Wow!  This book got me thinking!  

I have to say, I actually like data, even though I’m not always sure how to interpret it or what to do with the information.  This book, however, brought data to life from the perspective of school leadership: How can I put data to work in my school?  How can I use this as a tool to enhance teaching and learning?

Although my school site has a long way to go, I was grateful to Data Wise for giving a path to follow and sane advice and strategies along the way.  Starting in January, I will be leading monthly staff meetings regarding data and instruction so I am eager (and a bit apprehensive) to see where the conversations lead us…

Q: “Attitudes towards data vary widely in schools.  There are plenty of “data skeptics” who believe either taht student assessment data cannot tell them anything they do not already know or insist that such data can be manipulated to support whatever story the teller wishes.  Typically, there are also some “data advocates” who believe that student assessment results contain the answers to solving student learning problems and that finding these answers in just a matter of becoming better at data analysis.  In reality, student assessment data is neither this weak nor this powerful.  The real value in looking a this kind of data is not that it provides answers, but that it inspires questions.”  p. 77

C:  This is a rather long quote but it hits on two things that stood out to me about Data Wise in general:

1.  People’s attitudes about data must be acknowledged and probably will be one of the most challenging aspects of working with data.  

2.  Data is neither a blessing or a curse, but is ONE improvement tool that can be used in beneficial or shallow ways.

Q:  My school site is more linear and traditional than HTH.  I’ve been asked to lead a monthly professional development meeting (30 minutes!) to help staff help students improve test scores.  I know that the heart of our staff is actually interested in helping students be successful learners but I feel like we don’t have a culture to talk about student success unless we are talking test scores.  How do I get my staff to embrace the prospect of discussing data while simultaneously trying to create an environment about genuine improvement and not scores or teacher “worth”?

 
Wow!  This book got me thinking!  

I have to say, I actually like data, even though I’m not always sure how to interpret it or what to do with the information.  This book, however, brought data to life from the perspective of school leadership: How can I put data to work in my school?  How can I use this as a tool to enhance teaching and learning?

Although my school site has a long way to go, I was grateful to Data Wise for giving a path to follow and sane advice and strategies along the way.  Starting in January, I will be leading monthly staff meetings regarding data and instruction so I am eager (and a bit apprehensive) to see where the conversations lead us…

Q: “Attitudes towards data vary widely in schools.  There are plenty of “data skeptics” who believe either taht student assessment data cannot tell them anything they do not already know or insist that such data can be manipulated to support whatever story the teller wishes.  Typically, there are also some “data advocates” who believe that student assessment results contain the answers to solving student learning problems and that finding these answers in just a matter of becoming better at data analysis.  In reality, student assessment data is neither this weak nor this powerful.  The real value in looking a this kind of data is not that it provides answers, but that it inspires questions.”  p. 77

C:  This is a rather long quote but it hits on two things that stood out to me about Data Wise in general:

1.  People’s attitudes about data must be acknowledged and probably will be one of the most challenging aspects of working with data.  

2.  Data is neither a blessing or a curse, but is ONE improvement tool that can be used in beneficial or shallow ways.

Q:  My school site is more linear and traditional than HTH.  I’ve been asked to lead a monthly professional development meeting (30 minutes!) to help staff help students improve test scores.  I know that the heart of our staff is actually interested in helping students be successful learners but I feel like we don’t have a culture to talk about student success unless we are talking test scores.  How do I get my staff to embrace the prospect of discussing data while simultaneously trying to create an environment about genuine improvement and not scores or teacher “worth”?

 
I have to be honest, the first time I tried to read this book I was disgusted by the slick sales-pitch tone and the undercurrent of “it’s hard, but you just need to…” followed by advise that flies in the face of instinct, culture, life experience, and emotional state.

However, I came back to the book and read it looking for the useful gems rather than for the literary appeal, and found there were several strategies worth adding to my toolbox:

1.  The focus is on how I can manage ME because I can’t manage anyone else.  The only person whose mood or message I can control is myself and as aggravatingly simplistic as this is, it is critical to accept.  When someone is angry, silent, accusatory, off the mark etc., it is up to me to find ways to work through the scenario.

