Reclaiming the Intellect, Owning Our Learning

This phrase captures my thoughts today on research method limitations and their effect on teacher inquiry. The philosophy underlying quantitative research assumes that if the method is appropriate, the results will be generalizable to other settings. In other words, an expert can tell you from studying a large enough sample elsewhere, what you should be doing in your school. However, in education, few practices can be imported to a new setting with dependably reliable results. So much is at play in how teachers understand any given innovation and whether it corresponds with their existing beliefs. The degree and quality of implementation can vary widely, based on local conditions. So perhaps the whole assumption that others can generate knowledge that we, as educators, implement blindly, is to be questioned.

However, the quantitative research tradition has mystified the tools for knowledge construction and made them inaccessible to teachers trying to turn observations into knowledge into their own classrooms and schools. Last summer I heard about a school improvement book that I have mean meaning to order, about teachers "reclaiming the intellect". In order for this reclaiming to occur, and for teachers to become critical thinkers about their own professional actions, I think researchers need to legitimize rather than undermine professional inquiry. The ways that teachers make informed instructional decisions needs to be articulated and validated and not dismissed as "unreliable" or "anecdotal". Only then will teachers own their learning and have the confidence to critique it for themselves.

Why is this troubling me now? I've been helping so many students develop inquiry projects and research proposals and there is always so much that must be written about the limitations of the method, an academic tradition.However, one colleague, an expert in narrative research, insists that we should never apologize for our method. I hope there will come a time when the opportunities or affordances of a qualitative research method, such as professional inquiry, are richly understood and appreciated and the limitations are acknowledged in a way that doesn't limit teachers' ability to think.

Some Thoughts on Winter in the Season Walk

I wanted to share a "Winter" idea with you. On my wall hang two Sid Dickens' tiles, both of "The Tree of Life". The first one was released in 1996, the second in 2007 (The Tree of Life - Evolution). Sid attaches the following descriptions to them: "Winter is the season to dream the beginning. Like this great tree we are all rooted in one earth, ever changing, ever growing." When I was gifted the first one, I attached the following quote to the back - - "Winter preserves and strengthens a tree. Rather than expending its strength on the exterior surface the tree forces its sap deeper into its interior. In winter a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established. Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish." (Richard Foster) I thought both these ideas fit in the context of change - as Winter can represent the initial birth of an idea (to dream the beginning) and the time for reflection, gathering strength and corrective action - in both the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of change.

How to Read Journal Articles

Hi, Everyone,

As I prepare for our class on Saturday, I have found an article that I would like to share with you. You can access it by clicking on the text that looks different here: It's Not Harry Potter. The article is written for professors but it emphasizes the fact that we need to teach graduate students to read academic journal articles in a different way than you might read a book for entertainment. For those of you who are classroom teachers, we know now that this change in approach to different kinds of reading is also an important lesson for our young students. Don't worry if you haven't read the article before class - the beauty of blogs is that it will be here for you when you have a few minutes.

Survey Results and Working on the Work

It turns out that the leadership mindsets that have the most resonance for most of us are first TRUST and then LEARNING FOR DEEP UNDERSTANDING, which account for two thirds of our responses. I've been looking at videos from the Phil Schlecty Center and our responses make me think of his assertion that teachers have control over only two things: our relationships with students and the work we design for them. The theme of the professional learning he offers is "Working on the Work" or "WOW" - learning to design assignments that fully engage more students - inviting them to become attentive, persistent, and committed. In contrast, many of our students are currently disengaged or they are merely compliant.

Here are a couple of short videoclips you may find interesting:
Schlecty on Engagement, and Schlecty on Student Work.

Also check out the cartoon on changing schools on the Schlecty Center homepage: The Way Things Are, The Way Things Should Be.

Finally, I want to mention the presence of two of the key concepts in organizational change that I often talk about: social symmetry (my term) and creative tension. The Kaser and Halbert Trust chapter talks more about adult relationships in the school, but the notion of social symmetry, like the symmetry we find in a butterfly's wings, shows that one reflects the other. It is much more likely to find healthy teacher-student relationships in a school where adult relationships are healthy - there are norms of collaboration and shared responsibility. Creative tension, or the pull to excellence, is evident in the points Schlecty makes, in the homepage cartoon, between what we have and what we want, or the current reality and the preferred future.

Network of Performance Based Schools

On Friday, educators around the Northwest got together in Terrace for a Network of Performance Based Schools Meeting. Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert were there as guest speakers and shared their view on what is going on in the world of education, with of course a focus on B.C. Being surrounded by people who embody the mindsets we've been talking and learning about is truly awe inspiring. I was struck by the intense moral purpose shared by so many educators - the goal we all share of making sure each and every one of our learners cross the stage with dignity, pride and options by 2020. As a classroom teacher, that goal is indeed daunting, and at times seemingly impossible, but when I think about how I feel after each Network meeting, I realize that learning communities make even the most difficult tasks possible. I see true power in learning communities, and that they just don't happen magically on their own. They require intense thought and design to make sure they are working properly. I connect deeply to Mitchell and Sackney who in their book "Sustainable Improvement: Building Learning Communities that Endure" talk about the PRINCIPLES of ENGAGEMENT when referring to high capacity learning communities. These principles are:
1. deep respect
2. collective responsibility
3. experiment orientation
4. appreciation of diversity
5. positive role modeling

The Network of Performance Based Schools has endured for over 10 years with little to no funding, serving no agenda other than improving the learning and success of B.C. students using formative assessment, networking and inquiry. It has made a huge impact in my work as an educator. I now see why. They embody the principles of engagement. My next challenge is putting what I know into action. How can I create a meaningful learning community in my own school that is deep and influential so that we can meet the needs of all our diverse learners?