Open space learning: Let’s talk about the elephant-in-the-(class)-room. The ABC of acoustics

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miss a beatI was standing in The Zone with an architect.

The hubbub of learning engagement was all around. 180 students and six teachers call this space ‘home’ at Northern Beaches Christian School. In front of us a teacher was taking a large group through a step-by-step process on a particularly technical aspect of uploading their work to the portal. This group of Year 5 and 6 students were focussed, sitting on the floor with their devices on their laps.

To our right another group were sitting at tables, their heads down, working on a pen and paper task. After a few moments this group stood as one and picked up their work to relocate for the next activity.

As we watched this happen the architect said to me, “They didn’t miss a beat, teachers tell us that open learning won’t work because the students are distracted.” He was referring to the group in front of us. While the commotion and movement of about 20 students were happening not one of them looked up or were off task.

Many people cite noise and distractions as the reasons why open learning will not work. 2013-04-20 20.26.01 Research on innovation and creativity reinforces that the best ideas come when we put our heads together. Open learning facilitates collaboration and team work. So if we really believe this to be the future of school, then the physical environment must be conducive to this. Not just rethinking the spaces, we also need to shift the mindset of the educators and students on what is actually productive work and how does it best occur. The acoustics matter.

Acoustic effectiveness is personal. What’s good for you, may not work for me. I have never been able to work or read when there is certain music in the background. If there is singing, I will listen and can’t focus.

I was talking with another visitor in The Zone a while back. He does work facilitating effective workplace design. He said to me that when there are less than five conversations within earshot we become distracted by them. However, once there are more than five, it becomes ‘white noise’, a more productive sound than silence.

Noise can be productive. 2013-04-20 20.26.19

Perhaps the most significant obstacle is mindsets – often educators and parents. People cite the so-called ‘failure’ of the ‘open learning experiment’ of the 1970s. This is not a fair comparison, in my opinion. At the time there was very little regulated curriculum and technology and its ability to open the world of learning was not yet conceived. Culturally, the 60s and 70s were an experimental era,
with little accountability.
2013-04-20 20.25.41

Today, we work differently and we learn differently. Often the complaints about the noise and the distractions come from teachers who either assume that it won’t work, or haven’t received sufficient support in changing the way the learning now needs to occur.

The ABC of good acoustics

elementWhen I walk into The Zone with visitors from other schools they are usually overwhelmed by the productive environment – 180x 10-12 year olds, actively engaged in learning. Teachers are working with groups and/or roving the space, touching base with students. I usually make the comment, “probably one of the most important elements that makes the space work is something that you don’t actually notice”. Then I point to the acoustic panels on the ceiling. When I visit schools and find that an open space is not working well, the first question I usually ask is how the sound levels are being managed.

The UK group Acoustics at Work has produced a report that simply describes the ABC of acoustic management. The focus on the office environment, but can be relevant to the open learning space.

Absorb Absorption of sound waves minimise noise reflection. The materials selected for the ceiling, the floor and the furnishings make a huge difference.

Block Temporary/movable partitions alter the sound path. This can reduce the level of sound transmitted and can facilitate individual work.

Cover Noise masking systems can artificially increase ambient noise levels to provide background (white) noise.

When I taught young children and noticed a problem with learning, my first suggestion to the parents was to check the child’s eyes and ears. It is similar with spaces we work and learn within. The key elements physical environment should be addresses first.

If we are committed to open learning, attention to the acoustic environment is essential for effectiveness of the learning and wellbeing of all.

@anneknock

If you would like to see The Zone in action visit us scil.com.au

Reference for Breakout quotes

The feminine and feminist leadership challenge: Embracing the “both/and” rather than “either/or” #leaningin

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A number of years ago I made a professional decision that I wouldn’t shy away from the “difficult conversation”. At the time I was working for a school system and I had witnessed too many serious problems that need not have escalated if, when the leader was faced the brutal facts, he/she was prepared to take action:

  • Have the conversation,
  • Address the issue and
  • If necessary ask the person to change/improve/leave.

Yet facing up to this seemed to be avoided, and the impending disaster wasn’t.

