The Minimalist Educator Podcast
The Minimalist Educator Podcast
Episode 039: Season 2 Highlights
Ever wondered how a dash of joy and a sprinkle of simplicity can transform your educational practice? Prepare to be charmed by Sheila Kennedy's infectious mantra for reveling in every moment, and Nicole Dissinger's celebration of uncomplicated yet effective teaching. Our season finale is a treasure trove of wisdom from visionaries like Michelle Jasinska and Dr. Emily Davis, who illuminate the path to purposeful initiatives and unbiased data analysis in education. We dissect the essential role of trust in learning, as shared by Julia Skolnick, and Craig Ahrens-Martin's insights on mindfulness for maintaining equilibrium in the whirlwind of daily teaching.
Hold on to your lesson plans as we navigate the art of concise coaching with Kenny McKee's 'rule of two', ensuring that empowerment is just a couple of pointers away. Communication is key, and Alina Davis is here to guide us through crafting clear messages for family engagement. If you've ever been trapped in a meeting maze, let Megan Kemp and Gemma Cass be your compass to efficiency, while Laurie Stoller offers her strategic map for steering professional learning communities with precision focus. Each chapter of this episode is meticulously designed to serve as your beacon, leading you toward a more intentional and refined educational practice.
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The Minimalist Educator Podcast is a Plan Z Professional Learning Services adventure.
Welcome to the Minimalist Educator Podcast, a podcast about paring down to refocus on the purpose and priorities in our roles with co-hosts and co-authors of the Minimalist Teacher Book, Tammy Musiewski-Bornemann and Christine Arnold.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone and welcome to today's episode of the Minimalist Educator podcast. As we're wrapping up season two, we have got another compilation episode for you today, so we are featuring all of the fantastic Pair Down Pointers from our special guests that we've had on season two. We hope you enjoy this compilation. For our first highlight, we're going to jump back to episode 29 with Sheila Kennedy. After a great conversation about finding joy, sheila left us with some great mottos for positivity.
Speaker 3:Yeah well, my favorite motto, my mantra, is to make today count, and I think one of the best ways to do that if we want to put a financial investment piece onto, that spin onto that is truly invest in joy, because that is really going to give you the highest interest, that compounding interest of the more you keep investing in moments of joy. It's going to show up in so many different ways and I don't know about you, but I'll take any way of being rich as I can, and if it's being rich in joy, I will take it.
Speaker 2:In episode 26,. We spoke with Michelle Jasinska about leadership and community. She left us with some great advice, especially when it comes to introducing new initiatives.
Speaker 4:Less is more. With any initiative in the classroom, as leadership in any institution, I think you really have to connect with the purpose. What is your purpose for being there, what is your guiding statement, what is your vision and follow that, does it serve that? And just really analyze that before you carry on and I wrote one initiative at a time. That's never possible, I'm sure, but just minimalizing those initiatives and going deeper, being clear, make it achievable and people will feel like they've accomplished something because you will have accomplished something.
Speaker 2:In episode 38, we spoke about data with Dr Emily Davis. Her pare-down pointer reminded us about success criteria and bias in assessments.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I think I would probably say that that quick data analysis tool that we were talking about, that little protocol, is probably the tip that I would offer most. Before you sit down to look at anything that students have put forward, just think what are my expectations for success here? What am I looking for? And then make a little chart of your kids. What can they do in relationship to your goals? What would be a next step for them? Where's their misconception? And then just look at that. What can you gather from that? What are your trends? What patterns do you see? What does everybody need? What do some folks need? What does this one kid need? What am I going to do about that tomorrow? I might add one more question is how did looking at this data impact my thinking right? We talked about lazy brain before. So what biases got kind of debunked when I looked at this data today and how that can impact the way I work with and look at that kid or that group of kids tomorrow?
Speaker 2:In episode 34, we spoke with Nicole Dissinger about teachers new to the profession. After lots of good advice, you reminded us that we don't have to be flashy or fancy, but we can keep it simple.
