Building Capacity From Within (Part 1)

Michael L. Fisher, Jr. -- Summer 2009

This is the first in a series of blog posts about harnessing the internal talent of a school
district. When a school system decides that they really want to affect change and systemic
improvement, it’s important to tap into the most valuable resource they have: each other.

If we are going to translate high standards into effective instruction and outstanding
student performance across all grade levels in a district, wouldn’t it be great to see an
intrinsic motivation to do so? What’s going to be more valuable to a teacher—an outside
consultant with no frame of reference for their district or their peers that they work with
daily? (I’m not saying ditch outside consultation, as that is my bread and butter—but
perhaps districts could create turnkey trainers, or create models of PD in their districts
that represent sustainability and ongoing support beyond the initial workshop.)

I realize I may be shooting myself in the foot a bit with this, but sustainability and
empowerment are key to building second order changes, or changes that are going have a
lasting effect. While I enjoy going into a district and working with teachers, there is
always a concern about sustainability. Especially when dealing with instructional
technology. I like my job, and my frame for doing what I do has always been doing
what’s best for my students. In my current capacity, “students” is more far reaching than
ever before. Doing what is best is not about facts, or show and tell, or drive by “wow”
sessions. It’s about shifting the thinking of those you are teaching. That means I’m
talking about intentional transformations from what once was to what will be with an eye
that is more deeply fixed in process than product, and ultimately how those
transformations are going to impact student performance.

Over the course of the next few blog posts, I’ll be writing about the importance of what
Janet Hale calls “servant leaders.” I’ll be discussing the collegiality that is necessary to
create a vibrant and sustainable Professional Learning Network at both the school level
and then expanding globally with Digital Learning Networks. Additionally, I’ll be
discussing these transformative events in terms of Angela Maier’s Habitudes, as attitude
is everything when shifting paradigms. I’ll also be sharing the seven steps to building
capacity in a school district and making the most of a district’s varied (and surprising)
talents!

Building Capacity From Within (Part 2)

In a local school district that I work with, elementary school leaders wanted to implement
the Six Traits of writing program. Trainers were brought in and teachers were trained, but
the initiative just sort of fizzled at the beginning, for the most part.

A couple of teachers that saw the value in the writing process that Six Traits offered
decided to implement some of what they learned and began getting results in student
achievement. The school leaders recognized this and made the decision to send these
teachers to a national Six Traits training course.

Upon return, the teachers were not only excited about what they were going to be able to
do for their students, but also about teaching what they’ve learned to their colleagues.
Over a couple of years, the building level leaders and even the district administration
empowered these teachers to become turnkey trainers for the Six Traits initiative, turning
a “drive by” model of staff development into a “sustained” model of ongoing professional
support.

The key points I want to underscore from this example are that 1) When school leaders
empower their teachers to become leaders, great things happen; and 2) sustainability of a
district initiative is much easier when it is supported locally and deeply by multiple
stakeholders, not just administration.

Janet Hale describes this as being both a servant and leader. In recent conversations with
her about curriculum mapping initiatives, we both agree that buy-in is essential when
beginning ANY sort of district initiative, whether it’s Six Traits training, Curriculum
Mapping, Common Assessment practices, etc. Unfortunately, mandating from the top
down is a less inspiring catalyst for making changes. Instead of demanding that this or
that be done, good leadership really becomes about creating a new group of leaders. That
means inviting, empowering, and balancing the talents in a school district to get done
what needs to get done without unraveling collegiality and morale in the process.

In the Six Traits example, the school leaders recognized that developing the leadership
capabilities of these teachers and allowing them to build the Six Traits initiative from the
bottom up could best serve their interests. Meaning that typical “leader” roles were
upended in favor of doing what’s best for everyone, especially and ultimately, for the
students. The building level leaders “served” in a new capacity to develop a new group of
leaders around their Six Traits initiative and everyone benefited.

