Raise Your Hands
Raise your hand if you spent time exploring, challenging, refining, and enhancing your professional practice today? Now, raise your other hand if that professional learning took place in a collaborative context with other professionals? I'm not a reform expert, but if all educators are not raising their hands almost each and every day when asked, the talk about school change and 21st Century learning environments is lost to the reality that the professionals that make up educations are not professional learners and practitioners. They are simply rooted managers and defenders of their out dated environments.
In other words, these educators are on the verge of committing malpractice.
As we continue to discuss the importance of reforming school for the 21st Century, we must examine the need to reform the educational profession. There simply isn't a more important time than now to recreate our profession into a teaching AND learning profession. I'm talking about a collaborative learning culture where professionals are working towards continuous growth by engaging in daily learning: discussing and evaluating practices, challenging assumptions, engaging in new learning opportunities, embracing stretch moments, observing peers, etc. The research on the need for schools to embrace a collaborative learning culture is immense both in breadth and depth (e.g. PLC), yet these environments represent the exception not the norm.
Thus, this article isn't another push for organizations to embrace a collaborative learning culture. It is a push for teachers to stop waiting for the organization and become a collaborative professional learner by changing fundamental behaviors inhibiting this and embracing action items that will allow it to happen. As Michael Fullan states in The New Meaning of Educational Change, "the starting point for working towards a solution is the sobering realization that it cannot be done unless each and every teacher is learning every day" and Alan November adds, "The best thing to invest in right now is collegiality. The number one skill that teachers will need is to be team-based, collegial, sharing their knowledge and wisdom."
Behavior to Break: Talking Time
Everyone can point to the myriad of daily "Must Dos" that prevent us from having the time to learn. However, using that as a crutch for not learning is inexcusable. If it really matters and has value, a person will make time as working and learning become interwoven. How would we react to students if they told us they didn't have time to learn? they didn't have time to improve upon their skill set? they didn't need to know that? they didn't need to try anything new, challenge their current ideas, or push beyond the norm? Would terms like prioritize, organize, time management, etc. be part of our discussion? Many students have so many demands outside of the school day that if we as educators are demanding their learning be 24/7, shouldn't we be practicing what we preach?
Behavior to Break: Acting Alone
Educators sharing best practices, knowledge and resources should be a no-brainer, but there are many educators still holding onto these things with their lives. Why? Is there a longing to horde these practices so you are look upon as the best teacher? Do we see collegiality as not showing teachers what should be happening in the classroom? It pains me to know end to have teachers refusing to share their knowledge, practices, and resources. As Marc Prensky articulated in If We Share, We're Halfway There, "In our ongoing struggle to engage our kids in learning, I believe we are neglecting (or, even worse, deliberately preventing) one of our easiest and best opportunities. If our goal is to bring our schools and classrooms into the 21st century before that century ends, we need to take advantage of the large amount of innovation that is already going on in many of our classrooms by allowing our teachers to share it. And not just with others in their own schools and districts, but with teachers around the world!" When teachers fail to share the great things happening in their classrooms, they are failing their profession and they are failing students".
As Michael Fullan stated, there has "to be deep engagement with other colleagues and with mentors in exploring, refining, and improving their practice". When teachers are not sharing their practices, knowledge, and resources as professional learners in a collaborative learning culture, it doesn't matter how much learning is happening in the classroom or how great students see these teachers. To me, they are not professionals and are just as guilty of malpractice as the teacher down the hall refusing to change their outdated practices.
Behavior to Break: Closing the Door
Rick Dufour told a story in a presentation years ago about his sister going through a painful and dangerous eye surgery that would take nearly a year to fix. A few years later, he went to have the same surgery but the surgery had changed drastically. Through Lasik Surgery, he has 20/20 vision within a few days. If that doctor hadn't changed his practice, Dufour continued, he probably could have sued for malpractice since eye surgery best practices had evolved along with the technology and skills. Dufour compared this to the current reality of the classroom where teachers are metaphorically closing the door to learning and physically closing the door in order to do whatever they want in the classroom. These teachers are in essence committing malpractice when they choose not to be professional learners and choose not to use research-based best practices.
