Could it be that one of the biggest barriers to change is that we rarely have any real shared understanding of the language we use around learning?
That’s one of the many interesting conclusions that Dr. Beth Holland arrived at while doing her recently published dissertation from Johns Hopkins University. And it’s one of the many topics we discuss in this great conversation about the intersection of learning, language and leading in today’s modern schools.
Among some of her conclusions:
- That leaders really need to embrace models of learning that may be foreign to their existing mental models.
- That great systems around the world share a language of pedagogy.
- That the role of the leader now needs to shift to be more about brokering relationships and helping people navigate the different layers of their organizations.
- That trust and collegiality are the most important parts of culture when change is in the offing.
- And that we’re going to have to get beyond “symbolic language” like “personalized” and “blended” and “future ready” if we are ever going to see real change occur.
For more about Beth, please visit her home page.
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