Week3 Discussion: Reflection on Ch. 5-8 of The Art of Possibility

Photo by Patricia Ort

This is good timing for this book.  Since my co-worker is also reading the book, I have had the chance to talk about the Zander's ideas with her, as well blog about it.  The concept of dealing with negative feelings by sticking with them and using them as a form of exercise to enable us to be able to handle and rise above greater challenges we will face in the future was novel.  It was also empowering. A fellow teacher who was given a difficult assignment used to say, "It is what it is." Not quite the same thing, but the idea of acknowledging the way things are, then moving on made me think.  I wonder if my way of giving way to passion and getting out of a survival mind set would be to take the leap of leaving my current position and looking for an opportunity to work in a really creative environment that embraces the use of technology in education. 

If so, what would that be? What am I most passionate about? The book has made me ponder these questions.  I also have revisited the ideas in the book and challenged them.  What gives the Zanders the authority to make these claims? Why do they resonate with me and with my colleagues? Is it because we recognize the innate truth in them, or because we want them to be true?

I also appreciated the bit about not taking ones self so seriously. Funny, but good advice. The discussion of leading from every chair is relevant to me because there is a parallel to teaching. Enabling musicians to be their best is really a lot like enabling students to achieve academically. The idea of giving the students a chance to lead is appealing, too. I have done that from time to time, but certainly not enough. I was reminded to make a point of giving students more opportunities to "be the teacher."  I know they really like to do that and it builds up their self-confidence.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.  It has certainly encouraged me and given me a lot to think about.

Week 3_Discussion Board Quickie 1

Courtesy iStockphoto

 Topic #1: Briefly share any experiences you’ve had when you’ve had a part in introducing a new program or a new way to do things at your job site. Please share any triumphs or frustrations you’ve had trying to improve the system or when you’ve pioneered or piloted some outside the norm.

  Twelve years ago our district decided to run an expulsion program for middle school students.  I live in a rural county, so the number of students who were in the program was small, even though we admitted students from other towns. Because the students had been expelled, they could not attend classes on campus.  Instead, we rented a large room in the local Youth for Christ building and ran our program there.  There were no guidelines or instructions, beyond the general mandate to provide courses appropriate to middle school.

  I fell back on my first teaching experiences in rural Nebraska schools for my model.  Another teacher and I split the subjects.  I gathered appropriate materials from among those our Community Ed program already had, along with a few extra purchased items. Over the course of three semesters, we provided a good education for our students, and included them in outside events like the Alcohol Awareness Program sponsored at our local ISD.  We did as many hands-on things as we could and were pleased with the progress our students made. The state auditors came to our district during the second year of our program and were very impressed with the program we were carrying out.  The district decided not to continue the program due to financial concerns, however.

  Today we are being asked to put together a school-within-a-school program.  Two other teachers and I are creating intake documents, working on suggestions for revising a handbook, and have been asked to create a crosswalk between Michigan’s Core curriculum and a basic curriculum for high school students, which needs to be ready by June 8. We have then been tasked with working on curriculum within each of our subject areas.

  I would consider the great teamwork my colleagues have developed during this year a triumph. I believe we can be very dynamic and creative. But frustrations abound.  One principle FSO has reinforced for me is the need to research and plan ahead before putting together an educational program (or class).  This is totally “throw something together so we have something.” We’ve been encouraged to take bits and pieces of other programs, to Google it.  Is that any way to put together a serious program truly intended to be effective with kids who are at risk of not graduating?

  Today I went to look at the rooms we will be using at the high school. I also talked to the tech director about the technology we will want for our rooms.  They are already equipped with data projectors and Elmo projectors.   I’d chalk this up to the plus side, as it would give us the ability to use tablets and do one-to-one with them in the classes.  I would consider that a triumph.

But I also learned that they are thinking about having us work 80% of our time in the high school during the day, and 20% at night in the Community Ed program. I guess they must think that because they were able to force us into similar hours this year, they can do it indefinitely.  No extra planning time was included for the nighttime classes this year, so I expect the same would be true next year.  Working both day and night made it very hard to pursue my own professional development. Every time a Wimba was on a Tuesday or Thursday, I had to watch it in the archive. Tuesdays and Thursdays were a wash for getting work done, too, so I had to try to stay ahead in order to make deadlines. Definitely a frustration.

  If there really is serious interest in developing a dynamic program to get kids on track to graduate, there should also be an understanding that it takes time to do this sort of thing.  I am sure we would each spend many hours after school working on different aspects of the program.  Assigning us to teach a couple of nights per week makes me step back and ask what our role really is.  Is there a serious desire to create a cutting-edge program at the high school? Or is this something else?

  Of course, I tried to consider this in the light of The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zanders. I have shared this book with my two colleagues, and it has proven to be very encouraging.  I don’t know yet if this situation will end in triumph, but I appreciated what the Zanders had to say about being present in the way things are.  I think I shall take their advice about leaving behind the struggle to come to terms with what is in front of me, and then move on.  It is what it is. Okay. So where do I go from here?

Week2 "Free" blog post - Why is it so hard for schools to change?

