Equity is a topic that takes center stage in many education conversations, and rightly so. It’s about every child being given a “fair go." We often voice our concerns about the plight of the underserved in our communities, and as educators, we always strive to address their disadvantage within the resources we have available. At times, it can seem almost pointless when faced with the barriers and handicaps that society has placed in front of so many of our young people, yet as educators, our moral compasses guide us to try and give every child equal opportunity. It’s not easy. Whether you are dealing with disability, cultural or demographic limitations, or probably the most challenging, financial disadvantage, every day schools across the globe seek to offer a leg up to the less fortunate in our communities. It can be as minor as funding books or technology or lunches, or as major as comprehensive welfare support programs such as those that are now common place in many … [Read more...]
How Do You Discover and Develop Talent in Your School?
“It’s hard to find good talent these days.” It’s a catch-cry becoming more and more familiar as the demands of our exponentially changing world force a quite radical shift in the way companies attract, retain, and build talent. Over the years, the Human Resources Department grew from what was previously known as the Payroll Department, and in doing so, its role expanded as novel ideas such as professional development and staff well-being started to take precedence over the traditional bureaucracies associated with hiring, firing, holidays and sick pay. But Human Resources never accurately defined the secret sauce of the people business and today the modern corporation has moved on, and talent has taken center stage. Today's workplace is all about Talent Discovery, Talent Development and Talent Management as (finally) companies recognize that they are only as good as the talent their employees bring onboard. Of course, this was just a question of establishing priorities, and … [Read more...]
If You Really Want to Change School, You Need to Change the Lens
Over the last dozen years, one of the things I've become most interested in is the ways in which schools define their value in the world. In fact, it's one of the first things I try to suss out whenever I visit a school or a district or a board. What matters here more than anything else? What makes this place "successful?" It won't come as a shock to hear that in most places, what matters is results. Specifically, results that are measurable and that easily turn into data that can be compared year over year. To achieve "success" as a school, the numbers have to show it. Higher graduation rates. Better state test scores. More consistent attendance. Gains in SAT, ACT, and AP test scores. Being "data-driven" has a purpose; it's an efficient way of telling a story. Real estate agents love it, even if it may be the wrong story to be evaluating and telling. I say that last bit because another thing I've become deeply interested in is how little state test scores, attendance, SAT, ACT, … [Read more...]
#41: Conflict with Competency Based Assessments
Would you ever think that Justin Bieber would be the starting point for one of our conversations? Though it may sound crazy, that’s where we begin today, discussing what is possible through social media and technology, since there is no better poster-child for the subject. As always, we’re talking about what learning is and how to make it more relevant. Stay with us for a meaningful discussion about learning, competency, assessment, politics, and more. "The fear is that high achievers will not be rewarded with a non-traditional model of learning." Today’s show revolves around a recent article about Maine’s move to proficiency (or competency)-based assessments. In the article, arguments against these assessments were presented, and although neither of us are fans of giving grades in the current state, we have mixed reviews of the opinion stated. Proficiency-based assessments change the role of teachers and shift attention to those students who are struggling. The common response to … [Read more...]
#40: Interview With Ted Dintersmith
If you haven't heard (or seen) the movie "Most Likely to Succeed," you may be in the educational minority today. The documentary highlights the problems of traditional schooling through the eyes of students, parents, and teachers who are seeking, and in some cases participating in a very different education, and it's become one of the most watched (maybe the MOST watched) film about education ever. Millions of people around the globe have seen it, and now, you can even rent your own personal screening via the film's website. While the movie takes it's cues from Tony Wagner's book of the same name, it's producer Ted Dintersmith has been doing the yeoman's work in getting the film out to global audiences and in pushing the conversation around change to state legislatures. And Ted is our guest in our 40th episode of the Modern Learners Podcast. Our conversation runs the gamut from what the change narrative is evolving into, to places where change is happening at high levels, to the … [Read more...]
