From the current reality to a future vision – The BC Education Plan

Each year, the BC Superintendents’ Association has an annual Summer Academy where we consider educational issues in the province and network about our varying district needs and directions.

On one of the days, we looked at the direction for curriculum in the province under the BC Education Plan and we worked in groups giving feedback on the proposed direction. At our table, we talked about possible starting points as a district. We talked about various options and one possible starting point as a district was for us to first come together to reaffirm what we believe about where we are and where we need to be. A group conversation about “From a current reality…to…a future vision.”

As a district and with our administrators and teachers, if we really tease out these desired future visions, the conversations can lead us to what this future vision really looks like in a classroom and how to address those challenges and opportunities inherent in the BC Education Plan.

As an example, such discussions about current reality to future vision might look like the text below. We didn’t, at our table, have much time to flesh this out in depth, but the discussion explored options for the coming journey. I thought that it was worthy of a blog posting just to share some thinking that we had.

Our theoretical understandings and beliefs

FROM…An complex(dense) curriculum that promotes the overly prescriptive industrial revolution model of education…TO…an enabling broad-strokes curriculum that has the flexibility to allow teachers to explore their own individual strengths and the passion of their students.

FROM…Text-based linear resources that serve to reaffirm and prescribe a set “path” along the curriculum path…TO…multimedia learning resources and information in a variety of forms that support the exploration (by teacher and learners) of multiple pathways of learning within a broader context of enduring understandings or ways of knowing.

FROM…Reporting to parents in discreet segments that break learning into measurable units…TO…sharing demonstrations of processes and competencies that show the growth of the learner and that provide confidence to the parents about the quality of learning in the classroom and the progress of the child.

FROM…a curriculum framework that is based upon learning consisting of a set of disconnected parts (subjects) that do not form a whole…TO…core competencies that transcend subject areas but are at the heart of being an educated person and participating in a healthy society and democracy.

Then…From theory To practice

We talked about the next layers of conversations. If one possible starting place is to reaffirm our current reality and our desired future direction in curriculum, then we need to have similar conversations about our current reality and desired future in instruction, assessment, evaluation, and reporting to name a few more areas central to our ongoing daily work. These are huge areas and the proposed changes are significant.

If we are to help the plan become a reality, that journey begins with a conversation. We talked about how those conversations really need to begin with the Why of the proposed changes and then lead to the How of making the changes happen.

The intent of this post is just to sow the seeds of conversations ahead. In my experience, when you begin looking at system-wide change, that beginning starts from the common ground on which people stand.  When you take the time to have these conversations, there often are substantial shared understandings between all those who have taught children through to adults. The difficult procss of change is taking those common understandings through to a practical reality of how those beliefs unfold in classrooms on a daily basis. In the end, it still is that interface between teachers and students that is the gold in any educational system as we have been reminded so many times.

I look forward to the discussions ahead.

Incremental Change and Radical Innovation – both a journey and a destination

We’ve all heard the terms: a grand slam, Hail Mary, hole in one – whatever the sport at the time, it refers to a final heroic play that despite heavy odds, wins the game. Sometimes, when we talk of change in our own organizations, we’re looking for “one big win” as opposed to considering the gains that could be had by small incremental change that is ongoing and purposeful. I was reminded of this ongoing debate between incremental vs radical change in a conversation we had with a very successful businessman. His reflections on change and process were insightful.

The businessman we met was obviously very comfortable in his life status, what he had done in his career, and clearly understood his values, direction, and what he felt it took to “succeed.” It was fun to listen to someone who had been successful for over 40 years as a developer in a huge array of projects. It was quite an interesting and frank conversation. One question posed to him was about what we might call “the big win,” a chance to have a very significant and large scale project unfold in a way that would change the landscape about how we did business in the future. As he reflected on our question, I was somewhat surprised at his answer which wasn’t to go for the one big win, it was really just to do one thing, do it well, and do it soon. This, in turn would pave the way for larger endeavors. His answer had me reflect on how we view change in education and, given the context, which approach to change is right in differing situations.

He stated very clearly that, in his opinion, that the way to go about changing a culture was to simply pick something and “do it.” While not discounting the promise of what a large initiative could achieve, his message was that small gains build momentum. They build confidence in your staff, in those around you and they help align your work toward success one step at a time. As more and more of these small incremental successes line up, pretty soon you have a great number of people and initiatives all marching in the same direction.

I also began reflecting on an earlier post I had done quite a while ago about schools being organisms not mechanisms. If I do indeed believe that (and I do), then it had me think that organisms change in small and incremental ways but, over time, those changes can be (r)evolutionary.

