Often when I hear educators discussing problems related to school improvement I want to shout, “Stop the madness!” Undoubtedly, everyone in education, both in K-12 schools and higher education, feels pressure to improve.
We are often faced with changing or getting rid of something, but not knowing what to do differently. Most educators I meet agree that grading and ranking systems are a destructive force in learning. However, when asked what to do instead, they go blank.
In the early 90s, the LISD administrators had agreed to ask—and be asked—one simple question of each other: How do you know? As we struggled to apply what we were learning about making decisions based on data, we needed that question to serve as a reminder to gather data and challenge our assumptions..
I often hear teachers and administrators complaining that they have given students laptop computers, smart boards, new textbooks, science equipment, language parties, new tardy bells and gym equipment, and the students don't seem to appreciate any of it. In fact, students frequently abuse these materials — deflating basketballs, vandalizing walls, and scratching equipment. Have we simply bred a generation of apathetic scallywags? Or is there something else going on?
Improvement of any system or process requires some degree of change for if we continue to do what we have always done, we will continue to get what we have always gotten. Australian educator Caroline Press said it well, “If you want things to change; change something!!”
“We get training from many consultants. We read books on application and theory. Do we trust you? Who do we trust?“
While it’s great to teach students about discipline, there’s a huge discrepancy between “work” and “learning.” What if teachers started the day by saying, “Quiet down guys, we have a lot of learning to get done today.” This simple switch changes the feeling of the classroom.
Dear David, I teach lower level Spanish — Spanish 1 and 2. I am excited to try some of your ideas in my classes, although I'm having a hard time envisioning using some of the ideas in my classes because there is so much that goes into learning a language that is different than other classes. Do you have any specific ideas for me?
As a Continuous Improvement consultant for schools, districts, colleges and universities, I continually encounter the same common systemic problems no matter the size of the organization, nor its location in the world. One of these common problems is the idea of goal setting to improve performance either within the class-room or the organization.
Is your job continual improvement or do you find yourself managing systems that need improving or eliminating?