These conversations are never easy – for either side. I was involved in a mediation where a new principal at a school was addressing an unfair dismissal claim by a long-standing employee. Suffice to say, there were many circumstances surrounding the decision and while potentially justified, it was enacted clumsily, due to the (obvious) heightened emotional context. After listening to the situation I shared my observation that it needed to be done, but could have been done better. Once this was acknowledged and the principal gave an apology, the matter drew to a close.

Being in a position of authority doesn’t make the difficult conversations any easier. Leadership is often defined in terms of opposites – autocratic vs democratic, task-oriented vs people-oriented. Today’s leaders need to be  holistic. In the uncertainty and shifting times of this century, we actually need to be able to embrace this duality of leadership.

Especially women.

It has been fascinating reading about Margaret Thatcher over the last week since her death. Kaiser and Kaplan in their HBR post (16 April, 2013), ‘Thatcher’s Greatest Strength Was Her Greatest Weakness’, write:

…we will remember Margaret Thatcher as much for her leadership style as for her polarizing politics – in fact, the two are almost identical… she attacked the status quo and stuck to her guns in driving her agenda through opposition.

But as the title says, her greatest strength was also her weakness. Thatcher embodied the “assertive forceful approach” at the expense of “a participative, enabling approach.” She definitely wasn’t described as a feminist. It could be argued that she displayed femininity, Thatcher took great care to manage her ‘look’ – the hair, the suits and the style, she didn’t see the need to dress in a masculine way to compete in a male world. However, her manner presented a different side when faced with her rivals:

“I must say the adrenaline flows when they really come out fighting at me and I fight back. I stand there and say, ‘Now come on Maggie, you are wholly on your own; no one can help you.’ And I love it.” (Quoted in Kaiser & Kaplan, 2013)

Says it all – this was the era of the lone, strong, decisive leader. This is not the leadership required today. Thatcher is not my role model as a female leader.

I am committed to growing women in leadership:

1. We need more women to stand up as leaders

2. We need to be both/and leaders

3. We need to support and encourage one another

When I was reading Lean In, I found myself describing the book and sharing the ideas with my friends, yet discounting it as ‘feminism’, until I got to the chapter that challenged me and the use of the F-word. Sandberg writes,

Social gains are never handed out. They must be seized. Leaders of the women’s movement… spoke out loudly and bravely to demand the rights we now have. Their courage changed our culture and our laws to the benefit of us all.

Currently, only 24% of women in the United States say they consider themselves feminist. Yet when offered a more specific definition of feminism – “a feminist is someone who believes in social, political and economic equality of the sexes”  …rises to 65%

I’ve decide to embrace the word. ‘Fitting in’ as a female leader doesn’t involve pretending to be male. I need to be my authentic self, and this is the environment in which the people I lead will be able to flourish.

I am resolute about embracing the both/and of leadership. This means, that when I need to have the difficult conversation I try to do it in such a way that means I stick to my message, yet the person is valued and (hopefully) keeps dignity in tact.

It is never easy.

It often involves a sleepless night.

I’m not perfect.

I want to see a generation of women who can embrace the duality of leadership – with the right *measure of feminist and feminine.

Read Lean In.

@anneknock

*As soon as I wrote the word ‘measure’ I realised that this was the key. Another post on this coming up.

 

 

Taking the pledge: My opinion doesn’t always need expression.

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Social media has potentially given everyone a voice. Anyone with an opinion has an avenue to express it and an audience to receive it.

But should we express an opinion just because we hold it?

I’m taking the pledge:

I will hold my opinion unless:

  • I’m invited

  • It will add value and can change things

  • I’m willing to own it publicly and accept the consequences

In Australia, we are a couple of months into the longest election campaign we’ve ever had. As a result politicians are gaining as much mileage out of every opportunity as they can.  During my afternoon commute, the broadcaster of choice, ABC702’s Richard Glover, is regularly receiving SMS messages, tweets, emails and facebook comments making accusations of bias, for and against each political player he may interview. He regularly keeps the listener informed of the current wave of opinion that floods onto his screen, tossing one way or the other, dependent on the bias of the hearer.

Perhaps the true measure of media election bias should be comparing these comments? If as many people complain that Richard is biased one way or the other, then he’s fair!

Opinions held don’t necessarily need voice.

It seems that now there is the opportunity for our opinion to be heard, almost at every level of society, that we somehow think that (a) we have a right to express it – no matter what the topic, the context or our expertise and (b) it has merit – just because I think it I should say it.

