Learning That Lasts changing our minds - literally!

1. Learning That Lastschanging our minds - literally! Ministry of Education and SDCBC Webcast Wednesday, May 4, 2005 Bruce Beairsto Superintendent, School District No. 38 (Richmond) bbeairsto@richmond.sd38.bc.ca

2. The Plan • Remember some things we all know about learning but may forget to use in planning for professional development • Give a bit of time to process the ideas during the talk (but only partially) • Leave you with some concepts that will help to design professional development that can actually change minds, and thus behaviours

3. Environment Mind Behaviour Attention - Interpretation - Intention - Volition Attention - Interpretation - Intention - Volition subconscious How Do We Change Our Behaviour?

4. Growth and Development Seek a Pluralistic Worldview Internalize Mental Model Adopt New Behaviour Assess Results Growth through Training Informational Learning Development through Education Transformational Learning Psychic Development through Maturation Self-Transformational Learning Graphic incorporates ideas from Argyris, Mezirow and Kegan

5. The Implementation Dip

6. Brief Paired Discussion What encourages and what discourages people from venturing into the implementation dip? Discourages Encourages

7. Not Knowing Knowing Not Doing Doing Learning is a Continuous Process Writing Playing the Violin Teaching

8. Stages of the Learning Process • Acquisition • explain, model, set up practice with guidance, allow to practice independently and debrief • Fluency • repeated practice, greater ease of use, begin to “chunk” • Maintenance • sustain and extend skill through practice in natural performance settings, correct errors that may slip in • Generalization • use skill across multiple settings with adaptation, make connections, develop self-regulation adapted from a synthesis developed by Joe Lucyshyn, UBC

9. Small Group Discussion To what extent do existing professional development programs satisfactorily support all four stages of the learning process? and How might we improve in this regard?

10. Curiosity Interpret Do Commitment Observe Learning Through Reflectionaka Continuous Improvement Plan Professionalism

11. Nature of Problem Nature of Solution Type of Work Type of Learning I Clear Familiar Technical Growth Technical and Adaptive Growth and Development Partially Clear Partially Familiar II Unclear Unfamiliar Adaptive Development III Technical and Adaptive Learning “… the harsher the reality, the harder we look to authority for a remedy that saves us from adjustment. By and large, we want answers, not questions.” Leadership without easy answers. (Heifetz, 1994)

12. Dinner Discussion Is it your experience that people prefer answers to questions, particularly in times of stress? and If so, why? and What might change that?

13. Growth and Development Seek a Pluralistic Worldview Internalize Mental Model Adopt New Behaviour Assess Results Growth through Training Informational Learning Development through Education Transformational Learning Deep Development through Maturation Self-Transformational Learning Graphic incorporates ideas from Argyris, Mezirow and Kegan

14. World View subconscious Dimensions of Deep Learning • Knowledge • Skills • Concepts (Mental Models) • Assumptions • Dispositions

15. Barriers to Deep Learning • Fatigue (Physical and/or Psychic) • Fear • Failure • Unlearning (deconstruction) • Expertise • Defensiveness (Argyris) • Projection (Perkins)

16. Promoters of Deep Learning • Volunteer participation and perceived safety • Intrinsic motivation • Desire to understand (not merely know or do) • Perceived relevance • Active engagement, making connections • Sustained attention (especially when embedded in work) • “Professionalism” and/or Moral Purpose • Learning in a supportive group • Group norms of curiosity and thoughtfulness

17. Small Group Discussion The deepest learning is embedded in daily work, driven by professionalism and moral purpose, and sustained by a safe, supportive culture of inquiry. How can pro-d workshops help to create and sustain a culture of inquiry? How might they suppress it?

18. Innovative Community Learning To Tacit Explicit Socialization Externalization Tacit From Explicit Combination Internalization The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995)

19. Small Group Discussion What besides workshops should a pro-d program provide in order to promote deep personal learning and innovative community learning?

20. Individual School District Province Profession Staff Development Study Group Multi School

21. The Continuous Improvement Ideal Avoid the comfortable pew of certainty and “live the questions” of your life by cultivating a mind that is: • prepared for a constant, graceful skepticism • perpetually ready to revolt against its own conclusions • open to any possibility, including impossibility • democratically hospitable to other views • profoundly questioning, but buoyantly hopeful • able to bear the light of a new day Reengineering management: The mandate for new leadership (Champy, 1995)

22. Growth and Development Seek a Pluralistic Worldview Internalize Mental Model Adopt New Behaviour Assess Results Growth through Training Informational Learning Development through Education Transformational Learning Deep Development through Maturation Self-Transformational Learning Graphic incorporates ideas from Argyris, Mezirow and Kegan

23. References • Argyris, C. Various • Heifetz, R. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. • Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. (2001). How the way we talk can change the way we work: Seven languages for transformation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Perkins, D. (1995). Outsmarting IQ: The emerging science of learnable intelligence. New York: Free Press. • Perkins, D. (2003). King Arthur’s round table: How collaborative conversations create smart organizations. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

24. Learning That Lastschanging our minds - literally! Ministry of Education and SDCBC Webcast Wednesday, May 4, 2005 Bruce Beairsto Superintendent, School District No. 38 (Richmond) bbeairsto@richmond.sd38.bc.ca