Tami+Dean

Curatorial Project 1:



Fullan, M. (2007). //The new meaning of educational change//.

" Successful change agents learn to become humble. Success is not just about being right; it is about engaging diverse individuals and groups who likely have many different versions about what is write and wrong (p. 40)."

A few key ideas from the book


 * Things to consider when developing your proposal for a model of change:**

//The new meaning of educational change// is all about the thinking and actions that break negative cycles in favor of positive ones.

In complex systems, heavy-handed accountability schemes can never work because they cannot create the beliefs and behaviors necessary for success.

Personal and social betterment are intimately interconnected (p.302).

1. Large-scale change cannot be achieved if teacher identify with only their own classrooms and are not similarly concerned with the success of other teachers and the whole school. 2. Large-scale change cannot be achieved if principals identity only with their own school and are not similarly concerned with the success of other principals and schools in the district. 3. Large-scale change cannot be achieved if school districts identify only with their own district and are not similarity concerned with the success of other districts. 4. Large-scale change cannot be achieved if individual states identify with their own states and are not similarly concerned with the success of other states and the country as a whole. And so on.

How students and teachers come to new knowledge(p. 35): __Students__: 1. Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they mail fail to grasp the new concepts and information that they are taught, or they //may learn them for purposes of a test but revert// to the preconceptions outside the classroom. (italics added) 2. To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must: (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application. 3. A " metacognitive" approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

__Teachers:__ 1. Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings //that their students bring with them//. (italics added) 2. Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth, providing many examples in which the same concept is at work and providing a firm foundation of factual knowledge. 3. The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of subject areas.


 * Questions to consider:**

How do we address that conceptions and behaviors of those engaged in the change on a continuous basis when the possibility exists that changes in most effectively discussed //after// people have had some behavioral experience in attempting the new practices? I think that t is essential for the new practices to be in place for a period of time (two or three years) for the participants to be able to evaluate their worth and effectiveness. Too often new practices are introduces into school districts or separate buildings with an expectation of immediate results. If results are not immediately apperant, the project is dismissed without giving it a chance to be implemented properly and uniformly across the district. - Iryna Why do you think turn-around change takes less time in an elementary school vs a high school? ~This is opinion is based on my personal experience, rather than any theory that I'm applying. That said, one issue I've experienced is that once instruction starts departmentalizing, territorial issues develop. Educators in each discipline understand the vital importance of their topic, but they may see their instruction as disparate from other subjects, rather than focusing on commonalities between subjects. Therefore educational reform efforts have an additional hurdle to get past-- the argument of "that's all well and good for math instruction, but I teach biology!" ~Michelle

~ I agree with Michelle that there are some issues with secondary ed. In my reading methods class for secondary ed majors, the biggest hurdle is getting my students past the idea that the only thing they will ever teach is their content. Why would they have to know anything about pedagogy or struggling readers?? CH

How might the interactive factors affecting implementation work with and against each other?

If effective principals energize teachers in complex times, what is going to energize the principals? ~Administrators in Illinois are required to complete professional development coursework for renewal of their certificates. Hopefully information recieved at the Administrator Academy workshops will help energize them! CH [|Administrators' Academy One] [|Administrators' Academy Two]

How do propose change to a district or school taking into consideration all of the information from Fullan's text?

What would happen if we treated the student as someone whose opinion mattered in the introduction and implementation of reform in schools? I think the second chapter of Freire really begins to address this - that effective teaching and learning has to be rooted in two basic things - love and dialogue. One of the buzzwords in many school-based and even coprorate-based initiatives is "stakeholders". From a total quality management perspective (which most academics loathe), you must hear the voice of the stakeholders [customer] to be able to deliver quality goods and services. Please note that I'm not posing the, "Are students customers?" question here. Yet, I do ask, "Are students stakeholders?" And, if so, are there voices not important to the teaching and learning processes? One of the common arguments to allowing students a say, a stake, in the process of teaching them is that they don't know what they don't know...the teacher is the "expert"....right. I personally feel that not involving students in the decision keeps the teacher in the protected teacher as expert role and fails to capitalize on what each student brings to the classroom or could contribute to positive change in the school. Patrice Hess

I agree with Patrice completely. The often-berated "business model" isn't something academics or schools should avoid---many elements of it can be quite effective in thinking about reform. I don't see educators/districts paying the same kind of attention to student desires that a business would to a valued customer---why not? In some cases this is overkill, as the situations are different in many ways, and thinking of students as "customers" can be dangerous. But in a very real sense they are, as they'll only take away what they want, no matter what we intend for them (or try to pound into them). Furthermore, they are not customers by choice, as they are required to be in school. This means we should be even MORE cognizant of their needs, as their freedom to choose is limited. The teacher is an expert in some senses, but content is only one of them. Better to be an expert in flexibility and being a caring, motivated leader who is genuinely interested in the specific needs and interests of their students. ---Chris