Back to the Future

In my first year at ASB I was part of a critical friends group.  One of the activities we did was a future protocol where we looked into the future and talked about what it would look like in the best case scenario.  The protocol also gave an insight into what it would take to be successful.  In this protocol the various members of the group projected into the future and described what it looked like. The interesting thing was that they had to talk in the present tense in order to describe what "is". From that future position, we also had to look back and describe how it looked when we started moving towards that point.  At that point we had to talk in the past tense and to think about the issues, culture, conversations and so on at the starting point.  Looking back from the "projected present" we had to discuss how we moved from the starting point to the projected present.  At this point we could discuss how, when, who and so on.

In the book Technology Together, Renata Phelps and Anne Graham use a similar protocol when considering an IT vision.  They write about the importance of discussing what education might look like in the future because this sort of visioning process helps people to embrace change and to play a productive role in moving forwards towards the vision that they prefer.  In the Technology Together protocol there are 3 different kinds of futures:

• Possible futures - by thinking creatively and imaginatively people can consider various future scenarios - both positive and negative.
• Probable futures - this involves thinking logically and thinking about the connection between the current situation and the envisaged futures
• Preferred futures - involve a choice between the alternative futures

Both these protocols when used with teachers can lead to valuable discussions and eventually a shared vision for change and ideas of how to make the change happen.

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Critical Friends: listening for what's new

Today I attended my first Critical Friends Group.  Before coming to ASB I'd never heard of such a thing, but over a number of years groups of teachers at ASB have gone through this training and a couple of them decided to start a CFG at school this year.  Although I didn't know much about CFGs, this definitely seemed like a group that I wanted to be a part of.

The Critical Friends Groups concept was developed by the National School Reform Society in the USA.  Basically it is a professional learning community made up of 8-12 educators who meet once or twice a month for about one and a half to two hours.  The aim of these groups is to improve teaching practice through reflection, inquiry, collaborative learning and explicitly talking about our teaching practice.  Taking the time to discuss our practice in a CFG is one way we can try to turn our theories into better teaching practice and improve student learning.  An important aspect of this is mutual trust and respect and a freedom from fear.  The main tool used in CFGs is protocols.

Today's meeting started with a protocol called Connections.  The aim of this protocol is to build a bridge from where we are to where we are going.  We took 6 minutes to reflect and share whatever we wanted - to bring our thoughts and stories into the meeting and maybe to connect to what we were about to do.  With this protocol there is no compulsion to speak or to speak in any order.  It's possible just to sit quietly and think and reflect to yourself without sharing.  It does not involve responding to anything that anyone else has said, in fact we were told to speak only once.  The rest of the time we simply listened to what the others in the group were saying.  I noticed that at times it was hard just to listen and not to respond.

We then had some time to read and used another protocol:  Save the last word for me.  We read an article and then decided as individuals what was the most important passage in the reading for us.  In the group we took turns to read these statements out load to the group, but didn't say anything about them at that time.  After some time to reflect on these passages, the rest of the group had one minute each to respond and say what they thought about the chosen passage, then the first person had a further three minutes to say why he or she chose it and what it meant to them.  We repeated this protocol until everyone had shared his or her reading.

Today's reading was entitled Willing to be Disturbed, from Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley.  This reading was basically about our willingness to have our ideas and beliefs challenged so that we can think in new ways.  Here are some of the passages that I found most interesting from this reading:

• We don't have to let go of what we believe, but we do need to be curious about what someone else believes.  (In our discussion some of us disagreed with this and felt that we did have to let go of some of what we believe.)
• A rich tapestry of interpretations are much more interesting than any single one.
• When I notice what surprises me I'm able to see my own views more clearly, including my beliefs and assumptions .... If I can see my beliefs and assumptions, I can decide whether I still value them.
• It's not differences that divide us.  It's our judgments about each other that do.  Curiosity and good listening bring us back together.
• We have to be willing to move into the very uncomfortable place of uncertainty.
• Change always starts with confusion;  cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new.

While I was reading and listening to what others in the group were thinking I kept coming back to the IB mission statement "others with their differences can also be right".  I think one of the most powerful things I got out of this meeting today was this:

I need to learn to value your perspective, and I want you to value mine ... I know we don't have to agree with each other in order to think well together.

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