Comments on: Risk takers and podcasts http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=risk-takers-and-podcasts Educator Consultant Author Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Allison Miller http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/#comment-2854 Allison Miller Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:42:25 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=644#comment-2854 I'm a great believer in taking risks and encouraging risk learning - in fact, that's how I learn best - but I've also recently realised that we need to also send the message to educators that it's ok to make mistakes or ‘fail’. As professionals, educators are often expected to be 'perfect'. How many times have you heard: "You're a teacher, you should know that"... To become the educator you’ve always dreamt of being: It’s OK to: Take risks Make mistakes Fail Evaluate and share your mistakes Learn Grow Allison Miller Adelaide, South Australia http://twitter.com/theother66 I’m a great believer in taking risks and encouraging risk learning – in fact, that’s how I learn best – but I’ve also recently realised that we need to also send the message to educators that it’s ok to make mistakes or ‘fail’.

As professionals, educators are often expected to be ‘perfect’.

How many times have you heard: “You’re a teacher, you should know that”…

To become the educator you’ve always dreamt of being:

It’s OK to:

Take risks
Make mistakes
Fail
Evaluate and share your mistakes
Learn
Grow

Allison Miller
Adelaide, South Australia
http://twitter.com/theother66

]]> By: Mfvitac http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/#comment-2853 Mfvitac Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:51:20 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=644#comment-2853 In my education class at Illinois State University we read the book Chalkbored by Jeremy Schneider and I think this book would be of interest to you. For a few days in class we went over his ideas of how to bring technology into the classroom. I believe he would agree with your quote, “We don’t want teachers as learners, we want teachers as risk takers!” He believes that students are bored in the classroom because they do not engage in activites in the classroom that they do at home. Students at home blog and play on "you tube" however in school, they are expected to leave their technology at home. I think that your interview questions are very thought provoking and interesting. Since I am still in school, I have no idea what the interview process is for teachers. I will surely think of answers to these questions before I become a teacher. I hope to be that teacher that takes risks in the educational system. In my education class at Illinois State University we read the book Chalkbored by Jeremy Schneider and I think this book would be of interest to you. For a few days in class we went over his ideas of how to bring technology into the classroom. I believe he would agree with your quote, “We don’t want teachers as learners, we want teachers as risk takers!” He believes that students are bored in the classroom because they do not engage in activites in the classroom that they do at home. Students at home blog and play on “you tube” however in school, they are expected to leave their technology at home.

I think that your interview questions are very thought provoking and interesting. Since I am still in school, I have no idea what the interview process is for teachers. I will surely think of answers to these questions before I become a teacher. I hope to be that teacher that takes risks in the educational system.

]]> By: Pat http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/#comment-2852 Pat Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:50:13 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=644#comment-2852 Do you consider yourself a life long learner? (A question I’ve been asked in every interview) I would hope I never stop learning. When you stop learning you become stagnant and I think that is true of anyone not just teachers. Are you a professional risk taker? I feel that I am becoming one. I recently wrote a post on my blog "I Found My Teacher Voice." As I mingle on the net with more like minded people, I feel more confident in my values and beliefs. Give me an example of a professional risk you took last year? I retired from the K-12 classroom in order to teach on the college level and to do more traveling. What did you learn from this risk? What would your students say? I learned that there are a lot of things (issues and tools) that the classroom teacher needs to know but doesn't. I would hope my students would say that they want to use me as a resource as I learn these things. Do you believe it’s OK to fail? Most definitely as long as you learn why you failed, and you try again to succeed. For many years I have tried to teach my students that "an error is not a terror." It is when you don't try that you don't succeed. Do you consider yourself a life long learner? (A question I’ve been asked in every interview)
I would hope I never stop learning. When you stop learning you become stagnant and I think that is true of anyone not just teachers.

Are you a professional risk taker? I feel that I am becoming one. I recently wrote a post on my blog “I Found My Teacher Voice.” As I mingle on the net with more like minded people, I feel more confident in my values and beliefs.

Give me an example of a professional risk you took last year? I retired from the K-12 classroom in order to teach on the college level and to do more traveling.

What did you learn from this risk? What would your students say? I learned that there are a lot of things (issues and tools) that the classroom teacher needs to know but doesn’t. I would hope my students would say that they want to use me as a resource as I learn these things.

Do you believe it’s OK to fail? Most definitely as long as you learn why you failed, and you try again to succeed. For many years I have tried to teach my students that “an error is not a terror.” It is when you don’t try that you don’t succeed.

]]> By: Rick Pierce http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/#comment-2851 Rick Pierce Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:11:04 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=644#comment-2851 Jeff ... I am an independent leadership development consultant working with the Hsinchu International School in Hsinchu, Taiwan. One of the things I have been working with the administration here on is developing what is known as a "Structured Interview Process" which helps interviewers stay focused on what is really important to them and not get as distracted by trivial or outside stimuli. This type of interviewing, which often includes video taping the interview, is by no means new to education. It has been been around for years ... particularly in private schools. Research has shown two very important considerations in terms of interview and selecting the appropriate candidate - regardless of the field: 1. Interviewers too often rely on their "gut", their feeling about a candidate - which has proven to be a poor predictor of success. 2. The best predictor of future success is past success. So how is this accomplished? When down right, interview questions should be established using a Backwards Design process which begins by interviewing you most successful teachers to find out what makes them stand out from the others, designing a set of questions (along with corresponding rubrics) setting up the interview sessions (typically three separate sessions if possible) so a to minimize distractions and, when possible, taping the interview. The purpose of taping is not only to be able to review the tape again if desired for more information or to get a second "feel" for the candidate - but more importantly, these recording are an excellent way to assess both the reliability and validity of your interviewers and the interview process. Jeff … I am an independent leadership development consultant working with the Hsinchu International School in Hsinchu, Taiwan. One of the things I have been working with the administration here on is developing what is known as a “Structured Interview Process” which helps interviewers stay focused on what is really important to them and not get as distracted by trivial or outside stimuli. This type of interviewing, which often includes video taping the interview, is by no means new to education. It has been been around for years … particularly in private schools.

Research has shown two very important considerations in terms of interview and selecting the appropriate candidate – regardless of the field:

1. Interviewers too often rely on their “gut”, their feeling about a candidate – which has proven to be a poor predictor of success.

2. The best predictor of future success is past success.

So how is this accomplished? When down right, interview questions should be established using a Backwards Design process which begins by interviewing you most successful teachers to find out what makes them stand out from the others, designing a set of questions (along with corresponding rubrics) setting up the interview sessions (typically three separate sessions if possible) so a to minimize distractions and, when possible, taping the interview. The purpose of taping is not only to be able to review the tape again if desired for more information or to get a second “feel” for the candidate – but more importantly, these recording are an excellent way to assess both the reliability and validity of your interviewers and the interview process.

]]> By: Darin Janssen http://www.thethinkingstick.com/risk-takers-and-podcasts/#comment-2850 Darin Janssen Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:06:10 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=644#comment-2850 Your post has really made me think about what I may be expecting when I am finished my education degree in two years. The idea of having an interview recorded would be so helpful. Having the opportunity to listen to the interview while I am reflecting on how the interview went would help with subsequent interviews. Darin Your post has really made me think about what I may be expecting when I am finished my education degree in two years. The idea of having an interview recorded would be so helpful. Having the opportunity to listen to the interview while I am reflecting on how the interview went would help with subsequent interviews.
Darin

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