Crucial Conversations

     Any conversation has the potential to be a crucial conversation. In the book, Crucial Conversations:  Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, the authors define such conversations as a discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.  In one brief instant any conversation can become crucial.  While we may feel angry, scared, or hurt, it is important to look inward.  Locate your North Star, your original purpose.  Ask yourself these four critical questions: 

1. What do I really want for myself?
2. What do I really want for others?
3. What do I really want for the relationship?
4. How would I behave if I really wanted these results? 

Remember crucial conversations transform people and relationships.  It’s not my way or your way, it is a new way—a better way.

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2002).  Crucial conversations:  Tools for talking when stakes are high.  New York: McGraw-Hill

Asking the Right Questions

It is School Improvement season in Pennsylvania!  I have been reading Edie Holcomb's book, Asking the Right Questions.  In her book, Holcomb frames the change process in these five questions:

1. Where are we now?
2. Where do we want to go?
3. How will we get there?
4. How will we know we are (getting) there?
5. How will we sustain focus and momentum?

Working with a district team this week, we began the process of answering question 4.  Once the team begins to implement their action plan, how will they know they are moving in the right direction?  We spent a great deal of time thinking through the process of developing indicators of implementation and evidence of effectiveness. We agreed that it was important for all stakeholders to participate in a conversation that examined the observable behaviors and artifacts that would result from implementation of their plan.  What would implementation look like?  Sound like? What would teachers be doing? Students? Administrators?  By working through these indicators, teams would be developing a common language that promotes understanding, consistency and commitment to the plan.

Holcomb, E.L. (2009).  Asking the right questions:  Tools for collaboration and school change (3rd ed.).  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.
Photo retreived October 23, 2009 from people.exeter.ac.uk/nkjdatta/photos/uk/dartmoor/.

Living in the Digital World

Lately, I have been spending more and more time in the "digital world".  Our Instructional Technology Specialist, Ann Johnston, has been more than patient with me over the last year.  When she first talked with me about tech tools that I could utilize in my role here at the IU, I told her that I didn't have time to learn all that "techie" stuff.  In November of 2008, I heard Will Richardson speak at the PASCD Annual Conference.  As he shared his passion for all things digital and how to incorporate these tools into the classroom, I started to think more about the digital world.  I started spending more time reading on the web.  Soon, Ann helped me capture feeds onto an iGoogle page and eventually to Twitter!  It was through the awesome educators that I follow on Twitter and the example of colleagues such as Ann and Kelly Pauling, (see Kelly's Curriculum Corner) that I decided to test the waters of blogging.  My hope is to share thoughts in the area of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment and perhaps serve as a catalyst for your own thinking in this area.  I hope you visit often and share your thoughts as well!