Summary: <br> A few weeks ago, I was sharing with a group of principals one of my favorite video-clips from the movie, The Incredibles. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> It’s the scene where Lucius, aka the superhero, Frozone, is watching as his city is under attack from his apartment window. He pushes a button on his remote control to open a wall in his living room. When the secret compartment opens, the space is empty where his supersuit should be hanging. Thus ensues the following dialogue:<br> <br> <br> <br> Lucius: Honey? Where’s my super suit?Honey: What?Lucius: Where – is – my – super – suit?Honey: I, uh, put it away.Lucius: Where?Honey: Why do you need to know?Lucius: I need it!Honey: Uh-uh! Don’t you think about running off doing no derrin’-do. We’ve been planning this dinner for two months!Lucius: The public is in danger!Honey: My evening’s in danger!Lucius: You tell me where my suit is, woman! We are talking about the greater good!Honey: ‘Greater good?’ I am your wife! I’m the greatest *good* you are ever gonna get!<br> <br> <br> <br> After watching this clip, I then asked the principals to reflect: How does this scene remind you of the tension you sometimes feel between your school responsibilities and your home life?<br> <br> <br> <br> After we talked about their responses, I then shared three ideas for them to keep in mind as they feel the tension of managing crisis while also managing all the other important duties of their school leadership:<br> <br> <br> <br> 1. Staying mindful: Really seeing the great learning moments happening around you even as you take care of business. <br> <br> <br> <br> 2. Staying intentional: If you don’t schedule and prioritize what’s most important, it probably will not happen.<br> <br> <br> <br> 3. Moving the needle: At the end of everyday, reflect on one step you took toward reaching your targets or goals. And make sure you’ve done at least one action to move in that direction.<br> <br> <br> <br> I then asked them to repeat back to me the three takeaways. Based on their responses, I summarized and reminded them that school leadership allows involves a balance of putting out situational fires while also focusing on the many other important tasks of building a school community. <br> <br> <br> <br> And then I asked an important follow-up question: Now, can you unpack the instructional methods I just used in this short mini-lesson with you?<br> <br> <br> <br> They were quick to respond: We began with an attention grabber. They had given feedback and input. We engaged in reflection and dialogue. We discussed three actions to consider in their leadership. I had checked for learning. We summarized our learning.<br> <br> <br> <br> After this quick lesson, I reminded them that the cycles of learning happen in every setting. Whether you are leading a faculty meeting, a small group discussion or covering a classroom lesson, this cycle is important for us to model for our teachers as much as it is for us to encourage them to use it in their own teaching.<br> <br> <br> <br> How Do You Make Learning Stick?<br> <br> <br> <br> As you think about the ways to make learning meaningful, I am excited to introduce you to this week’s podcast guest, LeAnn Nickelsen, as we discuss her newest book co-authored with Melissa Dickson, <a href="https://www.solutiontree.com/products/teaching-with-instructional-cha-chas.html">Teaching With the Instructional Cha-Chas: Four Steps to Make Learning Stick</a>. In her book and our discussion, LeAnn unpacks the learning cycle and provides practical ways for educators to increase learning for all students.<br> <br> <br> <br> LeAnn’s Bio<br> <br> <br> <br> LeAnn Nickelsen<br> <br> <br> <br> LeAnn Nickelsen is the Founder and CEO of Maximize Learning, Inc.
