It’s easy to label yourself as one of these and we see them thrown around a LOT these days, but it’s difficult to truly earn them. Are any missing from the list?
Change-maker
Innovator
Disruptor
Mover and Shaker
Influencer
Thought Leader
Transformation Specialists
Accelerator
Change Agent
I’ve got a love-hate relationship with sentence stems in the classroom. I understand their role with cognitively complex ideas and activities like socratic seminars, meta-cognition, and reflective tasks. I also think they are used as a crutch rather thank making thinking visible. We can discus that these tasks or ideas are difficult for anyone to put into words and require deep thought. They can’t really be boiled down to a few words put at the beginning or end of each sentence you say. No discussion or conversation ever sounded natural or professional or authentic when everyone in the room was speaking using sentence stems. I’ve yet to work on a project at the college leveled or any job where sentence stems were effectively employed.
What are some other ways to guide people into deeper conversations and more metacognitive thought without using sentence stems?
Tag me @dkonopelko in a response on Twitter!
Someone will always misinterpret what you type or write regardless of how thoughtfully and carefully you craft your message and construct your sentences. It is viewed through their lens and experiences, and you miss being able to deliver the verbal and non-verbal clues to your meaning. Maybe it’s time that we introduce some new rules or punctuation usage to indicate sarcasm as opposed to genuine thought, different degrees of excitement, and of course bring back the interrobang (‽).
::Sure, just what we need- more punctuation to misuse and misinterpret!::
#1: A forced focus (by districts) on the inequitable distribution of resources among students and families.
This crisis is shining a light on some equity issues that have been talked about for a while but haven’t been acted upon on such a broad scale. One of the most prominent examples is the focus on equitable access, which is a tough area to tackle. This includes the devices, but also includes the ability to access the internet. While many companies are offering items or services at a reduced cost or even free, that cannot sustain itself forever. So, this crisis will hopefully provide some insight into effective ways to scale up access that is sustainable for our most vulnerable areas of the population and also the providers. This has also helped to show the public all the needs and social services currently being fulfilled by our education system (more on that in #8). It is also absolutely vital to note that while some districts which are well-equipped to help bridge this gap are doing so, there are also areas of the country (and probably near you as well) which cannot support this deeper push for equity and the crisis is widening the gap in those spaces. Crisis can pull people together, but it can also amplify the trauma many are already living through. Think carefully about both ends.
#2: A forced focus (by schools) on family communication and involvement.
Schools and districts MUST be communicative to their families during this time. There are many different tools and platforms being used to accomplish this and each one has its benefits and drawbacks, as well as a specific subset of its stakeholders who consume it. Each one also has an area of communication in which it shines. While we see schools posting more exemplars and stellar teachers/staff members than ever on Twitter, we’ve also seen a huge uptick in calls coming home by both schools and districts. There are well-thought out plans to enable education to continue that were put together in a matter of weeks that more closely address family communication than any previous initiatives. These plans include specific ways families can help and be involved, while also understanding the limits of what can be accomplished by a family that is also in crisis. Hopefully once the crisis begins to slow, this renewed urge to communicate and involve families in the learning process remains.
#3: A forced focus (at home) on children as students and learners.
Families who were previously less involved in their child’s education now feel pressure to be involved in the teaching and learning process. Turning a walk around the block into a science lesson, digging into conversations about what students were learning so they can continue the push, diving deep into conversations about what their children/students WANT to learn about to keep engagement up, and thinking deeply about what it takes to teach. Even as an educator married to an educator, this is a huge shift in our at-home dynamic and is driving some huge growth in our connections as a family. There are many stories and posts by people claiming that all teachers should be paid twelve gazillion dollars per hour because of the work they do. While I love that this is shining light on a profession that can be grueling and take a LOT out the people responsible for our children, what I love even more is that it tells me these families are building new bridges based on learning and growth.
#4: A forced focus (by teachers and staff) on shifting mindsets about digital transformation.
We are now outside the world of ‘what ifs’ and hypothetical situations. If a district had not prepared a robust plan for digital learning and the processes and procedures to support a digital curriculum over the past decade, they are RAPIDLY getting there. The benefit to students will be that these structures are now in place in many districts around the country where they didn’t exist before. This has also shown a unique use case for the need to be ready to shift online. Teachers who weren’t ready yet or didn’t want to switch things up are being forced out of their comfort zone. People all over the world are seeing that there is a different skill set needed to teach online compared to in-person. It’s not just a shift of curriculum and tools. This also poses some important questions moving forward. What do snow days look like moving forward when e-learning resources and plans are firmly in place? Indiana already utilizes e-learning days to bridge the times when students are prevented from getting to the school sites. What does the overall school year look like when the learning can span distance and time?
#5: A forced focus (by states) on the insignificance of high-stakes testing in the learning process.
At this point, quite a few states have abandoned their high-stakes tests for this year and some have even moved away from a hard focus on the standards and instead are just trying to get families to keep the focus on learning. Find things the students are passionate about and guide them through the exploration process. Read more books, not only those that align with specific ideas and work, just read more books. It seems like when you peel back some of the layers of accountability and legislation, what remains at the core is what many of us think are the most vital parts of education. Feeding curiosity, exploring the world around us, developing a love of learning, diving deep into books and reading, and connecting with those who are most important in our lives. Sounds like a great foundation to build on!
