Each Saturday, I write an email newsletter on “3 Things,” which is a random list of ideas on learning, leadership, and life. This format gives me both structure and routine in my writing and allows me to expand on some ideas while focusing on conveying them concisely. Below is one of the emails that I wrote this past 2024, and due to its popularity, I wanted to reshare it here on my blog.
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The 3 New C’s To Consider?
I don’t know what was on my mind while at the gym, but I thought about the “Cs” that are often shared for education. I have seen anywhere between 4-7 “Cs” and found this one based on Michael Fullan’s work:
All of these Cs are important, but can they be consolidated into 3? Not only to support the theme of this email but also to make them more concise, memorable, and adaptable to each community.
Here are the three Cs that came to mind and I wanted to use this space as a way to write to learn. This is definitely a work in progress!
1. Curiosity
One of my favorite articles from the past decade is this one from Will Richardson titled “Curiosity is the Cat.”
Richardson shares the following:
“I mean really, when it comes to learning, what comes before curiosity?
…Think of most skills, all the stuff that doesn’t show up on the report card, all the stuff that probably matters more than the stuff that shows up on the report card, and you’ll find they are steeped in curiosity. Problem-solving, problem-finding, persistence, cooperation, adaptability, initiative…(add your 200 more here). Which of those doesn’t require being curious first and foremost? Can you be any of that if you’re not?”
Will Richardson
As Richardson argues, kids are curious as they enter school, but does “schooling” light that flame or extinguish it?
Another reason that I think being “curious” matters is that we live in a time where confirmation bias is more prevalent than ever, and curiosity about why someone feels the way they do is a better way to bring people together rather than dismissing them because their thoughts, knowledge, and experience are different from ours.
Curiosity is not just about information; it can also lead to a better understanding of others, especially those who think differently than we do.
This leads to my next “C.”
I feel that this can be a multi-pronged “C” as “connection” can be with content, others, and yourself.
Here is what I mean:
a) Connection with Content – Everyone reading this email will have different takeaways based on their experience, knowledge, and what they hope to get from the information. I wrote about this in a post titled “3 Reasons Why All Learning is Personal” and shared the following:
Content is more likely to stick if we create our own connections to the information.
b) Connection with Others—We live in a time with incredible opportunities to connect with people across the globe, but are we forsaking and taking for granted the opportunity to connect with people in our local communities? Both are important, but I am concerned that we are losing an appreciation for what is in front of us for what is on the other side of a screen.
(P.S. I am not just talking about students!)
c) Connection with Self — Collaboration is essential, but how can we contribute to others without time to know ourselves? Personally, I try to incorporate many “brainwriting” activities in the professional learning opportunities I deliver because it gives people time to process for themselves and create their own connections to content before they connect with others (see what I did there?).
Also, I love this quote:
Isolation and collaboration should work in tandem and not be considered opposites.
3. Creation
I considered making this a 3A and 3B situation since creation isn’t much with meaningful consumption.
Years ago, I remember listening to John Medina, author of “Brain Rules,” say this, and it always stuck (paraphrasing his words below):
“Creation without meaningful consumption is the equivalent of playing the air guitar: you might know the motions, but you don’t know how to actually play.”
John Medina
Creation, though, is what I see as an endpoint or output from our time in education. What has ultimately been created from our time in schools?
What we do with what we know matters most in a time when we have access to all the information in the world and to each other.
This was a great quote I also shared in “The Innovator’s Mindset” from The Center for Accelerated Learning:
Creating “new meanings” from the content we consume is crucial.
I remember seeing a stat years ago (I have no idea of the accuracy, but it is excellent for consideration and conversation) that said something like this: 95% of people online consume content, and only 5% create it.
Is that true? I have no idea.
But what is the percentage of time students spend in school consuming information versus creating it? I have no idea the answer; it is asking the question that matters.
I wrote this in “The Innovator’s Mindset” on the topic of creation, and I still believe it to be true:
“Consider how much deeper learning could be if ‘creation’ was a
non-negotiable in the learning for both us and our students.”George Couros, The Innovator’s Mindset
If you want creation to be part of the classroom experience, time must be provided in professional learning experiences for the adults to do the same. The best way to change the learning experience for students in the classroom is to create for the adults first.
So there you have my 3 C’s. Honestly, writing this all down openly helps others in their learning experience the way it has helped my growth.
As I was writing this email, I thought about how taking the time each week to ask questions and challenge what we know, connect my own learning, and create a reflection to share with others embodies what I just wrote.
Driven by curiosity, making connections and ultimately creating something with this information will help me better understand my own thinking.
