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Metacognition: Epistemology in Learning: TOK

METACOGNITION IS ‘THINKING ABOUT THINKING’.

It is the ability step out of one’s own mind and examine how we learn.

Metacognition’s mantra is perhaps most succinctly stated by the Modern Philosopher Descartes almost 500 years ago in the year of 1637:

Cogito Ergo Sum: I think therefore I am.

In education we could add one word to Descartes’ seminal statement:

Cogito Ergo Sum Discite: I think therefore I learn

This might seem redundant, of course thinking leads to learning we might say to ourselves.

Yet, in many traditional/didactic/teacher-centered educational settings where pedagogy is rote and based on memorization, thinking is not necessarily considered essential to learning.

One G11/G12 subject that relies heavily on epistemology is an integral piece of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program: TOK (Theory of Knowledge).

Here is a link to an article by IBO entitled: What is TOK?

TOK encourages students to reflect on the nature of knowledge. For many students this course is the first time they may consider such existential questions as: ‘How do I know if I exist?’, ‘How do we prove God exists?’.

TOK strives to interconnect all disciplines via AOKs (Areas of Knowledge) and WOKs (Ways of Knowing) leading to a transfer of skills via student-centered interdisciplinary approach to learning.

Here is a link to a video that further explains TOK:

As stated in the video above: ‘With so many bogus claims and fake news, TOK might be the most important course”

Detractors to TOK might ask:

  • How does this relate to my career path in what I consider to be a non-subjective discipline (Math, Engineering etc.).?

A potential answer could be that no knowledge is objective or factual or a priori, not even mathematical ‘truths’ as they are human constructs which are intrinsically limited to human experience.

This is an example of a question that would lead to a heated, student-led debate in a well- run TOK classroom.

A good resource for managing asynchronous virtual debates in these COVID-19 times where most TOK classes are not meeting in person is: Kialo.

Marketable outcomes for learners in effective TOK classrooms are an increase in critical thinking, adaptability, empathy + creativity: soft skills that are in high demand in today’s job market.

References:

What is TOK? Retrieved from: https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/theory-of-knowledge/what-is-tok/

What is TOK? Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jql5VAZrBs

Categories
General Leadership Instructional Leadership Technology Use

Classrooms in Crisis: COVID-19

          Education is facing one of the greatest disruptions it has faced in recent year.  The COVID – 19, the coronavirus, has forced schools to go from standard classroom teaching practices to fully flipped classrooms.  Instead of using technology
for classroom support, technology is now the teaching tool.  This is changing the face of education at a rapid pace.

          Most educators have never experienced this level of disruption to their craft.  If truth be told, they are still working with models from an age gone by.  The skills
required for the students of tomorrow are here today.  More importantly, educators are faced with the reality that the skills they like to talk about, are now skills required of
them.

          We, as educators, love to talk about how we are forward thinking, using technology as an educational tool, and teaching skills of tomorrow.  Now, with the discussions going through many social media sites, classrooms are severely disrupted and in crisis.  The technology available that is supposedly so widely used is now the same technology that many realize they only use at a superficial level.  Never before have teachers had to face the challenge of using technology to flip classrooms as
the only method for teaching.  The façade of technology use has become apparent.

          There are those who have said that the classroom can be replaced by technology and teachers presenting material online.  Right now, that hypothesis is being tested in real world labs across Asia and soon to be other parts of the world.  Students are isolated in their homes, learning via computer and schooling themselves.  Many are
struggling with the technology, struggling with online learning, struggling with isolation from their peers and human support.  No technology can replace a real person and the
relationships formed in the classroom.

          The question then becomes will this experiment work or fail?  Those who say education can be done using a computer and online education have the opportunity to see the results in real time across a large number of schools.  What will we learn
and take from this?  What will be the benefits of the flipped classroom at this scale?  What learnings will educators take from this so that they are better prepared to teach using technology is this setting?  What skills must truly be taught to students so that they could be successful in this environment?  Or will education simply write this off as an anomaly and do nothing to shift to the future?  What will we learn from this disruption?  These classrooms in crisis with significant academic assessments bearing down on them?

