Good morning, Vikings!
When educators inspire their students to take risks, they take them themselves, leading to better classroom outcomes. Taking risks can help educators face their fears and create innovative solutions in their classrooms.
One example of taking a risk with your students is a flipped classroom, where students watch lectures on a new subject before class and then complete assignments in class with one-on-one teacher attention. In this scenario, the educator takes a risk with innovation and the potential of improved student outcomes and more personalized attention for each student. Still, it requires a willingness to break with the typical approach to teaching.
Taking a risk can serve as a spark allowing educators to reignite their passion for teaching, build their confidence, and serve as an example for their students, showing what failure looks like and how to learn from it.
By modeling risk-taking, teachers inspire students and give them confidence. Teachers can model risk-taking by acknowledging their shortcomings. For example, if they make a mistake in class, teachers can point it out and describe how they plan to rectify the situation. Additionally, school leaders can do the same for their teachers.
Although the culture of a building usually takes the shape of its leader, children typically learn from others around them. The first step toward making students comfortable with risk-taking is allowing them to see their teachers take risks. Teachers can do the following to model risk-taking:
- Apologize for mistakes and admit faults.
- Ask students to evaluate their teaching style.
- Share personal risk-taking examples from outside of the classroom setting.
- Discuss some of their previous failures and how they learned from them.
SUPPORT RISK-TAKING: If you have defined the rules of the game, the team should be encouraged to innovate within those boundaries. Progress is achieved by trying new things, even if it means failing along the way.
A wise man (my father) told me, “A pessimist looks down and bumps his head. An optimist looks up and loses his footing. But a realist looks ahead and adapts accordingly.” That says to me that all of us have been pessimistic and optimistic at some point, but how many of us are realists?
We should be encouraged to try new things and welcome mistakes to maximize our potential. Winning teams are willing to stretch their limits. Fear of mistakes and failure must go. You must be comfortable with being uncomfortable and learn to welcome multiple solutions to challenges and encourage creative thinking.
When you and your staff embrace risk, you’ll be rewarded with synergy in your team and schools. Of course, risk-taking only works if you have strong leadership, shared goals, and rules in place.
Have an amazing rest of the week doing what you enjoy doing.
Together We Can,
Together We Will Be Game Changers.
Sincerely,
Doc Trip