The power behind incremental change is that with a few aligned and clear successes, the momentum that builds can become overwhelming in pursuit of a larger vision. Years ago, I played a lot of computer chess. Chess computers make calculations based on a huge range of factors but, as you play, pretty soon what are small space, time and positional advantages, quickly add up to pieces and a checkmate. Once on a roll, the end is inevitable. A victory doesn’t come as a whirlwind checkmate out of the blue, it comes by just a slow, steady overwhelming advantage that is built up one move at a time.

Our visitor gave such a simple message. Pick something and do it. He also stated that the advantage of incremental change was that if your initiative wasn’t perfect, you can adjust next time. However, if you choose one large scale win, the consequences of missing the mark are indeed much higher.

The Japanese have a philosophy of business and improvement that is called Kaizen. Rooted in assembly, productivity and manufacturing, it doesn’t really apply perfectly to education but the essence behind Kaisen is a dissatisfaction with the status quo no matter how good it is. No matter where you are as a school or as an individual, we would all (I assume) hope that we are a little better next year. We should be constantly of the belief that we truly can improve no matter where we stand.

Of course, change whether incremental or radical requires a vision of the future. If you know where you want to go, you have a better chance of getting there. There is a big difference between the journey and the destination and incremental change is about the journey while radical innovation is really about the intended destination.

A final note is that the scope of any change is actually quite a relative term. Practices in our schools vary widely. With any given change, there likely are people at many points along the incremental/radical paradigm and for some, the change will be minimal and easily accommodated and for others, it may represent a radical new way of doing their daily work. The BC Education Plan, for many teachers, is a natural extension of the work they are doing, for others, it may represent a very significant shift in practice.

Regardless of the view of radical vs incremental change, you change a system one interaction at a time. So as you consider the next change in your building, consider the scope of change, what it represents to those who work within and get prepared to work together at what likely is a challenge for many regardless of where they stand. Unlike the Hail Mary pass however, good supportive systemic change can be planned, communicated, and telegraphed for success. It isn’t just a toss in the air and hope someone catches it in the end. Strong leadership in a school will help ensure that major changes aren’t left to chance.

Getting the right people on the bus or getting the most out of those already on the bus?

Jim Collins is famous for his book Good to Great. In Good to Great, he stated that one of the most important aspects in developing a great company was that if you wanted to be great, you first needed to talk about “who” and not “where”. Collins felt that you needed to get the right people on the bus (and implicitly, the wrong people off the bus) before you decided where you were going to go. I believe that it isn’t as much getting the right people on the bus as it is about getting the most out of those who are on the bus. I think this is an under examined aspect of Collins’ work in that I believe you can achieve tremendous results with the people you have. Change in an organization is never easy, but with a bit of courage, tenacity, common vision and collaboration, you can make a huge difference.

There is no doubt that talent and skill matter, but working with what you have can and should be the critical first step in moving forward. Setting a new direction and promoting change can and should include the courage to challenge assumptions that may be outdated or no longer valid. The people who have worked in the organization will know what has been tried, what has worked, failed, and where the changes are needed. As a leader, it is then up to your courage to set the new direction given the information and helping forge a path ahead together.

Staying the course through change requires tenacity. This tenacity must allow you to keep your eye on the prize which is a common vision for a better future that is created together. This common vision isn’t sold or told to people within the organization, it has to be co-created or there simply won’t be ownership from those who need to enact it. The vision has to be realistic and achievable.

Finally, all of this really is about collaboration. What we know and are realizing more than ever is that we are smarter together. It is our collaborative efforts that will allow our vision for a better future to unfold. Those efforts also must be realized by plans of action which take the vision to a reality. In education and in other arenas, we are often witness to great visionaries who inspire others, but we often do not take this inspiration and vision through to an active outcome. It is our responsibility to take our inspiration and translate it to action that is tangible.

So perhaps it isn’t as much about who is on the bus as it is about what you do with those who are already on the bus. The people in your organization have tremendous institutional knowledge. They have skills that are valuable and they likely have made extensive contributions to the organization. They have a vested interest in the welfare and well-being of the organization. Who better suited to help move you forward? In most cases, the reality is that they were already on the bus, and it’s you who have simply been handed the leadership keys. If significant change is needed, maybe the first move shouldn’t be to ask who wants to get off, but to ask what they know and what dreams and hopes they have for a better future together. Then, given those dreams and possibilities, it’s up to leadership on many fronts to help make it happen. Leading from where they stand, everyone can contribute in some way to help realize the changes that need to come.