What's your passion?

Ever since I read The Element by Sir Ken Robinson, I have been wondering about passion and teaching.

And now I just read this article on Edutopia:
Using Music in the Classroom

I have heard that teachers have a passion for teaching, but I think it might go further than this. I have been on a journey to understand how to integrate technology. I'm on a quest to understand how to truly get to a personalized learning environment. So let's see if I can articulate how all of these pieces fit together.

First. Technology integration is developmental. Nothing new. It's obvious - our whole education system is built on a process of development so why should it be different for adults? To reach a transformational level of teaching means there is growth and development. Transformation use of technology means a shift in thinking so that a personalized learning environment is achieved for each child.

Second. Designing a personalized learning environment is not what we grew up, so this is different, hence the word transformational. The key word is personal. I think that in order for a teacher to understand how to truly implement a personalized learning environment for each child, they have to understand how their own learning is personal and that means tapping into their own passions.

Third. Infusion is the step that happens right before transformation. This is the process of adding a new element so that there is something new. New instruction. New ways of learning. New ways of teaching. What happens when a teacher taps into their own passions and bring that into the classroom? I think this is that "new element" that will result in change and help us understand how to personalize learning for each child.

For example, I know a teacher that is passionate about the sensory features of the classroom, one that is passionate about exercising, one that is passionate about farming, one that is passionate about plants and music.

What if each of these teacher brought their own element into the classroom ? Imagine the change if each of us brings our own unique element to education!

It's not about the technology.

Opportunity to Teach, Opportunity to Learn

What would you say if you had the attention of administrators and innovators for 4 minutes?

I would teach! I would take this opportunity to teach others and myself.
Watch this video called Opportunity by Synergy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDcT0zYLP6A

http://www.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=190531&title=Opportunity_by_Synergy

I would learn! Especially from their interpretations.

I learned that there are a lot of people "paying attention" and doing something about it!

What would you say if you had the attention of administrators and innovators for 4 minutes?

Connecting and constructing

I'm working on a summer collegial study this summer and the question is what will I learn, how will I know I learned it, and ultimately, how will I apply it?

If we are visual learners, then I'd like to "see" the result of my my learning. After all, isn't true that once I'm exposed to new ideas, my mind will make sense of it and construct new meaning? And if I discuss this with someone, their own learning will become enmeshed in mine to create a new dynamic.

So how do two educators make sense of The Third Teacher, The Element, and A Whole New Mind? I'll post the concept map when we finish with our collegial study this summer!

Speed Dating

It's a quick way to get to know someone, right? One of the things we know about building capacity is that we need to build relationships.

Even though we are all interconnected, that doesn't necessarily mean there is a comfort level for working together.

So how does this work? It's starts with an idea that gets spelled out on a whiteboard. It's strategically planned. Then we jump in.

Last Thursday, we invited members of our community and teachers from our district to do such a thing. We introduced what a charter was, what our charter was all about and then began the experience. Each pair had 2 minutes to answer questions, such as "What was your favorite subject?", "What are your interests?"

Fine, right? Well there's more to this besides building relationships between teachers and community members.

Let's examine it - what do people typically do in these activities? how do they feel?

Right. Avoid questions they don't want to answer, feel uncomfortable with the people they don't know.

Well, if we know that there are global issues such as the environment and economy that our children are going to encounter in their future, engaging our students with others around the world now will help build those global relationships so that it just becomes the norm for working with others around the world. Students are used to working with their peers and teacher, but working with experts or other adults - it's not something we can assume.

The other point noted was that when there was a comfort level, people thought 2 minutes was not enough - they had found that each had something to share that had value.

What if we engage students in this type of experience? Will they grow up expecting to include various perspectives when solving problems?

What Not to Wear and How Do I Look?

Have you ever noticed how these shows take one person at a time and transform them in what? two days!

Is there something here that we can use in education? Is there a reason for their process? Why do they go from clothes, to hair to make-up in that order?

Here's what I notice -
1. A group of people recommend or encourage someone they care about who is in need of a makeover.

2. There are strong facilitators throughout the change process -Stacy and Clinton are direct, but supportive and dare I say, even funny!

