard of Carol Dweck, I knew these ideas were important for people to consider. I don’t share that to say that I’ve been talking about this forever and it’s old hat for me. I share it to say that I’ve had this idea right in front of me since 2009, and I’ve done less with it than I should have.

Today is the last day of my contract for 2014-2015. We’re taking off on a little vacation for the better part of next week, but after we return, I am trying to set goals for professional growth that are fun and challenging. One of those is to get sketchnoting developed into a useful skill, but the bigger goal is to do what we so often ask teachers and students: try something new and learn through your failures.

I encourage you to do the same.

After all these years in education, what can you say?

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

Sometimes the bad things that happen in (1)
Educators aren’t immune to seeing greener grass elsewhere. It often feels like other people have it together. Maybe it’s that he can get anyone to behave in his classroom. Maybe it’s that she’s a master at this or that. Maybe it’s that she can get her grading done and manage to both see her family and sleep at night.

For many of us, this situation is complicated by rumors that float throughout the education community (things like “Year X will be when it gets easier” and other generalized half-truths).

On the way to school yesterday I heard a song by Andrew Peterson (@AndrewPeterson) that included these lines:

After all this time
I thought that the rhythms and the rhymes
Would come so easy
But it’s still so hard
It’s the same twelve notes, six strings,
And a million little mysteries
And one broken heart

As I listened to him sing these words about his expectations for himself, I began to realize that educators must feel the same way. There are only so many variables. I have my room, the skills I need to teach, and a group of students to teach. Sure, there are many variables, but the basics are the same, year in and year out.

You would think that it would get a lot easier, right? That it would be automatic.

I’m sure many educators let this roll off them without much thought. But I bet there are more than you’d think who are wondering if they are the only ones who haven’t figured it all out yet. Surely there are many thinking: Is it just me who hasn’t figured out how to make this easier?

All that got me wondering how educators would finish this statement: “After all this time…”

Would they say they still don’t sleep well before the first day of school? Would they say they’re still hopeful that this group of students will be the best they’ve ever had? Would they say they’re still having trouble balancing what they can give to their students with what they can give to their families? Would they say they’ve been given more than they could ever give back?

Here’s what I’d say after all my years in education (which, I know, is only 7, but I’m still phrasing this in these terms…):

After all these years in education
I’d think the lessons and the time would come so easy,
but some days it’s still so hard.
It’s the same struggles to help our kids succeed
and the same efforts to provide them what they need,
and, at times, it seems it takes more than I’ve got.
Though some days are tough and it seems easy to give up,
in hindsight,
no days serving students are a waste.

The reality is that our work as educators is tough. We do a great job of being positive in all sorts of different ways, and we have to keep that up. I think there’s room for us to be authentic about the struggles that come along with educating students without us being complainers, and I hope to open up some of that conversation with this invitation:

After all these years in education, what can you say? (tweet this)

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Conduct Your Orchestra Well

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

9There’s a lot of conversation about school branding happening among educators, and I think that’s time well spent. As a former English teacher, the idea that we both are engaged by and want to be part of meaningful stories isn’t a tough sell for me. How convincing our stories are for our audience greatly depends on our unity as we communicate our message to others.

If you’re the campus leader (or even a campus leader), you have more insight into the vision for your campus than other stakeholders. It’s both your privilege and your responsibility to communicate your school’s story clearly.

I can’t emphasize how important it is to be one voice as you communicate positively with your community. In some instances, an overwhelming majority can overcome a few naysayers, but with a school brand, we are more likely to understand the nuances of our communication if we consider this analogy:

Think of your school’s story as an orchestra that must be conducted. Everyone has a role to play. If parts are missing, the song is not what it should be. Someone who is listening can still follow along if everything isn’t perfect, even still appreciate what he or she is hearing. But the difference between an orchestra that is entirely in tune and one that is almost entirely in tune creates a substantially different sound.