Professional base everything on the latest best practices and constantly are evolving their practices. When a behavior is to the contrary, it is an intolerable behavior and one that needs to be remediated immediately. When a collaborative learning culture is in place, the behavior of closing the door and doing as one pleased is exposed. This exposure shows one of two things: 1. the teacher's practices are truly best practices and the teacher needs to open the door as a professional learner so that others can learn and grow 2. the teacher's practices are not at a high level and the teacher needs to open the door as a professional learner so that s/he can learn and grow from others.
Action Items
1. Dedicate a portion of your day to honing your professional practice
There are professional learning opportunities around every corner both locally and virtually. Observing your peers is a great way to learn and technology has made it quite easy. For instance, Ustream and other video technology make it so you can watch your peer teach live without having to be in the room or you can watch later if you are teaching during that time. Another great way to begin learning on a daily basis and one of my favorite ways of honing my professional practice is through exploring, reflecting, and responding to my RSS Reader on a daily basis -- something David Jakes often mentions every professional educator should be able to for 15 minutes a day. Thus, your action item is to begin leveraging video technology to observe your peers and establish an RSS Reader to begin reading on a daily basis.
2. Establish a professional learning network
Technology affords us every opportunity to develop a virtual network that lives and breathes 24/7. What use to be limited to traditional face to face, MOOs and list-servs has evolved into expansive networks that offer an abundance of learning opportunities: Nings, Twitter, Ustream, Diigo, and virtual worlds like Second Life. Every single day, events by leading theorists and expert practitioners are taking place and open to anyone around the world. How often are you taking place in these? How often are you grabbing a colleague and helping them join in the learning? Thus, your action item is to begin establishing learning networks like Classroom 2.0.
3. Establish and maintain a virtual professional learning space that fosters shared knowledge and resources
Technology has made it extremely simple to start and maintain a space. No longer does it take HTML knowledge to start a website and begin sharing your resources. A simple wiki allows one to create a powerful learning space allowing for shared knowledge and resources that is easy to update and to promote collaboration. Given the built-in discussion board, it also allows for the opportunity to discuss these resources so that everyone is growing from the collaboration around the ideas. The other piece of technology that makes sharing easy is social bookmarking. Thus, your action item is to create an account on a social bookmarking platform like Delicious or Diigo as well as create a wiki for your professional learning space and begin sharing today.
4. Make professional reflection and scholarly work a priority and make it public.
I am a firm believer that each professional should have a blog where your reflective practices and scholarly work are public. As Barth so clearly articulates in Turning Book Burners into Lifelong learners, "only when [teachers] disclose their learning will they fully foster lifelong learning in others". By blogging about your practices, you are embracing the concept of growth, openly examining your assumptions and beliefs about teaching and learning, and acknowledging the value in collaboration with a glocal community. Thus, your action item is to create a blog and begin actively using it as to professionally reflect as well as use it to document action research.
5. Model professional learning for colleagues, students, and parents
Be proud of your explorations. Let it be known what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how others could join in with you. Talk about what you are learning! Being open doesn't mean being vulnerable! Share your blog and wiki with pride! Focus on collaboration and networking with all you do and bring your colleagues along kicking and screaming if need be. Thus, your action item is to share your blog, wiki, social bookmarks, and learning experiences with as many people as possible in order to promote local collaboration and networking.
These behaviors and action items are points to move on right now. What will you do with this? Will you close the Knowing-Doing Gap that dominates many schools today. As Schmoker says "we can close the gap - right now - between what we know and what we do with learning communities. The benefits for students and for education professionals will be incalculable. So let's get on with it". In the end, we need to stop talking about why we can't and start talking about how we can, so I leave you with three quotes that I hope you'll ponder in a collaborative learning culture as a professional learner:
"We effect change by engaging in robust conversations with ourselves, our colleagues, our customers, our family, the world.... Your time of holding back, of guarding your private thoughts, is over. Your function in life is to make a declarative statement" - Susan Scott
"Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children" - Sitting Bull
"I would like to suggest that a most fundamental best practice in a professional learning community is to promote the qualities and dispositions of insatiable, lifelong learning in ever member of the school community - young people and adults alike - so that when the school experience concludes, learning will not" - Roland Barth
Comments
Ryan, my favorite blog post you've written thus far.
Great job!
What do I like about it?
The first 4 paragraphs.
