Epidemics in Thought- Change in Education

The Tipping Point is primarily a book about explaining how epidemics come into existence. Gladwell clearly articulates the common notion of what an epidemic is. We generally have a biological understanding of epidemics, how diseases quickly spread through a population. His book is an extension of the biological definition of epidemics to phenomenons that emerge into the public conscious , the passing of information in a word of mouth fashion that leads to a dramatic shift in the beliefs, understandings and desires of a population. He provides some examples of the epidemics that he is referring to. The reemergence of the Hush Puppies as a shoe of choice for the fashionistas, the dramatic drop in crime rates in the city of New York City during the 1990's, the popular rise of the cellular telephone, etc . . .

The beauty of his exploration is that he has a very easy and eloquent explanation for this phenomenon. He has three characteristics of epidemics that he introduces at the beginning of his book: "one of the contagiousness; two, that little causes have big effects; and three that change happens in one dramatic shift and not gradually as one would anticipate." (Gladwell, 2002, p. 9) The point of the book, as he writes in the introduction is answer two simple questions: 1. "Why is it that some ideas or behaviours or products spark an epidemic and others do not?" and 2. "What can we do to deliberately start and control positive epidemics of our own?"

After reflecting on the idea of an epidemic creating change dramatically, I am led to the tension that exists between modernity and postmodernity. There is a dramatic shift in the current philosophy of humanity which is leading to change. Let us take a moment to reflect. I question the timing of the emergence of the enlightenment project. Did it happen quickly? Was it a contagious idea that stuck in the minds of those that heard it? Who were the individuals that were hearing the thoughts of people like Descartes, Kant and Newton? At what point did this philosophy enter the consciousness of humanity to become the dominant way of thought reaching into the twentieth century? What were the little events in combination that led to it's emergence?

I am sure that there are answers to these questions out there, but I am more interested in the change that is happening today. I would like to know how the ideas of postmodernity are making their way into the consciousness of humanity. What are the gradual changes in thought today that are leading the change? At what point will the concepts of the post modern philosophy reach it's tipping point and become the new modernity, the new way of thinking that predominates the collective way of thinking or has it already?

This leads me to reflect on the change that is currently happening in education, the shifting paradigm away from the institutionalized form of education that we see today. Would we consider the changes in education an epidemic, where by the pedagogical ideas that are being presented become the new way to do things? Currently I do not feel that we have reached this point. The tension that exists in education today is the attempt to unravel the way to best meet the needs of the twenty-first century learner. There is no clear cut right way to approach this problem and maybe that in itself is the answer. The fact that there is no one size fits all solution that would be sought after by modernity. The post modern solution to our education problem may be one that is diverse and uncentered, the shift in the top down methods of education to a community of learners, a solution that is tailored to the needs of each of the learners in a particular geographical area. The solution will need to be a home grown one, where educational leaders within a particular area will need to assemble together and go through a process of discernment,  a process that is ultimately guided by the needs of the community and the individuals within that community.

One could argue that the community which the learners of the twenty first century will be that of the global community. I tend to think that the global community may be a focus, but the question that will need to be asked is that of “What can we learn here at a local level maintaining a global perspective that will lead to success in education?”

Have we tipped with regards to educational change? Currently the buildings and formal structures that educators are working within are counter to this change. There will need to be a number of small events that need to occur in order to allow for this change to emerge. It could be that the people in the echelons of education decide that cell phones will be allowed in all classrooms, along with the requirement that lessons need to incorporate a theme of empathy for our fellow man. Could we have teachers, or a school, decide that marks are no longer given out at school, that merely a checklist of skills and competencies will be the feedback for the future generations? A curricular movement to inquiry type learning, one that extends beyond renaming a textbook "Inquiry into . . .” I am uncertain as to what those small changes will be, but I can tell you that some of them have already occurred but not enough of them. We are in the midst of change for and of education as we currently understand it.

Reference

Gladwell, M. (2002). The Tipping Point- How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York, NY: Back Bay Books.

Finding Good Teachers

As I have been led astray from the book already, I thought that I might start with a disclaimer. This is in no way is a linear exploration of Mr. Gladwell's book. I do find through his writing some great tidbits that milk the brain allowing ideas to emerge.

I happened upon an article that was published in the New Yorker titled "Most Likely to Succeed". Through the article he does a comparison of the selection process for quarterbacks in the NFL and teachers. He addresses one of the big issues in education, finding good teachers.

"After years of worrying about issues like school funding levels, class size, and curriculum design, many reformers have come to the conclusion that nothing matters more than finding people with the potential to be great teachers. But there's a hitch: no one knows what a person with the potential to be a great teacher looks like." (Gladwell, 2008, p.2)

The question then arises, what makes a good teacher? Obviously for educational leaders and thinkers this has huge implications. Here are some of the highlights that he gives in the article, an article I think that new teachers and veterans should take some time to read.

Highlights of a good teacher:
1. allows for the flexible engagement of the learner in the classroom
2. personalizes the content for the learner
3. provides quality feedback that allows for deeper learning- during the presentation
4. provides timely feedback that is individualized- in the classroom
5. possess something called withitness (being able to communicate to the students that you know that something is happening without actually saying something, or being able to recognize that there is the potential of something happening.)

These are the skills that are highlighted in his article, the question arises as to what he is missing? After being in the teaching profession you would expect that I would be able to identify the skills of a good teacher. Here is my personal take on identify a good teacher, not citing any literature.

Good teachers . . .
1. form relationships with their students. It has been my experience that a good teacher needs to be able to form a strong bond with their students. Does this mean that they are friends? No, not at all. These teachers are able to identify with the student, allowing them to get to know themselves as an individual. These teachers are able to share about their lives with the students in an appropriate way at appropriate times. They recognize their role, in loco parentis. They act in the way that is best for the student in their own eyes as if the child is their own. Having recently become a parent it is even more clear at this time of how important this is.