Your role as a school leader is to conduct an orchestra worthy of the efforts your teachers put forth. If a section is out of tune, your story won’t reflect the hard work of the educators in your building. Yes, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that there will be inconsistencies. Yes, we all know there are hiccups throughout every school year. Still, it’s your job as a leader (from anywhere in the building) to serve others well and offer support where needed so that you’re all singing the same song again soon.

What elements of your brand need work? What will it take to conduct your orchestra well? (tweet this)

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Books Worth Reading: Coming Out Soon

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

BooksWorthReadingIt’s the last week of school in my district, and my to be read pile is calling my name. In case you don’t have your summer reading list finalized, I thought I would share a few of the books .

Each day this week, I’ll share a five books that I think are worth a look. Today’s post focuses on five titles that will challenge you over the coming weeks and months.

relationshipsI’m excited about a new book by Adam Sáenz and Jeremy Dew titled Four Ways to Connect (and Set Boundaries) with Colleagues, Students, and Parents. Relational dynamics in organizations (and especially in schools) are quite complicated, and I’m excited to be supported and challenged through their forthcoming text. The book is slated to be published in July.

hattieJohn Hattie, Deb Masters, and Kate Birch team up to bring us Visible Learning Into Action. The new collection takes an overwhelming amount of research and frames it in terms of case studies. I’m excited to see this new take on the Visible Learning research that has been so well done thus far, and I’m looking forward to its release in October.

passionateIf you’re not familiar with Pernille Ripp’s work, you’re missing out. She has a new book (well, it’s the second edition–but I’m excited nontheless) coming out in September. Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students will undoubtedly challenge educators to engage students in innovative and creative ways. I’m looking forward to its release in September.

breaking outAs I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of the Corwin Connected Educators Series. I’m excited about the next wave of titles, and I’m especially looking forward to Breaking Out of Isolation: Becoming a Connected School Leader. This title by Spike Cook, Jessica Johnson, and Theresa Stager looks to be a great entry point for educators who have been on the fringes of connecting with others.

standingThe final title is also from the Corwin Connected Educators Series. Lisa Dabbs and Nicol Howard bring us Standing in the Gap: Empowering New Teachers Through Connected Resources. I’m excited to see what tips Dabbs and Howard offer to new teachers! Both titles from the Corwin Connected Educators Series will be available in September.

Thanks for reading this far! If you’re reading, connect with me on Twitter (@aaron_hogan) so we can learn from each other online.

Be sure to check out the previous posts in this series on creativity and innovation, influencing school culture, curriculum and instruction, and connected leadership. Hope you enjoy some time reading this summer!

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Books Worth Reading: Connected Educators

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

BooksWorthReadingIt’s the last week of school in my district, and my to be read pile is calling my name. In case you don’t have your summer reading list finalized, I thought I would share the titles I’ve learned a great deal from recently.

Each day this week, I’ll share a five books that I think are worth a look. Today’s post focuses on five several titles (I couldn’t limit it to just five this time…) that will challenge you to be a connected educator.

connected educatorsFirst up is What Connected Leaders Do Differently. Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul, and Jimmy Casas collaborated to create a thorough yet streamlined text that explores the role of connected educators in today’s educational environment. Whether you are looking to get connected or are already swimming in the deep end, this book will challenge you to engage in new ways.

relevantThe same goes for The Relevant Educator by Tom Whitby and Steven W. Anderson. Both authors are connected leaders, and their text is a fantastic primer for any educators looking to get connected. The slim volume (it comes in at 65 pages in length) covers how to guide your professional development, choose the best social media options for you, and transfer your new knowledge back to your campus. This highly recommended text you can read in a sitting is part of the Corwin Connected Educators Series.

content curationContent Curation by Steven W. Anderson provides a great deal of insight for educators who are looking to sift through the vast amount of resources that are out there for educators today. He offers tips on platforms to use, ways to schedule posts, what to schedule, and why to take content curation seriously. If you’re drowning in the great resources out there or feel like you can’t keep up with all the good material, this is for you. Since it’s part of the Corwin Connected Educators series, this, too, is a quick read full of valuable resources.

