Architects of Their Own Future
An Educational Action Novel - A Viable Vision - The Goal for Education
I watched an old movie the other day, the relevant issue being an industrial "incident" prompting a regulatory commission investigation. A plant supervisor tells a foreman for the plant (who is working with the commission), "This shutdown is costing us money. Give them everything they want. Be thorough." He pauses, and then adds, "But be fast. Everyday we're down costs us money."
What a dilemma the foreman suddenly found himself in! Sure, the solution may present itself rapidly, but what if it didn't? What if "thorough" meant "very slow"? What's he to do?
Dilemmas, though not with the consequences of a faulty power plant, tug at us daily. Should I, as a programmer, document my work when I'm getting paid by the amount of code I write? I'll leave the debugging to the next poor fellow!
My bonus is tied to the number of subscribers I enroll? Don't blame me when many cancel their plans 6 months down the road when they can't pay. I've already cashed my check!
In other words, it's not my fault when my behavior is a product of how you will measure me.
I believe the K-12 educational system is similarly between "a rock and a hard place".
The principal goal of "Architects" is not to "solve" the problem of education, but rather to define the reason education does not improve like we think it should.
The Principal Conflict
Imagine you're teaching math to a group of 25 kids with differing abilities, having to get through material dictated not by you but by the district curriculum head, with state tests around the corner. In comes "consultant x" or "person y" carrying "great materials z" to revolutionize math. What would you say? "It looks great, but not right now". What else could you say? You can't possible do anything with the material, given your situation, right - even if you wanted to!
What's the conflict? You see the great things possible out there. New things. Exciting things. Great things. You want to integrate them into your class. You know things could be a lot better. You'd prefer things be taught in an interdisciplinary manner. The realities of your situation don't allow you to, however. You must focus on the existing curriculum, your specialty, and the important tests right around the corner.
In focusing on the existing curriculum, however, we should be able to improve so much we can integrate the "great stuff" out there - eventually - right?
If we could, why haven't we?
What if we could? What if we did?
What is the relationship between constraint management, the core problem, and simple and complex systems?
The Format of the Book
A word on the layout of the book: there are three "themes" intermixed. One regards high-stakes tests, beginning not with "how do we do better", but rather, "Why isn't anybody doing better?", particularly when all of the material is right in front of the kids (in the reading and science sections). The progression is through the reading, math, and science sections.
The second thread is provided as a "rest" from the first, and it deals with a basketball team struggling with the loss of key players and the eminent shutdown of the school. How can they compete? Though seemingly different than education, the issues involved are identical. Can we (and how) improve rapidly - now?
The third thread is my philosophical thread. These are Principal Ragnar's nightly walks / self-discussions, trying to make sense of systems, of improvement, of stagnation, etc. The six "peripatetic adventures", called in the book "Chautauquas", are:
Other Issues Considered
A non-exhaustive list of things considered in the book are as follows:
The relationship between the core problem and the constraint;
The "have a seat" injection, where, instead of trying to solve a conflict, you simply show your conflict to the other party;
The brutal consequences of injecting your "solution" on someone else's problem (The words "do you know what you should do" should be banished from one's vocabulary);
The "foothold", allowing one the ability to "get grounded" in a body of material;
"Conduction", integrating "induction" and "deduction" in solving math problems with perfect documentation;
"Iterative Effect-Cause-Effect", seeking causal explanation for natural phenomena, and integrating new experiences into one's understanding;
"System A" versus "System B" thinking;
Debate and Logic, not taught as separate and confrontational disciplines, but integrated into everyday materials.
The Plot Line
A retired principal. A struggling basketball team. Stagnant ACT scores. Washington High was running out of time. To make matters worse, the community was clamoring for more! Foreign language programs. Hands-on science. More technology.
What to do?
This is their story.
A story of survival. Of optimism. Of the possibility of improvement, now AND in the future. Of an achievable goal for education, with students as ...
ARCHITECTS OF THEIR OWN FUTURE.