Educator Insights Volume 1

Hello Insightful Educators

One of my favorite things to do is grab coffee with someone and catch up on the books, podcasts, TED talks, articles, shows, and people influencing them.

So, alongside the full newsletter, I am pushing out weekly insights I think you will find influential in your journey as an Insightful Educator. Think of it as you and I grabbing coffee and jamming on what’s influencing me at this time.

Feel free to forward this along to friends.

One Person Worth Following

I have long followed the work of Dr. Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson), an author, presenter, and keynote speaker on education and leadership. Subscribers to this newsletter will recognize that I add many of his thoughts to these articles due to their wisdom and practical advice. He is the author of “Putting Teachers First: How to Inspire, Motivate, and Connect With Your Staff” and “Principal Boot Camp: Accelerated Strategies to Influence and Lead From Day One”. I highly recommend following him on social media and checking out his work

What I’m reading

“Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World,” by Dr. Tony Wagner. In a previous newsletter, I stated that schools must become hubs of innovation and creativity to prepare students to thrive in the Innovation Era. Dr. Wagner does a great job in this book unpacking why creativity and innovation are the great drivers of purpose and meaning in the 21st century, and how schools can integrate the skills of collaboration, design thinking, imagination, and adaptability to shape students willing and able to change the world.

Podcasts I’m listening to

“Ologies” hosted by Allie Ward. I just found this podcast and love it!! Host Allie Ward interviews experts on a wide range of “ologies” (the study of), from molecular neurobiology to invisible photology (invisibility cloaks), delphinology (dolphins) to tombology (catacombs)…and everything in between! It is a fascinating, enriching, and entertaining listen on its own…and can be used in classrooms (but be warned: Allie uses a bit of vulgarity throughout various episodes, so you might want to preview anything you plan to use in class). My favorite “ology” so far? Eudemonology (the study of happiness) 

Book excerpt I’m pondering

“Environment design allows you to take control of and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it” ​
— Atomic Habits (James Clear)

You can complement this edition of Educator Insights with my conversation with Dr Logan Kruck on the importance of weaving wonder and imagination into schools on the Flourishing Schools podcast.

Check out the Reimagining Education: Thinking Upstream edition of this newsletter

And watch this spoken word by one of my favorite people, James G, as he unpacks zip code inequity in his famous, “Steel Cages Made From Zip Codes” spoken word pieces

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As always, please connect and give me feedback on Twitter @drscottamartin

Which insight above is your favorite? What do you want to see more of? What insights do you have? Other suggestions? Please let me know.
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Scott

drscottamartin.org