Posted by: Miguel Guhlin | March 31, 2008 5:07 AM
Ryan,
Just one more excellent review of what needs to happen to keep me thinking. Lays it out nice and clear. THANKS!!!
Posted by: Beth Knittle | March 31, 2008 3:05 PM
Ryan,
I echo Miguel's comment, excellent blog post! This one really has me thinking! Thanks to my twitter network I was pointed here, my networks are so critical to my learning. I was away for a week over Spring break and a number of times I thought about how much “learning” I missed.
Yet, in my experience so few educators are creating and participating in networks. I like your five action items. How can we move these into school systems? I agree it must be modeled, but it also has to be part of the culture of the learning organization. We can't let the teachers close their doors and go back to worksheets; we must completely shift expectations to participation, not isolation. No opting out! Keep writing Ryan, you are tackling big issues here!
Posted by: meg ormiston | March 31, 2008 5:48 PM
Ryan,
What makes teaching a profession or teachers professionals?
This is a serious question I often ask of my grad students.
If we talk about teacher professionalism, we should be able to define it.
Posted by: Gary Stager | March 31, 2008 7:13 PM
With our own Personal/Professional Learning Networks already walking the talk, we need to find new ways of engaging teachers in these types of discussions.
Sad reality: These ideas will not be considered by the teachers who most need to think differently. This content needs to appear on posters, in videos, in newsletters, and in live workshops...
The number of learners in a classroom should be at least one more than the number of students in a classroom!
Posted by: Rodd Lucier | March 31, 2008 8:02 PM
Ryan,
Thanks for the reminder. Ocassionally I need to raise my nose from the grindstone to see what is going on or how I can help someone with something. I especially like the behaviors to break.
Paul
Posted by: Paul R. Wood | March 31, 2008 8:37 PM
What a great post! I'm printing out the 5 steps to put on my desk to remind me of what I'm supposed to be doing as a tech facilitator.
A year ago I wouldn't have seen the importance in a learning network, but I don't know what I'd do without Twitter, Skype, and Ning now. I learn so much every day from the people I follow.
Posted by: Cindy Phthisic | March 31, 2008 9:34 PM
Ryan,
Closing the door to learning is key for me. This is what I encounter most often from teachers. The reason? Time. But this is 'false' time. Many teachers continually think teaching 21st Century skills are just something else to add to their already full plate instead of realizing that collaboration with colleagues will always keep that plate fairly clean!
Second, the notion that a teacher is an independent contractor who can, and often will, do what they darn well please in 'their' classroom regardless of school/district goals is a very real attitude. Professional Learning Communities force teachers to expose themselves, as you say, and for many, this is frightening. Yet, this is what we expect students to do on a daily basis in a collaborative classroom.
Alfie Kohn, 'What to Look for in a Classroom, (1998)' mentions cooperative learning can be threatening because
1. it reduces control and predictability
2. it demands attention to social goals,
3. it challenges our commitment to individualism, and
4. it challenges our commitment to the value of competition.
The same things could also be said about teacher collaboration and personal professional development. There is comfort in familiarity and teaching the same way year after year is easy. Teachers have to be reminded to 'see' students. What works for this student may not work for the next. What are your options? Collaborate with colleagues (near and far!) for they may have some thoughts worth thinking about and implementing.
Encourage teachers to ask one simple question everyday, "Are the students actually learning anything?" It's not our plates that should be full but our bag of teaching tools that should be overflowing. This comes from "exploring, challenging, refining, and enhancing your professional practice" [everyday].
Thanks, Ryan.
Posted by: Michael Bachrodt | March 31, 2008 9:36 PM
Ryan,
Once again you've blogged a topic that really "hits home." Collaboration is the key to learning as professionals. My Classroom 2.0 and Twitter sites have provided with an invaluable number of resources that have enabled me to create really great lessons for students and teachers. Thanks again for sharing!
Teri
Posted by: Teri Rossman | April 1, 2008 12:18 AM
Ryan --
I very much enjoyed your blog post -- lots to to think about....
however, can I add one little thought to it? (grins)
You said "When teachers are not sharing their practices, knowledge, and resources as professional learners in a collaborative learning culture, it doesn't matter how much learning is happening in the classroom or how great students see these teachers."
just to throw in a little "devils advocate" lets pretend that these teachers WOULD share what they had -- if they knew how!! That is my goal.