I promise that I’m not connected to Corwin Press in any way; I just happened to have stumbled upon their collection and have benefited so greatly from their publications that I feel compelled to share. Here are three more you should check out.

blogging     prin pd     flipping

Shen_DigitalLeadershipNo list on connected leadership is complete without Eric Sheninger’s Digital Leadership. His authoritative text explores why schools must change, how they can make meaningful change happen, and how educators can help make the desired change a reality. He touches on communication, public relations, branding, reimagining learning spaces on campus and many more aspects of digital leadership that educators today wrestle with. Highly recommended reading!

Thanks for reading this far! If you’re reading, connect with me on Twitter (@aaron_hogan) so we can learn from each other online.

Be sure to check out the three previous posts on creativity and innovation, influencing school culture, and curriculum and instruction. Tomorrow’s post will feature five books on that are not out yet. I’m looking forward to their publication this summer, and I hope you do as well.

Hope you enjoy some time reading this summer!

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Books Worth Reading: Curriculum and Instruction

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

BooksWorthReadingIt’s the last week of school in my district, and my to be read pile is calling my name. In case you don’t have your summer reading list finalized, I thought I would share the titles I’ve learned a great deal from recently.

Each day this week, I’ll share a five books that I think are worth a look. Today’s post focuses on five titles that could challenge you to take the next steps with curriculum and instruction.

tlapTeach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess is a great place to start for fresh ideas about classroom instruction. This slim volume is packed with great information for new and veteran teachers. In addition, a great community exists on Twitter around the #tlap (like Teach Like a Pirate) hashtag. If you read one book on instruction, read this book.

ditchIf you’re ready for a change in your classroom, Ditch That Textbook is for you. Matt Miller’s recently released text highlights ways that educators can make changes in their classrooms for the better. Interested in more than incremental change? This is for you. Miller explores new mindsets and methods for adopting those in your classroom. You won’t want to miss it.

how we learnBenedict Carey’s How We Learn takes an educational spin on much of the research that has happened recently on the brain and how we learn. Carey makes his way through a great deal of research to provide readers with applicable tips for how they can learn best (and how they can help others learn well, too). He takes multiple factors that impact learning into account without dwelling on research or skimming along the surface of this important conversation.

focus on learningJim Knight’s Focus on Teaching offers a wealth of strategies for using video in the classroom. If you’re creating video in the classroom, you should read this. If you’re flipping your class, you should read this. If you’re an administrator looking to use video for coaching, you should read this. His highly readable text will benefit you now and for years to come. Check it out.

burkeMy final suggestion is Jim Burke’s What’s the Big Idea. Burke challenges educators to reframe units around questions. His big example is moving from a study of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men to an investigation of this question: Am I my brother’s keeper? This text was transformational for me when teaching English, and I hope that it is beneficial for you as well!

Thanks for reading this far! Be sure to check out the two previous posts on creativity and innovation and influencing school culture. Tomorrow’s post will feature five books on connected leadership. Hope you enjoy some time reading this summer!

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Books Worth Reading: Influencing School Culture

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

BooksWorthReadingIt’s the last week of school in my district, and my to be read pile is calling my name. In case you don’t have your summer reading list finalized, I thought I would share the titles I’ve learned a great deal from recently.

Each day this week, I’ll share a five books that I think are worth a look. Today’s post focuses on five titles that could help spur you on to lead change in campus culture from any corner of the building.

school culture rewiredSchool Culture Rewired by Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker is required reading for anyone looking to make significant change in the prevailing attitudes on a school campus. This text will help you walk through the steps required to initiate an influential change on campus without bogging down into the minuscule details and minutiae that drags other texts down. If you only read one book on school culture, read this one.

power of brandingIf you read two books on school culture (and you really should because this one is a great one), the second should be The Power of Branding by Tony Sinanis and Joeseph Sanfelippo. This is the first title from the Corwin Connected Educators Series in this week’s posts, but it won’t be the last. If you’re not familiar with the series, they offer targeted help for connected educators with useful, easy to implement strategies to improve nearly every educator’s skill set. Telling your school’s story can’t be undervalued; this is a great place to learn how to do that well.

