Leadership in Learning: Final Thoughts

Reflections on School Transformation

Essential Questions

●      What are your three biggest learnings, a-ha’s or takeaways from the course?

●      How has this course impacted your understanding of how teachers can shape the school’s we need?

●      What is one thing you will do differently as a teacher leader moving forward?

In the characteristics of leadership, authenticity sits in the center of all components, and is how to stay grounded in the midst of transformation.  In our “age of empowerment,” we have a responsibility to exercise our voice and choice in a manner that is true to our hearts and values as well as include those who have little choice and control in the conversation about how to proceed in our rapidly changing world. (Schwahn, 2010)  “In fact, that’s one of the interesting and exciting things about Empowermentland: Change is a constant—it just keeps happening, and rapidly, too.” (Schwahn,2010, p. 1)  To be an effective change leader, I need to shape the change I want to see in education, and I need to find ways to make my ideas accessible and relatable to others.  Exceptional Leaders fight for what they believe to be right, prioritize ideas and go for the win-win in problem solving.  Modelling the way and challenging processes is where I live in my work, but I also need to inspire a shared vision and enable others to act if I am to be most effective as a change leader. 

The schools we need exist in pockets of our world, as evidenced by many of the models we’ve looked at in this course.  Teachers need to remember that people can lead from any chair, as Ben Zander taught us.  It strikes me that many teachers are aware of the need for change in education and yet act powerless in affecting change.  I beleive it comes from thinking about the long game of change, but in the spirit of a marathon- one mile, and sometimes one step, at a time.  We have to be mindful of the purpose of education even as we enlist the smallest of learning connections.  Teachers have the precious power of being transformational influences in our students’ lives.  Like a performer on a stage trying to evoke emotions from her audience, I have to think, “Who am I being if my students’ eyes aren’t shining?”  We are not in it alone, though.  As we found in The Connected Leader, “Connected learning is understanding the power of collaborating and acting collectively.” (Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter Hall, 2011)  We have a common language and the ability to learn from the world around us as much as we chose to in order to help students learn. 

As I dream of education that is exciting, fulfilling and lifelong, I believe the pathway is individualized learning that focuses on creativity, communication, collaboration, and most importantly, critical thinking skills.  While I’ve had this inkling all along, I know now that I am capable of finding ways for individualized learning to be realized.  This is my passion in life and in education- we are all on our own journey and need to go where our curiosity leads us.  One thing I will do differently every day, in every class, is continually consider how connected the learning is to each student’s experience and skills.  I may not be every student’s “best teacher” or “best class,” but I can strive to bring out the best in each of their own learning endeavors.

Resources:

1.     Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl; Ritter Hall, Lani (2011-11-01). The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age (Kindle Locations 496-497). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition.

2.     Schwahn, Charles J.; Spady, William G. (2010-04-16). Total Leaders 2.0: Leading in the Age of Empowerment (p. 1). R&L Education. Kindle Edition.

3.     (2014). Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of ... - TED.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015: http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion/transcript?language=en.

Dream Big: Personal Learning in the World

"Individualized Realized"

https://www.haikudeck.com/p/hlcjIJwFlD/dream-big

Leadership in Learning: Week 5

Essential Questions

• Which ONE set of actions will move me closer to my reality?
• How can a personal learning network shape my practice and make me a better leader?

Becoming a Thought Leader

Moving from dreaming to action through this month of planning and learning stoked the fires of my passion for education centered around the individual needs of each student.  Although I feel compelled to continue to be part of the conversations bringing my school’s mission and vision to the forefront of what we do, I settled on bringing a truly individualized course to a stronger reality as my one set of actions (Susannah's Dream Big Project 2015).   The method by which I outlined the course breaks down the key parts of the mission and vision as I thread the components of the course through those key ideas with model programs and research as my foundation (credit to L Mireles for the guidance!).  The essential idea of the course centers around aiming on student defined Critical Thinking Skills outcomes (course objectives).  I’ll be using Universal Design for Learning as the guiding principles for setting up a hybrid (blended) course that is self-paced and provides Multiple Means of Representation, Expression and Engagement through modules.  The online platform being used is Google Classroom, and in class time will be anchored by real-world problem solving discussions, collaboration, and one-on-one support from me for each student.  Ideally, students will be able to focus on the Critical Thinking Skills as they work through course materials.  

I see the possibility for leading my peers to adult learning in two ways.  The first is through continuous improvement processes such as project tuning protocols, critique and feedback models, and reflective practices as I enlist my peers in helping me make the project better.  It’s an opportunity for others to consider some new methods and reflect on strategies I’m using as observers, which is fairly low risk to my peers.  The second learning path is via the threading of our mission and values through my process, which causes everyone to keep the ideals in our everyday conversations, and especially so when I solicit critiques.  My hope is that I’ll be leading by example by saying, “Here’s what I’m doing.  How well does it align with our vision?  What could I be doing better?”  Perhaps this process will lead to each person’s own reflections.   

This week was important for me to shift my resistance towards social media in regards to my work. and developing my own Personal Learning Network.  I value personal relationships so highly in my own learning methodology that I wasn’t sure spending hours reading and posting would send me anywhere productive.  What I found, though, by combining some face-to-face time with calculated online time, was a wealth of ideas and information at my disposal.  According to Will Richardson on Personal Learning Networks, PLNs are manageable if you approach them as a, “conscious decision, choose who you respect, pay attention to how they are connected, digital footprint, etc.”  While I can get lost in all of the information available, I also found wonderful resources both for me to learn and to use in the classroom.  It helps, especially, to see models of educators who are doing a version of what I want to do, and then modify as needed for myself.  It is particularly inspiring that educators in particular share to freely and readily.  We must be partners in this education revolution in order for real change to occur and if I take my cues from those I’m following via Twitter and Pinterest this week, I’m well on my way to being part of the change leadership.  

