Moving from theory to practice…sounds simple.  However, as we know, this shift in thinking and behaviour is truly about implementation – and implementation is hard work requiring time, commitment and focus.  Thinking about this in context of our School and Board Learning Plans reminds me of our strength in the planning stages – we know what the most urgent learning needs of our students are, we can develop an initial theory of action and the associated learning goals and perhaps some criteria for success (based upon our understanding of the “theory” so far). However, it is the monitoring of the evidence of impact  (both for the adult learner and the student) of that theory in actual practice that presents complexities that are sometimes difficult to navigate.  When we think of “The Responsive Gym: Moving From Theory to Practice” visual, the left side “weights” are incredibly heavy!

So what makes the weights so “heavy?”  Let’s unpack (briefly) the work that comprises an effective implementation.  We know that theory is important to get our thinking started, however we also recognize that all of our learners have specific needs.  How do we ensure that the implementation is responsive to the learning needs of the adults and the students? We know that our work includes determine our specific learning goal (which is based on theory), teaching, providing learners with multiple opportunities to practice their new learning through the gradual release of responsibility, having learners make their thinking visible to us through demonstrations, observations and conversations, and —  studying the learning in that evidence to measure change or impact.  I believe that the answer to being responsive actually lies in how we determine the impact of our work on the learner.

Studying the evidence of thinking will result in new questions about the initial theory and will require us to return to the research to seek deeper clarification.  We need to be able to answer the question, “What are you learning from this documentation about the needs of our learners?”.  This is tough work as we look for gaps, misconceptions, trends, etc. in thinking. However, it is this analysis that then tells us how to respond. We can provide feedback to the learners; this responsive feedback can take the form of an enhanced learning goal or criteria for success, a new learning opportunity, a question/prompt, etc.  We then begin the process again.  As we strategically measure impact in an iterative manner, our thinking and behaviour changes over time – the theory is now actualized into practice and might even be “learned” (as opposed to “known”). Implementation is about “learning to do the work by doing the work” (From Instructional Rounds in Education by City, Elmore et. al) – being responsive by engaging in ongoing monitoring and measuring impact is critical.

As learners and leaders, our team is committed to this shift in our thinking and practice.  We know, as do classroom teachers, that the analysis of documentation is critical to being responsive – to meeting the needs of the learners.  And I challenge that the analysis is even more powerful when we are actually in the “classroom” (wherever the learning is occurring) to see and hear the learning taking place.

Two weeks ago I was asked a simple question, “How do the Conditions for Learning connect to the Assessment for Learning Culture?”.  I realized that if this individual wasn’t sure about the connection, then many others potentially might not be sure. I then wondered if there was a common understanding of where we were going with our district learning this year.  Had we, in our eagerness to ensure that our Board Learning Plan represented the needs that had been reported by the School Learning Plan evaluations in June, missed making the connections explicit?  So I asked the Leadership Team to make a visual representation of our learning for this year.  The responses to the question provided me with excellent diagnostic/baseline information that I could then respond to. There were a number of representations, however most of them require explanation and some were too large for one photo!  Here is one that captures our thinking and the notion of balance in our worlds.

So, what does this graphic tell me about our thinking (keeping in mind that the “thinkers” behind this graphic had a mere minute to make their thinking visible orally)?  I will try to delve into this over the next couple of weeks!

1.  The weights on either side of the image represent the need to find a place of balance between instructional leadership and management. I wonder how we can find the integration of these two necessary pieces?  I recall a video from the Ontario Principal’s Council that spoke of the need to make instructional decisions through a managerial lens, and managerial decisions through an instructional lens – hence, the integrated approach.

As a district, we have been working on unpacking the effective leadership practices and actions behind Instructional Leadership (and I would actually push this a bit to call it “Shared Instructional Leadership”); to allow us to consider what we need to do in the schools to see ourselves as instructional leaders – and to determine if those practices are impacting learning.   We have started to co-construct those effective practices using our background knowledge as leaders and a resource entitled, Student Centered Leadership (2011) by Vivian Robinson.  Robinson (2011) asks us to consider the following question, “Do the decisions and actions of the school’s leadership improve teaching in ways that are reflected in better student learning, or is their focus so far removed from the classroom that leadership adds little value to student learning?”(pg. 4).  She suggests that we see the overlap between leading and managing.