          I would love to hear your thoughts.  Are we going to be better off as educators because of this significant disruption to our lives?  Will our student?  Or will we simply return to the status quo when this crisis ends?

#classroomsincrisis #education #teaching #classroommanagement

Check out this post and more at: https://medium.com/@everettis

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Uncategorized

Social Emotional Learning: Core Competency: Self-Management

As an Assistant Principal at a school with over 500 sixth-twelfth graders, every day is different and brings new and exciting challenges. Part of my role is the point person for disciplinary matters. Often students are referred to me by teachers when a student has an outburst that may not be appropriate or manageable in the classroom setting. Very often these outbursts are connected to emotions. The Social Emotional Learning core competency of self-management teaches students how to appropriately handle these emotions.

CASEL defines self-management as:

“The ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations — effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. The ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals.

  • Impulse control
  • Stress management
  • Self-discipline
  • Self-motivation
  • Goal-setting
  • Organizational skills”

Often when a student is referred we will discuss triggers using the Fishbone model to get at the root causes of the student’s emotions. If you are not familiar with the Fishbone model for problem solving here is a diagram:

Image result for fishbone diagram

The Fishbone model was developed in the 1970’s in Japan as a means to improve quality control in industrial/business settings. However, it is also very useful when getting to root causes with students. Recently a student was sent to my office for swearing and throwing their notebook in Math class. I asked the student why they swore and threw their notebook. The student said they felt stress, anger and frustration from receiving a low grade. Digging deeper the student said they were afraid of receiving a consequence from their parents for receiving a low grade. This information helped us when we met with the parents of the same student to discuss setting realistic expectations for their child.

If you are wondering what are some ways that you can teach self-management in your classroom or in your home, here are two suggestions from waterford.org:

  1. Grounding Techniques

“Grounding techniques are a stress management exercise used to orient someone in the present when they’re emotionally overwhelmed. By focusing on their senses instead of their thoughts or feelings, grounding techniques can teach students how to calm down and manage their emotions when they are upset. Teach grounding techniques as a class and help students practice them when they feel stressed.

Here are a few grounding techniques for you to try out with your students:

  • Name five different things you can see around the room
  • Listen to energetic or relaxing music for one minute
  • Hold an object in your hands and focus on the color or texture
  • Take ten deep breaths, counting each one as your chest rises
  • Eat a piece of candy and choose three words that describe its taste

2. SMART Goal Challenge

Self-motivation is an essential component to social-emotional learning. If you’re not sure how to self-motivate your students, try challenging them to reach their potential by setting SMART goals as a class.

At the beginning of the month or quarter, work with each student to set a SMART goal for themselves. SMART goals must be Specific, Measurable, Agreed-Upon, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Check in with your students several times throughout the month to measure their progress and support them if any challenges arise.

If your students meet their goal by the agreed-upon end date, give them a piece of candy or other reward. If they don’t, offer encouragement and work with them to accomplish their goal.”

“Name it, Tame it” created by Dr. Daniel Siegel is another helpful resource for teaching self-management. The idea behind this theory is that you have to name your emotion in order to be able to control it. So for example if you are feeling angry you can simply say, “I am feeling angry” to yourself or out loud and then work on appropriate avenues to deal with the anger (i.e: ask to see a counselor or speak with a trusted adult).

In conclusion, self-management can be learned and taught in school and at home. CASEL, Fishbone, grounding techniques, SMART goals and ‘Name it, Tame it’ are all helpful resources for teachers and parents that can help teach the core social/emotional competency of self-management. It is also possible to learn self-management as an adult. Many adults have not yet learned self-management skills and that is OK. It is never too late to learn to identify and regulate our emotions and get more organized to reach our goals.

