Adrian's Top Five

Here are my top five resources for designing memorable learning experiences.

Photo by Zan on Unsplash

Want to know some of my go-to resources?

These are five resources I reference frequently throughout the school year. Some are articles, videos, interviews, or just pictures.

1. A Talk to Teachers - James Baldwin

I reread Baldwin's A Talk to Teachers every year. It reminds me of the gravitas of my role as an educator. Baldwin also helps me mentally prepare to struggle with being creative and subversive in a public education system that prioritizes and favors compliance and standardization.

2. The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

To me, Rick Rubin is like Matthew McConaughey: folk philosophers of our generation. Rick Rubin, however has a few more years on McConaughey, and shares his aged wisdom in this excellent book. The Creative Act can either be a quick read, with its short nuggets of wisdom or an incredibly long read, with its deep messages of creativity and transcendence. Either way, this book is a beautiful physical book: the binding, the cover, the material. I would buy this book just to hold it in your hands!

3. Mohammed Qahtani: The Power Of Words

Similar to rereading James Baldwin, I have watched this video by Mohammed Qahtani countless times. Remember, as a teacher your words have power.

4. The IDEO Journal

I have this blog bookmarked for frequent reference. There are so many awesome blog posts, especially this one, Lessons on Innovation from Teachers. Be impeccable with your words and teach students to do the same.

5. Build Peaks, Don't Fix Potholes

If you were to sum up my philosophy of how I run my classroom, watch this video by Dan Heath. He has written so many books, including one of my favorites, The Power of Moments, where this video comes from. Students won’t remember all of the daily grind necessary in making academic growth. What they will remember are those moments where you elevated the experience, took pride in their achievements, provided students with a chance to form insights, or made a connection with them.

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Have a great week!

— Adrian