What if?

"What and If - Two innocent little words, and perfectly harmless on their own. But put them together and...

It's like unleashing the power of the atom"
      - psychology-solution.com/anxiety/what-if


I performed a Google search on the question "what if" and the results that came back were about psychology. In the field of psychology, "what if" is a question that leads individuals to stress, anxiety, and worry.

In education, however, the question "what if" is liberating. It leads to freedom, excitement, and innovation. I encourage educators to engage in "what if" thinking (the educational kind, that is) in order to experience its positive benefits. I will pose a psychological and educational "what if" question of my own...

What if we don't engage in educational "what if" thinking?

To help get started, here are a few "what if" prompts from George Couros...

What if we believed that everything that we had to make great schools was already within 
     our organization, and we just needed to develop and share it? 
What if schools operated as if we should all be “learners,” as opposed to students being the only 
     learners? 
What if we promoted “risk-taking” to our staff and students and modeled it openly as administrators? 
What if we hired people who did not look at teaching as a “career” but as a “passion”?
What if everyone in our organization, not just our students, was encouraged to pursue his or her 
     dreams? 
What if we focused on connecting and learning, both globally and locally? 
What if people were always our first focus, as opposed to “stuff”? 
What if we recognized and built on learners’ strengths? 
What if we empowered students to make a difference in the world today and in the future?"