There are great things happening at my campus -- and they need to be bragged about and shared about more.
Perhaps it is my JOB to not only showcase these ideas, but to also show the teachers how to not only "toot" their own horns but share what they have created and what they are doing with their students.
In my case, it usually is not that the teacher doesn't want to share a good idea -- it is because the teacher does not know how.
Hmmm -- just a thought.
Jen
Posted by: Jennifer Wagner | April 1, 2008 1:21 AM
Thank you for this terrific post! I plan to use this as a conversation with the staff taking the technology course our district offers. I also appreciate Jennifer's thoughts about sharing ideas. For so long, teachers have been on their own, now we are saying, No! you must share your ideas! I think your 5 steps are a nice way of helping teachers guide their practice to this new (for them) model of collaboration.
Posted by: Alice Barr | April 1, 2008 1:38 AM
Great points--A real life example of why teachers need to do the things you suggest based on my experiences from Nov. 07 to present.
Nov. 07 Went to NCSLMA conference and attended David Warlick's session on social networking and Kim Harris's session on wikis
Nov. 07 Create a wiki for a faculty book study of Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works and begin using Twitter so that I wouldn't forget what I had learned
Mar. 08 Present Wiki 101 at NCAECT along with Curriculum Lead teacher
It happens that fast:)
Posted by: Donna | April 1, 2008 2:30 AM
Thanks Beth and Miguel. I appreciate your comments.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 3:32 AM
Jen:
You raise a great point that many in positions such as yourself can help change.
However, teachers do know how to share. Yes, they might not know how to do it with technology, but they know how to hold conversations, they know how to physically open their doors and invite people into their room, and they know how to share resources.
If they aren't already doing these things, maybe technology will help prompt the change.
Thanks!
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 3:40 AM
Thanks Paul, Teri, Alice, and Cindy.
I appreciate your thoughts on what this all means. These are difficult conversations but important ones.
Thanks for adding to it!
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 3:43 AM
Thanks for the thoughts Rodd. Kate Olson commented to me in a different location (comments not working) something quite similar to your comment: ""Ryan -
I love this post and agree with it wholeheartedly. I just wish that it could be distributed in the "mainstream" journals as sometimes it seems like we're all preaching to the choir in the edtech community. I hope teachers unfamiliar with these concepts have the opportunity to read this and understand the value. Great work."
I guess it is on us to share these works and ideas in as many ways as possible as you said.
Not only that, I think it is critical to be involved in conferences that are outside of what many are calling the "echo chamber".
It is a long journey for sure but it is worth it!
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 3:51 AM
Yes, Ryan, you are right -- so very right.....
Teachers can open their doors, they can write articles for magazines (both on and offline), they can attend conferences and raise their hands when someone asks for an example, they can do a lot of things.........which....we hope they will be willing to do!!
The options are endless!!
Jen
Posted by: Jennifer Wagner | April 2, 2008 3:59 AM
Michael:
Thanks for the wonderful insights that add much to this conversation.
It is so key that educators, teachers and administrators alike, are too often viewing this as something more to add instead of rethinking what we do.
One of the things I heard Gary Stager say at Educon in Philly that continues to leave me unsettled was the comment that schools can start to change by cutting 50% of the curriculum, any 50% (this isn't his exact words but something to that extent).
It is such an intriguing point because it reflect a number of issues in education: lack of depth and heavy focus on teaching vs learning to mention two.
Your second point is spot on as well. It is the battle facing many schools: intended curriculum vs. taught curriculum.
Thanks for pushing my thoughts forward and I'm sure others, too!
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 4:03 AM
And like you implied Jen, each of us plays a role in helping others tap those options.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 4:04 AM
Great question Gary and one that I feel I would answer it from a perspective of hope more than reality.
In fact, one of my first M.S. courses asked that very question and many of us struggled with it because we wanted to draw upon our current reality.
Today, I am in complete agreement with Michael Fullan that it is time to re-invent and re-define the profession and what it means to be a professional educator.
