Introducing

Choose2Matter
An Online Course
for Educators and Students
By Mark Moran and Angela Maiers

Choose2Matter challenges everyone

to live up to their responsibility as citizens
Overview of Choose2Matter

Choose2Matter is a call-to-action that challenges everyone to live up to their

responsibilities as citizens. It was formed in response to the breathtaking reaction to
Angela Maiers You Matter TEDxTalk in June 2011.
The authors have conducted hundreds of Choose2Matter events. Participants learned
they matter and have a genius to contribute, and to identify their heartbreak and take
action to solve the worlds problems. Students and educators learned to innovate and
iterate, and to persevere.
This course brings the Choose2Matter message to schools everywhere.

Click to Watch
Angela Maiers explains ChooseMatter
https://vimeo.com/204777895/fc0b4e83ed
Testimonials for Choose2Matter

Choose2Matter helped my team learn important things about each other we

never knew. We used it as a chance to remind each other whats special about each
of us. Lovejoy HS (TX)

Ive been trying to find the right words to capture the energy, the passion, the
enthusiasm, the positivity of the first professional development day in a long time
that actually mattered. The takeaways of our staff have been incredible. The
effects of the Choose2Matter message have transcended the high school
auditorium. - Steve Figurelli, Edison Township School District (NJ).

Something remarkable Thursday in Estherville that will no doubt influence ELC

students for the rest of their lives. Empowerment is giving power to others, and
tools to change their lives and the lives of others. Its thinking outside the box,
above offering a unique perspective. We should all try thinking that way. It just
might help us solve the world's problems. - Estherville Daily News
Grace Miner, 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholar
Testimonials for Choose2Matter

Test scores really dont matter in the long run for the kids but what
does matter is that they find something that theyre passionate about
that can help others. You cant put a price tag on it. As a Principal,
Im very proud that my students participate in Choose2Matter.
Art Campbell, Headmaster
Downingtown STEM Academy

So much of what kids learn is this is going to be relevant when you

become a chemist, when you become a police officer. When. When.
But Choose2Matter takes that when and makes it now.
Michael Podraza, Principal
East Greenwich High School
Undisputed Research: Mattering Matters

Mattering provides students with a strong foundation of self-efficacy and self-

condence from which they have found a sense of purpose and an enduring
sense of intrinsic motivation and drive for continued school engagement and
academic success. - American School Counselor Association

Mattering to others is an existentially reassuring awareness, and failing to

matter is terrifying. Mattering is a basic component of social integration. -
Family Matters: The Importance of Mattering to Family in Adolescence

Teenagers given responsibilities that are relevant to their world had higher test
scores and fewer behavioral problems than those who did not. Dropout and
pregnancy rates among such teens also dropped by at least half. - UVa Magazine
A Universal Question

Everyone the world over asks the same question:

Do I matter?
They want to know, Does what I do have
meaning to others? To myself? Am I worthy? If
you come to believe youre worthy, your entire
life shifts. Change that fundamental belief and
you change your world, and the world at large.

- Maria Shriver
The One Question on Everyones Mind
Igniting Architects of Change, April 30, 2017
The Key to Solving Our Biggest Problems

Technological change is stirring an existential fear.

that is stoking the wildfires in politics and society.
When were reminded that
we matter, things get better.
Were more likely to act as good citizens, to be our
best selves. Were more likely to actually solve
problems. This is key to saving democracy and
solving our biggest problems.

- Eli Parisier
Dominican University Commencement
May 14, 2016
The Answer to a Vital Question

As a society, we owe our children safety, support,

opportunity and a way forward.

We can start by showing children they matter.

Its the answer to a vital question that all children and

adolescents ask about their place in the world: Do I
make a difference to others? When the answer is no,
kids feel rejected and alone. They become prone to
self-destructive, antisocial behaviors. Others withdraw.

