Friday, August 2, 2013

Creativity, Leadership and Deschooling 21st Century Education

In any reading which one undertakes, there are certain understandings or beliefs that create the foundation for the interpretation of what it is on a page.  As a librarian, this is fascinating because different editions of books have a particular slant dependent upon the editors and the social beliefs of the time published.  Thus, the marriage of beliefs of an individual at different times in which they are writing and the bias with which one reads a paper, both play a part in the analysis of what is stated.  In reading two works by the same author, I took away very different messages, although the topic area was similar.

In Creativity, Leadership and a Challenge for East Asian Education, Roger Shouse argues that creativity should be embraced and leadership, whether formal or informal, should encourage creative measures in expanding the learning of students.  He encourages teachers’ notions that it is not only important to study the great works of leaders and innovators, but wants students to become these things within their classroom.  In order to do this, leadership must embrace the notion of creativity, allow it to happen in the classroom, and model it themselves to incite change within the school environment.

In opposition to this, Shouse calls for a complete dismantling of schools in their current state in Deschooling Twenty-first Century Education arguing that the public school should not be used as the band aid to fix societal and economic problems through a controlled and malleable environment.   Instead, he calls for a clear observation of what it means to learn and ways a society can make this experience available to individuals.  By decentralizing control of education, students and parents will be given a much broader educational plate from which to choose.  Schools will no longer exist to indoctrinate youth into the socially acceptable understandings that are dictated by a central elite,  but instead will be able to tailor their learning to interest and desires that drive them.

Because politics and money are involved with schooling, there will ever be a complete divorce of education from centralized control.  The easiest metric by which to gauge successful implementation of “school” is through the use of statistics to measure student learning.  This tool is then used to judge the quality of an education, and tied to money and power.  The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) shows this by offering a perceived fix on the problem of education in the United States, and the tying of money to the adoption of the standards.

However, if one takes the two offerings from Shouse, and adds them to understanding that there will always be central control over schools, there is a hope for reform that can strengthen the learning environment for students.  Creativity holds the key to making this happen, and deschooling offers the roadmap on how to do it.  If teachers use CCSS not as end point, but the jumping off point for learning, the deschooling model can begin to develop.  By teaching past the test, as opposed to the test, teachers can create a constructivist learning environment with a CCSS scaffold.  By loosening the physical constraints, such as seat time in class, physical attendance, and teacher-led instruction, leaders within a building can allow teachers the room for creativity needed to turn schooling into learning.  Pathways to graduation, including badges and internships, will engage students, and true dedication to music, theater, physical activity and the arts will allow student to learn not only what they need to live, but also the reasons why they should want to live.  This will develop passion in both the learner and teacher, as educators become student’s guides in their learning.

Although Shouse offers a key and guide to how schools can move beyond schooling to offering learning opportunities, it will ultimately fall on the shoulders of leadership to make this happen within buildings.  A willingness to let go of traditional notions of what school should look like and embrace new concepts and ideas that truly prepare students for their life after school will be the key to success.  Even with federally mandated curriculum, schools will have the ability to make these changes.  As leaders embrace learning models that expand student choice, students will engage in their learning, and the shape of that learning will be more organic, in direct contrast to the prepackaged education program that currently dominate the educational landscape.

In conclusion, the ideas of Shouse and the current push for centralized control of curriculum can work in tandem to create a learning environment that truly engages students.  If leaders embrace the creative idea that education is messy, failure is a step in success and that learning no longer resembles what was seen in 1950, true progress can be made toward deschooling twenty-first century education.

 

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Oh Captain, My Captain - Mentoring a Leader


With fourteen years of experience, I am a very confident librarian. I understand my role; I have a vision and am prepared for any challenge with which I am met. Perhaps that is why I've decided to enter leadership - I need a new challenge. There is something about change which excites me, and requires that I strive to achieve beyond what I know to grow past who I am today. It is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night, and makes me yearn to learn more each day.

How does one become a leader?

Schooling is obviously important. It offers the foundation upon which to base your learning; however the most valuable experience that I have had while studying to become an administrator is working with a mentor.

How do you find a mentor?

In some cases, the mentor finds you. I've worked with not one, but many individuals who have shaped my understanding of what it means to be a leader. My first true mentor found me. He saw in me the ability to be a leader, and took his time cultivating that talent - letting me gain experience while he molded my understanding of what it meant to lead others. He allowed me to find success in a safe setting while sculpting and building my confidence. Then, he left to follow his own dreams… The year I spent in flux after he left taught me two important things:

1. The only given in a mentor/mentee relationship is that it must end for the mentee to reach full potential

2. You must develop an understanding of your own needs to cultivate a group of mentors to shape and influence your growth into a leader

It was in losing my first mentor to his own need for growth that I understood what I needed to do in order to develop my own path into leadership. There are three distinct mentors you must find and relationships you must cultivate in order to continue your growth into leadership:

1. The inspiration - this mentor has a vision that reaches beyond that which anyone with whom you work is doing. You can find these thought leaders through professional organizations such as ASCD, in the current published literature working for institutions of higher education or, as I have, through social networking using resources such as Twitter to follow the most current conversations in your interest area. This mentor will excite your mind and inspire you. It will be this mentor who gets you through the long nights when you have too much work to do, but must persist. This mentor is your inspiration... and can sometimes be embodied in the ideals of several individuals culled together to create your vision of leadership.

2. The perspiration - this mentor is someone who knows how to take care of business. You can often find this person by looking within your own institutions. This individual takes care of business each day, and makes the building (in the case of a principal) run smoothly. Most likely this individual is experienced and can offer sage advice on how to get the job done well. Think of this person as a master, teaching you the craft of being in leadership. S/he is the one who knows how things run, and will help you master the task of being effective, efficient and well respected.

3. The actualization - this last mentor is highly elusive, but a prize when found. This individual takes both the inspiration and perspiration and makes them work within a school setting. In this case, you must look to practitioners who mirror the ideals of the inspirational mentor and have the experience at integration like the master mentor who represents perspiration. When you find this individual you will know because the connection between you will feel symbiotic - not so much in the need to survive, but more so in the way you exchange thoughts and ideas. It will be as though this person is an extension of your thoughts; however s/he possesses the experiences which you are lacking, and is able to bring those two things together as a leader. It is through this leader that you will be able to envision yourself in leadership, and grow into the leader you are destined to become.

To become a leader, you must understand where you need to grow. By finding individuals to fill the mentor roles described above, you can develop into the type of leader you wish to become. Oh Captain, My Captain - Thank you for helping me develop into the leader I was meant to be.