I’ve often found myself in a group email situation, discussing a significant matter, of which I hold views. More often than not I will write a ‘reply all’, then stop, think, reread and delete. Weighing in won’t necessarily add value.

So it’s a matter of self regulation.

1. Am I invited? Specifically or broadly. If you read this post, follow me on Twitter, then that’s my opportunity, but not necessarily my right to express my opinion. Feel free to unsubscribe or unfollow.

2. Will it make a difference to the outcome? I’ve made a long-held decision to be positive and helpful in my communication. If I can add value I will make the effort. But will endeavour to express my ideas constructively.

3. Am I prepared to publicly own my views and carry out any consequences? I don’t always publish what I write. I must have courage of convictions.

There will always be injustices, unfairness and ‘wrongs’ that will occur in the world. But I refuse to tie myself in knots for things I cannot directly impact, instead, to direct my attention to those things where I can make a difference.

I adopt the Covey idea that asks, In which circle does it belong?

  • Circle of concern (These are things that concerns me, but I can’t actually do anything about, yet)

  • Circle of influence (These are things over which I have influence)

Sometimes it’s helpful to release the pressure valve when something is frustratingly in my circle of concern. I might say to my husband or a trusted friend – “just listen”, or I will write my thoughts down, just to be able to order them and express them, then not do anything about it.

Like a muscle, holding and purposefully expressing my opinion takes time and training to build strength. I’m not perfect, but I have taken the pledge.

I will hold my opinion unless:

  • I’m invited:

  • It will add value and can change things

  • I’m willing to own it publicly and accept the consequences

@anneknock

Putting the legs on vision. Making it scalable, sustainable and enduring

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There are some people who embrace change and others have change thrust upon them.

There are a few who are visionary leaders, some who put legs on vision, others who are swept along and a handful who doggedly hang onto the status quo.

Which are you?

I’m one of the people ‘who put legs on vision’. Great vision inspires me to action, then, as I look around I can see:

  • Obstacles to overcome
  • Systems to set up
  • Mindsets that need changing
  • Policies to develop
  • Spaces to change
  • Tough conversations to be had
  • People to encourage

Each of these creates the context that helps the vision becomes reality.

Change needs more than a great leader. It needs a concerted, coordinated and sustained reworking of multiple work systems. (Shea and Solomon, 2013)

‘Systems’, not a particularly exciting word, but unless the vision is surrounded by good policy and systems it won’ be scalable, sustainable and enduring.

Think about the vision that motivates you to action. Imagine a scene that encapsulates the ‘vision to reality’. If you are in education, maybe it looks like this:

2011-03-03_0088The learning space is busy, active and productive. Teachers and students are co-workers. One teacher is alongside a student explaining a concept, another taking a small group in an instructional session. You see a group of students are working together on a project together, excitedly sharing and forming ideas.

There is engagement, it is highly relational and academically rigorous. A community of engaged, motivated and inspired learners.

How do you put legs on your vision?

Have a plan to develop systems, behaviours and attitudes that  are consistent with the vision. A vision without a plan is a dream. It will remain in your head and reach a dead-end. A plan gives direction and grounds the vision in reality. It generates action.

Remember the scene in your mind? Think about it in terms of these eight areas that will keep it moving forward. They are the patterns of behaviour that become the levers for change.

Organisation: Identify the most effective leadership structure that directs, guides and values people. Can the current leadership structure be adapted for the vision or is a new one required?

Place: Establish the physical and virtual environment that maximises productivity, learning and creativity. Can the scene be achieved in the current spaces? Does the furniture work? How does your virtual space serve the vision?

Task: Articulate what the ‘work’ actually looks like. How will this be explained, supported and modelled?

People: Find the right people and equip them. What do the people need to learn, relearn and unlearn?

Motivation: Facilitate an environment that keeps your people motivated and on track – rewards and consequences. How will you recognise and reward embracing the vision and ‘having a go’?

Measurement: Measure what matters. What are the top five areas that matter to the vision?

Communication: Think through and articulate who is responsible for communicating what. How will you manage the message?

Decisions: Authority and authorisations that enable not disable, that bring clarity not confusion. What are the levels of responsibility for complexity of decisions to be made?