Works/Websites/Authors Cited

  1. CASEL.org
  2. Waterford.org
  3. Siegel, Daniel
Categories
General Leadership Instructional Leadership Technology Use

Educationally Disrupted by COVID-19

          Education is facing one of the greatest disruptions it has faced in recent year.  The COVID – 19, the coronavirus, has forced schools to go from standard classroom teaching practices to fully flipped classrooms.  Instead of using technology for classroom support, technology is now the teaching tool.  This is changing the face of education at a rapid pace.

          Most educators have never experienced this level of disruption to their craft.  If truth be told, they are still working with models from an age gone by.  The skills required for the students of tomorrow are here today.  More importantly, educators are faced with the reality that the skills they like to talk about, are now skills required of them.

          We, as educators, love to talk about how we are forward thinking, using technology as an educational tool, and teaching skills of tomorrow.  Now, with the discussions going through many social media sites, classrooms are severely disrupted and in crisis.  The technology available that is supposedly so widely used is now the same technology that many realize they only use at a superficial level.  Never before have teachers had to face the challenge of using technology to flip classrooms as the only method for teaching.  The façade of technology use has become apparent.

          There are those who have said that the classroom can be replaced by technology and teachers presenting material online.  Right now, that hypothesis is being tested in real world labs across Asia and soon to be other parts of the world.  Students are isolated in their homes, learning via computer and schooling themselves.  Many are struggling with the technology, struggling with online learning, struggling with isolation from their peers and human support.  No technology can replace a real person and the relationships formed in the classroom.

          The question then becomes will this experiment work or fail?  Those who say education can be done using a computer and online education have the opportunity to see the results in real time across a large number of schools.  What will we learn and take from this?  What will be the benefits of the flipped classroom at this scale?  What learnings will educators take from this so that they are better prepared to teach using technology is this setting?  What skills must truly be taught to students so that they could be successful in this environment?  Or will education simply write this off as an anomaly and do nothing to shift to the future?  What will we learn from this disruption?  These classrooms in crisis with significant academic assessments bearing down on them?

          I would love to hear your thoughts.  Are we going to be better off as educators because of this significant disruption to our lives?  Will our student?  Or will we simply return to the status quo when this crisis ends?

In light of the worldwide impact of the virus on schools and students, how do we respond as leaders to the rapidly changing face of education? Real life technology use is upon us today. Are we ready for it? How will you view professional development differently in the future as a result? What can you do to prepare for next time?

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General Leadership Uncategorized

Work / Life Balance

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion.”

― Simon Sinek

As educators, we are always looking for ways to create balance in our lives with the amount of work we put into our positions and the amount of ‘living’ we do outside of school.  I wish I could say I have a magic formula and solution to this quandary, but I amel human, and honestly, there is no perfect formula for work/life balance. I have two children, a partner, and I work full time.  I have my days and weeks (and months) where I barely know what is up and what is down. But, as I get older and wiser, I am realizing that the daily grind and sacrifices that I have allowed work to take over in my life is a problem. And I have begun to re-invent the way I look at my career, happiness, and health. 

Simon Sinek eloquently speaks about stress versus passion, I have decided that I am passionate about my own health. When I am healthy, everything around me seems to flow with more clarity and I tend to make fewer mistakes.  Even on days where there are crises, I am able to clearly look at the problems and come up with quick and effective solutions. When I do not take care of myself, my job starts to feel more difficult and grueling and I am not the best mother and partner that I can be.

Forbes shared an article about top tips in work-balance, many of which I grasped when seeing that my happiness level in my job was decreasing and my effectiveness and positivity at home was plummeting (https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#7f35c11729ff).  I decided that no one else was going to change something in my life to make it better. My school was not going to give up many of the initiatives or expectations that they have.  My family was not going to start doing everything for me to make me feel better. I had to be the one to change, and the first thing I did was make me and my health a priority.