Courtesy iStock Photo

An instructor I had long ago once suggested that it is so hard to change schools because everyone has been to school. Everyone has a paradigm for what they think school should be like. No matter what research says, when you start trying to implement changes, people fall back on these deep-set beliefs, which become roadblocks to real change.

I would like to suggest this is true of teachers, parents, and administrators.  There is a reason for specialization in schools.  There is just too much to know.  I have spent the last year reading article after article about the effectiveness of using digital storytelling to support literacy.  On top of that, I am a Reading Specialist, with a masters from Western Michigan University in Reading.  Yet, in a short conversation with an administrator the other day, the idea of using digital storytelling to support improvement in reading and writing was totally blown off as some sort of "fluff" or fun thing to do that wasn't real teaching.

Back in the day, when I first started teaching, I actually taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Nebraska (there were no jobs in Michigan, of course). Over the years I have taught science and math as well as social studies, English, and reading. One thing I learned as a science teacher is that students come to school with their own explanations about why things work the way they do. They have compartmentalized "school knowledge" and "personal knowledge." They may spit out the "right" answer on a test, but in their hearts and minds they may not have changed their intuitive ideas about how things work, even after studying them in school. Students have to be led on a process of discovery so that, as they construct their understanding of a process, event, or concept, they shatter their old paradigms about things and replace them with schema that fit the research.

I think the same can be said of teachers, parents, and administrators.  The administrator I spoke to may be very well-versed in No Child Left Behind and all the bureaucratic hoops schools have to jump through, but she hasn't had time to study in depth the subjects her faculty are teaching or to keep up with new developments in all of these areas.  How can I lead her, and other teachers, and parents through a paradigm shift that leads them to accepting and supporting the use of digital storytelling as a legitimate means for improving literacy skills?  I think they too must be led through a process of discovery that will help them construct a new understanding of literacy in the 21st century, as well as of what digital storytelling really is and how it supports literacy.

Easy to say. I am now pondering how I would do that.  I do know that I would eventually like to be part of teacher training at a university, where I could help soon-to-be and new teachers discover the value of using digital storytelling across subject areas.  I would also like to use the things I've gleaned from my study of the literature to set up a new action research project for next year to measure for myself how digital storytelling can be used to increase literacy skills.

Week2_ Response to Zoe Marlowe

What you are getting at when you question whether Ben Zander’s practice of starting everyone off with an A being applied to a high school English class has to do with the characteristics of the groups he does that with. Ben Zander is working with high-level achievers (like the people in our EMDT program). It is fair to ask if that would work in a traditional high school English class, which would include students not especially interested in studying English. 

There is a lot to be said for high expectations.  Over and over again it has been shown that having high expectations of students results in better student achievement. For Zander’s students, the benefit may be removing stress and letting students move on without fear. Perhaps for high school students, the effect would be to change their perceptions of themselves.  The revelation that their teacher considers them capable of excellent work can motivate students to see themselves that way.  It becomes a very positive self-fulfilling prophecy.

iStockphoto

Zoe wrote:

Ben and Roz Zander’s book “The Art of Possibility” is one of the best books of its kind I have ever read. It is a complete ‘page turner’ for me anyway. I absolutely love it and could not close my e-book reader until nearly 2:00 a.m. I should mention here that I am not a very engaged, excited or avid reader of non-fiction, textbook-types of reading materials, with one exception of course, I do love Adobe Creative Suite instructional books. This ‘textbook’ is so different. I really did not feel like I was reading a textbook or a ‘how-to’ book for our course. Roz and Ben’s stories are all true, from their own life experiences, so I feel very ‘connected’ to them right away. While each chapter is a sort of ‘technique’ description, such as “Giving an A” and “Be a Contribution,” they are also a testament as to why these individuals are so successful in their lives. I can’t personally see how anyone reading this book could not improve something about their own life, no matter how small.

Zander’s concept of giving an A is really interesting to me. Because he is a teacher of a group of musical students, who play orchestral instruments, it seemed to me that they would be a really receptive ‘audience’ for that type of grading. I can also see it working in other artistic courses such as drawing, painting, graphic design, etc. However, I think it would be difficult to teach say a high school English course and start the semester giving all the students an A to begin with, and somehow expect them to ‘earn’ that A as the time goes on. I suppose every case of this is different, and I really did like the idea, it sounded like his class really took it to heart from some of the wonderful letters the students wrote to him which he published in the book. I really enjoyed the heartfelt letters very much.

On being a ‘contribution’ in your life to others around you, that makes perfect sense. No matter how busy I am, I try to be there for people who need me or need something. I am up to my ears in my AR project as well as these courses at the moment, plus I have other obligations to take care of. However, I am making time this week to help a long time friend of mine who is out of work. I have offered to create a new resume for him and to shoot some photos of him ready for his job search efforts. He is not as computer savvy as I am, and he needs the help. I am glad to do this because he is going to make the effort to look for work in an economically crippled town in this poor economic time our country is going through. I think it’s the least I can do to contribute to someone else’s luck.

I love the book, I think everyone should read it regardless of what their profession or schooling is.