Your plan guides strategy.  A vision is not the past nor the present – it represents the future. It’s new, scary and unknown. The only way change will endure is through addressing the work systems that surround the vision.

Shea and Solomon identified these eight elements that represent the essential areas to the plan. Each of these points can be further articulated and developed. If you are committed to your vision, believe in it and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Here is a starting point.

@anneknock

Finland “only country…students leave…innovation ready” a big call. Some thoughts from my own experiences

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“…it is the only country where students leave high schools “innovation ready”

I have visited schools in Finland on numerous occasions now. I have found a hardworking nation – the community, its students and teachers – with a commitment to attaining high educational outcomes. Finland is definitely a nation the ‘punches above its weight’. But, with respect to my own relatives and professional friends, I have not found an education system that is particularly innovative, as I observed the day-to-day life of school.

So when I read the opinion piece by Thomas Friedman that is currently published in the newspapers in the world’s major cities, I am puzzled. I have incredible respect for Thomas Friedman and Tony Wagner. The premise of the piece is excellent:

More school leavers are going to have to invent a job rather than find one. Schools must equip them for the challenge.

Friedman picks Wagner’s brains on what needs to happen:

The goal of education today should not be to make every child “college ready” but “innovation ready” – ready to add value to whatever they do.

Every young person will continue to need basic knowledge, of course, but they will need skills and motivation even more… Young people who are intrinsically motivated – curious, persistent and willing to take risks will learn new knowledge and skills continuously.

I couldn’t agree more. The myth of the university/college degree as a ticket to the future career is now dispelled, as many young people are highly qualified, yet under-employed. We need to do all we can to teach, equip and engage them in order to follow passions and dreams and find innovative solutions to world problems. The way we repackage learning is crucial to that end.

Then Friedman asks: Who is doing it right?

Finland is one of the most innovative economies in the world and it is the only country where students leave high schools “innovation ready”.

This big statement is based on the following information:

They learn concepts and creativity more than facts, and have choice of many electives – with a shorter school day, little homework and almost no testing.

That is the case, as well as teacher autonomy and community respect, local school decision-making, high level of competitiveness to enter the profession and high PISA results. But do these elements actually translate into students leaving high school “innovation ready”? I have not observed repackaged learning.

Do high results in PISA testing equate to “innovation ready” students?

In my visits to ordinary, everyday school I observed little that showed me innovative methods and practices. The wifi test on my iphone found no wireless networks in the schools. Teaching was textbook and teacher-talk dependent. Technology was predominantly desktop computers and the only school I saw with ipads was an automotive vocational college, with the most innovative educators of all that I saw.

Observing secondary classes, students were taught in traditional methods by teachers, those ways that present knowledge to pass tests. At the end of the senior years students spend a huge amount of time cramming for 6 hour exams.

I also went to an educators conference, run by the OECD and universities, enduring long lectures and very dull and indiscernable powerpoints. These people were responsible for educating the future teachers.

Sometimes I wonder, what will happen when Finland is no longer top of the PISA tree. I think the national education marketers, who have done an outstanding job in promoting the qualities of the Finnish education system will need to move to Shanghai or Singapore.

 @anneknock

What’s your strategy to keep Gen Ys engaged and interested in teaching for the long haul*? (You may have to lead them differently)

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(*about five years seems to be the long haul for these guys)

Recruiting, training and retaining young teachers is a challenge. Gen Y have a high work turnover rate, so instead of rolling our collective Baby Boomer/Gen X eyes, maybe we should be considering how we keep them. We need them to stay. Our kids need great teachers.

In case you are wondering Gen Ys were born from 1980  to 1994. The oldest one are turning 33 this year and the youngest are 19. These are our current generation of new (ish) teachers. This is what research tells us

Generation Y are the most materially endowed generation ever. Currently aged 18-32, They are very tech savvy- bringing social media and productivity skills to the workplace.

The global generation- culturally diverse, mobile careers, travellers and globally aware. Gen Y aren’t just a product of their times, they’re also a product of their life stage.

They will work longer than previous generations with the retirement age and pension age pushed back. They will average more than 4 careers and 17 employers in their lifetime.

Forget the training manual or the staff meeting- enter the company vodcasts, instant messaging, and even content-laden music.

