Charles T. Moore Blog

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Adaptable Learners Will Own the Future

When I was kid, my Grandpa Geurin bought me a pony. I know that sounds like the type of gift a spoiled rich kid might get. But we were definitely not rich. Grandpa owned a small farm in West Kentucky where he and my grandma worked tirelessly to make a living. And just a few miles from the family farm was Kenlake State Park. They were auctioning off some surplus items, and the pony happened to be one of the items they were selling.

We named the pony Snowball for obvious reasons (see pic below). But Snowball had some bad habits. The reason the state park had her to begin with was because she was part of the pony rides. Any time she had a saddle and a rider, she was conditioned to walk in circles. She knew how to do her job very well. Simply walk in a circle all day long. I guess you could say she was literally a "one trick pony." No doubt my grandpa got a great deal on this majestic steed!

Dad, little sister, and me with Snowball. We look thrilled don't we!

Snowball didn't respond well being led in a straight line, and she certainly wasn't used to having a rider take the reins. One time when I was in the saddle, a loud truck drove by and she was startled. As I remember it, she reared up and bucked me right off. In my imagination, I was certain I could hang on like the Lone Ranger. In reality, even this little pony was more than I could handle.

As I was reflecting on Snowball's limitations, I thought about how the world is changing for our students. In the past, it was possible to learn a skill or trade and remain in the same career for a lifetime. Those opportunities have mostly disappeared. Even more of these jobs will be gone in the coming years. It's not possible to be a "one-trick pony" anymore. Snowball was able to do one thing well, and that was all she needed to do.

Of students entering primary schools today, 65% will someday work in jobs that don't yet exist. That is staggering to contemplate. We can't even begin to imagine what they will need. To further explore this likelihood, you can even use this handy calculator to find out the chance your job could be automated in coming years.

In today's world, information is abundant and automation is accelerating. To possess a variety of skills that cross a multitude of disciplines is critical for success. Things are changing so quickly that it is impossible to keep up. And that is why, adaptable learners will own the future.

Author and thought leader A.J. Juliani created the visual below. It illustrates the idea that we cannot predict with certainty all of the skills our students will need. Preparing students for a test, or college, or even a trade isn't enough to be future ready.

Even though the job market has improved slightly for college grads in the last couple of years, 1 in 5 college graduates will find themselves unemployed or underemployed—working in low wage fields that don't require a degree.

That is why we must develop skills that are transferable to unknown situations. To quote Alvin Toffler, the ultimate 21st Century skill is the ability to "learn, unlearn, and relearn." It is a tremendous advantage to be creative, innovative, and adaptable. I listed 15 skills students need to be future ready in a previous post.

Question: How should educators be changing to help students develop the skills of adaptable learners? What can we do differently? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on Facebook or Twitter.

Comments

Comments

We must make time for clarifying questions and responses

School leaders, regardless of the position held, take on a number of tasks at the same time, so many in fact that the ‘To Do’ list never ends. Leaders are constantly juggling tasks, which may include reacting to situations that have arisen, carrying out tasks to maintain effective function of the school/division/department, or leading and supporting the development and implementation of new initiatives to improve our schools.

As leaders are consumed in the tasks they do and the busier they become at certain times of the year, leaders can often lose sight of the need to communicate with their colleagues. When we find ourselves short on time owing to the number of tasks that need completing our communication can become rushed or non-existent in the eyes of our colleagues. At times, we may think that we are communicating but really we are not.

If we are serious of creating alignment in our schools with all staff ‘singing from the same song sheet’, or having ‘everyone on the same page’, it is vital that time is set aside for creating clarity in the work that we do. This includes making time for our colleagues to ask clarifying questions such as:

What is the rationale for this decision?
Why does the task need to be done this way?
What are the next steps with this project?

Good leadership, however, is more than just making time for colleagues to ask pertinent questions, it is about having the emotional intelligence to consider answering the questions before they are asked. This places leaders in situations where they are more proactive than reactive in meeting the needs of others. Leaders may even bring up the questions that their colleagues may want to ask but may refrain from doing so, for fear of the inconvenience of asking. For colleagues to ask clarifying questions should not be viewed, by the leader, as a hindrance to getting things done, they should should be seen as an opportunity to consolidate understanding and grow stronger as a team.

Making the time for clarifying questions, or responding beforehand to questions that may arise, helps build further trust in the leader and in the team’s value; clearly establishing, through the maelstrom of different tasks, what it is that we are really doing around here.

Originally posted on Ed Leader

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A leader is a team player or…be more like @tonyromo #taketwo #RTIAW

We all know I am a football fan and have written about the parallels between leadership and both the quarterback and coach before. This week I had the parallels opportunity to attend an RTI conference by Solution Tree. One session, by Brian Butler spoke to the need for collaboration of philosophy and resources to support your struggling [...]

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Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread is great for serving next to turkey and stuffing or spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a crowd pleaser, that’s for sure!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Fleischmann’s® Yeast. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.

Pull-apart breads. Everybody loves ’em, am I right? They’re incredibly easy to make, and so versatile. You can make them sweet, like my Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread, or you can make them savory, like this Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread. If you’re not a fan of parmesan, check out this recipe for Olive Oil, Garlic and Fresh Herb Pull-Apart Bread, it’s super delicious.

Now, I originally made this bread as a test run for Thanksgiving dinner sides, and I’m happy to say it’s going to sit right alongside our turkey that day. But we’ve also made it a few times since then, to accompany Eric’s ever-present spaghetti and meatballs dinner.

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The post Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

We Need Leaders AND Managers

The narrative of “are you a manager or a leader?”, is one that is shared too often. I tweeted this article yesterday that talked about this very thing:

What do you think? – 9 Differences Between Being A Leader And A Manager https://t.co/b22BOQEllj

— George Couros (@gcouros) November 15, 2016

Here are some of the contrasts between a “leader and a manager” that they talk about in the article:

Leaders create a vision, managers create goals.

Leaders are unique, managers copy.

Leaders are in it for the long haul, managers think short-term.

Leaders grow personally, managers rely on existing, proven skills.

(Those are just a random four of the nine that I picked out, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.)

Then the article ends by asking this question:

Are you a manager or a leader?

If you are truly effective in a leadership position, here is what your answer should be…

Both.

Even in the four items I listed, I am thinking that both sides of those skills are needed. For example, I think it is great when schools come up with their own ideas (Leaders are unique), while also adopting amazing ideas from other schools (managers copy). Is it not important to “create a vision”, while you also “create goals” to see where you are along the way?

The narrative of “Leader vs. Manager”, is not one that is helpful. The best way I have heard the two defined (attributed to Grace Hopper but I have also heard Stephen Covey use the same idea), was the idea that we “Manage things, lead people.” Simple yet powerful.

You might have the greatest “vision” in the world, but the management is often how you bring it to fruition. It is important to get people on the “bus”, but if the bus doesn’t have gas or a working steering wheel, good luck going where you need to be.

Management and leadership is not an “either/or” idea. For schools to be successful navigating all the change coming their way, the most effective leaders will have to be both. Otherwise, any vision we have will never come to fruition.

February 25, 2011 One Rule
April 8, 2016 4 Ways To “Lead Up”
March 28, 2015 Are you focused on the “stuff” or the person?
February 15, 2015 5 Ideas for Conversations on Change
September 9, 2014 Character, Credibility, and Social Media

Source: George Couros

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