The Ministry of Education has just launched its website for Shaping Education in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the earthquakes that have devastated the area over the last year. The website is a really positive step, however it does need creative and innovative thinking to lead to the changes needed. So let everyone know that they should have a say and that they should check out the links that are provided on the site.
Over the next few posts, I will be making links to some of the models that might become reality. Some of these ideas link to the Concept Plan developed by our Shaking Up Christchurch Education (SUCE) network. The plan provides one scenario based on the idea of learning hubs, a federated learning model and schools that might specialise and collaborate.
Another model to consider is the Studio School, as explained in a recent TED Talk. Geoff Mulgan describes the work of The Young Foundation, an organisation that melds insights, innovation and entrepreneurship together to explore new possibilities. The question they asked was: ”What kind of schools would teenagers fight to get in to not fight to stay out?” They developed a model of small schools that linked learning to the real world, with students engaged in authentic learning opportunities, and where relationships were key. Doesn’t sound new does it? And of course it’s not but it is not pervasive in education. Should it be? Check out the TED Talk and decide for yourself.
I am interested in Geoff’s final comments about ideas spreading through the use of networks. This is certainly a way in which tribes are grown and ideas are amplified. We should never underestimate the power of networks.
There are other schools that may have some common features. Check out:
Urban Village Schools in the UK – focusing on developing relationships and meeting the needs of disaffected youth.
I have been reviewing a Harvard Business Publishing Interview with Marshal Goldsmith, from 2008. I still think it is a pretty good summary of capabilities needed for future leaders. I’m particularly interested in cultural intelligence and how increasingly important it is for leadership. While I was in Singapore this week I met up with researcher Thomas Rockstuhl, part of the team working in this area at Nanyang Business School. He suggested beginners read Leading with Cultural Intelligence to learn more about this capability.
There is a growing body of literature focused on how leaders cope with cultural diversity within an organisation. In an increasingly complex world there is a need to take a global perspective. The notion of cultural intelligence is increasingly a focus in leadership literature. Cultural intelligence (CQ) refers to the capability of individuals to function effectively in multicultural contexts (Earley & Ang, 2003). How is it that some individuals are able to bridge cross-cultural differences and work effectively in inter-cultural settings?
Certainly knowledge of cultural universals and cultural differences is necessary. Yet some leaders who have experience in working in a range of cultural settings fail to develop CQ. Cultural intelligence also requires the leader to take an interest in other cultures, reflect on their own cultural identity and adapt their behaviours accordingly.
If observation, listening and dialogue are important for developing cultural awareness this should be part of every leadership development program. Perhaps every political leader should be required to undertake development in this area. We have so much to learn from one another. Tolerance and understanding are necessary capabilities for leaders of the future.
I came across this video of teachers providing their vision of 21st century teachers. Eighteen classroom teachers speak out on technology integration in response to two videos that have been around for a while A vision for students of today and more particularly A Vision of K-12 students today. I have several quick comments:
There are teachers who understand that technology is a tool to do things in more powerful ways; that the technology really can be used to collaborate, connect, challenge, and engage.
There are other teachers who have a fixed mindset and are not yet open to possibilities.
Leadership of schools has an important role to play in developing a growth mindset amongst staff. Principals and other leaders must continually focus on a co-created vision for the future and relentlessly pursue it. See principal Carolyn Stuart’s guest blogpost providing an example of how this is done – on purpose.
Unless we do something to improve the quality of teacher training things will change slowly. Old models exist of patch protection, overblown bureaucracy slowing pace of change and lecturers modelling what not to do. In some cases training institutions have limited technological resources and staff are still using overhead projectors to deliver courses. How will this prepare teachers for the future? Yes, I know there are places that are doing some good things, but I see limited future-focused teacher training here in New Zealand, or further afield. If it happens it is through good luck rather than good planning and vision across the whole organisation.
If you have any models of teacher training that are really pushing forward I want to know!! Am I missing something? Join the conversation at ALPinE Leadership if you have ideas and visit our Answergarden on Teacher Training.
So watch the video. It is worth thinking about what you are doing to lead future focused change in education.
And here is my final comment:
We need to get over the talk about 21st century…
We are over a decade into it. Aren’t we there yet?
A month ago Christchurch was decimated by yet another earthquake. Since then many new online initiatives, discussions and reports have appeared using a range of social networking and web 2.0 tools. The power of social networking has driven some interesting dialogue! Over the next few months this will continue, morph and intensify as we rebuild Christchurch City.
So in the Storify below I have taken snippets of the journey to date. Social networks enable more power to our people than ever before. As a company that focuses on leadership for the future, we understand that leadership is not about power but about influence. In today’s world we all have the opportunity to influence the future as never before.
This archive of social networking conversations takes snippets from a variety of social networks and Storify helps bring these together easily. The snippets include information about the earthquake, its effect on education, its effect on businesses, and on the lives of us all. They are stories of corage, hope and possibilities.
You will see a “load more” message at the bottom – click it! There are several pages of enlightening material, resources and links. It’s worth it….
We are entering a time of exponential change – rapid growth and rapid decline. There is a new age dawning. We have seen this in recent weeks with the uprising of the people. No longer prepared to sit back and accept mediocrity, corruption and disparity, the masses have surged onto the streets in protest…and they are not going away. The ability of technology to amplify messages is evident and leaders ignore it at their peril. If leaders do not listen to the voices they serve, instead continuing to serve the needs of a small minority, they can expect discontent. The world is changing and power is being replaced by influence.