3. How they go about the change process is basically the same, but tailored for each person. In one episode I saw of How Do I Look?, Jeannie placed the person in an experience to help the person understand how others perceived her and the light bulb went off! Simply telling the woman did not work! Seeing examples did not work! It is deeper.

I have seen value in being engaged in an experience to offer insight into the internal change process. I have heard teachers say they are afraid of technology, so does designing an experience to help them face that fear have value? I think so. I tried this and boy did they get angry! Were there tears? You bet! Some even got sick, but I have never had more respect for a group of people than these teachers who bravely went forth with learning technology because they truly cared about their students. That is what I call commitment!

What I noticed afterward was growth in confidence. The teachers were able to get past the fear and knew that they could face challenges that technology brought - and we know there are many. The cool thing about it was they kept moving forward - at their own pace. It stuck.

If you look at the shows, the transformation sticks, too.

What I am wondering about is how this connects to staff development. If Stacy, Clinton and Jeannie are able to transform a person's point of view in 3 days, why can't we?

transformational leadership

Understand, I am a teacher. Or at least, I define myself as a teacher - and a learner. Somewhat confusing to me is that now that I hold a different title, others see me differently, as an administrator. What does that mean? So I am going to my learner side and doing research. This morning I found the idea of transformational leadership off of A Blueprint for Reform which led me to A Systemic View of Transformational Leadership by Russell L Ackoff.

Let me take you a step back. I am working in an organization that is attempting to be innovative by completely empowering teachers to lead their way. Yes. I adamantly believe that teachers are competent professionals who have the ability to do this, but I am struggling with believing that they can do it alone. One of the reasons I left the classroom was the create opportunity for teachers and facilitate this change - with the ultimate goal of providing a safe and inspiring space for all children to learn. My question stems around the facilitation of change.

How change feels and what it looks like is fascinating! Being able to design experiences that inspire and facilitating conversations by asking the thought-provoking questions engage people in the discovery process and create deep learning that are part of development and transformation- these experiences can be fun and uncomfortable. I am collecting evidence of this, but are there others who have philosophies to support it?

Here's what I found:

According to Jan Carlzon (1987), who provided SAS Airlines with transformational

leadership, a leader must encourage and facilitate formulation of an organizational

vision in which as many stakeholders as possible have participated. He must create

an environment in which employees can accept and execute their responsibilities with

confidence and finesse. He must communicate with his employees, imparting the

company's vision and listening to what they need to make that vision a reality. To

succeed...he must be a visionary, a strategist, an informer, a teacher, and an inspirer.

(p.5, italics mine).

My concept of a vision is a description of a state that is considered to be

significantly more desirable than the current state It is a state that cannot be

approached without a fundamental change of direction, a change of the status quo. It

takes courage to lead such a change and it requires instilling courage in others. This

involves more than persuasion; it requires the ability to inspire. Unlike persuasion,

inspiration evokes a willingness to make sacrifices in the pursuit of long-run objectives

or ideals. Therefore, visions that induce others to pursue them must be inspiring. An

inspiring vision is the product of a creative act, of design. Inspiring visions are works of

art and those who formulate them are artists.

Leadership also requires the ability to implement pursuit of the vision. Inspiration without

implementation is provocation, not leadership. Implementation without inspiration is

management or administration, not leadership. Therefore, leaders must be both

creative, in order to inspire, and courageous, in order to induce implementation.

Positive visions that can mobilize transformations can be produced by idealized design.

In this process those who formulate the vision begin by assuming that the system being

redesigned was completely destroyed last night, but its environment remains exactly as

it was. Then they try to design that system with which they would replace the existing

system right now if they were free to replace it with any system they wanted.

The basis for this process lies in the answer to two questions. First, if one does

not know what one would do if one could do whatever one wanted without constraint,

how can one possibly know what to do when there are constraints? Second, if one does

not know what one wants right now how can one possibly know what they will want in

the future?

Summarizing this much, then, a transformational leader is one who can formulate

or facilitate the formulation of an inspiring vision of something to be sought even if it is

unattainable, although it must at least be approachable without limit. The leader must

also be able to encourage and facilitate (inspire) pursuit of the vision, by invoking the

courage required to do so even when short-term sacrifices are required, by making that

pursuit satisfying, fun as well as fulfilling.