Speaker 6:I think and I say this to myself as well like and Tammy and I've talked about it before, I think we've talked about it Like, just keep it simple, Like it doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't have to be over the top. It can be as simple as like reading a story to your students and having a discussion. It can be as simple as putting a box of books in the middle of the room and having them find facts in them and then sharing them with each other. You know like, yeah, it's, it just doesn't have to be complex, it doesn't have to be showy, it doesn't have to be this big ordeal to be effective learning experiences. And if it meets your objective, then perfect.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 6:Right, like we don't have to make it this big thing when it doesn't need to be.
Speaker 2:In episode 23,. We spoke with Julia Skolnick about the application of brain science to the world of education. Her pared down pointer was that learning and leadership always needs to start with trust.
Speaker 8:There's two that come to mind. That's not very pared down, though I want to pick one just to like, really subtract here.
Speaker 8:So in my work at PLP we have what we call the six gears for learning and leadership framework, which, tammy, I know you saw way back in its very earliest iterations. But these are six elements from neuroscience, cognitive science, educational, psychology that to me are really paramount in being an effective leader or educator. And the one gear that kind of kicks off the whole sequence is trust.
Speaker 8:And so when I think about effective learning and leadership, what the research suggests is if you have to start anywhere, it's starting with building trusting relationships with the people that you're engaging with, because trust is almost like a on-off switch for safety in the brain. The brain is trying to assess can I be safe with you? If I can be safe with you, I can take risks, I can stretch, I can learn, and if you're not safe, then I'm going to guard myself and I'm not really going to push myself beyond where I am. So I think that science behind trust is such an important marker of where to begin in a learning or leadership relationship. Get to know people, build relationships with them, put yourself out there first by being vulnerable or taking a risk, so people then meet you where you are. I think trust is one of those key places to just keep in mind, in this field of education, that our brains need it in order to do the work we're expecting of people.
Speaker 2:We spoke with Craig Ahrens-Martin in episode 28. This episode was all about finding balance, and his pare-down pointer was about the transformational power of mindfulness practice.
Speaker 10:It's a great question. I am still evolving and I think that even I am doing editing and revision, but I think it's well. What has been the thing? What have I seen over time? When I sit and I just posit myself and I think, okay, well, when I did that, this made me feel better.
Speaker 10:And something I don't do as often as I should is probably mindfulness and even for five minutes, putting on, you know, a self-guided meditation from YouTube or Headspace and letting that thing run and sitting I have it has transformed my life, for, from a perspective of forgiveness, it has given me more perspective and insight and as much as I do all the other things, like when I really incorporate that, put some incense on. Like you know, it's a date for yourself. Incense, light a candle and all of that. You just romance yourself for five minutes. I'm telling you life is just different. Get you a good water with some fruits and vegetables and mint Beautiful. So that's what I would say has been like Perry, now get to the one thing. I know has worked for me. Like Perry, now get to the one thing.
Speaker 2:I know has worked for me. We spoke about coaching in episode 33 with Kenny McKee.
Speaker 9:He suggested using the rule of two when giving advice. So what I would share is what I call the rule of two, and so the idea is that when you're coaching someone, first of all, whenever you're coaching someone. I want to back it up a little bit, so I'm going to do two things here. But you know, it's always good. First of all, it's always good to ask questions as a coach like that's what I lean into I ask a question. So rather than plowing into giving someone suggestions and telling them how you think, how you think they should work on whatever they're working on or solve it, I always like to ask first, you know, would you like suggestions? And then, if they say yes, then I use the rule of two, which means that I will give them two things and no more and no less. And the reason for that is one I want to show them that they still have a choice in the decision making process, and so giving them two possibilities helps them kind of think through things. Also, if you give them too many, there's that paralysis was it analysis paralysis that occurs Like I worked with a coach.
Speaker 9:She was awesome coach, good friend, awesome human being, but I remember, like when she was my coach, she would tell me like 12 things and like six of them. I didn't know what they meant, like I'd never heard of them before, right, like some Google and the names, and, and then I couldn't do anything. So there is a danger of telling, giving someone too many ideas because then they feel overwhelmed, right, but giving them one. One idea also communicates. This is like I believe this is the way to solve this, and so I feel like two always gives them some options and with those two, also the option to opt out and say I think this is actually a third, better way. So that's the rule of two. It's pretty simple. So that's the rule of two. It's pretty simple.