#6: A forced focus (by all) on adopting more fluid and dynamic systems, processes, and procedures.
‘Because we’ve always done it that way’ is out the window at this point. Doing most things in person is no longer a reality for many people. Beyond the education system, corporations and businesses have adopted and adapted processes that allow them to continue to function in this climate. From remote work to new delivery procedures to digital-first releases of blockbuster films, the whole world is changing around us. Those who are focused on putting systems in place that allow them to respond with agility to the changing world around them are able to flourish and grow. We can all learn from this experience that no matter what we’ve ‘always done’, there comes a time to change and adapt.
#7: A forced focus (by all) on the realization that there is another school calendar that might make sense.
Our current school calendar was built for a different type of society. With everyone being forced into providing a more flexible type of education to our students, it may also provide some insight into ways that our current calendar for education responds in times of crisis. We’ve already seen states say that they will extend the school year into the summer to ‘make up for lost instruction time’, but we’ll also see many that continue with social distancing strategies through the end of this school year and then focus on re-opening in the fall. From this point forward, when the school board or calendar committee come together to determine a schedule for a district or when the state legislatures are determining the appropriate number of instructional minutes or days, we will have an entirely differently lived experience to pull from.
#8: A forced focus (by the public) on the impact of the educational system.
School closures were previously thought of as a short and relatively minor inconvenience for many, but the situation we are currently in of extended closures has pulled back the curtain on just how heavily we rely on the system of education for much more than education. Parents are having to figure out how to function when they’ve got a full house and no day cares or camps to rely on. The public is seeing how heavily many families rely on the school districts for meals, specialized services for students who require physical accommodations, individual education plans, social-emotional services, and so much more. All of these are facets of the school system and are provided as part of or in addition to the school day for our students. While school districts continue to work hard to adapt these additional systems beyond teaching and learning into a new model of work, families and communities are able to see just how impactful their local district is, now more than ever.
#9: A forced focus (by all) on the importance of working together.
This one could go on for a while, but I’ll be brief and avoid hot topics. Paywalls are down, companies are stepping up to provide resources, districts are sharing openly with other districts, and states with other states. Companies that normally produce all different goods are halting or slowing production to shift focus to making face masks and ventilators. Now, imagine a world where we responded with a front this united to all challenges we are facing. We’ve heard a lot of mention (which I despise) of a broken education system or schools that are failing- who is ready to step up and do what’s necessary to drive change? The catalyst has already arrived.
This post was based on a thought provoking question posted by @themodestteacher on Twitter this week. This is my (WAY) too long for Twitter response. Please share yours as well!
Leading is about relationships.
Leading is about understanding influence.
Leading is about making mistakes.
Leading is about owning mistakes.
Leading is about lifting up others.
Leading is about modeling.
Leading is about positivity.
Leading is about vision.
Leading is about tough decision-making.
Leading is about communication.
Leading is about driving change.
Leading is about problem-solving.
Leading is about learning and growing.
Leading is about relationships.
As we move into an increasingly digital age, it’s still important for physical education to take place in its true form, teaching students about staying active. Not just walking laps and completing packets about organized sports, or studying the physical education standards. Not just participating in the sports that you enjoy. There are the implications of playing team sports that help teach communication, collaboration, problem solving, collective goals, and persistence that are taught through the work of PE teachers. There are also vital social lessons to be learned through the experience.
Education is so unique in that people in ALL levels and areas of education still consider themselves educators first. In just beginning my journey in the private sector, I still first identify myself as an educator. I’ve met teachers, principals, custodians, superintendents, CAOs, CTOs, consultants, salespeople, strategists, and a myriad of others involved on both the private and public side of education who above all else consider themselves educators and take that responsibility seriously. They spend time talking about students, teaching, and learning- even when the jobs are far removed from the classroom. It’s rare that people continue to identify with their initial role in a field long after they’ve left that role.
I feel very blessed (and in good company) to be able to continue to work with amazing folks to impact the lives of students each day.
ISTE 2019 – Philadelphia, PA – Pennsylvania Convention Center
Another conference is in the books, but it was far from ordinary- not ‘just another conference’. This was a conference of firsts and a conference of EduFamily. Appropriately, let’s first talk about the firsts:
It was also a conference for EduFamily.
On Saturday evening, there was the ISTE Affiliate reception for leaders from ISTE Affiliate groups from around the world. While I met people from many different states and countries, it was the first or second group that sat down at my table which made a mark. The three team members (Shane and CC and then met Janet at the awards luncheon Sunday) from the Hawai’i Society for Technology in Education (HSTE) were very warm and welcoming and turned out to be great new members of my EduFamily for the rest of the conference. We shared a few meals and some ideas about the differences between how our states run our groups, etc.
In prepping my ignite talk (based on this article), I noticed that a member of my PLN (Jennifer Casa-Todd) was also presenting and we were able to sit backstage and be nervous together as we waited for our opportunity to share our work with the audience. It was great knowing that there was support waiting when you wrapped up the talk and went back behind the curtains.