art of coachingElena Aguilar’s The Art of Coaching is a great text for educators looking to change the way help is offered to teachers. A coaching model can be transformative for a campus, reshaping our mindsets about how we learn as educators and forcing us to realize the uncomfortable feelings many of our students associate with dealing with their imperfections. This isn’t the only coaching text, but it’s a great place to start your journey into this mode of thinking.

how google worksThis might seem like an odd choice, but How Google Works has had as much impact on me when considering school culture as anything I’ve ever read. As you might expect, you’re not going to find any information about programs, policies, or education lingo here, but the mindset that makes Google so impactful is evident on every page. Authors Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg are experts in their field, and they are both wildly intelligent individuals. We would benefit greatly from listening carefully to their take on what makes Google work.

work rulesWork Rules gives more specifics to the overview provided in How Google Works. Laszlo Bock takes time to get into the nitty gritty of how to shape an organization. Again, you’re going to find a model here that can be transferred to your campus, but you’re not going to see a plan specific to schools. This one isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoyed How Google Works at all, I recommend you at least check this out to see if you’re interested.

Thanks for reading this far! Be sure to check out yesterday’s post on 5 books about creativity and innovation. Tomorrow’s post will feature five books centered around curriculum and instruction. Hope you enjoy some time reading this summer!

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Books Worth Reading: Creativity and Innovation

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

BooksWorthReadingIt’s the last week of school in my district, and my to be read pile is calling my name. In case you don’t have your summer reading list finalized, I thought I would share the titles I’ve learned a great deal from recently. Each day this week, I’ll share a five books that I think are worth a look.

Today’s post focuses on five titles that could fan the flames of creativity and innovation on your campus and for you as a professional!

inquiryA.J. Juliani’s Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom is a great place to start the conversation about making changes for the better for students. If you’re looking for fresh ideas on 20% time, genius hour, and PBL, this is for you. It also serves as a great intro to each idea if you’re looking for a primer on any of the topics.

20timeIf you find that 20% time or genius hour is something you’d like to learn more about, Kevin Brookhouser’s The 20time Project is worth investigating. Brookhouser explores why (because “we need wicked problem-solvers”) in the first half of his book before concluding with how to pull that off both in the classroom and across a campus.

creative confidenceCreative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley challenges readers to reimagine their previous conception of creativity. If you think you might be a creative person, but you’re not creative in the conventional sense of the word, this book will help you see where you (and others) truly are creative.

learning by choiceA.J. Juliani’s most recent publication, Learning by Choice, is required reading for anyone looking to include more student choice in the classroom. (And, let’s be honest, who couldn’t benefit from hearing more about choice in the classroom, right?) This has heavily influenced my beliefs about choice in professional development as well. I wish I had read it while in the classroom. Highly recommended!

creative schoolsFinally, Ken Robinson’s recent book, Creative Schools, offers readers an overview of creativity in schools with Robinson’s trademark wisdom and wit. His text is both readable and challenging, encouraging and motivational. It’s an easy read with big ideas for the reader to consider.

Tomorrow’s post will feature five books that deal with school culture. Hope you enjoy some time reading this summer!

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If you knew you would succeed, what would you try?

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

“If you're not prepared to be wrong,Conversation on the topic of innovation in education can be found at every turn. If you Google search it right now, you’ll get more than 350 million results. Articles abound (like this one from Edutopia) on the topic of innovation in education, and in seconds, anyone can find videos (like this that features Bill Gates) or lists of innovative educators worth following (like this one – look on page 15).

There’s something contagious and exciting about innovation. The best educators thrive in the search for serving students well, and that shows today more than ever.

Even with all these voices in the conversation promoting innovation, innovation is still a little intimidating for me.

It’s not that I don’t want to take part in it. I led the charge to change our bell schedule moving into this year to give our teachers opportunities to help students who were tough to catch up with before and after school (probably equal parts “I won’t” and “I can’t” make it in for help outside of school).

