I have just finished reading a fantastic book – Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I was particularly interested in this biography because of my connection with the Rata Teachers’ Support Trust and the fact that I will be volunteering in India later this year. The book describes Greg’s journey to help build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He provides a real example of courageous leadership with a commitment to educating children, especially girls. His clear focus and passion are exhibited in his treatment of obstacles. Failure was something to learn from; obstacles an opportunity to think differently. This is the type of leadership we need for the future – adaptive, reflective and resilient.
The greatest lesson Greg learnt was to “share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects (p.150).” This may have seemed more time consuming to start with but in the long run it produced more sustainable results. Too often leaders are focused on doing things rather than creating connections. They become driven by improving the external environment of their organisations without considering the foundational relationships that underpin the organisation’s success.
In their work based in Chicago schools, researchers Bryk and Schneider came to the conclusion that relational trust was foundational for school improvement. They suggested four vital signs for identifying and assessing trust:
Respect – genuinely talking and listening to each other in ways that acknowledge and accept the views, ideas and beliefs of others.
Competence – the ability and willingness to fulfill responsibilities and believe others to be competent.
Personal regard – caring for each other personally and professionally. Going that extra mile.
Integrity – keeping ones word. Putting the needs of children first, even when tough decisions need to be made.
These points were all exhibited by Greg Mortenson. He did not try to impose his views on those he was working with and he was prepared to do what was needed, at times with great personal sacrifice. The building of trust allowed him to work in areas that few could access and to provide education to many.
Future leadership is very much about collaboration, building professional learning networks and growing capabilities in others. It builds on trust and integrity and comes from the heart as well as the head. Future leadership requires leaders who listen and who constantly reflect on their own behaviour.
Last week our local paper included an advertisement for school open evenings. It is getting to that time of year when schools are vying for new students for 2011. In preparation for these open nights each school listed their contact details, including their website addresses, the idea being that you can find out more about the schools you are interested in. It’s all about marketing.
I was interested in finding out what was happening in all these schools. One process I use to do this is the web walk, a type of learning walk which involves looking through a site looking for key statements and ideas that provide information about the school:
What does it stand for?
What does it focus on?
Is it an ongoing ‘story’ or just updated for marketing?
What does it tell you about the benefits of attending the school?
Does it mention learning (you’d be surprised the number of schools that don’t)?
Is there any evidence of student voice?
My passion is leadership for the future so I was particularly interested to see whether there was any collaboration between staff, students, school and wider networks and whether the learning seemed to be future focused. So here is what I found…
Out of the 11 school sites I looked through 9 had up to date newsletters and term calendars. The sites had information about the structures of schooling – the buildings, the curriculum learning areas, the rules, the board of trustees… I was hoping for more. I wanted to see the visiosn connect with ideas around key competencies, rich tasks and global projects. I wanted to see the odd glimmer of teachers being active inquirers. I wanted to see a glimpse into what might come next…
I see the challenge of schools for the future as articulating the processes of learning and collaborating with the world. While this may be happening in some of these schools, no evidence presented itself during my web walk. There is still a focus on students being involved as house leaders and school councillors. Nothing wrong with that (depending what the role involves and what is being achieved)….I just want the and… how have we moved on to really engage students in meaningful learning? Are they participants or observers? Give me examples of students having input into their learning and giving feedback to the school. 21st century learning was supposed to start 10 years ago. Have I missed it?
Integrity is about consistency and congruence between our values and beliefs and our actions. It also implies a high level of honesty and truthfulness in these actions. Leading with integrity requires ethical behaviour, where a leader is committed to upholding the culturally accepted values of society and is prepared to defend them.
In an online environment our integrity can be compromised if we do not think carefully about what we make public. In Joe McCarthy’s blogpost on The Dark Side of Digital Backchannels in Shared Physical Spaces there are examples of backchannel behaviour that has had dramatic effects on people’s lives.
