Why is “innovation” so crucial in education? What impact do you see it having on our students and ourselves long term? #IMMOOC

First of all I am very excited to be a part of the #IMMOOC and to have the chance to collaborate with so many other great educators. My goal is to bring something to the "table" that will be of some worth to others while I am confident I will gain great insights and ideas from everyone else.

I believe innovation is crucial in education because it gives ownership to everyone, not just the teacher. Students, teachers, administrators, support staff, we all want to feel like we have some value and are important to a process or idea bigger than ourselves. If people are not given the opportunities to have their own ideas and then encouraging them to share those ideas and run with them, they will feel under valued. If students, teachers, administrators feel they have no value to the process they will leave to try and find that value somewhere else. Education needs to give everyone the opportunity to think critically and problem solve. To successfully think critically and problem solve you MUST be innovative. Great ideas come from developing innovative ways of solving difficult problems.

The impact innovation will have on our students is difficult to measure. The reason I say it is difficult to measure is that there is no doubt that it will impact them but for some it may be so subtle that they, or we, don't notice right away. If a student has the courage to TRY in situations that they otherwise wouldn't have then there has been a positive impact and that student has been empowered. If students learn to endure and work through difficult problems, or situations, then it has been worthwhile to teach them to be innovative. Innovation is not some new "tool" to help students, it is the reason for the "tools" to help students.

Finally the impact it will have on myself, as an educator and a coach, is constant change. Winston Churchill said "to improve is to change, to become perfect is to change often." I think that is what innovation is all about, change. We as educators have to be willing to change and change often. Yes, it is uncomfortable at first but you cannot grow without a little discomfort. As a coach I often talk to my swimmers that their willingness to embrace a little suffering is key if they want to break through to the next level. The same goes for educators if I want to innovative and reach a higher level of educating. I need to "suffer" a little. That "suffering" for a teacher comes in the form of critical thinking, a willingness to be uncomfortable and let go of a little control to allow students to take on the role of a leader in the classroom, being willing to say to my students "I don't have all the answers, lets find them together". All of these things will cause a little "suffering" but in the end will make my students and myself more innovative and better prepared for the questions that lay ahead of us.

Life is just one problem after another, we get to decide how we solve those problems. Are you going to be innovative and change the way you look at and solve those problems or are you going to do what you have always done? #InnovatorsMindset