4 Reasons Knowledge is Value... Right?

The other day, Bill Ferriter (@plugusin), a great thinker and instigator stoked my fire (once again) when he posted a thought about teachers being "ashamed" to profit off our expertise. He bothered me because he was right. It seems to be a common Feeling in education that our expertise shouldn't be treated as value in the same way that the rest of the world works... why not?

Out of my core group of childhood (and still 6 extremely close) friends, I am the only educator. 5/6 of them currently get paid to think and provide advice & consultation based on the expertise they've gained from being a "do-er" for over a decade early in their careers. They get paid good money to share their expertise. Not one of them, at their transition stages or any other point, though "Oh, I'm not sure I should be rewarded for just telling people what I've learned along the way." As teachers, then, why should we?


1. Modeling - The key component of our daily work revolves around selling to kids the idea that "knowledge is value". We are charged (and accept) with demonstrating how to learn and why it's important to learn. Why then are we not charged with modeling how to use that knowledge in a valuable manner? What better way to show students that we are not full of crap than to monetize our brains when the opportunity presents itself?

2. Too Late - By definition, as teachers, we are ALREADY gaining from our expertise in our subject matter. We've spent hours and years (and will continue to) learning the subject matter that we expose our students to each day. We get paid by our schools to do this. So... we're already benefiting and profiting from expertise. Now, as a result, we are becoming experts in other fields (like classroom management, technology integration, assessment,  etc...) along the way. How is profiting off of this any different?

3. Professional Responsibility - The market is the market. If there is a demand (being baited with money) for something, someone will find a way to fill that demand. The best available will be the best available. If we as teachers don't enter the market, then the "best available" will be filled by non-educators. The "best available" will seem great because it's the best that's out there... for sale. However, if we want to be viewed and respected as experts, then we need to be the "best available" and nobody is going to take time to look for something better that's not for sale.

4. Give Back to Your School - Likely, we've gained expertise in education as a result of many resources and support that our employer has provided for us (I know I have). If we allow ourselves (our brains and experiences) to become a commodity, our school will in turn become a commodity. The more we are publicly recognized (monetarily or otherwise), the more our school is recognized and the more our students gain from attending our school and our classes. 

Reverse Engineering: An Essential Literacy

I just had a discussion with my College Accounting class the other day about preparing them for a workforce that doesn’t currently exist. With it being an honors class, they are pretty smart kids and quickly understood my point. They know that the days of “Go to school, get good grades, get a good job” (Rich Dad / Poor Dad) are long gone. They understand that they will not go through life working for the same company or even in the same industry.

What today’s kids aren’t seeming to understand is how a good, well structured (not spoon fed) education will actually prepare them for an unknown. The tragedy is that they are learning something without knowing that they are learning it. Being aware of what you learn makes you much more likely to use it in the future. The lack of awareness of a skill will naturally result in atrophy of that skill. If we are helping kids learn how to learn, preparing kids for unknowns, teaching them how to grow in an environment that doesn’t yet exist, they should be able to identify “it” for future use.

“It” = “Reverse Engineering”

Adaptability is simply the skill to get somewhere you’ve never been before. Sometimes we are forced to adapt and sometimes we choose to adapt. Either way, we adapt. The more successful adapt more often and more easily. Those who don’t fall behind. As James York said, “The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.”

Knowing your end goal is such a key component to knowing that you are on the right track. I ask so many kids (and adults), “What’s your end goal?” This most often results in blank stares. I rephrase “What do you want the outcome to be as a result of this?” This most often results in “Ummms” and “Uhhhs”.

As humans we seem to be great at reverse engineering simple things, subconsciously.
End goal = getting to work... must drive car... car is low on gas... must get gas... head to gas station.

So much more rarely do we see people using this in a longer term, bigger, layered approach.
Final End Goal = Earning 6 figures... get job x (end goal = get job x... excell at job y (end goal = get job y... get job z (end goal = get job z... excell in College ABC (end goal = get into College ABC))))

We need to teach kids that they know how to use this approach. We need to teach them the power of using this approach for bigger “end goals.” We need to show them that they are learning these skills in our classes, how they used them, and how they can use them in the future. The more comfortable kids are with this, the more comfortable they will be taking on the future. The more laid out the path, the easier it is to adapt when a step goes awry. If I know my “sub end goals”, I know what I need to get back to when (not if) something doesn’t go according to plan.

We are giving students these skills. Let’s not keep it a secret from them. Projects with checkpoints is a great place to start. The project being complete is the Final End Goal and the checkpoints are the layered end goals. Don’t have them just do it to get the project done. Have them do it to learn how to do it!!

Projects: 3 Ways to Write 'Em Better

Project Writing... Sharing Selfishly!!

I often struggle with writing what I feel is a quality project for my students. However, I also stumble across myself writing one I feel is worth implementing in class. My requirements for what I deem to be a "great project" are pretty simple: 1.  Facilitate learning  2. Fun for the kids to work on  3. Easy to grade objectively (writing a rubric should come naturally with it)

As an accounting teacher, I am not necessarily the most naturally creative person. I want to be, desperately, but I'm realistic and know that it's a challenge for me. So, I have become uber-aware of the times I've "nailed it" and have identified three commonalities that have been in place during the development process of these projects. I think they may be the keys to my project writing success. Here they are!! 

1. Promise To Share

Before you start writing the project, commit to giving the finished product to someone else. If you know that other professionals are going to be using your work, you are more motivated to produce a high quality product. Find a person (or group of people) who you know would use it or use some version of it and decide that you WILL share it with them when you are finished. If you are not great at keeping your word to yourself, let them know that you will be sharing the project with them. This will hold you more accountable to sharing it.

