Leading Cultural Change
Interesting food for thought today. I’m trying to grapple with the three terms and how it can affect change within the school environment. Like the natural environment, the school environment exists with the living entities (teachers, students, administration, support staff) within the structure. We certainly can’t have one without the other and so we are connected.
In our current educational framework, we often see ourselves and our classrooms as our domains and exist within the framework of what we call school. We see ourselves as autonomous professionals (may be even masters of our class, what ever the teacher says goes). We are the sages on the stage in this model. Our job as we have been taught (at least in my era) was to impart information and our students’ job was to learn what we taught, but can this be the model for the 21st century? How much information can we teach when the world is changing so quickly. New information is being added all the time. With the current model of classroom teaching are we not isolating ourselves from the real world? People in industry work collaboratively all the time. The school environment as it is can’t really exist unto to itself. It is part of the greater environment or the greater world. We are in trouble if we continue on this way and not embrace change with technology and the curriculum.
Schools and the educational system need to think about structural coupling with technology. The environment we live in has changed in terms of our technological use and influence and we need to examine how we can connect with the changes we are experiencing. Human beings have a drive to feel connected in the broadest terms, biologically, culturally and technologically. So how do we connect ourselves with technology?
One way is to connect with language, it is what educators are best at, communicating with language. In my library I am trying to connect research projects with technology and also connect teachers with technology as a way to reflect the changes in the world that influence who we are, how we live and how we influence each other. To get the teachers to “buy” into technological change and learning I create “tip sheets” for students and teachers to use when introducing new technology. I don’t put any identification on it such as created by Ms. Shigeno or SLSS Library Program. It is “tip sheet” to be used collaboratively. Some teachers will go through it on their own time, others will not.
This is part of a conversation I encountered.
“Mr. Bentley, I can’t make any changes to Glogster poster”
“Did you read the tip sheet? It says here…” as he walks over to the student with the tip sheet.
“You have to read the handout, you need to go into edit mode.”
“Oh, thanks Mr. Bentley.”
The teacher was able to help with student without having to teach the application, and felt like he was contributing to his student’s learning. I never distribute the tip sheet, I want the teacher to feel a part of implementing technology into student learning. Language was an important element in changing behaviour.
Yay Karen! I am giving you a little virtual high five! Just as with your presentation today, you explain things in a clear and thoughtful way. I feel I am turing the brain cogs right along with you as you explain your posts.
It’s true, we need to get away from the “my job is to teach and your job is to listen” mentality (and fast!). That’s why it is so important to have an open community of learners – between students in a class, between teachers, and between the entire school population.
It really says a lot about your commitment to collaborative teaching that you create these “tip sheets” anonymously. What a great moment it must have been for you to overhear your work being put to good use.
During my first year of teaching, there was a certain teacher – lets call her Ms. A – at the school (very talented teacher with great ideas), who took great pride in her lessons. One day, my friend, another new teacher, used one of Ms. A’s lesson ideas with her class, adapted to a different grade level, but same great ideas. Ms. A happened to walk in during the lesson and was furious! She yelled at the new teacher, calling her out for stealing ideas. Being a new teacher myself, I felt this was wrong but wasn’t completely sure. Were we not supposed to share great ideas for the benefit of the students? Now of course, I see that Ms. A was in the wrong (too bad too because she had great ideas that she was absolutely not willing to share).
So, Karen, thanks for being such a guiding light towards our connected, collaborative future!
Holy! Thanks for sharing, Kate. Wow. That must have been an awful instance for that new teacher! I can’t imagine how that would have influenced her future willingness to collaborate and share ideas. There is a place for providing the information on how to use the technology, and then there is a place for helping everyone become better at using technology because they are able to help themselves and each other. In technology studies education research we often talked about “giving them fish” and “teaching them to fish”. When we were giving them fish we were giving them direct instruction on how to do things, including step by step instruction sheets. When we were teaching them to fish we were supporting their learning how the application works, how to find help, how to use FAQs and forums to get answers when we are stuck. It is gratifying to see educators helping each other out and building their efficacy and self-confidence in the process.