2.  Accepting the idea that I can only manage myself, I have to become adept at asking whether a conversation is in a state of dialogue or game play.  As in: “I think we’ve moved away from dialogue” (p.180-81) and into silence or violence.

2.  One of the ways to work my way through an intense conversation is by focusing onwhat I really want to achieve–this is the heart of my efforts and where I need to focus my intentions.

3.  I can help myself achieve my intentions by embracing and modifying the storiesthat we all tell ourselves to bridge between our perceptions and our actions.  I can focus on facts before exploring my perceptions and engaging the perceptions of others–always aiming towards the shared purpose of the dialogue rather than on winning or being right.

4.  I can help others feel safe by listening, asking, contrasting, apologizing, mirroring, rephrasing, and priming them to fully participate in the dialogue.

5.  Conversations can result is positive actions because it has been made clear how decisions will be made and who will be involved and responsible for taking action.  I find this is an area of challenge even when the conversation wasn’t crucial.  Things get discussed, then feelings are hurt over the decision-making process OR no real decision gets made.  Finally, a decision is reached and “we” all agree that “we” need to do something about it…someday.  The following notes are from chapter 9, pages 161-178.

Four kinds of decisions:

Command decisions–authority makes the call.  ”With command decisions, it’s not our job to decide what to do.  It’s our job to decide how to make it work.” p. 165

Consultancy–invite input, make decision

Vote–good when there are multiple good choices, little time

Consensus–strongest support but longest process, save for when the issue is complex and everyone must support the final choice.

How to make a decision:

1.  Who cares? involve people who actually care

2.  Who knows? involve people who have relevant knowledge or expertise

3. Who must agree?  involve people who need to support

4.  How many people is it worth involving?  involve the fewest (quality ofver quantity)

Decision–>Action

Who?  Does what? By when? How will you follow up?

Be specific with outcomes, names, dates–and record it!

Lastly, I appreciated the final chapters that give suggestions for classic tough conversations and ideas for turning hope for better conversations into habit.


 
I have to be honest, the first time I tried to read this book I was disgusted by the slick sales-pitch tone and the undercurrent of “it’s hard, but you just need to…” followed by advise that flies in the face of instinct, culture, life experience, and emotional state.

However, I came back to the book and read it looking for the useful gems rather than for the literary appeal, and found there were several strategies worth adding to my toolbox:

1.  The focus is on how I can manage ME because I can’t manage anyone else.  The only person whose mood or message I can control is myself and as aggravatingly simplistic as this is, it is critical to accept.  When someone is angry, silent, accusatory, off the mark etc., it is up to me to find ways to work through the scenario.

2.  Accepting the idea that I can only manage myself, I have to become adept at asking whether a conversation is in a state of dialogue or game play.  As in: “I think we’ve moved away from dialogue” (p.180-81) and into silence or violence.

2.  One of the ways to work my way through an intense conversation is by focusing on what I really want to achieve–this is the heart of my efforts and where I need to focus my intentions.

3.  I can help myself achieve my intentions by embracing and modifying the storiesthat we all tell ourselves to bridge between our perceptions and our actions.  I can focus on facts before exploring my perceptions and engaging the perceptions of others–always aiming towards the shared purpose of the dialogue rather than on winning or being right.

4.  I can help others feel safe by listening, asking, contrasting, apologizing, mirroring, rephrasing, and priming them to fully participate in the dialogue.

5.  Conversations can result is positive actions because it has been made clear how decisions will be made and who will be involved and responsible for taking action.  I find this is an area of challenge even when the conversation wasn’t crucial.  Things get discussed, then feelings are hurt over the decision-making process OR no real decision gets made.  Finally, a decision is reached and “we” all agree that “we” need to do something about it…someday.  The following notes are from chapter 9, pages 161-178.

Four kinds of decisions:

Command decisions–authority makes the call.  ”With command decisions, it’s not our job to decide what to do.  It’s our job to decide how to make it work.” p. 165

Consultancy–invite input, make decision

Vote–good when there are multiple good choices, little time

Consensus–strongest support but longest process, save for when the issue is complex and everyone must support the final choice.

