The Extraordinary Play to WinRaymond J McNulty, Chief Learning Officer Penn Foster

Senior Fellow International Center for LeadershipIn Education

@ray_mcnulty

Ordinary to Extraordinary

Third Key TrendTheme

Why do humans and or systems fail?• Ignorance, we do not have all the

knowledge.

• The knowledge exists but we do not use it correctly.

How do you get good at what you do?• The great seem to have the ability to work

through their weaknesses.

• Being just a slight bit better makes all the difference in the world.– Diligence– Doing it right

Carrot and stick vs. Coaching

• You can’t be successful today by being alone, autonomy does not get you to be great!

• Its about discipline

• Its about collaboration

Cowboys to Pit Crews

Independent Interdependent

CollaborationTurf Protector

Active w/ focusLittle Buy In

ExtraordinaryOrdinary

If we want to be serious about students’ learning, we need to be serious about our own learning. We need to continually implement with fidelity, seek and accept ideas, help (coaching), and accept criticism. TIGER WOODS DOES!!!!

SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE

Simply said, we get what we design for!

Attendance at school is mandatory till what age?_____

12

Theme

Relationships

•Rigor

•Relevance

•Relationships

•Relationships

•Relevance

•Rigor

Intentionally Non-Compliant Child

The Fundamental Attribution Error

When looking at our own behavior, we tend to view the situation in the environment that surrounds our action.

When looking at the behavior of others, we make assumptions about their personal qualities.

The Effects of Praise

Fixed or Growth

Can’t hand confidence to learners on a silver platter.

•David Brooks, “Social Animal”

Talking with kids…

It’s not us against them!

CULTURE DRIVES STRATEGY

• We live in a world obsessed with predictability and control, some people believe that if we can’t truly measure something it must not matter.

• We must consider the possibility that if we can’t truly measure something, it may be the most important thing.

Pride and Involvement

Empowerment

Collaboration

Idea/Reflection Time

Fun

Risk Taking

Critical Conversations

Idea Support

Conflict/Tension

10 innovative organizations

School of excellence

5 stagnant organizations

1. Technical Challenges

2. Culture Challenges

3. Leading and Lagging Indicators

Theme

FEEDBACK

Competitive Business Model “Feedback”

• Know how you are doing

• Fix things that are wrong

• Get new ideas

• Evaluate your ideas

• Build better relationships

Hotels

Airlines

Businesses

HospitalsCustomer satisfaction surveys

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I make learning exciting for my students.

86%

S – My teachers make learning fun.

41%

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I am aware of my students’ interests outside of school.

84%

S – My teachers know my interests outside of school.

28%

A Teacher’s Story• “As a middle and high school English

teacher, I can say unequivocally that nothing has made me more uncomfortable than having a supervisor sitting in my classroom, scribbling away on his or her legal pad as I teach,” said Alexis Wiggins in a thoughtful Education Week article.

• Sometimes the feedback was helpful, but a very stressful process.

A Teacher’s Story• She tried getting student feedback and

learned some lessons– First, end of course feedback wasn’t as

helpful as mid course feedback– Second, not all students were open with her in

the hand written mid course feedback– Third, an aha moment came when her

principal asked for feedback on a teacher mentoring program

A Teacher’s Story• She concluded that she would use

computer feedback mid term to get student feedback– She was amazed at the feedback she got…

concerns about grading, favoritism and reading level of material

– “I realized that I had been kidding myself all these years,” she said. “I hadn’t been getting truly honest feedback, just slightly honest feedback.”

“If we want to be serious about students’ learning, we need to be serious about our own learning. We need to continually seek and accept ideas, help, and criticism.”