Week2_Response to Bruce Neubauer

Your insight about school grades being “gamed” is well thought out.  I appreciated the examples you gave to support your view (laws of physics, etc.). There were a couple of bumps for me, too; however, the majority of their ideas were inspiring and worth consideration.  I guess, like everything, take it with a grain of salt.

Your comment about feeling special not being the same as being excellent reminded me of a phrase from the movie, The Incredibles, where the antagonist declares that when everyone is special, no one is.  On a tangent, some have suggested that just blindly telling children they can do anything is cruel, because it ignores the fact that no amount of positive thinking can make anyone be anything they want to be if they lack basic characteristics needed for the goal. For example, no matter how much “think-I-can” I put into it, I will never be an NBA star.  Those who espouse this point of view are not against encouraging children. They do, however, believe we should help a children find their own interests, abilities, and talents and help them to develop realistic goals, rather than blithely encouraging them to think they can do things that are really not suited to them.  Zander’s comment (and yours) about finding a child’s natural bent comes in there. Yes. Respect and honor the child by helping them achieve their natural bent.

iStockphoto

Bruce said:

“A cynic is a passionate person who does not want to be disappointed again.”

That quote was worth the entire price of admission.  For this is what The Art of Possibility is all about: Protecting my heart from becoming such a stone-cold realist that I possibly miss being something better, or making others better.     

At first glance The Art of Possibility reads like quasi-secularized-Buddhist theory.  Unfortunately, the universe does not operate on subjective feelings or perceptions.  Newtonian or Einsteinian, both still describe a physical universe that operates with mathematical precision.  Which leads me to believe Zander is either a confused cosmic humanist, or an apostate secularist.  Evolution (which is referenced a couple of times) is all about measurement.  That’s how less vigorous organisms (or less desirable traits) get marginalized in biology’s great game (to use Zander’s analogy) of elimination

Which is why I disagreed with the perception that school grades are gamed to compare one student with another.  The students at USC were not graded against their actual accomplishment, but with a random, arbitrary system.  Math is not arbitrary.   Grammar is not arbitrary.  So I’m not sure about the accuracy of connecting these particular dots.  Real skill is…real skill.  Would Zander allow The Art of Possibility’s final draft to be overseen by a person with second rate editorial or proofreading skills?  He wouldn’t.  No matter how many conservatory musicians are encouraged to feel good about their A, no orchestra is going to keep them on the payroll if they can’t play the notes.  Feeling special is not the same thing as being excellent.   

I liked the metaphor of chipping away at a child’s exterior to help them achieve their natural bent.  Absolutely correct.  I also liked the future tense A grade.  It places the student in the position to step up and take the responsibility for their success and growth.  And the monk’s story touched me.  I need to shift some ideas in my head about people in general.  The monks were looking for the Messiah in one another.  Not everyone is a Messiah, but everyone is worthy of such honorable respect.

Zander's ideas spoke to me.  He is proposing a friendlier, more organic approach with ourselves and with others.          

 

Personal Entry

I created this Wordle as an expression of some of the aspects of my Action Research Project (ARP).

Week 2 Discussion: Reflection on the Art of Possibility

Source: iStockPhoto

The Art of Possibility, written by Rosamund Stone Zander and her husband, Benjamin Zander, is turning out to be better than I first thought.  Initially, the title intrigued me. However, it took me until page 12 to really start to connect with what the author's were saying. By the end of the fourth chapter, I liked what I was reading so well that I ordered two more copies of the book to share with the two other teachers in my alternative high school program.

I especially liked giving people an A (including yourself). I think perception is really important. I could relate this idea with our approach to our alternative ed high school students. What if we did this with them?  How would it transform our relationship with our students if we did that?  The authors address the image of the teen, sitting in a resigned posture - as our alternative ed kids often do - and speculate how that would change if the students were treated like A students from the start. If we treat them like A students, and they treat themselves like A students, what would happen? I think I'd like to find out.

I appreciated the author's thoughts on our "world of measurement." This was especially thought provoking for me because I have been deeply frustrated by my work situation.  I actually have been doing a lot of surviving, especially over the past four years. I found the ideas in this book rather liberating. Now, if I can just maintain that mindset!  I am imagining my future just one year from now. What would I write if I were writing one of those A letters?

I liked the idea that "...resources are likely to come to you in greater abundance when you are generous and inclusive and engage people in your passion for life." I think this is true. It actually goes well with my own conviction that you make your own luck.  True, there are random circumstances and people I can't control, but I choose how I respond to them, and if I am positive and keep pressing forward, I will be ready when opportunity presents its self. 

I have to say, I also enjoyed the Ted video of Benjamin Zander. My 19 year-old son is a college music major and wishes to be a composer. I shared the video with him, certain he would especially like it because he has a particular knowledge of music. I was right.

I am looking forward to reading the next part of the book.  Reading it has also prompted me to do a lot of reflection.  If all goes well, I should be getting my EMDT masters at the end of June. If I leave the survival mindset behind and change my way of thinking, what will my attitude be as I complete my degree? What new opportunities will present themselves? I look forward to the next year with anticipation.

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Ch. 1-4. Penguin Books. New York, NY.