After I finished my ignite talk on Sunday, one person asked if I had ever considered writing a book. I definitely had not, but I knew who to ask about it! Jen Williams, who I met 4 years ago at an edCamp event in Melbourne, FL, was at the conference speaking and promoting her book that she had just finished writing and it is being released in the next few months. Despite not having seen each other in 4 years and only staying connected on Twitter, she took the time to sit down with me to discuss the process she had gone through and also talked about some of the other people she knew who had gone through the process recently with different publishers. A mutual connection of ours, Bryan Miller (who I had presented at FETC with in 2016 and now works at Wonder Workshop) was also there and has a book coming out in November. We talked for about 30 minutes as if three and a half years hadn’t passed between our last two conversations and he shared a lot of information on the process that he and Katrina Keene went through in publishing their upcoming books. I was also able to reach out to another few people who are members of my PLN that either publish books themselves or have gotten books published in the past. I was able to draw on the valuable experiences of them digitally, so another thank you to Dave Burgess, Sarah Thomas, Dene Gainey, Tom Murray, and Susan Bearden.
I walked into a new dentist’s office last week and a sign posted on the check-in desk read, “All patients must show insurance card when you sign in.”
I don’t carry the card anymore but keep a scanned image on my phone, so I pulled it up. No one asked to see my insurance card, nor did anyone that checked in while I was sitting there show their insurance card.
Think about it: does your organization ever behave like this?
If you don’t really have a process or procedure for getting it done, get rid of the policy. If people aren’t going to do it, get rid of the policy. If you think people should do it, but you aren’t willing to police it, get rid of the policy.
All of these phrases ultimately have the same meaning- making a difference for kids- so it’s important to discuss and agree upon EXACTLY what difference you seek to make and what success looks like:
Guide school improvement efforts
Increase student achievement
Create a more dynamic learning environment
Provide enrichment opportunities
Educate students for success
Differentiate to reach all learners
We can learn a lot from road work signs. On a recent road trip, I saw this succession of signage as I went down the highway:
More people should operate with this sort of mentality. When working on a project or new assignment, tell people what they should expect (Road Work Ahead). Then tell them when to expect it (Road Work 1000 ft.). Then let them know how long it is going to last (Road Work Next 5 Miles). If their work is going to change to accommodate the project, let them know (Uneven Lanes) and provide updates along the way (Road Work Next 2 Miles). Finally, let them know when the project is over and they can resume their normal responsibilities (End Road Work).
This is the third installment of a seemingly random string of posts on signs and other meanings they could pose for our lives.
The world of social media takes many forms. As do the people who access and use it. As one example, Twitter is used heavily by educators to connect to other educators and thought leaders from around the world. Some call this eduTwitter. Increasingly on eduTwitter, it seems people are posting negative reactions and comments to each other’s work. Instead, let’s push people to post more positive than negative. We all understand that hindsight is 20/20, but we choose to act like that rule is only acceptable for our own work.
Today, I challenge you on three fronts:
Feel free to steal these questions that I asked my teachers to answer about any student we identified as being ‘at-risk’ for not graduating based on attendance, GPA, grades, or state test scores.
The Art of Gathering – Priya Parker
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education – Chris Emdin
Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams – Roger Schwarz
Collaborative Leadership – Peter DeWitt
Lead Like a Pirate – Shelley Burgess and Beth Houk
Wildflowers – Jonathan P. Raymond
Schools that Succeed – Karin Chenoweth
Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton (for the fifth or sixth time)
The Lost World – Michael Crichton
Origin – Dan Brown
White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo
Other People’s Children – Lisa Delpit
Choosing Civility – P.M. Forni
Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
Graphic Design Thinking – Ellen Lupton
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
Originals – Adam Grant
Sphere – Michael Crichton (rereading this…loved it 20 years ago)
The Wizard and the Prophet – Charles C .Mann
Congo – Michael Crichton (rereading this…loved it 20 years ago)
Using the front door to enter my house is a great experience. It was designed and intended to be the place that people use to enter. It’s decorated nicely inside the front door. It’s welcoming. It’s warm and inviting. It provides a well-defined threshold between the outside world and our home. However, most times we enter through the garage. Through the garage door you walk into the laundry room, then into the back corner of the kitchen. The garage blurs that threshold between house and outdoors.
In Florida today, most schools have exterior hallways, large fences or gates surrounding the property, and common areas outside where students wait before school starts. Very often, parent drop-off and the bus loop have students entering through a side entrance or gate, blurring the lines between getting to school and arriving at school. Students might be at school for a half hour or more before they actually step inside their classroom. Many students never use the intended entrance to the school.
In this way, we rely heavily on the teacher to be greeting students at the door once class begins so that there is a well-defined start to school. For some students (and staff), getting to school each day is already a struggle and having a well-defined start or an intended entrance allows there to be a threshold between the outside world and the school. This doesn’t mean that people shed their identities at the door. This doesn’t mean that who you are outside the walls is different than who you are inside the walls. All schools have an underlying culture. In a school where the school leaders and staff have worked hard to foster a caring and learning culture, it is important for people to feel welcome. Their life outside may have a lot of unknowns and may not be safe. Feeling the threshold between outside and the school becomes vital to these students. If you are thinking, we don’t have any students like that- you are wrong. Every school in every part of the world has students who struggle, who have a painful life outside of school. Make sure you are setting a threshold; make sure you have a welcoming, intended entrance for your students, even if they are entering through the garage.