2. Write it for Your Own Child

What kind of learning do you want your son / daughter to experience? For me, this is a biggie!! As my son and daughter are getting older, I become more and more aware of learning experiences I'm providing to someone else's sons and daughters. When I focus on whether I'd want my child to be spending their time in school on this, I find a way to cover all three qualities that I think makes a project "great".  If you don't yet have kids (you young whipper snappers out there), think about your niece, nephew, godchild, or whatever kid you absolutely adore.

3. Visualize Yourself Grading Them

Alright, if the first two aren't enough, then think about how awful it is to grade awful projects!! Holy smokes, it made me cringe to just type that last sentence. We've all graded awful projects and those of us who are reflective probably has admitted that it may not have been the best written / developed project we've ever created. Set yourself up for a fun grading (oxymoron?) experience. I have not done any research (and nobody should because it would be a waste of time and money), but I guarantee you that there is a direct correlation between the amount of fun and learning that a student has during a project and the enjoyment the teacher gets from grading it.

I hope this helps your project writing and your students' project experiences! Feel free to post comments and share any projects of yours that you are proud of!

Why Do We Buy?

When my 5 year old son wants something, my only response is "why?" He's gotten to the point that he knows it's coming and now, most of the time, he doesn't even make me ask that question. What's nice, is that he's not yet socially influenced enough to use "everyone else has one" as his reason. His requests are usually supported with a (if not multiple) solid example of how he'd use it.

It seems, based on my reading and networking, that so many schools are buying technology BEFORE asking that question. I see so many articles about "what to do with your school's iPads". I've also heard from people who have purchased something tech related and then don't use it because it's too confusing. The Consumer Education teacher (and all around frugal human being) in me cringes at this. I can't help but think about the purchasing decision making process that I teach, that I pound into the heads of my students, that my poor, poor, poor children and wife are subjected to every day.

I'm not arguing that education should treat the purchase process the same as households. I am a proponent of getting something to test it out, tinker with it, and discover it's value (or lack there of). However, it seems that the moderation of this activity has been swallowed up by premature excitement for "it" because "it" is technology and MUST be good for our kids. In today's (rightfully so) closely watched spending and usage of resources, it's so crucial that we maintain a respectable decision making process when purchasing anything. The last thing we can afford is not another iThing, but buying another iThing with no dedicated purpose, vision, and plan for it. We must figure out where we want to be BEFORE we start moving there.

I'm a big fan of reverse engineering. I think it's massively under-rated (more on this in a later post). Reverse engineering is a great process that can be applied so well to so many things. We naturally tend to do this when making our own purchases. We are really pretty great at it. We buy food because we're hungry (most of the time) and we need to be un-hungry. We work backwards (unconsciously) and get to the tool that will make us "un-hungry"... food. A great book that illustrates reverse engineering in business (but is done so in a very transferable manner) is "Double Double" by Cameron Herold. I highly recomend this book as not only a great business read, but also a great lesson on decision making and planning for achievement.

So, let's make sure we maintain our credibility with our tax payers' money. Let's make sure we are able to answer the question my son already knows has to be answered BEFORE buying. Why are we buying this? How are we going to use it?

Your Motivator: Love Winning or Hate Losing?

I think that everything we do is driven by one of two things. We do something either because we want to get it done, or we don’t want to not get it done. I know that sounds like semantics, but I believe there’s a big difference. I cut my lawn because I don’t want fail in keeping my lawn cut. I don’t want to be the guy in the neighborhood who’s lawn looks like poo. However, the guy across the street from me loves his lawn and cuts it because he wants to cut it.

As an accounting teacher, I frequently have CPA’s come in and talk to my kids. Years ago, I had one in that was discussing the interview process. He said that a question their firm asks everyone is, “Do you love to win or hate to lose?” He had the kids answer that question to themselves and went on to explain that they like to hire people who hate to lose. He said that they found that if a person hates to lose, they’ll do anything to avoid not getting the job done.

This has stuck with me for almost a decade now. I still think about it and am fascinated by it. A buddy of mine often says, “It’s not fun unless there’s a loser.” He hates to lose! We laugh all the time when he says it, but I think that it’s funny because there’s truth to it. I am sure that I’m a “hates to lose” (HtL) person. I find myself most driven when someone tells me I can’t do something rather than when someone gives me encouragement. On the other hand, my wife definitely “loves to win” (LtW) and she’s way smarter than I am (I swear I’m not saying that just in case she reads this).

I often think about this with my students and what gets them going more. I know for sure that they are more into something when it’s a game. However, what I don’t know, is which kids are trying to win and which kids are trying not to lose. Can we, as teachers, differentiate our lessons / games / competitions to target the “LtW” kids in one way and the “HtL” kids in another? Should we? What are our classrooms more full of? What do you think? If you have time, ask your kids and comment back with results for us?

Technology & Socks in Education

This is my first professional blog, so bear with me! I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but decided to "just do it" when a fellow blogger pointed out that it forces you to polish your thinking. That locked in my decision, so here we go.

Yesterday, I was in a discussion about technology as a motivator in education. I, without thinking (which is not rare) said "I think technology is like socks for today's kids. It's something they just put on when they wake up and it doesn't really impress them." This got a decent reaction from the people involved and caused me to think more about it.

Extrapolating on that thought, I believe that technology doesn't motivate my students because for them, it's an expectation. I think that things we expect do not impress us. As a result of this, I believe that the lack of technology in education is a de-motivator! When we have expectations that aren't met, we become disappointed, frustrated, and disengaged.

As a classroom teacher, technology is a tool for me to use while motivating my kids to learn. It's as much of a tool as my voice, my energy, the whiteboard in my room and glue sticks. But ultimately, it's up to me to use these tools to provide "good teaching" and many opportunities for kids to become motivated.