I used to exercise when I could fit into my schedule or at times that I preferred, such as mornings.  When I had a friend continuously ask me to take a walk with her or take laps in the pool together after school, I often said “No, that is not a good time for me to workout, I like to workout before school.”  Many mornings, I did not want to get up to workout and I was missing the opportunity to have someone to workout with. So, instead, I started to say “Yes.” She began asking me to join her for hikes and I said “Yes.”  When we begin to say yes to healthy things that help us connect, good things start to happen.

Seeing the positive results from prioritizing health, I began to set new goals for myself.  I put mindfulness and yoga into my weekly schedule. I picked up a few new hobbies or activities such as pottery and glass cutting. These activities are a positive outlet for my stress and keep me grounded to always remember the things that are important to me.  

I must say, I am more positive, feel healthier, and I enjoy my job more because of these changes.  I still work some long hours and have some stressful periods of time, but I more clear-headed and have more to look forward to when I am not at work.  

Check out the following articles to help you on your journey to finding more health and happiness in life:

8 Ways to Improve Your Work-Life Balance Today:

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.html

6 Tips For Better Work-Life Balance:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#dc68f4829ff5

Grappling with Work-Life Balance:

https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/grappling-work-life-balance

Categories
General Leadership

Dealing with Loss

We wanted to tell you all at once before we told the rest of the staff that your friend has died.

Those are about the hardest words a person can hear.  Questions arise.  Emotional turmoil and internal struggle ensues.  One can run the gamut of emotion in one day for no external reason whatsoever.  The loss of a friend, especially when one is overseas, is hard.

Your father is dead.

At no point is the loss of a family member easy.  The loss of a father is impacting, emotional, and can be crushing.  The same emotions arise as with the loss of a friend.  They are that much more impacting though because it is a family member.  When one is overseas, it is so much harder to deal with because the first thought is a return home to be with one’s family. 

On October 28, 2019, I learned of the passing of a very good friend and colleague who was teaching with me overseas.  Two weeks later, on November 7th, my father passed away. 

I consider myself an emotionally strong person.  As an educator, I handle most things that come at me well.  I know that I am generally good in crisis or high emotional situations.  I am not a person who gets rattle easily.  This has been one of the hardest seasons in my life for me personally.  What most people don’t know, I was shattered inside.

The only people who had a real sense of what was going on with me emotionally were my wife and close family, a few very close friends most of which who were not where I was teaching, and the counselor at school.  For everyone else, I had to put up a façade and smile on the outside while inside I was questioning so many things and hurting.  As I write this, the pain is still very real.

Dealing with the loss of a friend, loved one, or family member is difficult under the best of circumstances.  Dealing with the loss when one overseas can be crippling.  I put together a list of items that we had to address dealing with our friend who passed overseas.  Consider these for yourself and how you as a person or school might answer them if someone passes where you are:

  • Do you have a will?
  • Do you have a Do Not Resuscitate certificate in the native language (if those are your wishes)?
  • How do you want the body handled?  Cremation?  Sent Home?
  • What does insurance pay and what is out of pocket?
  • What governmental bodies do you need to talk to if a staff member of friend passes?  What are the laws that come into play in this situation?
  • What is the bereavement leave policy and is it sufficient to address the needs of the person who is suffering the loss?
  • Who will be the support system for the person who is suffering loss?  Foreign Staff?  Local Staff?
  • How will a memorial be arranged?  For the family?  For the staff?  For the school and community?
  • What counseling resources are available and on hand for the school community?
  • What is the school policy on honoring contracts for family members that remain in the community?  Will the contracts be enforce or will the staff be allowed to be released?
  • What are the long – term supports for the staff member moving forward?

These, and many other questions, arose during the time we addressed the passing of our friend.  In addition to the above questions, if the family member who passed is overseas, a few more questions should be considered:

  • What is the bereavement policy for taking leave to travel overseas?
  • Who pays for flights for travel?
  • What support does the teacher need at school during this time?
  • Who is caring for the family and children?  What care is needed?

