Your What If

“What if?” It’s a question that many stop asking themselves as they enter adulthood. But research has shown that those who keep their minds open to possibilities and persist in the face of challenges are far more likely to find innovative solutions to problems and succeed at their goals.

In his small Washington State school district, pursuing the answer to that question gave STEM teacher Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher of the Year and Summit ’14 Closing Keynote speaker, the motivation and focus he needed to help his students do amazing things, from starting a nationally recognized research project to hosting weekend robotics competitions and taking two-week mountain hiking expeditions.

“Being a true educator, somebody who is really an advocate for your students, boils down to one thing: You ask yourself on a regular basis, ‘What if?'” Charbonneau explains in his keynote. ” What if we could teach differently and embrace curiosity in our students? What if we allowed our students to be a little bit more curious and dig in the mud just a little bit more?”

Jeff expands on “What If” at this year’s Mileposts conference with a keynote and workshop titled, “Building Your What If.” This is a must-attend event for everyone in the Treasure Valley who advocates for children.

Transcript

1. WHAT  IF…   YOUR  WHAT  IF   CAME  TRUE     EMAIL:  JEFFCHARBONNEAU@LIVE.COM   TWITTER:  @JEFFCHARBONNEAU  
2. WHAT  DO  I     TEACH?  
3. CHEMISTRY   PHYSICS   ENGINEERING   ROBOTICS  
5. WRONG     ANSWER  
6. WHAT  HAPPENS   WHEN  EASY   QUESTIONS   GO  UNANSWERED?  
7.   WHY  ARE  YOU  AN   EDUCATOR?  
8.   WHAT  DO  YOU  DO   TO  SHOW  THIS?  
9.   POWER  OF   SELF-­‐TALK  
10.   WHEN  AND  HOW  DO   YOU  ENCOURAGE   SELF-­‐TALK?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
11.   HOW  DO  YOU   PERSONALIZE   LEARNING?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
12.   HOW  ARE  CREATIVITY   &  CRITICAL  THINKING   USED  DAILY  IN  YOUR   CLASSROOM?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
13.   HOW  CAN  I  PROMOTE   SELF-­‐DIRECTED   LEARNING  AT  HOME?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
14.   WHAT  CAN  I  DO  TO   MEANINGFULLY   SUPPORT  YOUR   TEACHING?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
15.   WHAT  ARE  THE  MOST   COMMON  BARRIERS   TO  SUCCESS  IN  YOU   CLASSROOM?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
16.   HOW  WILL  YOU   RESPOND  WHEN    MY  CHILD   STRUGGLES?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
17.   HOW  HAS  YOUR   INSTRUCTIONAL   APPROACH  CHANGED   IN  THE  LAST  3  YEARS?   IF  A  PARENT  ASKED:  
18. CAN  YOU  ANSWER   THE  RIGHT   QUESTIONS?  
19. WHAT  IF     YOU  DECIDED  TO?  
20. FOCUS  
21. MATCH  YOUR  FOCUS   WITH  YOUR     WHAT  IF…  
22. START  SLOW   START  NOW  
23. WHAT  IS   YOUR   WHAT  IF?    
24. TURN  TO  A   PARTNER  
25. IF  YOU  COULD  DO   ONE  THING  NEW   THIS  YEAR…  
26. EXCUSES  
27. TIME  
28. TIME  IS  A  CHOICE  
29. MONEY  
30. BUSINESSES  WILL   INVEST  IN  WHAT   THEY  SEE   WORKING  
31. SUPPORT  
32. KNOW  THE  NO  
33. LEARN  BY   FOLLOWING  THE   LEADER  
34. WHAT  DOES   THAT  PROGRAM     DO  TO  BE   SUCCESSFUL?  
35. STRATEGY  
36. 1)  Write  out  speciOic  goals   2)  Minimum  of  2  “real”  adult  leaders   3)    Identify  three  students   BEFORE  YOU  START  
37. FUNDING     1)  Do  not  ask  for  money.     2)  Ask  businesses  for  time              NOT  money!   3)  Make  a  list  and  know  what                you  need  at  all  times.  
38. PR  CAMPAIGN   1)  T-­‐shirts     2)  Social  Media  –  ACCEPT  IT  –  USE  IT   3)  Professional  looking  posters   4)  Teach  the  community  (serve  food!)     5)  Volunteer  for  Lions,  Chamber,  etc.  
39. REAL  PROGRAMS   1)  True  programs  span  multiple  grades       2)  Provide  on-­‐going  relevance  to  the   community.     3)  Promote,  promote,  and  then  promote     again!    
40. WHAT  IS   YOUR   WHAT  IF?    
41. E-­‐mail:    JeffCharbonneau@Live.com   Twitter:    @JeffCharbonneau