In working on my ISTE Ignite talk with specific requirements: 5 minutes for 20 slides timed out at 15 seconds each, I’m reminded that it is important to choose our words wisely. This isn’t only true for 5-minute talks on a topic that we could discuss for hours but in our day to day work as well. We’ve only got two things to hang our hat on, actions and words. They aren’t both appropriate at all times. We know that actions speak louder than words, but in some venues, people don’t get a chance to see our actions. It’s here that our words take over. So we must be precise and accurate in choosing words to properly represent our viewpoint or represents the actions that we’ve taken.
To make the connection to my previous post on accuracy and precision: accuracy is how closely your words represent your viewpoint and actions, and precision is how consistently you describe these viewpoints and actions.
If we design a classroom based on what the teacher and students are currently doing instead of what they could be doing, we are missing the mark and limiting their ability to learn and grow. If we want flexible learning spaces, provide desks, chairs, and tables that allow for that shift. If we want engaged, digitally-literate teachers and students, provide the tools that allow for that work. And it’s not just about providing the stuff. While there will always be teachers and leaders who ‘outperform’ their space, we’ve got to provide the instructional strategies, structures, and tools to be able to deliver the type of engaging learning experiences we want all of our students to have. This isn’t limited to dropping off some devices and leaving the room. Structured, job-embedded professional development and leadership development is a must.
If we are the ‘UPS guy’, dropping off a package of new tools and toys, ringing the doorbell, and leaving, we are missing the mark as educational leaders and instructional designers.
There are two types of speakers (or writers) that I appreciate and aspire to one day be:
1) the type that are so knowledgeable that they can speak for hours about their area of expertise or their passion, and
2) those that don’t have to because they are so clear and concise in their message.
If you are ever looking for the latter, check out Seth Godin at https://seths.blog/ – he has so many insightful and thought-provoking posts. One of my all-time favorites is “What’s high school for?“.
The world today is inundated with a deluge of modern technology. The world of education, as a microcosm of the system as a whole, is no different. You can’t read a blog, or a trade magazine, or a newspaper, or go to a conference without risking being washed away by words like augmented reality, 3D printing, drones, artificial intelligence, robotics, coding, programming, and ‘smart’ devices.
The craziest part is that in our classrooms these high-level options are available as a field to study and explore to almost all levels of learners, or at least they should be. Instead, what we see in too many cases is that these courses are reserved for students who excel and don’t need remediation. Students who struggle are often not exposed, widening the opportunity gap. We need to lower the threshold of entry into programs that learn about these advances to prepare ALL of our students for their future. High performing students, students with transportation, and students with money shouldn’t be the only ones who are able to enter this exciting world.
How can you help? Here are a few ideas!
If you’ve got any other great ideas, tag me @dkonopelko on Twitter!
This was the title of a recent email I received from an edtech company looking to break into the education market.
TURNKEY DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP: NO WORK REQUIRED
And the be honest, I’m sure it worked for some people. Their marketing materials were great, the website was pristine. It all appeals to a group I’ll call the ‘no work required crowd’ (NWRC).
Here are a few things I’ve learned in the last decade or so:
There is always an appetite for this type of program, the ‘get rich quick’ scheme for transformation appeals deeply to the NWRC. And this, of course, isn’t only true of digital citizenship programs. This is true of any project worth implementing at any type of organization. At this point, I would prefer to see this as a headline:
EDUCATIONAL TRANSFORMATION: REALLY HARD WORK REQUIRED, BUT IT’S WORTH THE EFFORT
It’s won’t appeal to the NWRC, but it’s worth it for our kids.
This post will be appearing in an upcoming issue of District Administration magazine. Once it is released, I will update this post with a link.
Screen time is one of those topics that is often discussed, sometimes understood, and rarely agreed upon. As leaders in instructional technology, one of the most common conversations we have is the debate surrounding time on devices. When the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in last year and provided some updated guidelines (link), it reignited much of the conversation.
Here are 7 thoughts surrounding screen time that can help you navigate these difficult, but important conversations.
There isn’t one answer.
Screen time is almost exclusively grey area. There is no black and white. Be open to the conversations and take in as much information as you can through actively listening to those with concerns. An empathetic ear goes a long way to understanding the point-of-view of people who are on either end of a divisive issue.
The digital world is an ecosystem.
Just like the physical world around us, the digital realm is constantly growing and evolving. It is full of life and involves ever-increasing amounts of interaction. The culture of the digital world is as complex as that of the culture of your neighborhood, city, state, country, and the world because it is truly global in nature.
The device is a vessel.
Consider the fact that a hollow hypodermic needle and syringe have been used to a) deliver the vaccine which eradicated the deadly smallpox virus, and b) to deliver heroin to those addicted to the narcotic. The problem with heroin isn’t the hypodermic needle and syringe. In the same way, the smartphone itself is not what we need to be concerned with- instead let’s consider the content.
Not all content is created equal.
Content doesn’t live in the diametrically opposed world of good and evil- there are many different facets to consider when evaluating the content that is contained within the digital ecosystem. Is the content for entertainment or education? Does the content allow for passive engagement or require active involvement? Is the user consuming the content or using a tool and creating content? Are you monitoring the content or hoping they monitor their own use?
Not all children are created equal.