With massive unrest, diminishing trust and violent clashes the future picture for some countries is unclear and concerning. Now, more than ever, the way a country is led and how the people perceive that leadership, impacts on us globally. Swedish academic superstar Hans Rosling graphically illustrates changes in global development over the past 200 years, and at the same time models aspects of leadership that we all should take note of. He uses his expert knowledge and translates that transparently in ways that the masses can follow and connect with. He understands the power of technology and uses it to enhance his message. He can see the big picture, as well as break that picture into smaller parts to analyse. He connects and collaborates. Leadership for the future demands this.
The partner site for Think Beyond has now been launched. It provides an opportunity to interact with other future focused leaders globally. Each week features a guest blogger, starting this week with Walter McKenzie, Director of Constituent Services at ASCD. There are also webinars and programs on offer. There are opportunities for leaders to form their own action learning groups to work on projects of interest over set periods of time. The ALPinE Leadership site is a ‘we’ site – it will be co-constructed over time based on feedback and ideas that come from the users. Please join the group at www.alpineleadership.com and help us grow leaders for the future.
I’m part of a team working on a two day workshop called Building Future Focussed Schools. It’s a pretty challenging topic and it has me thinking about the whole notion of how leaders can grow the conditions for change to occur. We seem to be so focused on conformity that we are in danger of choking in blah. So how can we move beyond this? Four ideas came to mind as a starting point.
Team work is not enough. We must question and challenge our own thinking and that of others. When ‘group think’ occurs there will be no forward momentum – “We’re okay as we are! In fact we’re really good so why change?” While organisational coherence is necessary, so is creative tension and challenge. “Challenge is the crucible for greatness” – Kouzes & Posner. Over-consultation stymies creation. I’m a fan of involving people to gain deep commitment, and of listening to people’s needs. At the same time I worry that ideas generated from consultation sometimes focus only on the past and present; without building in ways to explore possibilities and to ask “What if…?”. There is the famous quote from Henry Ford “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” If we spend too much time in consultation we slow things down, reduce clarity and conform to the average. Courage is needed.We live in times where we are pulled back to standards, quality assurance and risk aversiveness. Moving beyond this takes leaders who are strong in their beliefs about learning, have a dream of what could be and can intelligently advocate their position. Courageous leadership is not about the position we hold in the organisation and doesn’t make excuses that those ‘above’ require conformity. “The greater the darkness, the more brightly the candle glows.” Learning will happen if we get out of the way. Most schools of today are over-structured and over controlled. What would happen if educators stepped back and let students do more for themselves? Allow them to be expert learners and teach the adults – it’s a reciprocal arrangement that acknowledges the expert knowledge of the teacher. It also acknowledges that students can create their own learning when they engage, collaborate and choose.
I was reflecting on this as I watched one of the latest TEDTalks from Sugata Mitra, on The Child-driven Education. His work in putting computers into holes in the walls of buildings in Indian villages has had profound results. His latest work goes well beyond this. He has come to understand that children will learn to do what they want to learn to do. Sugata talks about the way in which the learning happened without intervention from the outside. When the students asked him “How do we do that?” his answer was ” I don’t know that actually…” and he left them to it. They worked together to move their learning forward.
Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education
While I’m not yet convinced of the depth of the learning shown in the TEDTalk what I am sure of is that a new idea was tried and has had amazing results. Sugata Mitra didn’t conform to the tried and true. He had an idea and went with it. If we are aiming for future focussed schools perhaps one of the key understandings is to look outside the current realities and explore the possibilities, generate some creative tension and take a giant leap.
In my latest online survey I asked the question “What is the biggest challenge for future leaders?” The greatest number of answers were based around the idea of low expectations, relationships and issues to do with people. That was not a surprise since it is the complexity of working with people that is tricky. I was particularly interested in the idea of ‘low expectations’ and what this might possibly mean. I’m wondering whether leaders need to confront issues rather than hoping that the problem will go away and whether leaders need to understand the importance of personal learning conversations. This is about building organisational culture so that people engage in dialogue and discussion that is robust and focused on driving the organisation forward. This implies that leaders have a clear focus on what is important, why it is important and how people might be expected to behave.
Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky (2009) describe adaptive leadership as the practice of mobilising people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. I think this is the way to go. Adaptive leadership is needed for the growth of individuals and organisations. Perhaps, to avoid low expectations, future leadership involves:
looking for those things that should be preserved and having courage to abandon the expendable;
accepting that conflict is a necessary part of the organisation and can be productive;
creating a culture of courageous conversations;
acknowledging the importance of collaboration, networks and global connections; and
building the capabilities of others to lead in adaptive ways.
This quote from Egon Zehnder (2000) reminds us that future leaders will need to be flexible, future focused and capable of thinking in new ways. “Stability is a liability, not an asset in today’s world. Each new view of the horizon is a glance through a different turn of the kaleidoscope.”
I’m going to leave the survey open for a few more days so take a few minutes to contribute here. And join the conversation about what the biggest challenge for future leaders will be. Do you agree that it is low expectations and if so what do you interpret this to mean?
