Remember the first time you stood on the high dive – heart pounding, holding your nose, daring yourself to jump? And then the exhilaration of finally taking the plunge? And the feeling of accomplishment when you surfaced?

I am increasingly frustrated by working with teachers who use the same methodology today that was used when they were in school! They’re still standing on the edge of the pool, maybe dipping a toe into the water by using PowerPoint® or Prezi, but certainly not creating any excitement in themselves, and consequently in their students!  What can you change to revitalize your teaching?

- Pair your students for ALL projects (not just once a year) so that they learn teamwork, build negotiating skills, and accept responsibility as a way of life

- Create interactive teaching tools using cool technology (build wikis, blogs, topical Websites and allow parents to participate)

- Develop long-distance partnerships with teachers/schools half a continent (or half a world!) away by using video Skype

- Use hand-held devices for student input (voting, test-taking, research)

- Encourage students to go off on tangents, to think, to discuss … create a “safe” environment where no idea is too silly to express

Of course we worry that creative teaching may not result in good test scores; but if we always do the same thing, the same way, the test scores are not going to improve anyway. Take a risk!  Do something new!

Wouldn’t it be fun, for example, if students writing research papers used Wordle to check if the important topics emerged as the biggest print in the middle of the graphic? And how should they change their papers as a result of what Wordle showed? And (do we dare say this out loud?) what if your creative approach resulted in a huge leap in test scores?

Take some time this summer to list how you teach now and what energizes students in your class. And then build on those exciting processes! Rejuvenate yourself!

It’s time to take the plunge, to jump in and remember why you became a teacher!