How to make a decision:

1.  Who cares? involve people who actually care

2.  Who knows? involve people who have relevant knowledge or expertise

3. Who must agree?  involve people who need to support

4.  How many people is it worth involving?  involve the fewest (quality ofver quantity)

Decision–>Action

Who?  Does what? By when? How will you follow up?

Be specific with outcomes, names, dates–and record it!

Lastly, I appreciated the final chapters that give suggestions for classic tough conversations and ideas for turning hope for better conversations into habit.

 
Q: “Many supposed communication problems are actually balance-of-power problems. … The unintended but damaging result is to increase the power of the already powerful and reduce the power of the already powerless.” p. 55

C: This quote popped out at me in light of our recent role modeling of parent or student experiences when meeting with a dean or other “person of power” in a school. Those of us who played the role of parent or student spoke strongly about how vulnerable and defensive they felt.  This is interesting because none of us playing the role of the Dean commented that we felt powerful during the situation. This quote makes me think about the role of power and how it’s true: as Dean, a successful conversation with the parent and student results in them agreeing or complying with your basic goals; if this happens, the less powerful party does not leave with more power.

This plays over into classroom interactions: how uncomfortable students are when we ask them to explain themselves or reveal how they really feel or what’s going on in their lives. Or, with staff: what level of trust does one need before you can really “clear the air” with a boss?

Q: I do wonder if there are communication techniques that ease these unbalanced power situations. Is being aware enough or are there steps I can take as a “person of power” that will improve my odds of truly communicating?


 
Q: “Many supposed communication problems are actually balance-of-power problems. … The unintended but damaging result is to increase the power of the already powerful and reduce the power of the already powerless.” p. 55

C: This quote popped out at me in light of our recent role modeling of parent or student experiences when meeting with a dean or other “person of power” in a school. Those of us who played the role of parent or student spoke strongly about how vulnerable and defensive they felt.  This is interesting because none of us playing the role of the Dean commented that we felt powerful during the situation. This quote makes me think about the role of power and how it’s true: as Dean, a successful conversation with the parent and student results in them agreeing or complying with your basic goals; if this happens, the less powerful party does not leave with more power.

This plays over into classroom interactions: how uncomfortable students are when we ask them to explain themselves or reveal how they really feel or what’s going on in their lives. Or, with staff: what level of trust does one need before you can really “clear the air” with a boss?

Q: I do wonder if there are communication techniques that ease these unbalanced power situations. Is being aware enough or are there steps I can take as a “person of power” that will improve my odds of truly communicating?

 
From p. 31:  “If you can’t tell me what you’d like to be happening,” he said, “you don’t a have a problem yet.  You’re just complaining.  A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to be happening.”

As much as I enjoyed the goal setting, praise and reprimand ideas, this was the concept that kept coming back to me.  It was a total lightbulb moment for me how much time is spent wallowing in the complain stage and how much more productive and forward-moving life would be if we could get to the actual problem-solving stage.  It made me think about my year ahead, being the mentor teacher for 10 staff members going through their first or second year of BTSA.  We are all intensely busy and I want to maximize the quality of our time together.  I would love to be able to apply some of the ideas from One Minute Manager, especially the emphasis on problem-solving.  

My question is: how do you change your relationship to others so that you take on qualities of the One Minute Manager without seeming fake, harsh, or drastically different than people already know you?  How do I establish with my mentees that, as much as there is value in having a chance to vent frustrations with peers, the ultimate goal should be to focus on potential solutions?

I used the hopes/fears protocol and set a few norms at a whole BTSA kick-off meeting last week.  This week we’ve started our weekly check-in meetings and I focused on sharing the BTSA resources and schedule, answering questions etc.  I think next week I will share the “it’s not a problem unless you have a solution in mind” mantra and see how my mentees feel about it.  I think, if we are working together, they’ll feel that this is not an effort to minimize their frustrations or problems, but a way to make sure that they are getting support in solving those problems.

