Well if the administration did this
If the parents did that
If I were allowed, knew how, had the expertise, had the resources I could do the other

Most teachers don’t really want to talk theory in the break room. They just want to complain about the students, administration, etc…

True we need a bit of time to vent, but we also need to talk, research, learn, discover what it is we can do better, why it works, what it looks like, where we can practice, and do all this without dropping test scores that might hold sway over whether or not we keep our jobs.

The conversation starts online, because we find like minded folks who can’t complain about the pitfalls or deficiencies of their school because I’m not in their school. Though I think most of the people in my PLN tend to get past the bitchiness fairly quickly.

I think one great way to start the conversation at school is to create a school or district wide conversation online. Make teachers and administrators start twitter accounts and blogs and ask them to discuss theory. Create message boards and wikis and try to get everyone involved. Get the momentum started, give them a chance to hold conversations when they don’t really have time to meet at school. Ask teachers to do this on their own time, but ask the conversations to stay theoretical. Perhaps it is too Utopian to think that this might work, and some districts have probably tried and already failed, but I think others have also tried and find it is actually working.

Not everyone will be involved or change, but changes doesn’t happen all at once. it starts with small committed groups of individuals. If your lucky one or two people you never thought would be accepting does, and they motivate dozens of others to do the same. All we need is the one great follower.

We put a lot of thought into which tool addressed each topic best as well as which technologies they needed to feel more comfortable with. Our objective is to model appropriately how they can use these technologies and maybe expose them to something they may never try on their own. I’ve made it very clear to teachers that they don’t have to use these technologies, but if they are interested in learning more about them, I’m available to support them. We’ve had more demand for technology than ever before and teachers are definitely showing more comfort and ease in using these tools. But even greater than that has been the reception from the teachers. You said it yourself, “Educators are smart people…change is about leadership, not conversation.” Our teachers have been amazing in their appreciation of our efforts to lead through example, not just conversation. And even more exciting is the fact that the conversation has now begun spreading among other schools and is leading to even broader systemic change.

Step 1: Get out there… mix it up with others who are talking. Those who are willing to imagine something different.

Step 2: Come home (even if it is a step away from the laptop) and bring the good of it forward for those around you who are willing to make a difference.

Step 3: Keep pushing. Keep questioning. Suggest action. When action doesn’t happen fast… repeat step 3.

Step 4?: So how do we take the gold of organized “conversations” of the Educon ilk… and parlay them into action? To me, this is your essential question here.

As goofy as this may sound, protocols guide smart people to action. As simply as the stated goals of such “conversational” meetings… those goals change the conference into something better than we had before. How then do we impose the next protocol of action?

Imagine tacking on a rather similar protocol to the end of any organized “conversation: => A conference that doesn’t exit as one day in a calendar year. Think of it. Why do we meet on one day each and every year to chat? There really is no connection from one year to the next. Imagine an organized “conference” that takes place on not one day, but two separated in time. Simply put: Educon 2011: January 30 AND June 30. Built in of course… is the protocol of ACTION required at the end of each session that follows up with sharing said action five months later in the summer of the same year. Imagine THOSE conversations. Conversations with actual data from even small action home… brought back to the initial focus of the original charge… in the same room… five months later in the summer.

How would that change the initial conversations? How would that drive us to real-world changes back home? Perhaps it’s crazy. Perhaps two F2F meeting isn’t fiscally possible. The second might not even have to be F2F. Why would it? Perhaps we don’t have the commitment to sustain real action-research/implementation. But then again… perhaps we do.
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What is possible?

Sean

I agree completely on your second point. Conviction is far more rewarding than personal reward. I would classify “establishment” more as the culture and of course anyone who works to perpetuate that culture would be part of the establishment. It’s larger than any single segment of education and includes government, administrators, teachers, school boards, parents, etc.

No, I don’t believe there is currently a revolution occurring. I do believe that it is beginning and the establishment (as defined above) is attempt to keep it from gaining traction. Using the Reformation as an example, discussion, dissemination of ideas and writings were the underpinnings of what would grow and eventually change the world. The Enlightenment equally was predicated on ideas, which had to be spoken and developed through dialog, debate, and experimentation. The revolution came when the strictures that had held society in check were loose enough that those right behind the martyrs felt they could step into the breach. That may sound rather hyperbolic, but I think the point is valid.

You have begun a discussion of taking the discussion from the confines of the incubator (Twitter, Edublogosphere, etc) and plant them more intentionally within a school or a district. I think your bang on that the time has come for this next step. I think when this happens on a larger scale and we begin to see whole schools start to step out of the status quo, then we will have a revolution. Until then we have an insurgency (I really hate militaristic metaphors). I think the indicator of a real revolution will be when an entire state education system (order written does not indicate prioritization):

A. determines that the purpose of school is process driven and not content driven learning

B. makes the decision to reconceptualize its budgetary decisions making process and repurposes finances so they aide in creative exploration in curriculum development, innovative classroom practice, and equipping teachers with the autonomy to engage in action research as an ongoing act

C. makes the decision to forgo Federal dollars as an act of freeing itself from the numeric driven policies being perpetuated at that level

D. builds structures where by local communities have greater autonomy in the development of the learning centers contained within them and assists in educating all constituencies in these communities about the power of the new culture

E. divorces itself from the constrained learning environments dictated by current standardization movements (including content, curricula, textbooks, and testing)

A system that makes these decisions (and there may be some I missed, but this is a significant start) will begin the revolution. Until then we will only have pockets of resistance where real learning is happening. I am optimistic that we will be on our way to something that looks nothing like the schools we currently have. I hope the resistance grows into a revolution and in 20 years we are discussing how to keep pushing the envelope forward.

Here is the caveat. If the reality in 20 years is not what I hope it is, if it remains essential as is . . . it won’t be because society and students didn’t demand it.

In some situations slides and especially images make sense. I’ve not said anywhere that they should never be used so I’m not sure how you got that impression. But it’s important to learn how to skate before you pick up a stick to play hockey well and many presenters lean heavily on slides as a crutch to help them deal with their anxiety about speaking in public.

It is exceptionally difficult to emotionally engage others if you’re not present. If you have a great slide show that doesn’t need you, you can email it in or just do a voice over from behind the stage. If you’re interested in learning to read the room and create something more experiential then the approach I’m advocating can help you a lot.

The majority of presenters I see at conferences are wedded to their slides. They have clearly written their presentation by writing slides and have prioritized the slides over any focus on paying attention to whether or not anything they’re saying is connecting with the room.

I agree with you that emotion and caring are absolutely critical. But that is most effective coming from the person in front of the room. If images are the main conveyance of the emotional in what you’re doing, then why not send a film? Why be there live?

I’m applying what I’ve learned from a decade of interactive performance. It is possible to create a strong emotional connection in the room and energize a room with an inquiry. IN fact, I think it’s easier for most people to learn to do that than to learn to be great one-to-many presenters.

Students, I’d rather say participants in my approach, learn (and teach) even better from experience than even images or words.

The Net does pure information transfer beautifully. If we’re going to be together in a room, let’s take advantage of that. The Net and UnConferences have opened people up to the idea of collective inquiry over an expert doing pure information transfer in person.

Performers, presenters, anyone cares more about something they’re engaged in *right now* that’s relevant to the room than something they’ve memorized , repeat over and over and never change. That means leaving room in your approach to have things shift.

I hope this explains my thinking and approach a little better.

heather
http://unpresenting.com