Wednesday 28 February 2018

Resetting Vision

Vision is essential for any change process to be successful. You have to know where you're going and how you hope to get there if change is to be embedded. In the minutiae of everyday life and the practical considerations of "What am I going to do tomorrow?" it's easy to lose sight of the long game.

This is when it's time to reset the vision. The start of the year is a good time to revisit and refresh our long term aims and goals. We're underway now, four weeks in, with routines and processes in place to keep the day-to-day ticking over. It's a good time to come up for air, to "get on the balcony" as Heifitz and Laurie  it. To take a bird's eye, big picture view of what's going on in order to work out what's next.

We've been using the language of Learning Intentions and Learning Destinations for our programming. It's helpful because it reminds teachers to be intentional about planning lessons that will help students reach the desired learning destination. It assists teachers to decide if a particular lesson is essential or a distraction. Just today I heard two teachers discussing a lesson that didn't quite go to plan and whether or not it was helpful or necessary to revisit the lesson or whether it was actually more beneficial to move the learning on. Student learning was more important than just completing a task.

This programming language will help form a framework for the renewed vision: What is the destination for students' learning by the end of 2018? What will it look like? Then it's possible to backwards map and start to plan out what smaller interim steps can be taken throughout the year in order to reach the desired destination in the given timeframe. It will no doubt be necessary to revise the plan along the way but at least having a plan provides a starting point for thinking and discussion.

Getting on the balcony can make it possible to look honestly at the current situation with a view to identifying areas requiring attention or potential flash points.

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