Parents and teachers both know their children. They might know different versions of the same child and receive different outputs with the same inputs, but there is one thing they can agree on- no two children are alike. They react in different ways to the same content and same scenarios. While some may be able to handle more time on a device, some may not. While some may come alive with a video series about photosynthesis, others simply cannot follow along. Knowing what is appropriate and effective for each individual is vital.
We are living in a connected world.
Whether or not you are in favor of digital devices, digital content, and their place in the classroom, you cannot deny their ubiquity in our daily lives. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment our head hits the pillow at night, we are engulfed in a more global, connected world. This means that more information than we could ever study or endeavor to know is literally at our fingertips, but we also are tasked with being able to filter and understand that world through the lens of our perspective and experience.
Good habits are learned.
The idea of a digital native is a myth. Just as we wouldn’t hand the keys of a car to our child without a lot of conversations, demonstrations, and guided sessions surrounding safe driving, the same should be true for screens. The fact that they grew up in a car doesn’t mean they understand it’s place in their lives and the importance of careful operation and maintenance. The same can be said of our digital habits and screen time behaviors. Good digital habits must be explicitly taught and modeled if we are to shape modern, self-directed, and self-monitoring learners.
There are different types of people who show up to the job each day and are a positive influence on the organization. We’ve got leaders, managers, dreamers, hype men, and the list goes on. One of those positive influences is the worker. The worker completes the items that are in the job description. The worker works the correct number of hours. You can rely on the worker to check all the boxes, cross the t’s, dot the i’s, and show up to work on time. They will read and respond to all the emails and show up for every meeting. They get great reviews of their work and have high evaluation scores. Some of you are probably thinking, “I wish I had more workers on my staff,” and that may be true. For many roles, the worker is the most appropriate and efficient choice.
Here’s one more thing that the worker has: a blind spot for changing the systems that exist. Especially if those systems fall outside their job description. However, the worker can end up in leadership roles because of their strong track record of getting the job done, but they don’t examine the world around them for inefficiencies and inequity. They don’t push back on questionable decisions by a superior. They keep the system moving without thinking about whether or not this system accomplishes what it seeks to accomplish. The worker isn’t a leader, yet.
One idea that I want to make clear: this is not a deficiency or a problem created or perpetuated by the worker. This is a problem of human capital management. This is a problem based on putting the wrong people in the wrong positions within an organization. This is a problem of promoting based on longevity or good reviews, but not based on the needs of the position. This is a problem of evaluation systems that promote and reward checking the boxes. This is a problem of not training people to examine systems. This is a problem of not guiding strong workers through a leadership development program before giving them the responsibilities and expectations that come with being a leader. This is a problem of hoping someone becomes a leader rather than developing them.
It is the job of the organization to develop workers into managers and leaders so that their influence is not confined or limited and they can impact the next generation of workers and doers. How is your organization doing this?
Other than being a great song by Barenaked Ladies, let the title of this post serve as an example of how much times have changed.
The other night in the almost pitch black, I noticed two things: 1) that something in our room must not be functioning correctly because a light that is usually solid was blinking and driving me crazy, and 2) that it isn’t pitch black at all because there are a lot of little indicator lights on in our room.
Because it has happened gradually over the years, I barely noticed until the other night. Tonight, I challenge you to take stock of the lights that stay on when your lights go out. And then ask your parents how many lights were in their room when they were your age. For us, there are 14 items with lights on them at night in our room, for my parents: 1.
Why does this matter and why am I writing about it?
These lights all serve some kind of purpose, to let us know that something is on or connected or charging. Blinking tells us something different than steady light. Amber light tells us something different than red. But in addition to helping us know what is going on in the machines (notifications), these lights serve as distractions.
Take stock of the things that distract you from daily life. Notice how you have become numb to some of these things over time and how they may prevent you from your goals.
I was shocked when I took stock of the little indicator lights in our bedroom and even more shocked when I took stock of the distractions and notifications that are all part of my daily life. Now, onto the real work of figuring what stays and what goes!
Want to know what is lighting up our room? Here’s the list.
In my parent’s room when they were my age:
This sign warns you not to touch it. Its only purpose is to dictate how you should handle (or not handle) it. The sign has no function outside of letting you know it exists. The only ‘work’ it does is self-created and has no benefits beyond that.
Don’t be this sign.
This might be the second in a non-consecutive series about signs and what they can teach us about education, leadership, and life.
Somewhere in the science standards for your state, it probably addresses the ideas of accuracy and precision. If you Google these terms, you’ll see countless articles, videos, examples, lesson plans, etc. Let me give you a really basic summary.
Accuracy is how close a measurement is to the accepted/desired/expected value. Precision is how close together each measurement is to the other measurements.
Assume for the following example that my car’s speedometer is properly calibrated. If my speedometer reads 65 mph and I pass a speed limit sign that measures my car’s speed and it says 65 mph, the measurement seems accurate. If I pass that same sign while going 65 mph five days in a row and it reads 65 mph all five days, I assume that the sign is both precise and accurate.
If I were to pass that sign at 65 mph and everyday it read 83 mph, it would be precise, but not accurate. If for five days I passed that sign at 65 mph and it read 43, 60, 11, 99, and 3 mph, it would be neither accurate nor precise.
Now to education.
An assessment might be a precise measurement tool: a student with a specific ability level might score the same over and over.