Again, these and many more questions arise.  It is a very difficult time in the lives of people when a loved one passes.  With so many questions that arise and the struggle of dealing with the emotions is real.  And every person deals with grief differently.

Finally, how do you support the people who are supporting the caregivers?  When my friend passed, I found myself supporting both the family and the caregivers.  We were a strong, small network who worked together to get through it all.  When my father passed, I only told them and my administrators.  The only reason was because my friends memorial was the weekend right after my father passed.  And, I had jobs to do which I simply had to finish.

We often forget that, in the midst of our struggle and dealing with loss, we have to do our job.  We have to teach and lead.  We have to be strong for others, make decisions, and do the day to day job of teaching.  We have to put on a work face and do the work we have to do.  And when the memorials have been taken down and memories fade about the loss, we have to remember that those who have lost loved ones are still grieving and need our support.

The loss of someone close to us is hard.  The loss of someone overseas can be that much harder.  As a school, we are the support system for our staff family.  As difficult as it is, we need to talk about how we would handle the loss of a staff member or extended family and plan for it. 

I used to think that I had a good handle on how to address loss as I have dealt with loss of friend before.  I have learned that I don’t have as a good a handle on it as I thought after dealing with loss firsthand while overseas.  Please talk with your leadership about how you will deal with loss in your own school or organization.  Because you never know when your community may need to support someone who has lost a loved on.

Categories
General Leadership

Be Memorable

It is job search time for many people.  The international teacher fairs are going on right now all over the world.  Teachers and administrators are trying to connect for the perfect hiring spot.  Everyone is looking for the perfect fit.

The reality?  The hiring process at an international job search fair for teachers is a efficient, necessary evil.

You have roughly 3 days from start to finish.  That is time to get there, hand out resumes, have first meetings, set up interviews, have interviews, set up more interviews, try to remember who you are interviewing with and what they are on about, and hopefully, if all goes well, you walk out with a job.

I recently presented at an MYP Job A Like in Beijing.  During my time there, I met a lot of people.  Names, faces, shaking hands, answering questions during the speaking, all of it becomes a blur.  It does not help that I don’t remember names all that well, but I do remember faces.

At the end of the event, we had a nice social gathering.  Of course, the obligatory handshakes, introductions, and exchanging of business cards occurs.  Standard meet and greet things.

During this, one man, whom I had spoke with early says, “I should give you my business card”.  While I am finding mine he asks where I am from, I tell him the Seattle area.  He then starts to mumble a bit under his breath.  Something about “Seattle, who is from Seattle”.  Then he says, something along the lines of “oh I will give you this one.  He is a good player.”

He hands me a player card for Ray Borque of the Boston Bruins.  Let’s just say I was very confused.  Until he explains it is his business card.  He hands out hockey player cards with his business information on the back side.  You see, his role is that of a developmental coach and helps run an ice hockey academy.  He explained he tries to give cards of players to people from their home town or some where close, which is why Seattle confused him.

Now, I still have Michael’s business card.  It has his information on one side and a picture of him and a hockey team on the other.  I won’t forget Michael, he is memorable.

What makes you memorable?  What makes you stand out?  What are you known for?  And looking ahead to this new year, what do you want to be remembered for?

I am looking at this card thinking of the time and place I met Michael.  He stood out.  If I ever needed to hire a hockey coach, I would consider contacting him.  Consider how you might stand out in the coming year in your field.

I think I am going to make a change to my business card now.

Categories
General Leadership Instructional Leadership

Leadership Styles – What is your Style for 2020?

As a leader, we have style.  A way we lead our group.  Our leadership style impacts how our groups perform underneath us.  Our style dictates how those outside our organization perceive us in our actions.  Looking ahead to the year 2020 we should ask our self, what is our style?

Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Especially as a new leader?  What is my style?  How do I organize and take leadership of a group?  And most importantly, is what I am doing effective in the organization I am leading?  As a new leader in an organization, this question will drive your style and how you are perceived by those you are in charge of.