2. are effective communicators. There are a number of different times when a teacher must communicate. During the lesson the teacher must be able to clearly give instructions, feedback and present information. When issues arise, communication needs to happen with the administration of the school as well as the parents. They should not be afraid of conflict and need to present discipline issues in the form of information-providing trying to remove the emotional self from the situation (a difficult task one that may not be entirely possible). Teachers need to ensure that they do not take an acting out student as a reflection of themselves personally. It is important to recognize that students come with a variety of experiences, most of which you as a teacher have no previous knowledge of.  Teachers need to communicate with other colleagues effectively as well. There will be times of sharing and discussion of direction, students or pedagogical ideas for the future where the individuals input must be clear and professional.

3. are flexible and deal well with change. Change is an inevitable in an educational setting. Students are new each year, or each semester. Flexibility as I see it is the ability to deal effectively with situations where those teachable moments happen in the classroom setting. The teacher may have prepared what you thought was the most engaging lesson ever, but put it into practice and it seems to flop. Can they adapt? What will the teacher do? The teacher has two obligations in this particular situation, recognize that something is not working, and then ensure that you have some sort of an alternative plan. Much of this flexibility comes from experience in the class, as the individuals toolbox has developed over a period of time. This is a characteristic that grows with time.

4. have a great understanding of the process of learning. The individual is constantly revisiting learning theory. They understand that there are a variety a ways in which information can be acquired. They design lessons that allow for multiple opportunities to be exposed to the information in a fun and engaging way, where work is equivalent to play. They assemble a variety of techniques including the use of narrative and mimesis set within student culture (Paul, 2010).  The teacher understands that lessons they create must be personalized for the learners that are currently in front of them.

5. have a great understanding of the content they deliver. Having background knowledge of the content that you are teaching allows for multiple presentations of material. The comfort to explore and use more inquiry based lessons as the teacher feels confident with the material. It is easier for providing feedback in a timely way as you are comfortable with what the students are learning. Often these individuals can anticipate the problem areas of the content and are more prepared to help individuals through those problem areas.

6. are innovators and like to learn themselves. These individuals will use an array of delivery methods that are timely and current. They spend time learning about new ways to deliver material and reflect on their practice as a whole. Is this effective? Are the students engaged?

Ultimately, the test that I would have for a teacher is, would I want my child to be in this individuals classroom? If I was in a situation where I needed to hire an individual, I would call upon references and ask them that question. Would you have this individual teach your own child? This to me is the ultimate measure of the teachers ability. Finding good teachers and recognizing them is a very difficult task. The entire field of education needs to reflect on and learn to recognize those characteristics that make a good one.


Reference

Paul, J. (December 1, 2010). Lecture for Modern and PostModern Condition. University of Calgary.

Gladwell, M. (December 15, 2008). Most Likely to Succeed- How do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job? The Annals of Education. Articles from the New Yorker. Retrieved from: http://www.gladwell.com/2008/2008_12_15_a_teacher.html

Introduction

My wife and I were on a road trip, we were newly weds taking our first summer vacation together. The plans were to travel through to the west coast and hit Seattle for a couple of days, make our way back through Vancouver, visit with some friends, hit the Okanogan area, specifically Summerland and then return home to Calgary. We arrived in Seattle thinking that we were going to find some camping and decided to stay in a hotel in the downtown area. After our first day of wandering along Pikes Pier, we returned to have a rest. While watching television I came across this guy talking on the local Seattle public television station. He looked like what you would stereotypically expect as an intellectual/academic.

He was speaking to the city council of Seattle about Major Junior hockey in Canada and the role that the month that the player was born in having an impact on how successful the player was. Needless to say I was hooked. The next day I talked with my wife about it. The book that the talk was based on was called "Outliers", one of which has made him a very popular writer.

Getting back to school in the fall of last year I was in the depths of trying to survive teaching. My eleventh year, I was teaching a highly academic course of chemistry with a colleague of mine who is an engineer, not a chemical one. We were teaching a course with little support as the individuals that had taught it in the past were no longer at the school. We were two newbies, excited at the prospect of this new teaching experience yet quickly overwhelmed for another school year. Needless to say I was not able to pursue any personal reading nor explore any academic endeavors, such as taking a course for my masters in education. Of course as you would have it my wife and I were expecting a child in the month of November.

It was not until the end of June when I was able to clear this fog that had enveloped me for the previous ten months. I was looking for something to do other than supervise another exam when a colleague of mine heard that I was interested in Malcolm Gladwell's work. As fate would have it (not that fate is something a fundamental postmodern thinker would ever write in a blog), the individual I was speaking with actually just finished reading two of his books, one of which was "The Tipping Point- How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference." He gave me his copies of both books and said pass them along to someone when you are finished with them.

Having enrolled in a masters in education focusing in leadership I would have to say that the itch that made me enroll is this idea of the leader and what makes a good one. I spent my time in two schools over the past eleven years as a full time employee, and have had the opportunity to work under six different principals throughout that time. Having had the opportunity to explore leadership from the inside, working within a leadership team, I saw the impact that the leadership can have on a building. I was inspired to pursue this further and here I am.

The purpose of this blog will be to explore Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point through the lens of applications for leaders, specifically school leaders. I hope to take you on my journey as I read and reflect on it's implications for leaders. It is my desire that through these short posts I will be able to form and explore my ideas on leadership. This experience will be an organic one in nature, at this particular point I am not sure where it will lead me or you as the reader. So off, may this be a journey that is as insightful for you as it will be for me.

References

Gladwell, M. (accessed November 16, 2010). Gladwell.com. Retrieved from http://www.gladwell.com/bio.html