I made a big mistake by not acknowledging some comments to my November 9th post on process and product balance. I don't get so many that I can afford to not respond. As usual, those that did comment provided me with thoughts for reflection and questions to consider. I've shared some below in red with my comments in black.
Ethan asks: What steps will you and Connie be taking to make sure that the participants ALL agree to at least keep an open mind, to at least humor you? I think we will continue to share our belief in the importance of the process, the impact on the product when quality time is given to Wagner's questions, and cash in some of the balance of our credibility index with those that struggle with too much process. What steps will you and Connie be taking to make sure that the participants keep the big picture goal at the front of their brain at every minute of the day? We will revisit Wagner's questions at each meeting always with a focus on the problem to be solved, the goal to be reached, and the strategies identified to reach the goal.
Amy shared: The leadership institute is valuable for both its training of processes and the time for product. While active learning strategies support the training in the morning, I am not sure a specific product needs to be a result of the morning. The freedom to practice the skills learned that morning or in previous institutes is valuable as we work towards a product in the afternoon. With this comment, Amy has captured the intent of the Leadership Training Model. Connie and I attempt to provide learning opportunities and skill focus in the mornings with the afternoons being the opportunity to practice new skills in a safe environment. To use our language, we introduce mental models that support process and product work. This year we are differentiating between the mental models and the skills and tools that allow the mental models to influence our work.
Jerry shared: Finally, though our team had some struggles and will reflect on them, there is no question that growth occurred on many fronts. (the point of the day, right?) Yes, Jerry, that is a goal that Connie and I have for each meeting. I spent time with Jerry's team giving them feedback on multiple occasions. The feedback was direct and based on the non-verbals and partial verbal sparring later in the meeting in response to the feedback it did raise some dissonance for some. I touched base the next day with some team members asking for feedback and found that some of my assumptions were not accurate and that Connie and I could have done a better job in establishing the process for the afternoon. It was good learning and a reminder for me to watch more closely for the lens that I have on as I observe the afternoon discussions.
Crystal offers: But in the interest of being completely honest, I think that if I were asked to trust in listening I would of course do it, but I still probably wouldn't like it. I am a very goal-oriented person and if I can't see/touch/feel the progress I'm making towards a goal then I feel like I'm wasting my time. My original post was partly in response to a posting on her blog, maybecrystal. Crystal's comment supports what Ethan and Jerry say about students and teachers and what I call cashing in on an earned credibility index. But, it still concerns me that there are multiple people in the room feeling as Crystal does when progress seems to be difficult to reach.
Connie and I will continue to seek balance, but we will not lose sight of the need to provide time for learning new skills and tools that identify and reach goals that influence learning in all our classrooms. Teachers attending these learning opportunities are critical components of the support side of our high demand/high support culture. If we can effectively get each of them to feel this and see the importance of the role it may help when it becomes difficult to persevere. Knowing that there is a larger goal and responsibility can sometimes influence our commitment that will in turn influence our behavior.
In any case, keep up the comments. I will do better in the future.
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Like a dog with a bone, I guess I can't just step away from this one. While it is terrific news that you will continue to work on the balance, and continue to have that tension between where you are and where you'd like to go... I have come to beleive that for every well thought out and well planned for path of change a teacher makes in their classroom to better address the needs of students, improvements will occur. Trouble is, they also all bring about their own new challenges. We try to allow for more active engagement and active processing, and grab some more students, but then leave some others behind who learned by actively engaging on their own and figured all the other strategies were a bother to them and their learning. The most successful teachers I see are those that seem to have an ability to "teach" 30 individual students instead of teaching a class. That gives me something to work towards!
Finally, Mike, you mention that you heard feedback from some members in our group that caused you to revisit your assumptions and find that they were not accurate. Perhaps, your assumptions were perfectly on target and as accurate as could be? It brings back, in my mind, the idea that "feelings are facts." If we listen to one or two (or three?) folks in a group and get a message, can we abandon our original thinking? Could the original thinking have been accurate too? How are we able, as leaders in particular, to honor people's "feelings as facts" (becasue they are to the individual)and also hold onto our own worthy beliefs? How, indeed, can those exist at the same time?
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