In the book, Great Teams: 16 This High Performing Organizations Do Differently by Don Yeager, four leadership styles are presented.  Consider the four styles that Don Yeager presents and ask yourself the question, is this the style I want to use and present to my organization?  Then ask the follow up question, is this the best style for my organization and the people I lead?  That leads to the final question, what can I do to become the leader I want to be seen as?

  • Command and Control.  This is a leadership style that many people are familiar with but may not be comfortable with.    Many great leaders are of this style.  They are in control.  The leader makes the decisions.  The leader does not draw on information from those below their position.  They may even micromanage their teams.  We must be in this role as leaders at times, especially when critical decisions must be made quickly.  A former principal of mine once said, “There are times I will make the decision.  That is what I get paid to do and sometimes I have to do it.”
  • Relational.  This is could be considered the opposite of command and control.  This type of leader takes care of people first.  They want happy teams and groups.  They are approachable and might even say “my door is always open” and it is.  This leadership styles build powerful relationships with their teams and can bring out the best in them.  These are leaders you would trust.  However, these leaders may also get caught in between people or groups by trying to care for everyone and, in the end, making more people unhappy.
  • Expert.  The expert knows his or her content or field.  They are extremely knowledgeable, have a highly specialized sets of skills and use this to guide their teams.  Their name carries high value simply because of what they know.  These are smart people, but with that, may come some of the challenges of simply knowing more than everyone else.
  • Charismatic.  These are people are visionaries.  They are engaging, fascinating people that can read an environment, scan and process the group, hone their words and actions to fit the group, and create vision and ignite the passion in the group.  These people are powerful leaders.  At its best, these people are great leaders, at worst, they are powerful social manipulators.  History is full of examples of both sides.

At our best, and worst, we fit every category.  We make decisions absent others, we build relationships, we are the expert, and we are the visionary for our group.  The trick is not to settle into any one category, rather to be in all categories, when we need to be.

Don Yeager calls it the “Synergistic” leader.  I have heard the word “Charismatic” to mean the same thing.  As a leader, we must learn to recognize when it is time to make decisions absent anyone else.  We need to know when to set aside our leadership hat and build relationships with others.  We should recognize when we are the expert in the room and step into that role.  And finally, we must be charismatic leaders and develop the vision to ignite the excitement in our profession.

I once observed a great example of a leader who was being synergistic in her role.  She was a professional volcanologist and one of the smartest people I have ever met.  In a talk about glaciers on Mount Rainier, she was fully in command of the group and answering questions.  She was leading the group.  Then, she was asked a question about plant life, which was not in her field.  Rather than answering the question, she asked for another park ranger who was in the group to step forward and answer the question because the park ranger knew more than she did.

We should all strive to become leaders who are willing to both lead, and step away and allows others to share the leadership roles in their areas of expertise.  In 2020, I encourage you to look at your leadership style and consider if it is what you want it to be.  Push yourself to build out the other areas of leadership that you find are not your strengths.  Become the synergistic leader you hope to become.

If you wish to read more about this topic, I encourage you to check out the book, Great Teams: 16 This High Performing Organizations Do Differently by Don Yeager.

Categories
General Leadership School Culture

A Father’s Wisdom

At the end of 2019, I have had the opportunity to reflect back on some of my father’s wisdom as an educator.  He was a career Physical and Health Educator and a wrestling coach.  My dad had a very successful career in teaching, but he also warned me about how difficult it could be once you entered the profession.  In fact, he was the first person to tell me that, if there was anything other than education that I wanted to do as a career, to do it.  Since I am my fathers son, I didn’t listen.

However, over the years, my father did give me a great deal of advice about teaching and coaching.  Much of it is stored somewhere locked away in my memory and it comes out on occasion.  At the end of 2019, there is one piece of advice that has come to the forefront of my memory as wisdom from my father.

