How do you exemplify the Innovator's Mindset? Consider the characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset, present three and discuss how they are reflected in your instruction or how you might change to better espouse these characteristics.
While I believe that we all have aspects of each characteristic, in my teaching environment there are four that I connect with. Yes, four! (Can over achiever be a characteristic?) It has been fun reflecting upon this mindset and below you will find how I embody, and can change my instruction.
1. Risk Takers
To truly be an innovator, one must be willing to take risks. While I think that this applies to my instruction, it is something that I want to grow in. While innovators take risks, they are calculated. Within my current classroom there is very small room for error. I have accepted that there is risk with everything within my school. Ever had a student throw a tantrum when there wasn't a free space on their sight word bingo? But the true risk comes from having the courage to do what is right for student learners even if it may not be the status quo. I have surrounded myself with many people who are risk takers and this will help me increase this characteristic in my instruction.
2. Observant
While I followed the order of the book, this is my second dominate characteristic. I think in order to have an innovators mindset it is essential to observe and process change. In my own practices I am often nose to the grindstone or in a routine for how research says students should/will learn. In my recent years teaching a class of second graders that are reading on a kindergarten level I have engaged in greater observation and response. In order for observant to apply to Innovators Mindset, I think it must partner with action.
3. Resilient
In order to embrace an innovators mindset, it requires great resilience. I think that this characteristic goes hand in hand with being a risk taker. While implementations of new tools and strategies may receive doubts, one needs to be unwavering. Risk taking includes risk and one must deal with the consequences. Sticking to your guns is challenging in education and when it involves innovation of instruction it requires greater strength. I show resilience throughout my teaching by applying the first two characteristics. When adapting new tools to deepen students learning through a new medium, it takes multiple attempts of taking risks, observing the outcomes, and either persevering to see how students adapt and grow, or reflection to edit and improve.
4. Reflective
This final characteristic of an innovators mindset is vital to an innovators success. Hence, why I could not stick to just three. In order for any innovation to take off, the innovator must take a step back and observe and reflect on the impact. This reflection is not simply a capstone, but rather an ongoing process. When I began teaching I would write three adjectives on the top of my lesson plans to help me think of how I could improve my instruction. This ongoing reflection is how an innovation evolves and increases the chance of success. It is far easier to address concerns in beta than in release. This is how I have treated a new tool in my class this year. I noticed how everyday copies were ran for morning work, behavior check lists, point sheets, number of the day and daily reflection writing. While this technology was nothing fancy and still required copying, I was able to create a catch all for our daily necessities. This tool has evolved to document student growth, parent communication and deepen second graders executive functions. While it is nothing brand new, it was a risk that I took to implement something new and extreme into classroom routines, and required resilience to train students in the implementation and accountability to this procedure.
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While I believe that we all have aspects of each characteristic, in my teaching environment there are four that I connect with. Yes, four! (Can over achiever be a characteristic?) It has been fun reflecting upon this mindset and below you will find how I embody, and can change my instruction.
1. Risk Takers
To truly be an innovator, one must be willing to take risks. While I think that this applies to my instruction, it is something that I want to grow in. While innovators take risks, they are calculated. Within my current classroom there is very small room for error. I have accepted that there is risk with everything within my school. Ever had a student throw a tantrum when there wasn't a free space on their sight word bingo? But the true risk comes from having the courage to do what is right for student learners even if it may not be the status quo. I have surrounded myself with many people who are risk takers and this will help me increase this characteristic in my instruction.
2. Observant
While I followed the order of the book, this is my second dominate characteristic. I think in order to have an innovators mindset it is essential to observe and process change. In my own practices I am often nose to the grindstone or in a routine for how research says students should/will learn. In my recent years teaching a class of second graders that are reading on a kindergarten level I have engaged in greater observation and response. In order for observant to apply to Innovators Mindset, I think it must partner with action.
3. Resilient
In order to embrace an innovators mindset, it requires great resilience. I think that this characteristic goes hand in hand with being a risk taker. While implementations of new tools and strategies may receive doubts, one needs to be unwavering. Risk taking includes risk and one must deal with the consequences. Sticking to your guns is challenging in education and when it involves innovation of instruction it requires greater strength. I show resilience throughout my teaching by applying the first two characteristics. When adapting new tools to deepen students learning through a new medium, it takes multiple attempts of taking risks, observing the outcomes, and either persevering to see how students adapt and grow, or reflection to edit and improve.
4. Reflective
This final characteristic of an innovators mindset is vital to an innovators success. Hence, why I could not stick to just three. In order for any innovation to take off, the innovator must take a step back and observe and reflect on the impact. This reflection is not simply a capstone, but rather an ongoing process. When I began teaching I would write three adjectives on the top of my lesson plans to help me think of how I could improve my instruction. This ongoing reflection is how an innovation evolves and increases the chance of success. It is far easier to address concerns in beta than in release. This is how I have treated a new tool in my class this year. I noticed how everyday copies were ran for morning work, behavior check lists, point sheets, number of the day and daily reflection writing. While this technology was nothing fancy and still required copying, I was able to create a catch all for our daily necessities. This tool has evolved to document student growth, parent communication and deepen second graders executive functions. While it is nothing brand new, it was a risk that I took to implement something new and extreme into classroom routines, and required resilience to train students in the implementation and accountability to this procedure.
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