Putting Our Own House in Order – as the CEO suggested!
The quality of a question is not judged by its complexity but by the complexity of thinking it provokes.
Bir sorunun kalitesi onun ne kadar komplike olması ile ilgili değil, cevaplandırılması için gereken derin düşünceye ne kadar yol açtığı ile ilgilidir.
Joseph O’Connor
In a recent post, I posed a number of questions for CEOs (who might be interested in promoting “learning” across their organisations).
My friend, Bruce, took the post and re-wrote it for Principals. Thanks Bruce and "Kia kaha" to all our friends in NZ!
I had actually originally designed that post for “university deans” – but changed it to CEOs at the last minute (I had made a promise to someone that I would also touch on “business- proper”).Wish I hadn’t! I got a very “loud e-mail” from a "CEO" who told me (and I quote) – “you bloody teachers should put your own house in order before you try telling us how to do business”! Now, I’m not sure if he (it was a “he”, BTW) really got what I was saying! But, to redress the imbalance that I have obviously created in the universe – teachers / lecturers – I have some questions for you: Hey! Teacher...
What was the topic or theme?
What did you teach? That was easy, yes? OK, let’s try a few more:
What did the students learn? How do you know?
What else did the students "get" from the session? How do you know? Mmmm, getting tougher, yes?
What difference did the session make to the lives of the students? How do you know?
In what ways did the session promote "learning that lasts"? How do you know? Let’s really push the envelope - and take things "wider" than a single class:
Who are you as an educator?
What are your passions as an educator?
What is your purpose as an educator?
What “business” are you in as an educator?
What do you "do" as an educator? Who are you doing this for?
Who does "your shadow" touch most - students, colleagues, parents? In what ways?
What do you know and understand about learning and teaching?
What do you do with what you know and understand about learning and teaching?
What do you do to improve what you do with what you know and understand about learning and teaching?
How do you know all this? As I prepare to turn these questions into pixels, what strikes me is that this blog is probably the wrong place to be posting these. If you are reading this, you are probably the kind of teacher who has been reflecting on these types of questions for years. Now, if only I could me get an e-mail address for the "rubber room"! I’m only doing as I was "told". I’d love to hear what you think though – perhaps then we can show "the CEOs" of this world that we are also working to put our houses in order, too. Hey, perhaps we should do it together...more.