An assessment might be an accurate measurement tool: a student who has an expected ability level might receive a score that matches that level.
But neither of these really captures the most important aspect of the assessment: is it measuring something we actually value or just something that is easily measured? A cursory knowledge of photosynthesis or an understanding of our place and impact on this planet? Solving for congruent parts of triangles or financial literacy and the long term consequences of mismanaging credit? Understanding the mood of an epic poem or being able to evaluate the legitimacy of a source of information? How to sit still and quiet in a room for hours on end or how to properly manage your attention in a world full of distractions?
This post was based on a quote from an episode of the podcast Freakonomics, where Dr. Mitchel Resnick (a professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab) stated the following, “Schools end up focusing on the things that are most easily assessed, rather than focusing on the things that are most valuable for kids and valuable for thriving in today’s society. So what we need to do is to focus more on trying to assess the things we value rather than valuing the things that are most easily assessed.” Thanks to @mres (a fellow ISTE Making It Happen Award Winner) for the inspiration.
The next time you are starting a large project (or unit plan or scheduling a year of activities) and feel overwhelmed, do the following before you over-react: break it down. Don’t take a huge leap and try to figure out what the exact first step in the process would be. Don’t go from the idea for a new type of transportation infrastructure to trying to figure out what the first step is to make it happen. It’s just too big of a leap and I guarantee that where you think you need to start and where you actually need to start are worlds apart.
Break the project into four general sections or areas of responsibility, and then throw away the three least important or least pressing. Okay, don’t throw them away. Just push them to the side and don’t look at them again right now.
Then break down that one section into three or four pieces. Get rid of the least important or least pressing. I think you see where this is going.
Continue this process until you’ve arrived at the core principle of the project; the lever that will help propel your project in the right direction.
Now, think of the steps to achieve only this one deliverable or one idea. That’s where you start, start with your lever.
At the end of this exercise, you’ll have two things: a reasonably precise and accurate vision of where to begin, and (if you choose to put all of the ‘thrown away’ ideas back together) an outline of the overall arc the project will take.
I’m tired of hearing that education hasn’t changed in the last hundred years or that education is broken. If you search the phrase ‘education hasn’t changed’, you’ll see articles from reputable educational institutions and publications that assert that education is the same now as it was 50, 100, or 400 years ago. Or that the system is broken. Or they show an image of a classroom from the 1800s next to a picture of a classroom from today to show they are ‘the same’.
A few quick thoughts:
Is education broken? Of course not.
Are there ways we can improve education? Of course. And we will.
A safe way to explore danger is generally fun. People don’t flock to roller coasters because they really love physics and mechanics being put on display. They’re not huge fans of larger than life examples of kinetic and potential energy.
People go on roller coasters because they are a safe way to explore high speeds, sharp turns, and flipping upside down. Because you are strapped in with an oversized foam mechanical arm in a machine that you’ve seen do the same loop 400 times while you waited on line, it takes most of the danger out of the equation and makes way for the thrills. If you were loosely buckled into a car taking turns at 70mph on a winding mountain road with a cliff on one side, you wouldn’t be so excited.
This also translates to other forms of entertainment- take TV as an example. To get more specific- crime dramas are wildly popular. For many people who watch them, this is the only way they will experience these dangerous, high octane situations. While it might be exciting to binge watch Criminal Minds and see a bevy of disturbing felonies unfold, it is from the comfort of your bed where you’re definitely NOT eating the entire sleeve of Chips Ahoy… it was only half-full when you opened it. The point being, it’s a safe way to explore danger.
This activation of your ‘fight or flight’ response from a safe place also has its drawbacks. People can become desensitized to the actual danger in the behavior. Think of violent video games or the news or videos of people falling- when you are exposed to the concepts over and over again, the actual danger and consequences which would happen in the real world start to lose their meaning.
Nowhere is this on display more plainly that in the digital worlds we all live within. Negative comments on a video or social media page that people wouldn’t dream of saying in person come flying out. Because someone is sitting safely in their chair, they think it’s funny to spew hatred online- where they think there are no consequences. Students casually comment about bringing guns to school or about bombs as if those words carry no weight. They wouldn’t dream of saying any of it aloud to an adult, but it’s safe online. Watch them be shocked as the police come to the door and charge them with a felony. They think because they are at home on their phone eating dinner with their family that those words don’t carry weight, that people will know that they aren’t serious, that it was ‘just for fun’.
The roller coaster problem is great for theme parks but can wreak havoc in our day-to-day lives. Recognizing dangerous behaviors that have become normalized through ‘safe’ means is a vital skill. Sometimes putting words to it is the first step… and analogies help. Next time you get ready to write a negative email or post online, think of the rollercoaster.
Sometimes a question requires a detailed answer. Research and data might need to be presented, justifications given, decisions supported, evidence cited.
Other times, a question requires a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
The most effective communicators know the difference and answer accordingly.
What would it look like if we didn’t worry about comparing our data to the neighboring counties’ data?
What would it look like if we measured what we truly valued in our students instead of measuring what was easiest to measure?
What would it look like if we focused first on making schools and classes places that students wanted to be, then worried about the standards, scope and sequence, etc?
What would it look like if we valued student and family engagement as much as standardized test scores?