Still, these moments, and probably many others, stand in the way of getting a great idea off the ground:

  • The moment when you convince yourself that this isn’t crazy.
  • The moment when you convince yourself that it is, but we’re going to try it anyway.
  • The moment when you first share the idea and someone else is excited with you.
  • The moment when your first (well meaning) critics arise.
  • The moment when the naysayers and yabbuts (you know, the ones who say, “yeah, but” all the time?) enter the conversation.
  • The moment when your idea begins to get traction.
  • The moment when you put your idea out there for a superior (who likely has the power to approve or nix the whole thing)

In many cases, it’s our fear of failure (or fear of being seen as a failure) that limits our willingness to take those risky first steps toward meaningful change and innovation in our schools.

I don’t like to lose. I just don’t like it. And every time I toss an idea out there that doesn’t stick, I feel as if I’ve lost. That’s something I’m working on.

It’s been helpful for me to think about this in view of this question: If you knew you would not fail, what would you try?

That’s my question for you today. Think about where you are, what you’re faced with, and what you’re not pursuing because of what might happen.

What would you do if you knew you would be successful? What would you try? What ideas would you entertain?

Would you be willing to teach a tougher group of students?

Would you be willing to revamp your entire course? A unit? A lesson that’s never been up to par?

Would you be willing to look at students differently? Teach them behavior as well as you teach your academic content?

Would you be willing to admit that you don’t have it all figured out?

What questions would you ask?

What would you most enjoy doing that fear of failure is stopping?

As you think about the risks you could choose to take, consider this question I saw earlier this year from A. J. Juliani (@ajjuliani):

“What if we started asking, ‘What’s the best that could happen,’ rather than ‘What’s the worst that could happen?'”

5 Things We Need to Quit Pretending

Posted on by Aaron Hogan

I stumbled upon a couple of posts over the weekend highlighting 5 things we need to stop pretending in education. Here’s my contribution (in no particular order).

We need to stop pretending…

1) That the way we talk about incoming students (new to a class or new to a school) has no impact on the way we treat them when they arrive. How we speak of people impacts what we believe about them more than most realize. If you’re not talking about how to welcome the next group in or how to help those students be successful, be wary of talking about them at all.

2) That compliant students are engaged in learning. I’m all for having students who are willing participants in class. Compliance can be a byproduct of engagement or willingness to fail or take on new challenges, but observing compliance doesn’t indicate with any degree of certainty that those good things are happening. We (yes, we, everyone responsible for what’s happening in the classroom) must look for more as we check to see that our students are challenged well during their learning.

3) That behavior doesn’t need to be taught and retaught. We know that brains forget academic content, and most likely, we’re doing things in our classrooms to reteach even basic information like test taking strategies. Don’t believe me? Walk down the halls at your school the day before major tests (state mandated or otherwise) and look at the reviews teachers are leading. We need to use those same practices (teaching with great models, repeated review with variation for novelty, etc.) as we teach our students to be responsible decision makers in life.

4) That you can do your job as an educator well without taking some time to recharge. You need to take some time for yourself. Maybe you don’t need as much time as others on your campus. Maybe work is a lot of fun for you. Maybe learning is part of your relaxation. I’m ok with those lines of logic. But everyone (even you) needs to take some time to recharge. This is especially true as the students get tired. It’s not noble to tough it out; it’s not even what is best for students. Take care of yourself so that the tank isn’t empty when students need you most.

5) That we have it figured out. Anyone who isn’t looking to keep learning needs a wake up call, especially educators. You don’t need to be a 24/7 connected educator with an active PLN and PLC who participates in a book study or blogs every night you aren’t hosting a Twitter chat in order to say that you’re continuing to learn. Find what you’re passionate about, use it to stretch yourself as an educator, and share both the struggles and successes with other learners around you (both students and peers).

If you disagree with me, let me know. I’m happy to talk about my perspective and learn from yours.

I’m challenging @Mann4Edu, @J_Stew314, @stormyhickman1, and @BClarksonTX to share 5 things we need to quit pretending.

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