Speaker 2:In episode 35, we spoke with Alina Davis about family engagement, and a big focus of that conversation was on communication. Her helpful tip was to simplify your message and avoid being too wordy.
Speaker 11:Sure, since we've been talking a lot about communication, I think one of the most important things and this is something I'm practicing right now with Pairing Down is how wordy we are and I'm a talker right and I go all around the block and the things that I'm saying to get to my point. And so the advantage of having AI right it helps us learn how to be concise with our language. You know the advantage of having AI right it helps us learn how to be concise with our language. And actually I mentioned Todd Rogers earlier. He just wrote a book called Writing for Busy Readers and then he has a website where you can actually drop in your email and it'll put it in bulleted format and easy ways for the reader.
Speaker 11:Our families are busy, they're overwhelmed, they may not have the language or the knowledge, and so the more we can simplify the messaging we put out, the easier it's going to be to communicate with them. And so I would say, whatever tool you're using whether it's the ones I've recommended or another one find ways to simplify your message and make sure that what it is you want them to hear is what you're saying, and this is something I definitely need to work on for my own self, but I think it's really you know we have so, and then, looking at all the forms that we sent home and you know, here's what we need for Saturday's event Make it simple, make it clear, make it concise so that people can access it and understand it.
Speaker 2:We spoke with Megan Kemp and Gemma Cass in episode 24 about effective meetings. Their reminders were about building relationships and having your tech ready before a meeting starts.
Speaker 4:I might steal this one from you, gem, but building relationships, I think that can just. There's so much that you can gain from that um so many positives, so I think that helps.
Speaker 12:Worth the effort, yeah, worth the effort, yeah, and Jen okay, it might sound incredibly obvious and simple.
Speaker 12:They're the best ones, but I think, if you have a meeting and you've got various things that you need to show or share, to already have those open on your um, on your screen, so that you're not cutting into time trying to find them and um waiting for them to open, and I just think all those moments that are lost whilst people are trying to find documents, and if people could turn up to meetings with those ready to go it. Just if we're thinking about valuing time, that's just something that makes a bit of a difference, doesn't it.
Speaker 2:In episode 36, we spoke with Laurie Stoller about PLCs. Her strategy was to take things one step at a time and to always bring things back to your priorities.
Speaker 14:I think it's's very old cliche, but it's one step at a time, as far as the PLC it can be. Anything you do is overwhelming. So I think you have to really distill it down to what is my priority, what is my goal, why am I doing this? And then, what do I need to put in place to be successful? And how do you keep out the rest of the noise? I mean, you can relate that to to email.
Speaker 14:I think technology, email, social media you know it can just distract us and pull us away from our true focus and where we need to be. So I would, I would say, to really um drill down to what is my purpose, why am I doing this? And then, what do I need to get there and try and block out the others and, if it, if, if the rest of what's coming at you isn't related tightly to where you're going, give yourself permission to say, no, we're not going to do that, we're not going to put something else on the plate because there's only so much room on the plate. So we have to pick and choose those items which we know will get us where we need to be and let the rest of it fall away In episode 22,.
Speaker 2:We spoke with Janelle Meisenheimer about Girls in Sport. She gave us a few ideas of how to achieve. Less is more.
Speaker 15:I think the last couple of years because I've been this is my 10th year teaching, but 12th year, like in education, I think the last couple years I really focus on less is more and what I mean by that.
Speaker 15:For example sorry, it is PE examples, but you know, sometimes doing the same activity a couple more times, but it's with a new partner and the kids, kids, I talk about it with them because it's about like getting to know the people around you better and you know we call it anyone, anyone, anyone, and just like partnering up with anyone.
Speaker 15:And so sometimes because I used to think, oh, I have to do this, I do all of this, I have to like do this lesson and then this buildup, and then this reflection and then this yes, I still need to do all that, but why can't I have it be like part one on Monday and part two on Wednesday and draw that out a little bit and we're just breathing a little bit more and enjoying each other's company more. So sometimes that like less is more. That has been great and I feel like I've gotten to know my students a little bit better because of things like the do the activity a couple more times, but with a new partner, um, or having the kids think of something to do and not having me think of it all the time. So so that's been a big help the last couple of years.
