In a previous post “The Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community” I shared it is the ability to embrace a duality in their thinking that builds an Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community. To hold two opposing ideas in their minds and reach a creative solution creates an ambidextrous PLC, making them more flexible, innovative, and effective. It is ability and, more importantly, it is an attitude.
Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community's thinking can have...
Internal and External Focus
Bias Towards Thinking and Bias Toward Action
Put Teachers First and Put Students First
Focus on Teaching and Focus on Learning
Focus on All Students and Focus on Individual Students
Kaizen and Tenakaizen
High Levels of Teamwork and High Levels of Personal Accountability
We Have the Answers and They Have the Answers
Data Driven and Skeptical of Data
Predictable and Change is Normal
Today I will focus on the internal and external focus.
The Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community holds a dual focus, both internal and external, simultaneously. They focus on developing strong norms, processes for communicating, problem solving, building consensus, etc. This is important, but Professional Learning Communities must recognize that equally important, is a clear understanding of how their work fits into the needs of those outside of the team.
They clearly understand that their work must fit within the greater goals of the school and the district. They are externally focused and internally focused. They do not wait to create and establish internal norms or practices for every aspect of their work before getting down to critical tasks of the PLC, but rather, they get on with the work meeting the needs of students, the grade level, the department, the school, the district, and the team together, while simultaneously developing their internal processes. They also keep an eye out for trends in technology, new research, and new strategies, and new compliance issues developing outside of the group.
It is a little more difficult and messy, but the reality is that the school day and school year are too short to spend valuable time solely focused on internal aspects of PLC operation and neglect the external needs as well.
The internal focus develops key group processes, norms, goals, time-lines, etc. The internal focus is what great Professional Learning Communities do to build solid teams. But this is not enough. The must also have the concurrent external focus. They need to understand others' expectations (school or district) constantly update their information about available talent and knowledge in their network of useful outsiders, and be aware of the external situation in which they work. The external focus creates an awareness of The Expectations, Network, and Situation. (T.E.N.S.)
Being able to have the dual perspective of the internal and external approach is to be ambidextrous.
Most educators who have participated in grade level, subject matter teams, or Professional Learning Communities are comfortable with an internal approach. It’s what most of us know. The belief is that all that is necessary to increase student success is for the teams to focus inwards on their members, the issues, and their processes. We are comfortable working across the table with a small group of fellow educators. This internal focus has worked. But, the times are changing so rapidly.
Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community's thinking can have...
Internal and External Focus
Bias Towards Thinking and Bias Toward Action
Put Teachers First and Put Students First
Focus on Teaching and Focus on Learning
Focus on All Students and Focus on Individual Students
Kaizen and Tenakaizen
High Levels of Teamwork and High Levels of Personal Accountability
We Have the Answers and They Have the Answers
Data Driven and Skeptical of Data
Predictable and Change is Normal
Today I will focus on the internal and external focus.
The Ambidextrous Professional Learning Community holds a dual focus, both internal and external, simultaneously. They focus on developing strong norms, processes for communicating, problem solving, building consensus, etc. This is important, but Professional Learning Communities must recognize that equally important, is a clear understanding of how their work fits into the needs of those outside of the team.
They clearly understand that their work must fit within the greater goals of the school and the district. They are externally focused and internally focused. They do not wait to create and establish internal norms or practices for every aspect of their work before getting down to critical tasks of the PLC, but rather, they get on with the work meeting the needs of students, the grade level, the department, the school, the district, and the team together, while simultaneously developing their internal processes. They also keep an eye out for trends in technology, new research, and new strategies, and new compliance issues developing outside of the group.
It is a little more difficult and messy, but the reality is that the school day and school year are too short to spend valuable time solely focused on internal aspects of PLC operation and neglect the external needs as well.
The internal focus develops key group processes, norms, goals, time-lines, etc. The internal focus is what great Professional Learning Communities do to build solid teams. But this is not enough. The must also have the concurrent external focus. They need to understand others' expectations (school or district) constantly update their information about available talent and knowledge in their network of useful outsiders, and be aware of the external situation in which they work. The external focus creates an awareness of The Expectations, Network, and Situation. (T.E.N.S.)
Being able to have the dual perspective of the internal and external approach is to be ambidextrous.
Most educators who have participated in grade level, subject matter teams, or Professional Learning Communities are comfortable with an internal approach. It’s what most of us know. The belief is that all that is necessary to increase student success is for the teams to focus inwards on their members, the issues, and their processes. We are comfortable working across the table with a small group of fellow educators. This internal focus has worked. But, the times are changing so rapidly.
Educators are going to have to align their work with the needs of the school and district. Technology and research are growing and being created at amazing rates. Educational issues are growing in complexity and number. Much knowledge, expertise, data, and information is available outside of the team boundaries. We must deal with social changes, legal changes, technological changes, demographic changes, etc.
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