The first time I saw one of these oddly specific speed limit signs, it was on my way into an interview at a country club for an Assistant Golf Professional job. The specificity of the number really made me think. For the rest of my drive in, I couldn’t figure it out.
Why 17 MPH? Why not 15 or 20? What does 17 MPH even feel like? Does the number 17 mean something specific to this country club? Was it founded in 1917? Was the founder born in 1917?
All of a sudden in dawned on me: the point of the sign is to specifically make you spend time thinking about and paying close attention to your speed. If you see 15, you ignore it and go 25. If you see 30, 40 is your chosen speed. If you see 17, you go 17 (at least for a little while). It stands out because it is so specific and unusual. A sign that people generally pay very little attention to becomes a talking point and all of a sudden everyone knows how fast you can go on that road.
We can take advantage of this same idea in education. When my students were working on a task and it was timed (as most of the activities in my class were), they had 78 seconds to write down their reflection. There was 32 seconds to find a partner and decide on a topic. We are taking an 109 second brain break, so take some deep breaths and relax before we get back into the review.
People pay no attention to a 1 minute or 3 minute timer because it’s predictable. You end up herding cats trying to get everyone back and on task. Tell them they need to be back in their group in exactly 67.6 seconds and odds grow exponentially that they’ll be back on time. Eyes stay glued on the timer.
Let’s learn from the Speed Limit 17 sign.
If you keep things unusual and specific in your classroom, interest and engagement go up. That content that you spent time planning and reworking to get it just right- it will be attended to because it isn’t just another worksheet with 20 questions on it. It’s a free response to summarize the last chapter of the book in 74 words; no more, no less. Does it really matter that it be 74 and not 75 or 73- no. But your students just summarized the main idea or central theme of a text, which also happens to be the standard that you are practicing that day.
This might be the first in a non-consecutive series about signs and what they can teach us about education, leadership, and life.
If differentiating learning is so important, why do we put such an emphasis on students learning the same concepts in the same courses at the same time across teachers, schools, and districts? Which of these interests is most important? Which provides the most value to our kids?
When you give a teen the keys to a car:
Should it be any different when you give them their first digital device?
This post was inspired by a conference session on Disruptive Leadership at FETC by Sylvia Martinez.
People tend to use terms like ‘everyone’, ‘most’, and ‘a lot’ to refer to almost any number of items. These words have been rendered almost useless because of the lack of specificity.
EVERYONE has a beard these days.
A LOT of people show up late to work.
MOST of the kids had the flu.
What is the tipping point that brings the number from SOME PEOPLE to everyone? Is it quantifiable? It all depends on context. If there are only two variables, beard or no beard, it should take a fairly significant percentage to get there. If there are a lot of variables,
MOST of my students are reading below grade level.
Really? How many?
A LOT of people that I talked to said that this 1 to 1 program isn’t working.
Do tell. How many? Using what criteria?
EVERYONE uses that shortcut to get it done.
Wow, everyone? So no one completes the process as written?
Don’t fall into this habit. Using actual numbers and percentages is much more meaningful. Data shouldn’t be summarized using such vague terms if you want it to be impactful.
I’m going to break the normal style for tonight to share why I’m writing.
Part of our job is to get better at our job- to continuously improve. In my role in education and my role in my business, communication is one of the most vital
And if you find a little value along the way – even better!
This sign was hanging in the local bagel shop:
The line that appeals most depends on the desired outcome and the variables surrounding your expectations. If the desired outcome is a bagel sandwich on the way to work, then slow speed is not an option- the choice is really between cheap or good (I’ll choose good and pay a little more). When creating the strategic plan for your organization, quality is top of the list, so the choice is between speed and cost (both financial and human capital). The choice is yours.
I’ve got another ten pages or so about this sign and the workplace, but I’ll spare you from that… for now!
Practice is undeniably important. HOW people practice is even more impactful. When Tiger Woods hires a swing coach, that coach doesn’t just tell Tiger to hit more golf balls. The best swing coaches know body mechanics and the physics of a golf swing and can pinpoint the motions that cause issues with ball flight. They assign specific drills and workout regimens to address the shortcomings and nuances of each swing. Tiger can then work towards that one specific gain to help get the overall mechanics back on track. This is deliberate practice.
As with sports, an important aspect of many jobs is the embedded notion that people should be improving the necessary skill set for that work. For some roles, the practice needed to improve is well-known and clearly defined based on the details of the position. People generally understand sports examples of practice but struggle to relate it back to occupations. While just gaining more experience in a field can be helpful, it’s the deliberate practice that really makes a difference.
For educators, this means taking one skill, one pedagogical technique or tool, one research-based practice, one tip from your cognitive psychology class from two decades ago, and then making a plan to improve. Note: THIS WON’T ALWAYS ALIGN WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION’S IDEA OF IMPROVEMENT. In fact, it rarely does. You’re not doing this for your organization (although they benefit of course), you’re doing it for your students and for yourself. Don’t forget that Tiger Woods didn’t just take more swings to become the best, he took a targeted approach to improvement.
For a decision-maker in an organization, it becomes convoluted and more difficult to pinpoint. At the executive level, the most important skill to hone might be decision-making, managing people/projects, or collaboration. Prototyping and pilot programs are great ways to test the impact of a decision, but still come at a cost and pilot programs don’t always scale well. So what does deliberate practice look like for the executive? In some instances, there is just no substitute for experience. Making decisions, living with the outcomes, and embracing a growth mindset to learn from mistakes become some of the most valuable tools in the toolbox.