Lastly, I think the ideas of the One Minute Manager are ideal for use in the classroom.  I feel I do fairly well with behavior strategies, but I need to have a conversation with my students in advance letting them know that I am striving to carry these same principals into my feedback with their work.  I always get that icky feeling when you have a hard-working, eager-to-please student asking for your feedback and their work is really sub-par.  Tip-toeing around the issue is not going to make it any better, however!  So, preparing students in advance, making sure they understand that I am never critiquing them as a human and also being cognizant to heap on genuine praise–I think it will make for a very productive and safe work environment.


 
From p. 31:  “If you can’t tell me what you’d like to be happening,” he said, “you don’t a have a problem yet.  You’re just complaining.  A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to be happening.”

As much as I enjoyed the goal setting, praise and reprimand ideas, this was the concept that kept coming back to me.  It was a total lightbulb moment for me how much time is spent wallowing in the complain stage and how much more productive and forward-moving life would be if we could get to the actual problem-solving stage.  It made me think about my year ahead, being the mentor teacher for 10 staff members going through their first or second year of BTSA.  We are all intensely busy and I want to maximize the quality of our time together.  I would love to be able to apply some of the ideas from One Minute Manager, especially the emphasis on problem-solving.  

My question is: how do you change your relationship to others so that you take on qualities of the One Minute Manager without seeming fake, harsh, or drastically different than people already know you?  How do I establish with my mentees that, as much as there is value in having a chance to vent frustrations with peers, the ultimate goal should be to focus on potential solutions?

I used the hopes/fears protocol and set a few norms at a whole BTSA kick-off meeting last week.  This week we’ve started our weekly check-in meetings and I focused on sharing the BTSA resources and schedule, answering questions etc.  I think next week I will share the “it’s not a problem unless you have a solution in mind” mantra and see how my mentees feel about it.  I think, if we are working together, they’ll feel that this is not an effort to minimize their frustrations or problems, but a way to make sure that they are getting support in solving those problems.

Lastly, I think the ideas of the One Minute Manager are ideal for use in the classroom.  I feel I do fairly well with behavior strategies, but I need to have a conversation with my students in advance letting them know that I am striving to carry these same principals into my feedback with their work.  I always get that icky feeling when you have a hard-working, eager-to-please student asking for your feedback and their work is really sub-par.  Tip-toeing around the issue is not going to make it any better, however!  So, preparing students in advance, making sure they understand that I am never critiquing them as a human and also being cognizant to heap on genuine praise–I think it will make for a very productive and safe work environment.

 
This book is both inspiring and a bit overwhelming!  Soooo many ideas.  I really appreciate being able to try out some of the protocols in class as I have a hard time visualizing how they work just from reading the directions.  For example, the “provocative prompts” activity didn’t sound that engaging in the book but turned out to be a very successful protocol in class.

I would really like to try the “Peeling the Onion” protocol with one of the teachers I am mentoring (or even in grad class) as it focuses on clarifying the problem/question.  From our efforts in class, it is clear that the question posed to a group is KEY to a successful protocol.  An unclear question or misinterpretation leads to unsatisfying results.

One question I am posing to myself is how to structure protocols into a 49 minute class period.  I would really like to try some of these ideas with my students, but I don’t want to fail because we ran out of time.  Perhaps, with more experience with protocols  and better familiarity with my students, I’ll be able to guage which areas can be trimmed and which protocols best match my students’ needs.

 
This book is both inspiring and a bit overwhelming!  Soooo many ideas.  I really appreciate being able to try out some of the protocols in class as I have a hard time visualizing how they work just from reading the directions.  For example, the “provocative prompts” activity didn’t sound that engaging in the book but turned out to be a very successful protocol in class.

I would really like to try the “Peeling the Onion” protocol with one of the teachers I am mentoring (or even in grad class) as it focuses on clarifying the problem/question.  From our efforts in class, it is clear that the question posed to a group is KEY to a successful protocol.  An unclear question or misinterpretation leads to unsatisfying results.

One question I am posing to myself is how to structure protocols into a 49 minute class period.  I would really like to try some of these ideas with my students, but I don’t want to fail because we ran out of time.  Perhaps, with more experience with protocols  and better familiarity with my students, I’ll be able to guage which areas can be trimmed and which protocols best match my students’ needs.