When schools decide to get on this or that wagon, or implement a new initiative through
mass trainings, it’s important to understand the servant / leader mentality. If district
leadership is serving in a “Monarch” capacity, where things are mandated and dictated to
the masses, how long will it take to launch a new initiative versus a more “Democratic”
capacity where voices are heard, recommendations are listened to, and key players
(teachers as new leaders in this area) are identified and trained to not only implement
something new, but also to be the sustainable element, the “go to” folks to keep the
initiative going?

The key, then, to effective leadership and initiative implementation is to find those
teachers in a district with the capability to lead. All that is usually required to develop
those leadership skills is positivity, affirmation and a chance to do so.

Think of the great things schools could accomplish by developing their teachers’ talents,
creating a new group of leaders to support ongoing initiatives, and producing a symbiotic
model where everyone serves the needs of everyone else to the benefit of all, especially
the students.

In the next post, I’ll talk more about collegiality and developing professional learning
networks that extend beyond the school and into the global arena, which will help to
continually support teachers as they discover their own capacity to lead.

Building Capacity from Within (Part 3) - Digital Learning Networks

An essential part of the teaching experience is the collegiality and teaming aspect that
affects overall student achievement. When teachers develop consistency in vision and
focus and share resources, they move beyond the “isolationist or island” mentality and
become part of a “continent” of facilitators and learners that are directed at doing what’s
best for kids.

Technology is making it easier and easier to “bridge the gaps” between teachers and
making geographical location inconsequential to the ability to share, collaborate,
organize, create, and network. Teachers can essentially develop their own capacity by
building networks of like-minded folks that become the catalysts for many important
changes. We ask kids to build knowledge bases in order to drive future instruction, why
shouldn’t teachers be the model for that?

When one speaks of their go-to group for enhancing their professional practice, they
often refer to that group as a Personal or Professional Learning Network, or PLN. These
groups, however, are usually face-to-face and may extend only as far as the school or
district level. With technology, we can expand that PLN into a Digital Professional
Learning Network or DLN / DPLN that includes a worldwide audience. The DLN
capitalizes on the many available networking tools to connect educational professionals
in ways that have never happened before.

When you decide that you want to maximize your impact on student achievement,
collaboration is the key. What you do alone may be good, but team efforts always yield a
greater harvest. Additionally, developing your own Digital Learning Network directly
aligns to the components three and five of ISTE's National Educational Technology
Standards for Teachers (NETS) that describe modeling digital age work and learning as
well as using technology to engage in professional growth and learning. (ISTE, 2008).

It only takes one thing to get started. That’s right, JUST ONE THING. I was introduced
to Twitter in mid-2008 and it has proved to be my go-to spot for instant help, links, and
ideas. I use Twitter daily to find support from my network of teaching professionals, to
ask advice, and to get instant links to things I am currently working on.

We are in a new era—a digital era that demands a new digital pedagogy. Remember, you
don’t have to be an expert. All it takes is doing just one thing.

This wiki will help you get jumpstarted on developing your own Digital Learning
Network: http://progrowing.wikispaces.com On this site, you’ll find tutorials and
resources so that you can pick your ONE THING and start building a professional
network that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Once all of this is set up, the only thing left to do is to jump in and get involved. Post
your own messages, write your own blog thoughts, create a wiki, add links to your social
bookmarks and invite others to see them. From there, become more deeply entrenched in
your network by commenting on other's blogs, continuing a conversation on Twitter or
Facebook, contributing to someone's wiki, and continuously searching for professionals
to bring into your network, increasing its power with every addition.

When you are looking for resources or help, your network may be able to provide you
with just the opportunity you need at just the right time!

Information excerpted from THIS article that I wrote with a colleague (Kate Ellis, that I
met on Twitter, I might add!). Her blog is HERE.

The next blog post will discuss building capacity by shifting attitudes around what we do
as educators, emphasizing Angela Maier’s Habitudes and how we, as professionals, can
do monumental things for kids!

Building Capacity from Within (Part 4) - Professional Habitudes

Several months ago, Angela Maiers published a book called Classroom Habitudes. In it,
she describes the Habits and Attitudes that students need to be not only 21st century
learners, but critical thinkers, and effective leaders and collaborators--not just observers
in their education.

