In these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that we, as faculty, help students finish well. We can do that in three ways: engage students’ minds, maintain expectations, and communicate gratitude.
Hope in a Time of Crisis
A friend recently shared this wonderful quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings:
Frodo: “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”
Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
So, how should we respond to times of crisis?
RAFTs: A Creative Way to Demonstrate Understanding
Whether teaching on-line or face-to-face, RAFTs is an engaging strategy that encourages writing across the curriculum and provides opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding in creative ways. The strategy invite students to assume a role, consider their audience, examine a topic from a relevant perspective, and write in a particular format.
Lift
Just as a pilot needs to consider the physics of lift and drag while flying a plane, school leaders have to consider how they can create lift while leading their institutions. This can be a challenge because it involves change and a willingness to evaluate the current state while also looking to the future…
Disruption, Disorientation, Disequilibrium… Now What?
As we find ourselves in one of the most challenging times in modern history, nearly all our professional focus is on ensuring continuity of student learning and school operations. But the present crisis also presents educators an opportunity for us to learn as well. If we’re not intentional, what opportunities to learn might we be sacrificing?
Disruptions (Part One)
The spread of COVID-19 has caused the biggest disruption of the industry in decades. This has caused a lot of anxiety, frustration, and fear for educators. But how do we respond to and lead through such a disruption?
The Emergency Pivot to Online Teaching and Learning
Most colleges and universities in the US, and many (most?) K-12 schools have either already made the decision to suspend face-to-face meetings, or will very soon. So how are we going to make this move?
Thoughts on Teams
Regardless of the purpose or setting, effective teams have certain things in common. A successful team is not only more productive and more likely to accomplish the objectives, but the task is more gratifying and more likely to draw people into teamwork again.
The Inefficiencies We Need
Traditional wisdom suggests that effective production and use of technology drives costs down. The more we make of something, and the better we get at it, the cheaper it becomes to produce and buy. But what if a thing or an experience, if done well, exceeding the expectation of the consumer and contributing lifelong value, can only become more inefficient? And how does this affect faith-based schools?
Seven MindShift Principles for Christian Education
MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education features insights from 17 authors on how Christian schools can provide a more deeply and authentically Christian education, reach our neighbors with Christ’s story of love and hope, and catalyze the growth of the Church and the Kingdom into the future. After its release, some of the authors worked together to develop seven principles for Christian educators. Which ones resonate in your experience?