Essential Question 11

Essential Question 11: What is the role of knowledge creation and sharing in a healthy educational organization?

 "If you remember one thing about information, it is that it only becomes valuable in a social context." (Fullman, 2001, p. 89).  This really says it all.  As teachers, it feels like we are constantly reinventing the wheel. "It is one of life's great ironies: schools are in the business of teaching and learning, yet they are terrible at learning from each other." (Fullman, 2001, p. 103).  I observed this phenomenon  when I completed my student teaching in 2010.  After spending a semester in the high school science classroom I wanted to see other teacher's classrooms, so I sent an email to everyone in the district asking if I could come and observe their classrooms.  I only got one response. 

Since then, many teachers have retired and there has been a change in the sharing culture at our school.  The majority of teachers spend lunch together and have great conversations about their classrooms and students.  "If people begin sharing ideas about issues they see as really important, the sharing itself creates a learning culture." (Fullman, 2001, p. 95). 

I have very excited about the coming school year.  Our principal fought hard to build in time everyday for the teachers to have time to collaborate.  Fullman (p. 90) wrote that, "Most organizations have invested heavily in technology and possibly training, but hardly at all in knowledge sharing and creation."  This has been the situation at our school for as long as I can remember and I am thrilled to see what we can accomplish when knowledge creation and sharing is how we begin each day. 


Resource:
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Comments

  1. Dr. FJuly 29, 2019 at 12:08 PM

    Sounds like your principal is on a good track. Hope the collaboration time is well spent. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete

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