The ideas in this book empower both teachers and students to go the extra mile and I
personally thought that it would be a unique frame for Professional Development as well.

While all six of the Habitudes have application beyond the classroom, there are several
that I feel really fit into developing the talent in school districts and ultimately having a
huge effect on professional work that will help to sustain district efforts. Our overall goal
is to have an impact on student achievement, but all efforts to that end must be through an
aligned process.

Habitude: Perseverance
In the past, as a teacher, I would likely be one of the first people to tune out a staff
developer who either wasn't engaging me, wasn't teaching anything that related to what
my classroom needs were, or who patronized me with a "sage on the stage" presentation.
Even at the beginning of my career, I recognized that a lot of the professional
development I participated in would never impact my teaching. I had no connection to
the presenter or the information they were presenting or was angry because I was made to
feel inferior for not knowing what "Everybody should have known already."

This is why district initiatives die.

If there is no buy-in, if there is no vested interest in what is being offered to teachers, then
there will be no sustainability, no long-run measures of impact for teachers or students.
That is wasteful - in both time and money.

Like the frame in the Habitudes book, I want teachers, through their professional
development, to commit to excellence, to have clear goals, to have courageous
conviction, and to let their passion and imagination fuel their directions, dreams, goals
and reflections.

What better way to address perseverance than by developing the talent that already exists
around you? Familiar faces with a known expertise and demonstrated success go a long
way in building sustainable initiatives. When teachers know that they are going into
professional development that already has built-in support and is specific to their needs,
they find it easier to commit to incorporating ideas into their own instruction. They find
it easier to set and achieve realistic goals and to develop a passion for bettering
themselves within a group.

Think about the last time you learned to do something new. Are you more likely to be a
great learner if the frame is familiar to you and there is sustained support, or are you more
likely to learn in isolation with information that may not be specific to your needs?

I think that I should clarify that this particular Habitude is not necessarily about the
perseverance of an individual, it's about the perseverance that districts need to sustain an
initiative in a productive way. In order for professional development to be effective, to
make it persevere, it needs to be specific, focused, familiar, and engaging, as that will be
what ultimately makes the biggest difference for impacting student achievement.

Building Capacity from Within (Part 5) - More Professional Habitudes

Habitude: Courage
Image from: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

Continuing the previous conversation about Habits and Attitudes around Professional
Development, based on Angela Maier's book, Habitudes, I thought that "Courage" was
also very important.

When I visit teachers' classrooms, I'm always looking for innovation. I want to see
practices that work and dynamic teaching that has a great impact on students and their
learning. In turn, I share those practices with other teachers in workshops or when I work
with teachers when curriculum mapping, in curriculum design, or in individualized
coaching sessions.

I'm never on a "gotcha" mission. I'm always looking for ways to improve upon what we
already do as instructors--whether our students are kids or adults. I don't want to ever
give the impression that I'm looking for what is wrong--because I'm not. But, I do have to
say that I've worked with teachers that feel that I am "spying" or "trying to catch them
doing something ineffective" far more often than I would like. This distrust could stem
from past ineffective support, to union issues, or the feeling that what they do has worked
for years, and who am I to sweep in and offer suggestions for improvement?

What it boils down to, basically, is comfort. Some teacher's are comfortable only within a
narrow zone, and other's are comfortable in a wide variety of scenarios and situations.

What does it take to break out of that comfort zone?

It takes courage.
That word always brings up an image of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz, and I
think it's a great metaphor. What kind of lions are lying dormant in our schools? Now, I'm
not saying that those with a narrow comfort zone are cowards, by any means, but I am
saying that breaking out of that mold takes just one small moment of risk-taking
behaviors that a teacher might not have otherwise tried.

So, as far as professional development is concerned, this could happen in two ways. First,
by identifying the strengths that a particular teacher or staff might have, you develop the
risk taking behaviors in individuals by lifting them up when they do something well.
Then, secondly, you develop the risk-taking behaviors by having that person develop
professional development for the district to motivate other teachers to take the same risks.
The benefit is sustainability, trust, expansion of comfort zones, and ultimately, impact on
students' learning.