As a new teacher trying to get my first full time job, I was lucky enough to land an assistant wrestling coach position at a local high school.  My father, being a successful coach, was a storehouse of information.  I knew that he would be willing to give me coaching advice if I asked so, sitting down over coffee, I asked him what I needed to know to be a good wrestling coach.  It was a conversation that has stuck with me and parts have come become very important in my life.

Keep it simple.  That was his first piece of advice.  People like to complicate things and get to fancy.  Wrestling can get complicated, but you are coaching kids.  Keep it simple until they understand it and can do those well, then teach them more complicated skills.  And not everyone will get the complicated skills, and that is okay.

Read the rule book front to back so you know it as well as the referees.  Know the rules you are working with so you can use them to your advantage if necessary.

Teach every wrestler a few basic moves and train them to be better than anyone else at them.  You can win state championships with a good takedown, move from the top, move from the bottom, and pinning combination if you are better than anyone else.

Now, these first three pieces of advice were practical and translate into education very easily.  Keep things simple so all students and teachers understand what you are doing.  Know the rules you are playing by so you are familiar with the system.  And do a few basic things better than anyone else and you will find success in that.  But it was his final piece of advice that has stuck with me the most in my career as of late.

If you end your career as a coach with a record better than 50% wins, you have had a successful career as a coach.

This piece of advice was the one that I have wrestled with in my career, and most importantly, this year.  He talked about win / loss records in athletics.  But it is so much more than that.  It is the question of what is a win?  What do you consider a win?  Is it only the big things and victories?  If that is the case, you will be sadly disappointed.  If that is your metric for success, you will be unhappy in your career as an educator.

What if we looked at wins as any success we had.  Anything that was a positive went in the win column.  In my career, this was driven home these season after my dad told this advice.  We had a perfect record as a coaching team.  We didn’t win a single dual meet.  We were zero and about twenty.  If we measured success by our wins, we failed horribly.  However, what if we looked at successes in other ways?  The kids who had never tried wrestling but came out, stuck with it, then came out the next year?  That is success.  What about the lifelong friendships that were made?  That is a success.  What about the kid whose life was headed down a dark path who turned himself around?  Yep, that is a success. 

As educators our metric is often big wins.  The flashy successes that everyone can see.  What if we looked at success as smaller but just as tangible.  How would our view on the year be different?

As you end 2019, I would encourage you to do two things in reflection.  First, look at all of your successes this year, no matter how small and add them as wins.  Second, think back on the advice and wisdom of your parents and elders.  See what they taught you that is still valuable today.

May you find success in the small things this year.  You never know how those small successes may blossom in the coming years.

Categories
Uncategorized

Tech Neutrality: Embedded Values: Chromebooks

12/4/19

What is tech neutrality? Is tech neutral. What does it mean for a value to be embedded within a technology? How does value-embedded technology effect our schools? These are questions that are intriguing for school leaders to consider. A good read on the topic of tech neutrality + embedded values is ‘The Uncertain Promise’ by Denis Goulet.

According to Goulet there are four tech-embedded values:

  • Rationality: Tech promotes the breaking down of problems into solvable parts.
  • Efficiency: Tech values outcomes more than process when measuring efficiency.  
  • Problem-Solving: Tech views problem solving as an external approach to get things done.
  • Promethean: Tech views nature as a conduit to attain goals.

Values may be embedded into tech communicated by the flowchart below (Van De Poel, Steinert):

An example of a technology that may have embedded value is the Chromebook which many students use in 1:1 school environments.

One Chromebook slogan that has been used in the past: 

“If you’ve changed the way you do pretty much anything, You Chromebook.”

The value implied by the above slogan is that change is good and that Chromebooks will help a person with change. 

John Cotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change is an excellent resource for leaders of change movements.

As we continue to move into a more and more tech-oriented future, it may be increasingly important for school leaders to become familiar with the embedded values of the tech they may or may not introduce into their educational ecosystems.

Works Cited:

Design For Changing Values: https://www.valuechange.eu/project/embedded-values/

8-Step Change Process: Kotterinc.com

Goulet, Denis. The Uncertain Promise