7 Lessons from High Performance Business and Sport, Applied to Education

My twitter feed is used for a few reasons. I follow talented people in fields of education, coaching (particularly rowing), as well some select sport and celebrity vices.

After reading the article from this tweet, I thought about its applications to the education field

7 High Performance principles for sport and business http://t.co/8htS7YA0CF
— Martin McElroy (@mcelroy_mjp) December 3, 2013

1. People and purpose - while points on talent ID and recruitment do not seem applicable in elementary and secondary education, how the talents of students can be maximized is applicable, as is the collaboration with other educators, both within a school setting and outside the school walls through social media. I also find the statement, "why is more powerful than how" of significant interest. To me, this speaks to Saskatchewan Curriculum points on Deeper Understanding, and supports inquiry learning.
2. Invest in understanding everything - I thought this point discussing preparation and practice is relevant regarding "the process of learning", that is, if assessment is authentic, the student experience is invested in learning, daily, this will determine in advance what the outcome (cumulative assessment) should be. Like in high performance sport, such as Usian Bolt's Olympic 100m and 200m victories were due to his preparation beforehand. In education, success in student assessment (if the assessment is valid and reliable), should be represented the same way. "Invest in understanding everything" for educators is to strive to be engaging for all students to excite them for learning.
3. Innovate, adapt, change - no classroom is the same. In fact, the same students, will change during the course of the year, be it maturity, changing family environments, etc. Also, teachers need to change and to continuously learn to serve students properly. 
4. The paradox of failure - we learn best when giving the opportunity to fail in a safe environment. Are all students in the classroom being challenged to stretch beyond their current capacity? Many teachers design their assessment and lessons in a way that limits learning. If focus is on deep understanding, and assessment is not the focus of a numerical value, and instead its primary focus is to inspire students to learn more, and learn from mistakes/misunderstandings. Where such classroom environments exist, where students feel safe to take risks, to be "wrong", rich learning can occur.
5. Restlessness - this point to me builds on the previous point, which involves further challenging all students to take their learning further.
6. Responsiveness - essential. Building a relationship with students, and learning WITH and from students in a classroom, puts the teacher in the role of learning leader/facilitator. Being able to know what works, what doesn't, and to adjust as needed, empowers students, and therefore further engaage them in learning.
7. Balance - the art of teaching. What to do when, where, why, and how? How much, and how often? What way? What worked, what didn't work? These constant decisions, where there is often a continuum of possibilities, is required of teachers and students alike.