pathways to the 21st century
TRANSCRIPT
Pathways to the 21st Century:Schools as Living Systems
Alexandra ShawPre K-12 Curriculum & Instruction Specialist
Doctoral Candidate, Creighton [email protected]
@shawqueen1
Jeffrey P. MillerCatalyst, Connector, Convenor of
Knowledge & PeopleFaculty, Creighton Univ & Univ of Indianapolis
[email protected]@JeffMiller79
Opening Premise
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• Education’s dominant model of structure and delivery is based on the Industrial Revolution
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Second Premise
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• Teachers as curators/stewards/gardeners of “learning eco-systems”• Does the environment support and give “life” to learning ?• How can the natural curiosity of children (and adults too) become a focus and nurtured?
• Teachers do not grow students. They create conditions for “seedlings” to learn, grow and thrive.
• Addressing the growing conditions requires deep inquiry into:• Policies• Institutional Structures and Processes• Creating Cultures of Vibrancy
Pathways to Transformation
• Mindset of Thrivability (Holliday, 2019)• Conditions that enable life & learning to flourish• Quality of relationships• Sense of belonging and growth
• Classrooms as “living systems” (Booth Sweeney, n.d.)• Less focus on answers, more on questions• Curiosity is valued• Students become agents of their learning• Teachers as facilitators of learning rather than purveyors of information
• Attention given to overall quality of the environment• Social fields (Boell & Senge, 2016)• Philosophy of Servant-Leadership becomes a model for excellence in educational
leadership (at all levels; instructional, administrative, & governance) (Greenleaf, 1971)
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Systems, Policies, & Procedures Must Change
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On a Practical Level – Transformation Takes Time
• Mindsets• Is education for knowledge transfer or knowledge acquisition and creation?
• Principles to guide behavior and performance vs. hard rigid rules
• Metrics used to measure mastery and application or raw memorization
• Leadership & instruction practices based on service
• Curriculum• Are curricular standards driven by content or learning?
• Are they age appropriate to meet learners where they are?
• Teachers become “Learning Sherpas” rather than content providers
• Assessments that target mastery and true learning
• Roadmaps for learning and instruction (i.e., pacing & development of standards)
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On a Practical Level – Transformation Takes Time
• Instruction• Involves “mass differentiation”( i.e. meeting students where they are with no
assumptions about all students being the same?)
• Platforms for students to engage, experiment, and manipulate content.
• Provides multiple assessment opportunities through varied methods
• Administration• Are leaders and policy makers seen as instructional leaders vs. operational managers?
i.e. Learning ecosystem stewards.
• School leaders are foundational in creating positive cultures, vibrancy, and a sense of “belonging”. Environments which allow all to THRIVE.
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Leadership for Transformation – Servant-Leadership
• Use Greenleaf’s “Best Test of a Servant Leader” as a guide…
• “Do those served grow? Do they while being served become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to serve. And what about the least privileged? Will they at least not be further deprived?”
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• How?• Invert the pyramid• Each layer “serves” the layers above it
Beginning Steps
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● Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) ○ The Kansans Can School Redesign Project
■ Founded in social emotional growth, personalized learning, real world application, and family, business, and community partnerships to improve students’ learning and achievement post-secondary
■ Phased in voluntarily across state, all schools redesigned by 2026
■ No funding support from KSDE■ Some professional learning support from KSDE for administration and staff■ Online resource center, collaborative environment for districts/schools
undergoing redesign process
● Texas Education Agency (TEA) ○ The School Redesign Fund
■ Founded to transform low-performing schools via evidence-based practices; creating better options for students
■ Competitive grant-based funding from TEA ■ Schools/districts submit plans for review/acceptance into the redesign
program■ Professional learning, resources, and collaboration take place on an individual
basis for each approved school
Resources
Systems Thinking
• https://www.lindaboothsweeney.net/• https://www.systemsawareness.org/• https://waterscenterst.org/• https://schoolsthatlearn.com/
Thrivability
• Thoughts On Thrivability• The Age of Thrivability : Home• https://michelleholliday.com/
21st Century Learning Environments
• Kansans Can School Redesign Project booklet• https://texasesf.org/• https://www.centerforschoolactions.org/• https://knowledgeworks.org/resources/human
-centered-learning/
Social Fields
• https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/resource/school-climate-social-fields-initial -exploration/
Servant Leadership
• The Contemporary Servant as Leader• Teacher as Servant: A Parable• The Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership
References
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Boell, M. & Senge, P. (2016). School climate and social fields: An initial experiment (Rep.). ht tps:/ /www.garrisoninst itute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/School-Climate-and-Social-Fields.pdf
Booth-Sweeney, L. (n.d.) Thinking about systems. Retrieved May 29, 2021. ht tps:/ /www.lindaboothsweeney.net/
Greenleaf, R. K. (2016). The contemporary servant as leader. (K. M. Keith, Ed.). Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
Holliday, M. (2019). Thrivability Maven. ht tps:/ /michelleholliday.com/thrivability-maven/
Prosser, S. (2010). Servant leadership: More philosophy, less theory. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
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Alexandra ShawPre K-12 Curriculum & Instruction Specialist
Doctoral Candidate, Creighton [email protected]
@shawqueen1
Jeffrey P. MillerCatalyst, Connector, Convenor of Knowledge & People
Faculty, Creighton Univ & Univ of [email protected]
@JeffMiller79
14 5/19/2021 Shaw and Miller, ELWB 2021