Our actions are amplified because so many people have access to our thoughts and behaviours. This amplification can help our message reach a wider group of followers. It can also amplify decisions that, in retrospect, we wish we had not made. Online integrity is connected to our moral beliefs yet the day to day living of these beliefs can easily be eroded by quick, irreversible online decisions. The establishment of online behaviours, etiquette and cultural norms can be developed by:
parents understanding and modelling sound online behaviours so that their children can follow by example;
schools recognising that social networking is here to stay and that we will get feedback from students through backchannels whether we like it or not. You can bury your head in the sand and ban social media or use it as a way to deepen online integrity and build student awareness and skills;
constantly checking your own personal behaviours to see if your offline and online behaviours are congruent – and ethically sound; and
not responding unethically in response to inappropriate online behaviour.
Let’s face it. None of us are perfect. Yet if we have well defined values and beliefs we may be less likely to cause offense or put ourselves in situations where we wish we could turn back time, erase 140 characters, remove a photo before a job interview or get back our privacy.
The Horizon Report 2010 suggests that ebook technology will develop rapidly over the next two years. Perhaps by the end of this year we may see the sales of ebook readers tripling and a 200% increase in the sales of ebooks. The technologies surrounding ebooks will improve significantly, with an exponential increase in e-friendly apps, use of touchscreens and the development of user-friendly interfaces.
This year I am launching a series of ebooks to explore these developing technologies. The first of these is a series on Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk. These are for educators who wish to use a learning walk process to develop their pedagogical leadership skills. Aspects of the Kiwi Leadership for Principals that are highlighted in this book include relationships (since these underpin learning walks) and the power of context. Leading change, problem solving, culture, pedagogy, systems and awhinatanga are also key strands throughout this book series. Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk also relates well to the Leads Other for Learning section of the ACEL Leadership Capability framework which you may also want to explore further.
Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk experiments with flip book technology, giving the look and sound of the pages of a book as they turn over. You can read it online or download as a pdf. Adding embedded audio and video will be the next stage in my learning. If you come across new ideas and tools that I could use please let me know. Ebooks are on the rise!
You will find more information about the content of my first ebook on the News! page and can place orders at the Store.
Today I had the opportunity to share some of my reflections on my voluntary work in Cape Town, as part of the Rata Teachers Support group. I hope that those who came to listen could see what a profound effect my experience has had on me. It reinforced the importance of giving to others in order to help understand yourself. I had never been involved volunteering overseas before and all I could do was hope that I would have something to offer. The experience took me out of my comfort zone – and I believe that this is where real learning happens.
Margaret Wheatley says that hope propels us to action and that when hope enters the room fear is always by its side. That is because while hope looks to the future, fear is based on the past and the ‘what ifs’.
I have really become aware of the many people who are seeking to make a difference to others, throughout the world and for many different causes. They are driven by passion and commitment. They have high hopes that their work will make a difference and at times, fear that the difference is not great enough. They are not paralysed by this fear, but rather more determined than ever because it is worth the risk. One example is the Adonis Musati Project, based in Cape Town, yet another ripple of hope to help humanity:
I fear for a world where we cannot reach out and help others, instead focussing on greed and self interest. Is that not what got us to this place we are today? These are times for courageous leadership, for each of us to have a strong moral compass that compels us to lead ethically, driven by clear beliefs for what could be. Again, Margaret Wheately describes this profoundly:
We may not succeed in changing things, but we choose to act from the clarity that this is right action for us. People who endure and persevere for their cause describe clarity as a force arising within them that compels them to act.
I have been contemplating buying an iphone. Every time I meet an iphone user I gaze at their phone longingly, borrow it for a few minutes and check out what apps they have installed. “You mean it can recognise that song that’s playing right now? It’s got GPS? So where can we buy a pizza?” I guess it’s partly because I am a mac girl, but it’s really more than that. I long to have a more nomadic technological existence. Rather than carry my laptop everywhere I want to travel with an iphone and my livescribe pen. I’m sure my chiropractor would support me here.