Speaker 2:We spoke about tiered to-do lists with Jessica Holloway in episode 25. She suggested we have a system in place for our to-do list and to carefully consider what we're saying yes and no to.
Speaker 7:I one would be work your list. Don't let your to-do list work you. So figure out how to schedule time, to make a plan, to tier up your to-do list on what you have to do, want to do and hope to do. Same thing with your inbox have a system for spot checking and figuring out what you have to do right away, what's a quick response, what's going to take more time? And then thinking about your yeses and what you're investing your time in is that really something that is aligning to your goals? And that those invitations that come in aren't expectations and I can say that from somebody who invites people in to participate in committees and serve in different ways for the district.
Speaker 7:When I send that invitation out, I'm expecting yeses and nos. I'm not expecting people to say yes every time I send the invitation out. So I clearly put in my invitations now, an invitation is not an expectation. Does this align with what you want to see for your own personal growth or an opportunity to help grow the students at your school? If not, that's okay. There will be opportunities in the future. So I really want to get in the mindset of make sure your yes means like yes. This is good for you, not just good for me, because I want it to be mutually beneficial. So those invitations, not expectations, no is an acceptable answer.
Speaker 2:We spoke with Dan Chikarico in episode 21. And to round out our discussion about subtraction, Dan suggested we try committing to throwing away 10 things each day.
Speaker 1:Oh well, I have an idea that I wanted to share that I think is related to what we were talking about earlier in the episode.
Speaker 1:And sometimes I say, if you're working on minimizing things and decluttering, throw away 10 things a day. And of course, when I say throw away because it's easy but it might be recycling or giving away or donating or something like that but if you throw away 10 things a day giving away or donating or something like that but if you throw away 10 things a day, everybody can do that. That takes 10 minutes, right. But if you think about the math, after a week you've thrown away 70 things. That's a lot of things and it creates some space. And then the great thing and this is what I will leave you all with and leave your listeners with is when you commit to doing some of these things, you're going to realize how wonderful it is and then you're going to want to do more. So you don't have to start big, like we said, start small. But I can almost guarantee that when you start small and you do it, you're going to love it.
Speaker 2:We spoke with Megan Everett about streamlining communication in episode 31. She gave us five key points to think about when communicating effectively with our audience.
Speaker 16:Sure, so this is going to be oversimplified, but I mentioned before there are five key points to think about. So audience cross cuts them all, but the context of what you're saying, like the actual words. The medium, so the way that you're sending it via that email or piece of paper. The design, so what it actually looks like on the page with white space and fonts and things, and then the timing when you send it and how often you send it. All of those things have an effect, and so you're either making an intentional choice around them. That has an effect, or you're not doing them, and that also has an effect. And so I would say that those are kind of the key things to keep in mind when you are doing any kind of communication.
Speaker 2:And in our final episode today, we'll go back to episode 30 with Ming Shelby, who left us with two powerful quotes at the end of our conversation about courage and candor.
Speaker 13:Christine gave me a heads up of one, and I'm breaking the rules because I have two which I hope our listeners are okay with. Yes, I'm thinking of one. It's in this huge like a painted board in my house, and it's a quote from Brene Brown and it says show up, be seen, live brave and I know this is probably familiar to both of you and your listeners as well of having that courage to show up, do the hard things, be transparent in who you are, be seen by others and then live bravely. So that's one is show up, be seen, live brave. And this is supposed to be the pare down section but I somehow rambled more during this section than the others.
Speaker 13:And then the other is it's from oh my gosh, why am I blinking on her name? From Radical Candor, the author. Her name is right on the tip of my tongue right now. I can see her face. She says care personally, challenge directly. So balancing those both elements.
Speaker 2:Well, that is all our Pair Down Pointers from our special guests in Season 2 of the Minimalist Educator Podcast. We hope you enjoyed this highlights episode and we're really excited to get back into it in Season 3 after the summer break season three after the summer break.
Speaker 1:Be sure to join Tammy and Christine and guests for more episodes of the Minimalist Educator podcast. They would love to hear about your journey with minimalism. Connect with them at PlanZPLS on Twitter or Instagram. The music for the podcast has been written and performed by Gaia Moretti.
