3.2.1. On the biggest barrier to learning, powerful self talk strategies, and the ripples we leave behind

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“Ideas that are hoarded help no one. Success follows generosity.”

II.

“In many cases, you’ll find the only thing preventing you from learning is your ego.

No one enjoys feeling foolish, but attempting something new requires that you climb down from your perch and struggle as a beginner. You must ask questions that reveal your ignorance or attempt skills that make you look uncoordinated.

Learning demands the willingness to live in a brief state of discomfort. You must believe that looking like a fool for an hour will not ruin your reputation for life.”

Build your confidence and speak up!

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Let’s explore why you are afraid of speaking up for yourself at work, diving into the internal beliefs that cause you to hold back from speaking up. The more you know what is really going on for you, the more effectively you can learn how to speak up at work.

How often do you have something worth sharing, but for whatever reason, you just don’t share it? What happens is that the second before you are about to utter that statement, your brain tells you not to. It’s often based on a fear of failure or of judgment from others. Over the years, I’ve had many clients state these reasons for why they don’t know how to speak up at work.

College Board is taking on CTE

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Whether it’s through student surveys, higher rates of chronic absenteeism, or declining college enrollment, more and more evidence—especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—points to students’ growing disengagement with traditional high school and fundamentally questioning of the four-year college pathway as the norm.

It’s a reality ever apparent to David Coleman, the chief executive of the nonprofit College Board, which runs two core institutions of the college-going world: the Advanced Placement program and the SAT assessment—both programs historically aimed at high schoolers with plans to attend college.

While most students say they need post-secondary education, and enrollment in AP courses and the number of SAT test takers continues to grow, Coleman recognizes a large subset of students are disengaged from high school and aren’t proactively making post-secondary plans. At the same time, students say they want more opportunities to learn about career options and prepare directly for those possibilities.

Finding the right players for your team

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Creating your perfect work team is like assembling a band, says S. Chris Edmonds, and sometimes you have to set some of them free.

Some of you know that I’m a musician on the side. I’ve been playing professionally for 25 years, from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Austin to Denver. Those bands played clubs, parties, corporate events, weddings and even a few festivals through the years. 

Most bands — like many workplaces — are not fully functional. There’s frequent drama, frustration, back-stabbing and worse.

I refused to work in drama-ridden bands. Just as I help leaders sustain purposeful, positive, productive work environments, I couldn’t help myself. I applied our culture change process to the bands I was in! I facilitated discussions with everyone — players, sound pros, even roadies — to clarify our servant purpose, values and behaviors that helped ensure people were respectful to each other AND delivered on their performance requirements.

Improving student outcomes

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Teaching with intention toward learning outcomes can be done in a focused way that prioritizes flexibility, inquiry, and relationships.

As someone currently active in the teaching year, I want to first acknowledge and celebrate the highly active work of teaching, while also reminding colleagues to be “smart in their hard work.” Much is made of the beginning of the year and end of the year, but this in-between time is precious for all of us as we navigate holiday seasons and seek to enrich our instructional time.

Here, I point out some of the elements of teaching that keep me balanced and focused, especially at those moments when I feel like my work is losing some direction.

Are kindergarten assessments reliable?

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The assessment data, however, is used to assign learning groups and track student progress, teachers told the Government Accountability Office.

Developmental information about kindergartners is taken at the beginning of the school year and can be collected through observation and individual assessments. Teachers surveyed by GAO researchers said administering multiple assessments — including those that are state-required — is time-consuming and challenging, as teachers are getting to know their students and as young learners are adjusting to school routines. 

Some teachers did note that in response to timing concerns, schools have made scheduling adjustments, such as using alternative schedules at the beginning of the school year to accommodate testing.