You face challenges daily and need solutions, NOW. Who has the answers? You do. Here is the strategy and the tool to help you coach yourself through adversity.

Veteran teachers, presenters, and authors of the Startup Teacher Playbook, Darcy Bakkegard and Michelle Blanchet, got fed up with workshops, lectures, and PD that just didn't cut it. So, they decided to create a system and one simple tool that would help them forever work through their own problems, find their own solutions, take action, and coach themselves through adversity. Now, they're bringing the system and the tool to you.

Inside the Video:

The Hook (0:01-1:10): "You have so much on your plate!" 

Meet Darcy Bakkegard and Michelle Blanchet (1:13-1:45): Meet the presenters--creators of the Educator Canvas and authors of The Startup Teacher Playbook

The Startup Teacher Playbook (2:46-3:15): What is it?

Intro to Coaching Yourself Through Adversity (3:16-6:40): Snapshot of this video training.

Part 1 Identifying a problem (6:58-15:32): Identify key problems to impactful teaching and learning: a challenge, an improvement you want to make, a new idea, a requirement from a particular stakeholders

1. 7:28 - What do we mean by "problem?" There's so much on our plates now that we often struggle to sift through the issues and prioritize. 
2. 9:09 - Pause: Take a few minutes to identify your problems. NOTE: you can use the "Coach Yourself Worksheets PDF" for your brainstorming. Find the PDF at to top of this page.
3. 10:24 - Problems as Possibilities: Learn how to Synthesize, Prioritize, Select. 
4. 13:57 - Create a Challenge Question: Pause and practice creating a Challenge Question. NOTE: use the downloadable Canvas, which is part of the "Coach Yourself Worksheets PDF". Download the worksheets and poster-sized Canvas, using the buttons under the video at the top of this page.

Part 2 Developing a Solution (15:33-23:49): Learn how to use your Challenge Question to develop a solution to the problem.

1. 15:54 - Get Results: Brainstorm, Filter, Write.
2. 16:30 - Brainstorm: Revisit your notes from Part 1 and brainstorm ideas that connect to your Challenge Question.
3. 18:36 - Reflect: 
   1. What idea has the greatest impact?
   2. What's within your capacity?
   3. What would your user be excited about?
   4. What will get you excited?
4. 22:12 - Pause and practice creating a Solution Statement. NOTE: use the downloadable Canvas, using the buttons under the video at the top of this page.

Part 3 The Educator Canvas (23:50-39:13): This is where you take ACTION! The Educator Canvas (available as part of  the "Coach Yourself Worksheets PDF" in Downloads at the top of this page), is the bedrock of the Startup Teacher Playbook and the go-to tool for coaching yourself through adversity. Learn how to use the Canvas--a tool you'll use forever to solve problems and to take action, and see real examples of how teachers, like you, have already used the Canvas to solve their problems and to take action.

1. 24:22 - The Educator Canvas: See the Canvas and learn how it works, as Michelle takes you through a deep dive into real examples. REMEMBER to grab your own Educator Canvas; just click the button at the top of this page.
2. 27:00 - Learning Log: a resource teachers created and shared on their Educator Canvas.
3. 28:44 - Project Task Resource: Another powerful example of a resource real teachers made and linked to their Educator Canvas.
4. 30:15 - Short-term Goals: Consider what success looks like in solving your problem -- write it in this section of the Canvas.
5. 32:43 - Inspiration: Note what validates your work.
6. 33:31 - User input: How will you get buy-in from your stakeholders?
7. 34:10 - Tasks: What are the actual tasks you must complete?
8. 35:45 - Partners: List any partners available to help you succeed.
9. 36:30 - Timeline: When do tasks need to be completed?
10. 38:30 - Managing Relationships: An underrated, yet crucial, part of your success.

Conclusion -- Action items (39:14-40:15): Finish your Educator Canvas, and solve at least one problem now!

Got questions?

Want to discuss this training or share your own coach-yourself ideas?

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Darcy Bakkegard is co-author of The Startup Teacher Playbook (Times 10, 2020). A former English teacher turned professional development coach, she leads professional development workshops, webinars, and 1:1 training for teachers across the prairie region (ND, SD, MN). With 10 years of experience teaching English and Theatre in public and private, rural and suburban, and international schools, she has taught every type of learner. Building from a BA in Theatre and years in educational theatre, Darcy specializes in interactive strategies for the classroom and how to build meaningful relationships with students. Darcy is a Level 1 Certified Google Educator and EdPuzzle Certified Teacher. She is an experienced international presenter. Follow her on Twitter @DBakkegard. 

Michelle Blanchet is co-author of The Startup Teacher Playbook (Times 10, 2020) and an educator and social entrepreneur striving to improve how we treat, train, and value our teachers. After ten years of experience working with young people, she founded the Educators’ Lab, which supports teacher-driven solutions to educational challenges. Michelle earned a master’s in international relations from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She has taught social studies in Switzerland and the U.S. and has presented at numerous events, including SXSWedu and TEDxLausanne. Michelle is a part of the Global Shaper Community of the World Economic Forum. She has worked with organizations like PBS Education, the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Ashoka, and the Center for Curriculum Redesign. Follow Michelle on Twitter @educatorslab.

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