Hi. I’m John Miller, Founder of Agile Classrooms
Agile Classrooms fully bloomed in a 4th-grade classroom.
I had worked for years as an Education Technology Director for a school district, which as a whole, wanted to move towards integrating 21st century skills within the curriculum. But what we found was that we could not change the way students learn, without first changing and modeling these 21st century skills in the staff and teaching methods themselves.
Using Agile, I spearheaded an innovative and engaging way to organize workflows with self-managed teams and quick feedback, creating a healthy and productive workplace culture that allowed for growth and prosperity.
As teachers began to recognize our department's efficient workflows and desirable workplace culture, I was asked to work within the schools to implement the Agile methodology to help teachers collaborate more effectively.
I partnered with a 4th-grade teacher to see what magic could happen when we applied Agile to how students learn.
By the end of the school year, it was amazing to see the transformation of the students. They were more engaged, proud, and could manage their own learning. The amount of collaborative trust and mutual accountability was amazing. The teacher was freed up from lecturing and managing the class, instead using that time to provide focused feedback and connect deeply with each student.
When a substitute had to teach the class, they were left a note of the lesson plans for the day: “The students will tell you what to do.”
Today, the Agile Classrooms framework is being used by many others around the world.
Since 2012, I have helped to guide public schools, international schools, private schools, and even universities in applying Agile to their own practices. Realizing every school is on a different path in its evolution, Agile Classrooms provides a scaffolded pathway to grow Agility so that educators can differentiate it for the unique needs of their classroom.
Through Agile Classrooms, it is my mission to continue to inspire school districts, universities, and educators to take a more innovative and creative approach to how they guide faculty, manage their schools, and teach students. Through a growing community, real-life stories, and applicable practices, I’m excited to continue to be a source of support for anyone wishing to become an Agile Educator.
In A Snapshot
John Miller’s Professional Background and Certifications
John has assisted companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and even Netflix in applying the Agile methods to their company workflows as well as other modern product management approaches. Notably, he was published in Forbes for his innovative approaches and input about the process of companies shifting to more agile workflows.
John is a Certified Scrum Trainer, Certified Enterprise Coach®, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, ICF Associate Certified Coach, Spiral Dynamics Integral Level 2, and a Project Management Professional. When not focused on work, John loves to surf (well, wiping out more than actually surfing), spend time with his family and 2 daughters, volunteer as a life coach for students, and make insanely delicious drinking chocolates.