Stuart Firestein, the author of Ignorance: How It Drives Science uses the word ignorance, at least in part, to be intentionally provocative. But let’s take a moment to define the kind of ignorance that Firestein is referring to it, because ignorance as many bad connotations, especially in common usage, and he doesn’t mean any of [...]
Think about how you can work better with others. Then work better with others. Collaboration is a good thing! Here is what some other people think about collaboration: 1. “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin 2. [...]
Do we want to be part of a society where education truly benefits all? Where education can lead toward upward mobility? Do we want more students learning at higher levels? How can we as a society dramatically increase the numbers of young people who achieve at high levels in language arts, math, science and social [...]
Conflict can lead to positive shared conclusions. Today’s post has words like: ‘war’ and ‘violence’ in it because those words are those words are the words of the author I am quoting. They conjure up ‘jarring’ concepts. Conflict is ‘jarring’. Conflict is present in around the work of schools. School leaders can hope the disagreements [...]
Transition is a reality in schools and families with children this time of year. A new school year means students move from grade to grade. This time of year, there is a lot of transition going on in the lives of our students. Young people face many new situations: the changes of teachers, the changes [...]
Influential leaders are effective communicators! Knowing your audience is a basic pillar for successful communicators. When a superintendent wants to connect directly with students – it may be time to be creative. Anthony Habra is a superintendent of Rudyard Area Schools in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Rudyard is a district of 900 students. Tony wanted to [...]
I have been thinking alot about what is takes to help adults develop the skills, dispositions and knowledge to intentionally think interdependently. Below, you will find some of my thoughts. Qualities of Effective Collaborators Actions to Positively Impact your skills Appreciate the nature of adult learning Learn from or revisit the work of [...]
The following information is current and provides food for thought about the current reality of Pursuing the American Dream: Economic Mobility Across Generations (which is the title of the report Written by The Pew Charitable Trusts). I am sharing what follows because questions come to my mind as I think about this data. Americans’ relative [...]
I am a gardener. I spend time with seeds and the dynamics of seeds. I have learned some thing s about seeds. Not all seeds planted will germinate. Not all that germinate will survive. Not all of the eatable food that may be produced will be eaten by humans – ground hogs, deer, rabbits, racoons,etc. [...]
In our families, at work, in our communities, in the state and/or nation and globally there are issues. Will have enough food, water, energy, educational opportunities? Will our family, work place, and the people of our community, state, nation and world be able to be part of positive change? Can the future be an improvement [...]
Ron Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky in their book The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World (2009, Harvard Business Press) write about adaptive leadership. Their definition: Adaptive leadership is the practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive (page 14) sounds like the kind of [...]
In these times of fast and dramatic change we can all benefit from developing our knowledge and understanding of change and transitions. Below please find a short bibliography on these topics. Intentional personal/professional growth is always a good investment in yourself. Books on Approaching and Effectively Contributing in Times of Change and Transitions Building The Bridge [...]
For optimal learning to transpire schools must be safe places. As leaders we are responsible for “safety” above other missions. How do you feel about being responsible for school safety as it relates to bullying and specifically – cyber-bullying? Let’s think about what schools can do to be intentional about being environments safe from bullying. [...]
When people gather whether it is to help: a school district that wants to figure out how best to use their technology resources, a state or region wanting to improve the environmental quality of its ground water, or nonprofit wanting to effectively reduce bullying among young people across the nation – the people coming together [...]
When I see young people – I see potential! Currently there are too many students that are left behind. Dropouts, underachievers, and minimal learners are all too common. The current system for educating society’s youth is broken: Broken if we agree that there is student potential that is not being tapped. Yet, there are those [...]
Doug Reeves has presented five educational MYTHS that beg to be dealt with head on. We educators are just the right folks to tackle the myths. As you read the myths please think about what role technology could play in busting that myth. The following five myths are based on page 91 – 99 of [...]
In an interview some weeks ago with Weekend Edition Saturday‘s host Scott Simon, Gates went on to say. “The goal is to help teachers be better,” Gates said. “And when we run personnel systems where we want to be frank with employees about where they need to improve, having [evaluations] publicly available is not conducive [...]
Technology is an asset when it comes to schools meeting the challenge of insuring that more students learn at higher levels. Whether you are a formal or informal leader in schools I believe it is important for you to know what you value when it comes to technology and learning. Then it is important to [...]
Bullying is potentially brutal. So, when the topic of Bullying is presented in a documentary movie the movie cannot be made without tackling the ugly facts and patterns of this serious issue. The movie Bully is not a ‘sugar coated’ covering of the topic. It is a serious movie about a serious topic! My wife [...]
What follows is a section of Levinson and Grieder’s book: Following Through:A Revolutionary New Model for Finishing Whatever You Start p. 35 & 36 (2007). I am fascinated by their example of how a squirrel’s brain is ‘hard wired’ to accomplish certain very specific tasks. Mr. Squirrel collects acorns for the winter because he’s pre-programmed [...]
As I reflecting upon being in India I am reading and thinking about Gandhi and his contributions to India and to the world. Gandhi talks about the importance of connectedness between and among people. He says, “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal [...]
Over 4 years ago this short video first appeared. I saw it during that first year and I am showing it now, some four years later with a few questions. Has much changed for school aged learners? Are there more opportunities for ‘engagement’ with each other by way of technology? Is it common throughout the [...]
Block asks the question, “How are we going to be when we gather together?” This is a crucial question. My answer is that adults need to intentionally develop abilities for thinking interdependently. We must actively deploy these skills to effectively work, listen and think with each other. It is our shared responsibility to engage with [...]
Are the issues of poverty, the lack of English as a first language and the fact that a student is labeled as a Special Education Student reasons why we, in America have many school systems that are experiencing static or regressive achievement results? Does it matter how educators approach the reality of today’s students? Can [...]
As I reflecting upon being in India I am reading and thinking about Gandhi and his contributions to India and to the world. Gandhi talks about the importance of connectedness between and among people. He says, “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. [...]
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