We will see an increasing trend towards people unplugging, and hotdesking: the era of activity based working. So the rise of ping-pong tables, well-equipped lunch (and breakfast) rooms, mini-nap spaces, time-out rooms, and outdoor gardens and green spaces.

Having managed to complete their pre-service education is one step toward their new career. A newly-minted education graduate wrote in an opinion piece recently:

After dragging myself to the finishing line, I have finally completed my diploma in education at a university in Sydney. I shudder in horror on behalf of the unwitting students who will follow in my footsteps, since in many Australian universities single-year diplomas in education are being phased out in preference for two-year master’s degrees. Or 24-month agonies, as I prefer to term them.

One of my friends, with a tutor who presumably has missed the last decade, was asked to present a slide presentation in which each slide had to have a different background colour, different fonts and a working hyperlink. Oh my. I shall put my typewriter away.

Not only does the pre-service education we provide need a good shaking, but also how we present teaching as a career worth investing in, once they have graduated.

According to McCrindle Research there are five key factors in recruiting and retaining Gen Y

1. Work/life balance

2. Workplace culture

3. Varied job role

4. Management style

5. Training

In summary – They don’t want to be workaholics, they want to belong and not have the same-old-day-in-day-out, they are seeking relationship and community from their supervisor and you’ll keep them longer if you challenge with new learning opportunities.

So, what do you need to think about in your school that will encourage teachers with great potential, the right attitude and aptitude to stay?

Clarity in standards and expectations – If work/life balance is important, then we can’t make assumptions about standards. Clearly state expectations.

Pay attention to culture –  There is a desire to belong. Be a thermostat, not a thermometer. Set the right culture for community and do what needs to be done to maintain the right temperature.

Provide opportunities – Find ways of throwing the curve ball, a new opportunity that can interest and excite from time to time.

Lead relationally  - Leaders are more effective in the context of positive relationship than an authoritarian style. It’s actually more enjoyable for everyone.

Keep sharpening the saw - “90% of Generation Y’s who receive regular training from their employer are motivated to stay with their employer”. Provide new ways to address their professional learning needs.

Those of us of earlier generations can bemoan the changing motivators of younger professionals, or we can appreciate them for what they bring.  Of course there are things that they need to learn and change, but so did we, once upon a time.

@anneknock

Innovative leadership in 3 simple steps: Know, Show & Let Go

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Is our DNA evident across all we do? 

Along with another colleague on the senior leadership team, I am responsible for ensuring that leadership and innovation are embedded deeply and are part of the DNA of the school. These two elements are essential to our identity.

What is DNA? From a scientific perspective it is deoxyribonucleic acid, the carrier of genetic information. The term is also used metaphorically to describe the distinctive characteristics of an organisation’s culture and identity, yet unlike the body’s DNA that is set, this needs to be regularly communicated, reinforced and supported.

I have found the idea by futurist, Joel Barker a very useful description of what leaders need to do.

 We manage within a paradigm and lead between paradigms.

DNA

What is a paradigm? It’s a pattern, a model or a set of practices that define what we do, both now and into the future.

As leaders we need to simultaneously manage the current paradigm, getting ‘this’ job done, and lead our people toward a new paradigm. Both are essential:

  • Managing in present: organising people and resources within the current context

  • Leading to the future: taking people to a new ‘place’

We are usually very comfortable in the present, we know what needs to be done and how to get it done. Often our people are more than happy to stay where we are right now, it’s known and comfortable. If we are leaders, however, we also know we must be taking them somewhere. Whether it is their personal growth, or organisational progress. We are taking our teams, organisation or even our family to something better.

What is innovation? At the root of the word ‘innovation’ is ‘nova’, which means ‘new’. Innovation may be values, solution or practices that meet new and emerging requirements. To you and your team ‘innovation’ may mean growth, new markets or reinvention, whatever the context – people need good leaders.

So how do we practically lead our teams to this new paradigm of innovation?

Know, Show and Let Go

Know Show Let go

Know (not assume)

  • Your people

  • The job to be done

  • The values that shape us

Show (not just tell)

  • What’s to be done

  • How to do it

  • The attitudes and behaviours we expect

Let go (not control)

  • Release your team to do

  • Observe

  • Assess and plan

This is a cyclical process, once you let go, observe and assess. We soon see what people don’t know or now need to know and then repeat… ad infinitum.

@anneknock