1.  (2014). Will Richardson - Personal Learning Networks - YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMIG0xOySCc.

2. (2015) UDL Guidelines 2.0. National Center on Universal Design. UDL Guidelines 2.0.

3. (2015) “The Thinking Curriculum”. Tools and Frameworks on Critical Thinking. The Thinking Curriculum.

Leadership in Learning: Week 4

Essential Questions

●      How can working on relationships help me be a better change leader?

●      How can I turn barriers into opportunities?

●      What are the opportunities for change in my school?

The Importance of Relationships

I found one of this week’s key points to be that we have to go to the students, meet them where they are.  We do that well at Assets; it’s part of our regular conversation to ask, where is that student now?  What is the next step to help him go towards the learning outcome?  They may not always get all the way there, but we help them down the path.  It’s true, too, in terms of interests of the students.  I have to find ways to meet each of them where they are in terms of personal passions.  It’s easy for me because of my diverse interests and natural curiosity, and it makes a huge difference to let students use what they love in the classroom.  It was helpful to look at my school’s “bright spots” after watching “Culture Based Education”^[1].

Elements that resonate with me and exist in our school:

●      Awareness of who we are as a group (learning different- all of us)

●      Openness in terms of sharing stories and strategies, and trying to support peers with ideas for whatever their challenges are

●      Appreciation for education in the perspective that many students have been told they can’t learn or they aren’t smart- they are in a place that says they can learn and are capable

●      Incorporation of varied and authentic learning: hands-on, in and outside of the classroom, our Mentorship program (every student 10-12th grade is in a job every Wednesday in the community, 9th graders have on-campus “jobs”) “Makahana Kaika” and “'A'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka halau ho'okahi”

●      We have a strong legacy of Assets alumni who come back every year (we have an Alumni luncheon the day before winter break) and of that connection in the community

In consideration of the article, “Improving Relationships Within the Schoolhouse,”^[2] I believe that faculty relationships are reflected in the students and the community, but I’m not sure where the chicken is and where the eggs are in terms of how the cycle gets started.  What is true is that having positive, collegial relationships at work makes all the difference when the challenges arise.  While my program is congenial and collegial, mostly, we are guilty of the isolation and withholding “craft knowledge” at times.  We are encouraged to share as we do show & tell at every faculty meeting and regularly share strategies in our “10 O’Clocks” (20 minutes every day- all about students), but there’s been a growing sense that it’s often just a “show” rather than a modality for feedback or give and take.  Some teachers are reluctant to have ideas “stolen” and some need reminders about giving credit when the sharing happens and ideas are used. 

Part of my Dream Big Project includes pushing for more time for project tuning and feedback protocols as a means to improve individualized learning.  However, as I’ve come to terms with this idea the past few weeks, one of the biggest barriers to any change is an unclear vision for our program.  It is part of my challenge to myself, but I’m still working on how to incorporate a push for this with nuance.  There is no question that teachers not on the bus are let off the bus (to use Jim Collin’s terminology) but it’s hard to have this atmosphere in teaching when it’s such a challenging endeavor day in and day out.  We do have a “carpool vault” discussion happening that is a great sounding board for ideas and concerns, but without the whole team being in the conversations, we’re missing out on a cohesive and powerful force of great minds.

In the article, “Three Dos & Don’ts of Transformative Teacher Leadership”^[3] I was struck by the idea of “Learn How to Speak to All Professionals Involved.”  This is a tricky area for many teacher leaders (or anyone growing in a “middle management” position) because as the big picture becomes more revealed to someone, the harder it becomes to be in the shoes of any one party, which can be a deterrent for compassion.  As someone moves from peer to leadership, we have to recognize the shift in communication as an opportunity to broaden perspectives and strengthen the organization’s vision, or our understanding of that vision. 

“Don’t isolate yourself from the rest of the school” rang quite true for me.  I’ve seen this happen repeatedly when leaders get caught up in high priority or urgent matters that are beyond the scope of the day to day.  The tendency is to tuck into an office and hammer out whatever’s happening, which leads to not only the leaders being out of touch with everyone else on campus, but also perpetuates a feeling that the leader is “too busy” for students, teachers or smaller issues.  One trick for being a leader in the midst of a “crisis” is to imagine that whatever time you have allotted to any one meeting or situation, cut it back by 15 minutes.  That means if you’re shutting your door to address something sensitive and plan an hour to handle it, cut that time to 45 minutes.  Then use the 15 minutes before you tuck in again to go walk around, be visible, say hello.  Not only does this keep the leader “in the community,” it also helps with the stress management of tough challenges. 

Hooray for using Aristotle in consideration of leadership!  It was a treat to consider credibility, emotional connection and logic as the cornerstones of communication but through the change leadership lens in “Three Elements of Great Communication”^[4].  I am such a fan of the use of philosophy in all teaching practices, not just in a philosophy class, that I’ve incorporated these three elements into my writing rubrics and critique protocols in all content I work with.  Students need us to be credible and logical, and they need a connector point of reference.  I think we need to be mindful of all three as we practice communication in the classroom and as change leaders. 

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^[1] "Education: Culture Matters - YouTube." 2011. 4 Jul. 2015 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAPRsDEOsU>

^[2] Barth, Roland S. "Improving relationships within the schoolhouse." Educational Leadership 63.6 (2006): 8.

^[3] "Three Dos and Don'ts of Transformative Teacher Leadership." 2012. 4 Jul. 2015 <http://www.edutopia.org/blog/dos-and-donts-teacher-leadership-jose-vilson>

^[4] "Three Elements of Great Communication, According to ..." 2014. 4 Jul. 2015 <https://hbr.org/2013/01/three-elements-of-great-communication-according/>