- Sheryl Sandberg
How to Build Resilient Kids, Even After a Loss
The New York Times, April 24, 2017
Overview of the Course
The Course launches June 7, 2017, at MarkMoran.com/c2m

Participants will engage in authentic, passion-based learning and become self-aware,

empathetic, empowered, collaborative, innovative, passionate agents of social change.
The course takes six seat hours; it includes activities and group discussion that extend
the learning for a full course or a full year. An email newsletter and online forums provide
substantial follow-up to ensure the lessons are fully adopted in your school.

The course is an excellent choice for professional development days, and would utterly
transform college students and aspiring teachers.

Pricing is just $99 per teacher, which includes student materials. Volume discounts apply.
Structure of the Course

At the National Academy of Sciences, President

Barack Obama said: The call and need of a new era is for
greatness. It's for fulfillment, passionate execution and
significant contribution. Students can rise up to the
challenge and do amazing work. They can do genius work!

Is your school a place for invention, innovation and amazing, genius work?
This course takes you and your students on a journey to make it so.
In the first set of lessons, we begin the brave journey of living up to our genius.
The next set focuses on how to explore what makes us come alive.
Set three discusses ways in which we let others know they matter.
The fourth explores how to solve problems by leveraging collective genius.
To help you implement this course in your classroom, we include:
A video-based module for you to share directly with your students
A Classroom Implementation Guide
Follow-up through a newsletter and private social media group.
Excerpts from the Course

Andrew Robinson examined 10 episodes when an inventor supposedly experienced a eureka

moment leading to a famous discovery. He found in each case a long lead-up to
breakthroughs, and efforts required, following the revelation, to explore and substantiate it.
How Do Genius Learners Work?
When we dwell in possibility, we help others do so. We stretch their thinking and build their
capacity to dream, hope, and plan for a brighter future. Why See Limits Instead of
Possibility?
We fool ourselves into thinking that we show people they matter every day....To actually do so
consistently, we must make an affirmative choice each day to offer, thank, encourage, inspire,
and let others know we notice and believe in them. Accelerating the Message:
Everyone Matters
The language and tone we use with students has a profound effect on learning, classroom
management, students self-control, and their sense of belonging. However, thoughtful use of
language is an often overlooked component of the teachers repertoire. Words Matter
Testimonial - The Room Nine Kids
Tammy Dunbar is a fifth grade teacher in California.
She and her Room Nine Kids worked through many aspects
of this course this past school year.
Below are just a few wonderful things that resulted from
presenting the lessons to the Room Nine Kids.

While grieving over a KinderTechBuddy killed in an accident, my students created

Compassion Portraits, drawing their Buddy on their device and inviting their Buddy to draw
themselves. My students added You Matter, printed the drawings and gave them to their
buddies. The buddies snuggled close, put their heads on the shoulders of my students and
smiled. My students came away touched, and changed. One said, I think they know how
important they are to us.

One reason they are so ready to tackle projects is the lesson Finding Mentors. Students
connected with experts. When you meet people from fields youre interested in, you invite them
t0 an amazing conversation that provides students with resources, confidence and excitement.

I was shocked to see the growth of the average class score. In Math, the class average increased
from 12.7 out of 20 to 16.6 out of 20. Our students now approach standardized district testing
with more confidence and more creativity. That can be directly traced to these lessons.
About the Authors of the Course

Mark E. Moran spent four years collaborating with Angela

Maiers to launch Choose2Matter. He has worked with educators and
students at hundreds of schools at live events and professional
development workshops.

Mark is now publisher of SweetSearch, A Search Engine for Students, and SweetSearch2Day,
which curates the web. He is also writing a course on effective online research. Mark was
previously General Counsel at 24/7 Media. He has an M.B.A. and J.D. from Fordham
University, and a B.A. from University of Virginia.

Angela Maiers, founder of Choose2Matter, has been leading change in education for 28
years, teaching kindergarten to graduate school and consulting with companies globally. Her
powerful message and down-to-earth style has made her a renowned keynote speaker.
Angela is the author of six books, including Classroom Habitudes, The Passion-Driven
Classroom and Genius Matters. She is an alumna of The University of Iowa, with a Bachelors
in Education and her Masters in Educational Supervision.