Here is a question I shared recently in a workshop:
Simple question asked at my workshop today… What is one problem you have at your school and how do you leverage it as an opportunity?
Placing the focus on mindset as the solution.
— George Couros (@gcouros) April 23, 2018
This is about the idea of innovating inside the box. The “box” has constraints, issues, and limits. But if you dig enough, you can do incredible things within those limits and turn them to your advantage.
For example, if you are limited on classroom funds, instead of starting a GoFundMe account, why not create something of value with your class and have them go through the entrepreneurial process? Not only would you solve your money issue, but there would also be so many skills learned through this process that you could quickly tie into a curriculum while having real-world benefits?
Limited on time and resources in your school and need more tech support? Why not start a student help desk like Burlington High School? The most untapped resource in any school is always students. Giving them ownership of what happens in the school, not only solves some “tech” issues, but it empowers students along the way.
I am not sure I would consider myself an optimist and see every problem as an opportunity. What I do try to do as much as possible is find and create opportunities from the problems in front of me. Thinking differently about the issues you face isn’t just about finding solutions, but using the problems to your advantage.
No problem has ever been solved merely by complaining about it, and most innovations came from seeing an opportunity where others saw an issue.