But I’ve been procrastinating, and today I worked out what it was that was holding me back. It is all to do with the inability of New Zealand telecommunications providers to tailor a usage plan to meet my needs. I can buy an iphone at a cheaper price if I want to sign up for a two year contract. Trouble is this gives me a certain number of calls, texts and limited download capacity. Options are complex to interpret and advice slow. This model of customer service is so outmoded that I can’t even contemplate it. We live in flexible times. Times where we can tailor our own learning and where technologies change rapidly. So if providers can’t be responsive to my needs they have really missed the boat. Of course they can tailor the programme if I am a large corporate. But I’m not. I think there are lots of people like me who aren’t having their needs met. Collectively we are powerful. If we withdraw our support they will soon feel it.
The latest trendwatching briefing lists transparency of prices, opinions and standards as one of the most important current consumer trends. As they say, “reviewing is the new advertising.” So yes, I have been reading reviews, twittering for advice and researching the options.
What am I going to do? Within the next few weeks I will bite the bullet and buy an iphone. I’m not going to sign up to any plan that is not customised for me. I’m going for an option that I can change whenever I want and that is based on my needs. I haven’t quite finished my research – but I know what I don’t want. Nomads don’t want to be tied down.
These books are ones that Think Beyond recommends for purchase. Click onto the selected book for more information.
This book is a must for leaders. Susan Scott builds on her earlier book Fierce Conversations, continuing to provide practical examples in a humorous and candid way, making it clear that accountablity starts with us. I love her criticism of ‘best practice’ and her innovative approaches. A practical and inspiring must read.
Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement, by John Hattie.
This book is a must for any researcher or educator who wants to improve student achievement.
This new book by Guy Claxton suggests we need to understand the needs of young people and that these needs are diverse. Historically the school system has focused on a narrow view of intelligence, of setting national standards, league tables and compulsion, yet we know intelligence comes in many forms. As more students find their learning needs met outside the school perhaps we need to reconsider what schools are about. This book is a must read for school leaders and teachers, especially those dealing with teenagers and students under stress and who for those who are serious about meeting needs of students for the future.
This latest book by Caroyln Downey et al expands on the Three-Minute Walk-Through and the focus on reflective practice. A useful extension of ideas for those educators wanting to think more about their models of learning walks, coaching and inquiry.
David Rock has written a number of good books including Quiet Leadership and Your Brain at Work. In this latest book David Rock and Linda Page explore the role of neuroscience in coaching. Through better understanding the way we think, they argue that we are better able to help others. This book is a useful resource for business leaders as well as coaches and individuals who wish to explore their own thinking.
Seth Godin’s latest book is for those who want to be change makers. Are you prepared to be indispensable? A readable book that encourages you to stop complying with the system and instead draw your own map!
The Brain That Changes Itself taps into the latest research on neuroscience. Each chapter explores the work of a leader in this field, with practical information and stories to illustrate main points. This book is recommended reading for anyone who is interested in finding out more about their own brain; and those involved in teaching, learning, or leadership.
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. Stephen Covey Junior describes the things which drive strong relationships in an organisation, based on high levels of trust. This is foundational reading for any leader wishing to move their organisation forward in ways that are embedded and sustainable. It’s about people.
These resources are available for your use, and to share with others. Please acknowledge the source in using these articles and resources. Page 1 contains slideshare resources, page 2 – articles, page 3 – videos and page 4 – other links.
Cheryl’s new ebook is now available for purchase from the ‘STORE‘ link on this website. Talking the Walk: Walking the Talk is an introduction to learning walks as a process for bringing about change in education.
This book is the first in a series, with future ebooks being available in the next few months. The writing of ebooks fits with the Think Beyond philosophy of sustaining resources. Rather than cut down trees, the book can be read online or downloaded as a pdf. It is easily updated, and has the ability to provide interactive resources such as videos and audio.
The Future Learning Walk is based on the process shown in the diagram below. It asks leaders to focus on what is important and to be courageous in leading their learning organisations forward.
Future Learning Walks Process
This first ebook in the series outlines the learning walk process, with each subsequent book providing greater detail of each stage of the process.