Sometimes a little discomfort, a little disruption, and a little cliff-jumping has a huge
impact.

Nothing reframes our capabilities better than discovering that we CAN do

something that we didn't think we could.

Building Capacity from Within (Part 6) - Adaptability

Habitude: Adaptability

Adaptability is perhaps the most

important Habitude to have when
considering how attitudes and habits
are related to quality professional
development. When a district is
looking to lead systemic
improvement and build effective
instructional programs with strong
student performance, there's a lot to
be said for rising to meet challenges
head on with the tools and resources that are sitting right in one's own backyard.
Sometimes the greatest ideas are right there in front of you, but sometimes we tend to
overthink or try to work too far beyond what is familiar. My 9th grade Social Studies
teacher always said something to our class about not being able to see the forest for the
trees. Sometimes the obvious is not nearly as apparent as it should be.

Creatively solving problems is one of the basic tenets of adaptability. However, in the
troubling economic times we live in, looking "IN" the box is sometimes more cost
effective than "OUT" of the box.
In nature, it's not always the strongest that survive, it's the ones that can change. It's the
ones that face new environments and situations head on, and adapt to new surroundings
quickly and efficiently.

We expect students to do this.

This week, I was teaching a 3 day workshop on Digital Storytelling. I've had my plan in
place for months and was really excited about presenting this version of the workshop, as
I'd have plenty of time to not only show some cool tech tools, but also keep the content
and thinking at the forefront and have plenty of creation time.

During Day One, one of the participants mentioned that her daughter was one of the top
Gloggers on Glogster.com. We started talking about what the Digital Storytelling process
could really become and that the products could be varied, differentiated, and multi-
faceted. She volunteered her daughter to come in and show us her Glogs on day two of
the workshop.

On Day Two, the woman's daughter came in for I what I thought would be a five or ten
minute overview of her usage of this web tool. It turned into almost an hour of not only
how she used it, but how motivated she would be to use this tool in the classroom. She
eloquently articulated a sound pedagogical stance that sounded as though she'd been
teaching for years. And this kid was sixteen years old. SIXTEEN!

Her description of the way she used Glogster was EXACTLY what I was trying to
reiterate about process driven tasks and keeping the content as king, not being swayed by
the flashy tech tool. What I'm shooting for in PD is ENHANCEMENT, not
REPLACEMENT. This teenager was able to discuss what she wrote in terms of
comprehension strategies like determining importance, nonlinguistic representation,
summarizing, and even collaboration. And she was doing this on her own for her own
purposes. Imagine the power that would have in a classroom.

This kid stayed with her mother for the course of the day and ended up helping other
teachers work with some of the tech tools. I was again reminded that relinquishing a little
control and being adaptable and flexible to new situations can bring a whole new realm
of productivity. It also showed me that the expertise I needed in this context didn't need to
extend into the outer realms of my learning network--it was virtually in front of my face.
This situation allowed me to learn as much as I taught--and showed the whole room the
value of how learning together is so much more meaningful than "sage on the stage."

I'm relaying this so that you understand that I'm practicing what I'm preaching. Though,
for many of you, I suspect I'm preaching to the choir. Adaptability, flexibility, and a
willingness to act on the teachable moment are all components of effective teaching.

Picture from Flickr's Creative Commons: courtesy of Barloventomagico at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barloventomagico/
Building Capacity from Within (Part 7) - 7 Steps

In meetings recently with several local school districts, I've been discussing sustainability
models for professional development and empowering the teachers to become leaders in
their own right.

I've talked about how creating and maintaining leadership from within helps with district
initiative buy in by giving teachers a voice that they may not have had before, and creates
a systemic basis for change with ripple effects that last for years. Positive ripple effects
lead to tidal waves of change.

So how exactly does a district begin the process of building that internal capacity? I've
created a list of seven steps that districts could consider when they seek to encourage
leadership in their staff and promote sustainability around professional development and
district initiatives.