There are two effects from my cognitive psychology class (WaHoo-Wa) that were triggered by a recent sentence in The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (you MUSTread it). She states that people remember the first 5%, the last 5%, and the climactic moments in a story or conversation or talk. In cognitive psych, the first two are known as primacy and recency.
The primacy effect is that you remember things at the beginning of a list (or conversation or speech, etc) because they occurred first. It is the in this transition into the idea that you root that thought or memory. The recency effect is the idea that you also tend to remember the items that occurred last. What does this mean for a psych undergrad? It means before you know about this concept, you will do an experiment where someone reads you a list of 15 or 20 words and you will have to list all of the words you remember. When your list has only words from the beginning and the end of the list, then the professor will explain that this phenomenon is called primacy and recency. In the real world, this means that when someone watches a keynote speech at a conference, they will remember the opening and a few early points and the closing when they try to explain the speech later that week to their colleagues.
Priya Parker adds another layer to this onion in the idea that people also remember climactic moments of the event. If there is a moment in the middle of a story when the speaker suffers enormous hardship or a moment of great surprise, people are also likely to remember these sections of the story. Moments of great importance are considered such for a reason.
I look to take this one step further. In addition to primacy, recency, and climactic events, people will also remember those items that are most relatable for them regardless of position in the story or level of excitement/importance. If, in the middle of the keynote address at your college commencement speech, the speaker referenced his cousin’s cat DelRoy and you happen to have a cousin named DelRoy who looks just like a cat, you’ll remember that moment in the speech for the rest of your life. Now, there are parts of this idea you can plan for and manipulate and those you cannot. Mentioning your cousin’s cat DelRoy is not likely to trigger a memory for most people in your crowd or classroom, but rooting a story in a prevailing news story of the time or an idea from popular culture can help trigger this last effect. Are these ideas of connecting learning to prior knowledge or authentic experience starting to sound familiar?
What does this have to do with education?
In designing a curriculum, unit, lesson, or even segment of a lesson, it is vital to know and understand how the mind works to help manipulate the engagement level of the audience and the retention of those packets of learning. Brain science (aka cognitive psych) is becoming more and more prevalent in teaching and learning circles because of the profound impact these concepts have in the classroom. If a teacher layers climactic moments and connections to pop culture into the middle of a lesson, they may be able to facilitate the retention of more than just the primacy and recency effects. When you plan your next story or meeting agenda or keynote or nugget of instruction, think about ‘the first, the last, the wow, and the connection’.
In a recent Twitter chat called #FLEdChat on the topic of Lesson Planning, Curriculum Writing, and Instructional Design, Alaska educator Joe Robison (@joerobison907) tweeted, “My lessons differ each year because the world changes…”
Joe knows and embraces what often goes overlooked. Lessons can be rooted in the standards but still applicable to the ever-elusive real-world. A teacher who understands this concept knows that an idea in isolation will never really embed itself into a student’s understanding. Until that idea has something to grab hold of, a previous experience or something out in the real world, it is lost. Learning needs to be relevant and anchored to prior knowledge to truly be internalized.
While it seems like such a simple thought, it can be extrapolated out and is a key factor for many different decision-makers and stakeholders. A director in an organization can’t make the same decision on the same issues each time because the world that the decision is impacting has changed. There are always new factors to consider and an effective leader will know that each decision needs to be made independent of past decisions. While the past decisions are one factor to be considered, all of the other data points that guided that decision must be reconsidered because the world is dynamic.
A program or project conceived and implemented in one economic climate needs to be re-evaluated as time goes on and situations change for both the organization and the world around it. Laws change, the economy changes, the climate changes (or DOES it?), and organizations need to adapt.
The work changes because the world changes… thanks, Joe.
There is always a goal for gathering. Inviting friends over for dinner can serve to build and continue relationships and ongoing dialogues. Attending a professional conference can serve to grow a knowledge base or collaborate/communicate with colleagues. These goals can be formal or informal, specific or general, short-term or long-term- the list goes on and on.
The most effective gatherings, the ones that people remember, have a clear and specific goal. The most effective gatherings make decisions based on the goal. The most effective gatherings stay true to the goal.
A meeting is just one type of gathering. It shouldn’t play by different rules.
If the goal is of a meeting is to brainstorm solutions to a recent software implementation failure, the meeting ends when the brainstorming is complete. If the goal of a meeting is to make a decision on the color palette for a logo, the meeting ends when the palette is chosen. Don’t hold your colleagues hostage as you try to fit multiple (newly identified) purposes into that time.
“I really wish we used the full four hours for that even though we got what we needed in the first ten minutes.” – No one ever
Goal met? End it.
“To get that project done, I decided to spread myself really thin and split my concentration between 15 tasks.” – No one ever
“To launch that successful company, we really just threw it all together and hoped for the best. None of us were really committed.” – No one ever
“I spent a lot of time just perusing the internet to help grow myself professionally and personally.” – No one ever
I think you see where this is going.
Focus on one thing at a time. One action step toward one point of growth. Toward one project. Toward one goal.