As a district, as we build the “success criteria” for instructional leadership, we are making this overlap explicit.  For example, when we think about the instructional practice of strategically resourcing materials, we see our decision to purchase student texts according the goals articulated in the School Learning Plan as one that overlaps our leadership and managerial roles. Or our essential role as a member of the Health and Safety Team (which is often seen as purely operational) as one that ensures a safe and orderly environment for educators to engage in uninterrupted teaching and learning.  Our hypothesis is that perhaps instructional leadership, as a concept, was too vast and that by breaking it down into measurable, actionable, success criteria (that we can both self-assess and peer assess and provide feedback), we might begin to increasingly see ourselves as instructional leaders.

Stay tuned…next week thoughts about well-being and academic achievement.

So here goes…I am putting our Superior-Greenstone DSB Conditions for Learning into practice.  Moving the Monday Morning Memo (MMM), a communication tool that has been in place for the past six years, to an electronic format. Collectively the leadership team will reap the benefits; less clogging of our Inboxes and a format that can be easily revisited (so no more lost files!). Most importantly however, this is an opportunity to have the Thought of the Week become interactive…to have my thinking responded to and hopefully challenged, by others; thus allowing me to grow in my thinking (assessment for learning at its best).  This is modelling the learning that we know needs to define our education system at all levels of the organization. What conditions need to be in place for learning to occur? What conditions for learning will be met by the very nature of this interactive format?  Consider the success criteria for our SGDSB Conditions for Learning below (these were co-constructed by our Leadership Learning Team last year).

1.  Risk Taking:  I know I am taking risks when I engage in tasks with the desire/intention to further my learning, seeing errors as opportunities and taking initiative to investigate new topics and ideas.      Learning to use the blog is just the beginning of my risk; taking the risk of sharing my thinking is truly the result of working with an amazing group of people in a culture of learning.  This is the culture of our district, a culture where there is the free exchange of ideas, the recognition and acceptance of the fact that learners are all at different places in their journey, and the notion that our work is truly about research-based instructional strategies and approaches, targets for success and the measurement of impact on learners.  This assessment for learning approach is one whereby judgement is suspended (until absolutely necessary) and feedback according to the target is used to guide and scaffold learning. It is a powerful approach which results in the development of a culture of learning for all – with risk taking recognized as a critically important feature.

2.  Collaboration:  I know I am collaborating if I work interdependently, engage others, actively listen, constructively contribute, respectfully challenge ideas, and share knowledge to build on others’ thinking to arrive at a desired goal.  The MMM is shifting from a communication tool to a learning tool, whereby others will be asked and encouraged to construct thinking together. Blogging is social networking; thus its interactive nature where others share their thinking in response to a post ensures that it is collaborative.  I challenge my colleagues to help me to learn by reflecting on my Thought of the Week and posting a response!  Remember that we distinguish collaboration from cooperation…this isn’t about compliance.  It is about engagement in learning.  I wonder what Thought of the Week topics will result from our online collaboration?

3.  Relationship Building: I know I am building relationships if I engage in communication (active listening and responding) to build trust and respect and provide others with the opportunity to share and reflect.  Wow.  As I reflect on this criteria for success, I am aware that, to date, my listening has been done in real time.  This blog is giving me the opportunity to listen at all times; to “throw” my thinking out there, and to see what comes back (hopefully!!).  What a powerful way to learn and to ultimately, build relationships based upon mutual understanding.

4.  Responsive Instruction:  I know I am providing responsive instruction if I am collecting a continuum of data (to show progression) towards an identified goal and my responses are reflective of the learner’s strengths/needs.  This blog is one aspect of my Problem of Practice Theory of Action…more to come on this in the very near future!

This blog is about continuous growth and improvement; it is about ongoing learning.  I remember a quote, “Education is conversation. Conversation creates change” (Karl Fisch www.thefischbowl.blogspot.com). By ensuring that the conditions for learning are in place, I am hopeful that our team will actively engage in this learning dialogue.  Perhaps the impact will be felt in the classroom as leaders practice and apply some of what they learn when working with other learners who they influence…and then return to this environment to share that learning.

Until next week…thinking about making connections explicit!