1. Identify a Need
2. Identify Key Players
3. Create the Connection
4. Develop a Plan
5. Implement the Plan
6. Reflect on the Plan
7. Transform, Redirect, and Grow

Identify a Need:
Jumping on the latest bandwagon or deciding on professional development because the
school down the street did it is hardly a way to decide a direction. Depending on trends or
gaps in data or responding to new research that seems to have strong pedagogical value
are better reasons for deciding on something new.

Needs Assessments are also a good way to determine what districts should consider
bringing in, asking the teachers what they would identify as a priority needs area. These
assessments could be done in a group as a discussion, or a formal survey to start or end a
school year.

Identify Key Players:

This is not necessarily about identifying who your natural leaders are, but also who
stands to benefit most from a collaborative relationship. Pairing your leaders with your
most likely candidates for implementing a new practice creates a large pool of action for
developing the next level of impact around an initiative. Your trainers train the next wave
of trainers--create a sustainable cycle of action, with many go to people as you work
through bringing the entire staff on board.

Create the Connection:

You could simply identify a need and discuss ways to improve it, but I like the analysis of
positivity rather than just a focus on what hasn't or might not work. Specifically, I like the
"Success Analysis Protocol" (S.A.P.) outlined in Lois Brown Easton's book Protocols for
Professional Learning. In a nutshell, S.A.P. is about sharing the best of what teachers do,
specifically as it relates to a new initiative. (And specifically gleaned from what your first
round of trainers have experienced first hand.) Everyone gets a chance to share their
positive experiences, ask specific questions about WHY something worked, then come to
a common consensus around what those successes have in common, so that they can be
replicated.

Develop a Plan:
From that common consensus, teachers develop a plan for implementing strategies to
affect classroom instruction around need areas based on components that pointed to
success for others. That plan may be a lesson plan, the integration of a new strategy, the
introduction of technology, planning for ongoing collaborative meetings, etc.

Implement the Plan:

Then teachers try it out! They take what they've learned, what they've synthesized and
created, and just do it!

Reflect on the Plan:

Then the cycle begins again. Trainers and teachers come back together, using the Success
Analysis Protocol as a reflection tool to talk about what worked. They again determine
what their successes have in common and seek to integrate those commonalities into their
everyday instruction, creating sustainable change as EVERYONE understands how the
professional development or district initiative is going to impact them personally. Note
that this is a different model than "drive by" professional development, where trainers are
in and out without continued support. This is more of a coaching event where successes
are celebrated, and reflective practice is highly valued as an integral component of
implementation.

Transform, Redirect, and Grow:

This is the easy part. As teachers become more comfortable with changes in their practice
based on their professional development, they begin to see value in what they know and
are able to do with their students. This growth becomes the catalyst for change for their
colleagues as others are brought on board to experience the positive impact that the
professional development opportunity is providing. It's not something that is meant to
happen in a few days, but rather months, even years perhaps. Slow change is sustainable
change. Slow change is systemic change. Slow change is valued change.

Within these steps are evidence of each of Angela Maier's Classroom Habitudes:
Imagination, Curiosity, Self-Awareness, Perseverance, Adaptability, and especially
Courage. Each of these can easily be professional habitudes.

Building capacity from within also takes being honest, being willing to have hard
conversations, identifying roadblocks and overcoming them, actively listening to all
stakeholders, and believing in the change districts want to see.

It's not about just the "doing." It's about the learning. Several weeks ago, someone on
Twitter asked the question that students should be asking their teachers all the time:
"What do I have to LEARN in order to improve, versus what do I have to DO?" If
professional development is just about a series of tasks, how in the world can someone
really and truly make that work? It's true for students AND teachers. But, if teachers (like
students) can identify what they need to LEARN in order to move forward, how valuable
will that ultimately be, and what kind of impact will that ultimately make on student
learning and achievement?

Resources:

"Dancing with the Starfish. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo
Sharing. 23 Aug. 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyclark/412543317/>.
Easton, Lois. Protocols for Professional Learning. 1st. ASCD, 2009. Print.
Maiers, Angela. Classroom Habitudes. 1st. Angela Maier's Educational Services, Inc,
2008. Print.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann and Susan Demirsky Allan. Leadership for Differentiating Schools
and Classrooms. ASCD, 2000.