The Power of the “Yes, And” Movement Can Unlock Innovation
3 innovative ideas for inspiration…or to steal for your own use
I want to start an educational movement. As I have moved through my career as an elementary classroom teacher and now into a peer coaching role, I’ve met some incredibly inspiring people. People who I strive to be like. People who I want to be around and learn from. People who through all the negative noise, demonstrate a drive to do what’s best for kids. When I think about what characteristic all of these people have in common, what stands out on top of everything else is the mentality in which they approach their work. Mindset is vital to almost everything you do. It’s vital to growth. You can sit through all the professional development in the world, but if you don’t embrace an open mindset of improvement, nothing will stick.
Often when an idea sparks that breaks away from the norm, we have a tendency to think about all the ways this new vision won’t work. We fall into a “Yes, but” mindset. We worry about cost, time, and the general fear of it not working. I want to take a single word and replace it with a different one.
I want to shift to a “Yes, and” approach. Simply replace the word “but” from one’s mindset with “and” to naturally think about what’s possible. I want people to take an idea and chew on it for a while before dismissing it. I want people to think about all the ways that idea could work and then how students could benefit. That doesn’t mean every idea is a gamechanger. Believe me, I’ve done my share of falling on my face, but good intentions without action can sometimes lead to missed opportunities.
I present to you three stories of a “Yes, and” mindset. These individuals took a vision and brought it to life. Steal the ideas to mold them to your own needs, or simply use them for daily inspiration. It’s a fun time to be an educator. The possibilities of awesome are astounding.
Authentic Audience + Inquiry = The “Real Talk” Podcast
One person inside of White Bear Lake Area Schools that personifies the mindset of “Yes, and” is Oneka Elementary 5th Grade teacher Maggie Clark. This past school year, her class created an inquiry-based podcast that ended up transforming into a learning experience they will not soon forget.
Maggie wanted to bring a real, authentic audience to her students’ learning and The “Real Talk” podcast was born. She evolved an inquiry-based literacy project into a monthly themed, student planned, created, and produced podcast. Each episode was based around specific topics that included animal rescues, mental health, racial injustice, and refugees. The students chose their learning and flourished because they owned it. Maggie provided the avenue for getting their voice heard.
Fifth graders researched and connected with real people behind the issues. The list of people interviewed on Real Talk is quite impressive and included a Bosnian refugee, a social justice activist, the White Bear Lake Chief of Police, professional athletes and a local author.
Students used Google Hangouts as their main resource for conversation. They would screencast their interviews which allowed them to edit and pull the audio into their podcast. Below is their episode on Race Relations.
Maggie learned with her students as the project grew. They maintained the attitude of “Is there more we can do with this project?” She didn’t need to have all the skills or information to get started. There was such power in a shared learning experience with students and she wasn’t afraid to ask for help. They had purpose and an authentic audience listening to their thinking.
Go deeper by reading our Innovate 624 Spotlight. It takes an in-depth look at the whole process behind how Maggie and her class brought Real Talk to life.
A New Type of Book Report
Our last Innovate 624 Blog Post by Troy Strand was on meaningful student choice. Katie Wohlfiel, an English teacher at Kasson-Mantorville Middle School, was looking at engaging ways for her students to share their knowledge of the novels they were reading. She was getting bored with the traditional book report and wanted a creative outlet for her students to express their understanding. That is when she read a blog post about an animation style called RSA Animate. It was based around The RSA Animate series which was conceived as an innovative and unique way of illustrating and sharing ideas. In a nutshell, you record yourself drawing out an idea. You speed up the footage of your drawing and voice record over the top of it creating a distinct effect.
Katie had questions but her “Yes, and” mindset only energized her to find answers. She found a two-part blog series (part 1, part 2) from Paul Bogush on how to bring this idea to life inside her classroom. Away she went.
Mrs. Wohlfield started by completing one herself. She wanted to go through the process herself first in order to better understand the hurdles that may arise. What she learned was that though it was hard work, it was also a blast. Check out her RSA Animate Style report on the classic book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
She next introduced the idea to her students. Katie describes that process below,
“First round, I had them listen to what was being said and asked if it was interesting. They said no pretty quickly. The second time I showed them the video on mute and asked what it was about. They could tell me what it was about but couldn’t give details. Finally, I let them watch the whole video to and they agreed they needed both the audio and video component to produce many takes aways.”
Her students are now in full creation mode. They plan, storyboard, and truly have a reason to connect with what they are reading. She finds such value in the fact that technology isn’t always on a digital screen. In this case, it is just a layer on top of the physical world and an avenue to share their ideas. The project is ever evolving but the engagement she is seeing from students is high.
Principal Bedtime Stories
It isn’t just teachers who can thrive with a “Yes, and” attitude. Pine City Elementary Principal Stephanie Lorsung was seeing on Twitter principals who read stories to their families decided to put herself self out there.With help from District Technology Integrationist Dihanna Fedder, an idea called PCES Bedtime Stories was born. Each week Principal Lorsung records herself reading a picture book. She then uses WeVideo to edit and uploads the video to YouTube. The link is then sent out to families and posted on Facebook. It’s not just Stephanie getting in on the fun. The Associate Principal and High School Homecoming Royalty have also read stories. Students look forward each week to what book will be next.
Mrs. Lorsung could have easily claimed to not have enough time, or said no due to an insecurity of putting herself out there for the world to see, but she said, “yes” and her students benefited. She modeled the mindset she wants to see out of her teachers.
Innovation isn’t something some people have and some people don’t. It is a mindset of saying “Yes, and” and not fearing failure. The next time an idea pops into your head, don’t dismiss it. Explore it, ask for help, and see where the journey takes you. Comment below or like and share on Facebook and Twitter — and don’t forget to tag us with #Innovate624!
