Over the years, I have been blessed to provide professional learning opportunities to schools and districts all over the world. Although Covid has had an impact on travel, I have still been able to work with so many through remote learning environments.
When working with educators, I am asked the same questions consistently:
- How do we build relationships in remote learning environments and address the social-emotional needs of our students?
- What are some practical ideas and strategies we can use in remote learning that can truly empower our students?
- How do we create opportunities for our students in remote learning situations that are not all about technology?
- How do we ensure we take care of our own mental and emotional health during these challenging times?
- How do we create opportunities for every learner (including ourselves) to be successful in such challenging times?
If you read those questions, it is important to realize that they matter in any and every situation for every learner, not just during a pandemic.
Here is the thing that I have learned about myself throughout my 20+ years in education. I have a lot of ideas on all of these questions, and I have been blessed to learn from so many educators around the world on strategies that are beneficial, but the solutions are created by those working closest to students.
Every context, situation, and learner we serve has different needs and a one-size-fits-all approach might seem enticing but it works for very few, including teachers.
This course was created to answer all five of these questions and provide practical, modifiable, and meaningful strategies to develop the innovator's mindset in our schools (whether they are remote, face-to-face, or blended).
Meet George Couros
I am a learner, educator, and Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Consultant. I am also the author of "The Innovator's Mindset" and "Innovate Inside the Box." I believe we need to inspire our kids to follow their passions while letting them inspire us to do the same.
My parents came from a country (Greece) that was going through a war and did not have the resources or the same opportunities that we had for education. They stressed the importance of education for their kids, and are my inspiration in my career as an educator, learner and parent. Although my parents were born in a different time than I was, we have the exact same goal in our lives; we want it better for our kids than it was for us.
I believe that if you want to inspire meaningful change, you have to make a connection to the heart before you make a connection to the mind. Throughout this course, we share inspiring stories to go along with a multitude of resources and templates so we can address the why, the what, and the how. All three matter as we all move education forward to serve all learners, including ourselves.
Everything You Need to Empower Learners in a Remote, Face-to-Face, or Blended Environment
Practical Ideas and Strategies to Connect with Learners
Inside the course, I provide ideas for learning that can be used in remote, blended, and face-to-face learning situations. I have also divided the lessons shared in the course into elementary, middle, and high school while providing ideas for learning with technology and away from technology. Technology is extremely powerful but we definitely do not need to use it all of the time in any situation, including remote learning.
Step-by-Step Videos and Action Guides to Use Right Away
There are over 50 lessons/strategies that you can use just in the part where the characteristics of The Innovator's Mindset are discussed!
The beautiful thing is that the ideas shared are ones that you can modify for any level that you teach.
Throughout the course, there are video explanations for each part (slides included), ready-made templates that you can modify as you wish, PDF lesson ideas, as well as additional reading/viewing resources.
But it is not just resources, although there are so many! In each "chapter" of the course, I discuss "why" what I am sharing is so important, provide examples of "what" it can look like, and "how" it could be implemented in learning. If we don't understand the "why," we don't necessarily see the value of the "what" and the "how".
I also know that if we only talk about "why" many people think, "that's great, but now what?" All of these things are explicitly addressed throughout this course.
Beyond Tools: Learner Driven Practices
For years, I have been known for my work on educational technology, yet it has never been about "tools" for me, as there is something more important where our focus should be placed.
The image here from Bill Ferriter sums up a lot about my beliefs about how our use of technology should be more "learner-driven" than "tool-centric".
Technology can ultimately make our world easier, but my passion has always been in how we use technology in schools to make our world better.
As well, technology is extremely powerful but we definitely do not need to use it all of the time in any and every situation, including remote learning.
Even in virtual environments, how do we create opportunities for our learners to be empowered away from a screen?
In a world that is increasingly focused on being "digital," it is crucial we keep our focus on the "human" aspect of learning at all times, in all spaces.
Over 50 Lesson Plans For Each School Level Based On The Topics, Ideas, and Strategies Discussed Inside the Course!
Below is a screen capture of one of the eight templates shared in the course on how to develop "empathy" through remote, blended, and face-to-face learning opportunities.
Elementary School Plans for Remote, Blended, Face-to-Face
And plans that are created for use with no technology.
Middle School Plans for Remote, Blended, Face-to-Face
And plans that are created for use with no technology.
High School Plans for Remote, Blended, Face-to-Face
And plans that are created for use with no technology.
What's Inside: The Course Curriculum
- Introducing the 8 Characteristics (and why they matter in-person and online) (5:20)
- Why Empathy Matters in Our Learning (13:15)
- Developing Problem-Finders/Solvers (12:35)
- Risk Takers (In Any Learning Space) (18:55)
- Networking to Share and Learn From Others (10:50)
- Being Observant In a World Full of Information (19:57)
- The Importance of Meaningful Creation (13:15)
- Recognizing and Developing Resiliency in Learning (8:36)
- The Power or Reflection - Looking Back to Move Forward (13:18)
“Change is the opportunity to do something amazing.”
This is one of my favorite quotes by George Couros, but it is a challenge to do something amazing without the guide and support of someone to show us the why, what, and how of embracing the change that moves us forward.
George’s new class, Developing an Innovator’s Mindset Through Remote, Face-to-Face, and Blended Learning, is exactly what all educators need right now to learn practical strategies for learner-driven, evidence-informed practice that is right for any setting.
He is a master at engaging educators through a combination of personal storytelling, real-life examples, and strategies that are applicable at every grade level and subject area.
He connects to people on a deep level through the videos in the course and models how to create meaningful relationships, embed social-emotional learning, and use technology to transform instruction.
The videos and links are the perfect tools to come back to over and over again as each time I do, I learn something new. His focus on the power of the relationship with learners in any context and the need to take care of ourselves as educators are so essential to success in our ever-changing world.
I would highly recommend this course for anyone who wants to be inspired, feel supported, and laugh along the way.
Deidre Roemer, Director of Leadership and Learning, West Allis-West Milwaukee School
Want to learn more about the course? Watch this video:
I go into detail about the course, what problems it solves, and how it can be used in a variety of environments.