#39: Using Adaptive Change Methods to Revolutionize Education
Do you know the difference between technical change and adaptive change? Most change in schools involves technical change, like “dressing up” the current situation, but not really addressing the underlying issues. Adaptive change, as defined by Harvard’s Ron Heifetz, is changing culture, worldview, and self-worth. These are the changes that are the hardest to make and require a re-imagination of our culture and our basic roles. The message is that we need to stop “playing around the edges” and make changes that really get to the core. The work of leadership is to constantly keep redefining the destination. We know we are not doing the right thing in schools today, but people get defensive with anger, confusion, and uncertainty when their deeply-held beliefs are challenged. Doing the right thing in schools means more than adding a piece of technology here and a change in curriculum there. The goal is to go FROM a traditional teaching culture TO a modern learning culture. This is … [Read more...]
#37: Revolutionizing Education Through Student Empowerment
Templestowe College, or TC as we call it in Victoria, Australia, was built to accommodate 1,000 students. At the start of 2010, those numbers had dwindled down to just over 200. Peter Hutton took on the challenge of rebuilding the school, despite severe challenges. Today, you will get to hear the story of the past 7 years, and how Peter revolutionized one school by testing assumptions and changing the way they thought about education. TC desperately needed a new brand and a new vision. Peter was longing to see how a school could actually nurture their students while also instilling in them the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in life. Peter will describe for you today how those logistics play out for TC students today. We will also discuss how the students, parents, and staff have all responded to the changes over the past 7 years. TC is producing committed, happy students with impressive work ethic and a thirst for learning. Peter claims that culture was built from … [Read more...]
The Dark Arts of Our Agents of Change
As happens more frequently these days, the idea for this Shifting Conversations post had its start in a Zoom coaching session in Change School last week. Most weeks we now have the very good fortune to be talking regularly with some outstanding educators, and it was on one of our calls that several teachers wanted to talk about their roles as change influencers. When we talk about school change, we usually refer to changeleaders, but by far the largest number of change influencers are the global tribe of curious, somewhat subversive teachers who are committed to school being a better place for their students. They are our agents of change. What makes them so different is that the change they can affect happens every day in their classrooms. It’s the change that happens when the curriculum stops at the classroom door. It’s everything that they can do within four walls, but even more importantly it’s the ripple their changes make across their schools as their colleagues become … [Read more...]
#35: The Answer to How is Yes
Today’s show is another one of the “thought exercise” episodes, so get ready for your thinking to be challenged! We’re discussing a book that came out about 20 years ago, The Answer to How is Yes, by Peter Block. This book twists the way we think about how change happens and explores the relationship between HOW and WHY regarding the work we do in schools. Most often, we go for predictability and control rather than risk anxiety and adventure in pursuing our educational goals. Block explains how we look for external validation of our work instead of defining ourselves by what WE say matters. So, the bottom line may be to define what really matters to us in education. We are taking a brief look at a brand-new book, The Case Against Education, by Bryan Caplan. He states that we need LESS education, not more. His premise is that our educational system wastes much time and energy, teaching skills that don’t really help students in real life. The answer, according to Caplan, is to offer … [Read more...]
#34: Are We Doing the Right Thing in Schools?
In today’s conversation, we take a deep dive into a recent article in The Guardian by Cathy Davidson, a professor at City University of New York. Cathy says we have to “reverse the outcome-oriented educational monster we have unleashed . . .” We also are discussing Peter Gray’s article in Psychology Today, “The Joy and Sorrow of Re-reading John Holt’s How Children Learn”. In considering these articles, we step deeper and ask the question, “Are we doing the right thing in schools to begin with?” In higher education, we keep doing more of the same, but aren’t we just creating robots in classrooms? We are critical of students’ skill sets, but what are we doing to prepare them for the real world? Do we value the skills that children learn outside of school? Do we allow them to create with technology? We have to take an honest look at these questions and more about what we are doing in schools because we can’t assume that change in schools is coming in the future. Sadly, the bottom line … [Read more...]