Episode Details

Shawn Davids, an elementary principal in British Columbia, explains how to use iPads for learning, not for the device's sake, and how his weekly 5 Things to ROAR About post tells a positive school story. Parent communication can start with a single Friday post.

In one example, students record themselves reading guided-reading books in Explain Everything, listen back, and re-record when they mispronounce a word. Teachers hear the files later in Google Drive. The Friday post began with Davids writing it himself and grew until a team of student journalists started writing it too.

What you'll learn

• Start by asking what you want students to learn, then ask if and how a device can help, because sometimes it cannot.
• Pair hands-on tools such as base 10 blocks with the iPad, so the device adds what other tools cannot.
• Give teachers permission to try and protection to fail, and be in the room or line up support the first time they teach a new lesson.
• Share your own failures and reflections with staff, in the lunchroom and on your blog, so they see you learning too.
• Promise your community a positive post every Friday, and explain what students learned, not only where they went.

Chapters

• 0:00 From computers on wheels to school iPads
• 2:00 Learning first, device second
• 4:28 Screencasting guided reading as formative assessment
• 6:17 Give teachers permission to try and fail
• 9:11 Trust: support staff and challenge them
• 11:34 Why vulnerability is a strength
• 12:56 How 5 Things to ROAR About works
• 17:43 Positive letters home change parent conversations

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Questions this episode answers

How do you get teachers to use iPads for learning instead of just apps?
Davids says his staff talks about what students should learn first, then asks if and how the device can help. He calls the iPad no silver bullet. One teacher pairs base 10 blocks with the iPad to teach adding, which reaches as many students as possible.

How can a principal build a positive culture with parents?
Davids sends a Friday post, 5 Things to ROAR About, that celebrates student and staff success and shows what learning looks like. His school also sends monthly letters home recognizing kids, so a parent's first contact is sometimes good news.

Why is vulnerability a strength for school leaders?
Davids says vulnerability is human and lets leaders reflect on what they do well and ask for help. He tells staff in the lunchroom when he is struggling, which builds the relationship and starts the conversation that leads to change.

About Shawn Davids

Shawn Davids is an elementary school principal in British Columbia whose school publishes the weekly 5 Things to ROAR About post.

Links and resources

• Sponsor offer link
• Sponsor Sanebox
• Transformative Principal website
• Podcast on Stitcher
• Refer a principal form
• Best Tools for Busy Administrators survey

Working on this at your school? Get a free preview of a 10-week leadership pathway built from episodes like this one at transformativeprincipal.com/start.

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