Quotes

Systems don't change by themselves. Rather, the actions of

individuals and small groups working on new conceptions intersect to

produce breakthroughs (Fullan 1993).

Purposeful peer interaction works effectively under three conditions:

1. When the larger values of the organization and those of individuals and

groups mesh. //Purpose/ Focus//

2. When information and knowledge about effective practices are widely and

openly shared. //Criteria for Quality//

3. When monitoring mechanisms are in place to detect and address ineffective

actions, while also reinforcing and consolidating effective practices. //Reflection/Feedback//

Fullan, M. (2008a). The six secrets of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

In Conversation page of the

ministry website (www.ontario.ca/education). “No situation is so

clear that you simply

pull a technique off

the shelf and use it.” A technique is a tool. And a tool –

which includes any kind of technology –

is only as good as the mindset using it.

There’s a tendency to say “Show me

exactly how to do it.”

And in my mind, that’s

a kind of false shortcut.

It won’t create high

quality results. That’s

the purpose of theory;

to identify the thinking that underlies the

technique.

In Conversation Fullans' Six Secrets of Change #2 Peers with Purpose what is important here is not just

the peer interaction. It’s what peers

are interacting about. What they should

be interacting about, in my view, is two

things. First, they should be interacting

on the data and how well students are

doing (which is secret

number five). And second,

they should be interacting

around the instructional

practices that get results.

Example, there may be a

book study group. The group picks a

book, reads it, meets every week to discuss

it. But if there is no mechanism to take

that discussion into the harder changes –

the actual changes that would be needed

in practice – you only have conversation

on the surface. That’s the dangerous halftruth I was speaking about – and what’s

dangerous about it is that you don’t know

it’s a half-truth.

You’re doing it on the surface, it feels

like you’re doing it, certainly you’re not

being deceptive. What’s missing is that it

needs to be linked to action. Actions that

are specific, precise and non-negotiable.

To move beyond plateaus requires what Heifetz and Linsky call tackling ""adaptive challenges"" rather than "technical solutions". The key difference between the two is that knowledge required for addressing technical problems is currently available (it may still be difficult to implement, but much is known in relation to the problem), while adaptive challenges go beyond our current capacity or current way of operating. The main properties of adaptive challenges include: > (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002)
 * the challenge consists of a gap between aspiration and reality, demanding a response beyond our current repertoire
 * adaptive work to narrow the gap requires difficult learning
 * the people with the problem are the problem, and they are the solution
 * adaptive work generates disequilibrium and avoidance
 * adaptive work takes time

Educational Leadership

Volume 50 Number 6 March 1993 The Professional Teacher

Why Teachers Must Become Change Agents

Michael G. Fullan

//Teacher education programs must help teaching candidates to//

//link the moral purpose that influences them with the tools that//

//will prepare them to engage in productive change.// the teacher of the future must actively improve the

conditions for learning in his or her immediate environments. Put one way,

teachers will never improve learning in the classroom (or whatever the direct

learning environment) unless they also help improve conditions that

surround the classroom. Andy Hargreaves and I developed 12 guidelines for

action consistent with this new conception of "interactive professionalism":

1. locate, listen to, and articulate your inner voice;

2. practice reflection in action, on action, and about action;

3. develop a risk-taking mentality;

4. trust processes as well as people;

5. appreciate the total person in working with others;

6. commit to working with colleagues;

7. seek variety and avoid balkanization;

8. redefine your role to extend beyond the classroom;

9. balance work and life;

10. push and support principals and other administrators to develop

interactive professionalism;

11. commit to continuous improvement and perpetual learning;

12. monitor and strengthen the connection between your development and

students' development (Fullan and Hargreaves 1991).