“Feedback works.” Alexis Wiggins in Education Week, Oct. 20, 2010 (Vol. 30, #8, p. 19)

"Students are the ones that need the best teaching - it's their life, it's their

opportunity to be taught at the best level, and they know what kind of

teaching works best because they are in the classroom all day every day, five

days a week,”

- Adam Fischer, president, Boston Student Advisory Council The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) | May 6, 2010

“Kids know effective teaching when they experience it,”

- Dr. Ronald Ferguson, Harvard University

The New York Times | December 10, 2010

Why student perception data?

• Ensure that students are engaged in class

• Assess the conditions that inspire students to learn

• Inform decisions with data

What it measures?Student perceptions of:

• oneself in the learning process

• of the course overall

• of the teacher and instruction

ASK

ANALYZE

REFLECT

ACT relevance relationship

Rigor

Relevance

• I have personal goals for my learning in this class.• I see how this class relates to my other classes.• I understand how I can apply what I am learning

in my everyday life.• In this class we discuss issues that are important

to me.• I believe what I am learning in this class is

important for my future.• The teacher relates our learning to current

events.

Relevance

Relationships

• The teacher cares if I am absent from class.• The teacher knows my hopes and dreams.• The teacher develops positive relationships with

students.• My ideas and thoughts are valued and respected

by the teacher. • I respect the teacher.• The teacher enjoys working with students.• The teacher inspires me to do my best.

Relationships

iKnow Survey – Quad D

• I evaluate and improve my work on a regular basis.• I have an opportunity to influence my classmates’

thinking.• It is important that I share my knowledge to help

others. • I am able to communicate what I have learned in

relevant ways to different people.• I explore issues, events, and problems from different

perspectives. • This class challenges my thinking.• The teacher is willing to learn from the students.

iKnow Survey – Quad D

QuestionTotal in

AgreementGender

Male Female

This class challenges my

thinking.76% 73% 80%

In this class, we discuss

issues that are interesting to me.

62% 61% 62%

QuestionTotal in

Agreement

The teacher knows my hopes and dreams. 35%

The teacher expects me to be

successful.89%

7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

The teacher cares if I am

absent from class.

47% 52% 66% 73% 81% 85%

Question Total in Agreement

WE Surveys vs. iKnow

Big picture/school

Summative

Curricular

Structural

“How did we do?”

Classroom/student level

Granular

Instructional

“How would I adjust to this data?”

4 WE™ Surveys = 4 Perspectives on Teaching and Learning

• WE Lead– Coherent Vision, Empowerment, Culture of

Learning, School Management, Community Partnerships

• WE Teach– Rigor, Relevance, Relationships

• WE Learn Rigor, Relevance, Relationships

• WE Support – Rigor, Relevance, Relationships

STRUCTURE of the SURVEYS

• I

• WE

• THEY

• COMPANION INDICATORS

The mission statement promotes high expectations.

30%

I understand the importance of our mission statement.

68%

Total in Agreement

We Lead - Whole Staff Survey

Coherent Vision

Total In Agreement

Full-Time Dept.

Chairs

Classroom Teachers

Support Staff

Staff morale at this school is high.

50% 53% 50% 52%

We Lead - Whole Staff Survey

Years working in schools

Coherent Vision 1st year2-5

years6-10

years11-20 years

Over 20

Staff morale is high at this school.

69% 57% 52% 48% 49%

We Lead - Whole Staff Survey

I am expected to make students passing the state test my number one priority.

58%

I spend too much time re‐teaching what students should already know.

48%

Total in Agreement

We Teach - Instructional Staff Survey

When I graduate from school, I hope I will be prepared forcollege.

86%

Total in Agreement

We Learn - Student Survey

My teachers make me aware of different career choices.

50%

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – Students can apply what I am teaching to their everyday lives.

92%

S – I can apply what I learn to my everyday life.

59%

Each of the three schools administered the We Teach and We Learn surveys to all teachers and students in the fall of 2008. This was truly an “ah-ha!” moment for the majority of committee members and served to spark meaningful dialog and commitment to positive change prior to planning for change.

- Geraldine Sawrey, Assistant Superintendent of School improvement, Cabell County School District

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