“If you embrace the idea of being a continuous learner, you will always be relevant. Once you think you are the expert in the room is the moment the world might start passing you by.” – George Couros

One of the most important facets of my role is to thoughtfully plan professional learning experiences for teachers, grounded in research, evidence-based practices, and concrete tools they can implement immediately for student success. 

In planning and designing these experiences, I must approach the work with a learner’s mindset. Education is always evolving, and while topics shift over time, one thing remains constant: we keep students at the heart of decision-making. This means using evidence-informed practices and valuing teacher feedback to guide our work.

Leaders are learners. I believe that if we expect teachers to engage in continuous learning, we have an obligation to model it ourselves. Every professional learning experience should not only elevate and honor existing practices, but introduce new ideas that provide clear pathways for implementation and reflection.

Over time, I have drawn from my experiences as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, and leadership roles to create meaningful professional learning opportunities that bridge theory with practice. Through this journey, I have identified four key ways leaders can embrace a learner’s mindset, not just in theory, but in practice.

Four Ways to Lead as a Learner

1. Connect: Link new learning to high-impact practices that teachers already use, providing the research behind them. For example, if the goal is to build oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension skills through utilizing interdisciplinary text sets and intentional questioning aligned with priority English Language Arts and discipline standards, we can extend this work by incorporating close reading practices that allow student to make learning stick by teaching each other. This allows students to build background knowledge and access information through multiple pathways and formats. Thoughtful text selection, lesson focus, and skill application are key to successful implementation.

2. Implement: If we ask teachers to try new practices, we can be willing to try them ourselves. Leaders are learners. Rolling up our sleeves, modeling humility, and stepping into the mess of learning show that we’re not just telling teachers what to do but we’re doing this important work with them.

That’s why I ask teachers if I can try high-impact instructional practices in their classrooms as much as I can. This allows us to record video clips of the lesson, reflect, and refine together. While I understand that this takes time, effort, and intentional planning, I can assure you from my experience, it’s a meaningful investment in both relationships and the learning deposit box.

The more we engage in the work ourselves, the stronger the trust, collaboration, and growth become.

3. Discuss: In the article The Beautiful Question, instructional coach and author Jim Knight writes, “Good questions are like intellectual fireworks, leading to explosions of ideas and learning for both the questioner and the conversation partner.”

Engaging in meaningful conversations and asking thoughtful questions fosters deeper reflection: What resonated with you? What will you commit to implementing tomorrow? 

I also model vulnerability by sharing my own reflections, how the experience felt and what I might adjust in my teaching next time. Watching myself teach strengthens my growth as a lead learner and practitioner while reinforcing the reflective process I encourage in students.

Leaders are learners when they create space for dialogue, reflection, and mutual growth.

4. Share:  Create opportunities for teachers to showcase student work that emerges from professional learning. For example, I had teachers bring student writing to share from a previous professional learning experience. We analyzed the writing against a writing progression and talked about how to lift the level of writing for each learner based on the progression expectations and the Next Generation Learning Standards for English Language Arts.

Providing educators with high-quality resources will empower them to take action and implement the practices you are sharing. For example, I have worked with building leaders to curate order high quality interdisciplinary texts and have created thoughtful templates for planning learning experiences so that teachers can work together to recreate them when planning together. 

With that, providing space for a meaningful takeaway at the end of the session is not just an idea, but a tangible, high-quality resource that supports implementation. Ensuring teachers are well-equipped to apply new practices is critical to sustaining impact. 

Leaders are learners when they cultivate environments where educators support and learn from one another.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE IMAGE “LEADERS ARE LEARNERS”

Moving Forward

In his most recent blog post, Conquering Imposter Syndrome, George Couros writes, “One of the things that I often share with the people in front of me is that ‘the expert is not talking to you right now; the expert is sitting beside you.’”

By embracing the idea of being a learner, you may not become an expert, but you will develop expertise. Arrogance is believing you already know it all; humility is recognizing there is always more to learn.

True growth happens when we see learning not just as a professional practice but as a way of being. 

Learning and teaching are collective efforts and shared responsibilities. When leaders model the thinking and learning process, they bridge the gap between leadership and the classroom, showing teachers that they are with them, not just directing from the sidelines.

Leaders are learners. So let’s consider identifying the need, planning the learning, trying it in classrooms, and sharing it with more teachers. Chances are, you were once in the classroom trying new things too.

We’ve got this.