Does it start with formal standards such as those from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and their five core propositions: http://www.nbpts.org/the_standards/the_five_core_propositio
Or, does it come from a code of ethis like AAE: http://www.aaeteachers.org/code-ethics.shtml
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 4:21 AM
That is great Donna and is a great example of how quickly change can happen. Keep up the great work and I hope you collaborative efforts with your colleagues will lead everyone to enhance practices!
Great job!
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 2, 2008 4:24 AM
My PLN came through again and I headed to this post after a tweet from @JLWagner. It is the perfect follow through to a presentation that Heather Hurley and I did for our colleagues last Friday. Although it was billed as Web 2.0 it centered on how much our learning communities played in how we became aware of the apps and usage in the classroom.
I just sent them the article to my fellow instructional tech coordinators and hope that at least one of them will read it.
The part that resonates for me is the call to stop waiting for the organization to take action and start yourself.
Thanks Ryan.
Posted by: Fred Delventhal | April 2, 2008 12:51 PM
You state the following in your blog regarding teachers sharing their experiences, best practices and knowledge:
“Is there a longing to horde these practices so you are looked upon as the best teacher? Do we see collegiality as not showing teachers what should be happening in the classroom? It pains me to no end to have teachers refusing to share their knowledge, practices, and resources.”
I have been among those educators who never hesitated to share knowledge, best practices, etc.. A few years prior to my retirement, I created a “shared folder” on our school’s server to warehouse my lesson ideas, assignments, projects, tests, and generally, a plethora of materials that are still being used by teachers at my former school. My hunch is that these ideas will be used for the next several decades.
I have met a few teachers who have done as I did -- I generally agree that we are few and far between.
But I also know that some teachers may not share ideas mainly because they may not have anything to share, or they may have a belief that that they don’t want someone to take their idea and make it more successful. I have witnessed examples of both. This is not meant in any disrespect, but merely an observation from being involved with the education profession throughout the nation for nearly 38 years.
As an aside, I find it astonishing that there are some administrators out there who will use teacher ideas for their lucrative consulting businesses with nary a mention of the teachers, let alone any hint of remuneration.
But I suppose that could be another story!
Posted by: Retired teacher | April 3, 2008 2:14 AM
This post is a wonderful reminder for all of us that we are not in this alone, Ryan. Accomplished teaching is not done behind closed doors. I have valued collaboration and lifelong learning throughout my career in education; indeed I even developed a portfolio entry for National Board Certification entitled “Collaboration in the Professional Community.” (“Teachers are members of Learning Communities” is one of the 5 Core Propositions underlying the NBPTS process.) http://www.nbpts.org/the_standards/the_five_core_propositio
The vital importance of working with others towards better educating children is not at all new. However, what’s new here is the value that technology can add to this concept. Your Action Points are inspiring and are spurring me to keep expanding my networks, especially into the world of Web 2.0.
Another important point about the Read-Write Web is that even teachers who are no longer in a classroom or school situation can still stay informed, active, and connected professionally within the online education community. There’s great potential here.
Posted by: Nancy Slattery | April 3, 2008 4:50 AM
Dear Retired Teacher:
What drove you to want to share and continue learning despite not having to do so (evident by your reading and reacting to this blog)? This is what I wish we could mass produce.
I, for one, am of the mindset that we all have something to share but sometimes it takes another person pointing it out to us.
However, the thing that struck me about your comment most was the following: "they may have a belief that that they don’t want someone to take their idea and make it more successful."
I believe you are "spot on" with this observation, but it pains me none the less. Honestly, someone building upon another's idea is the reality of the world we live in and should be embraced. In fact, teachers should be honored when their material is taken, remixed, and implemented with success even if that success is to a greater extent than their own.
For one, it is about the students and this is what is missing with an attitude of that sort. Second, if everyone is sharing, the "better" idea will be shared so others can utilize or remix. Thus, the cycle of enhancing our practices continues outside of the isolated world many teachers have come to know and even accept.
Sad...
Thanks for the post and the great insights from your years in the classroom. More importantly, thank you for continuing to be part of the discussions on education.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 4, 2008 12:55 AM
Thanks Nancy for the comment. I'll be honest. I never thought about the power of connecting those that are no longer in the classroom.
With the ability to connect and network 24/7/7, why not tap into those that have retired or shifted their practice into another field? It is that collective knowledge, when guided correctly, that can cause the type of movement needed in education.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | April 4, 2008 12:59 AM