I guess there are many who see teaching/learning as a matter of doing what people already know how to do well. We spend so much time searching for (and acquiring) the best programs, the best ideas, the best materials, the best resources, and more- more is better, right? And still we continue to wonder what will make the learning deeper. But being the best in education is more a process of inquiry and innovation rather than “accumulating” resources and skills and doing more!

Our leadership team has started to have some brutal conversations focusing on what could and should be different… we have believed we were traveling down that yellow brick road only to find that we had a road map that was so busy and complicated that the directions themselves hindered our destination of deep learning. Since October we have started to bypass the “known” milestones of past success by engaging in fierce conversations about learning and the “unknown” path.

It has not been easy. There are forces that make it easier or more difficult to act in “new” ways in an organizational setting. Adjusted learning and new thinking calls for continuous openness to learning through action, brutal feedback, as well as deep, honest reflections. We have spent hours in small groups teasing out and processing our thoughts, ideas and beliefs, holding onto our sacred cows or allowing the slaughter. In this often painful and challenging path, we are truly integrating work and learning, and emulating a true learning culture.

Nowadays, our leadership meetings are starting to present authentic learning and leading opportunities through our conduct in open, exploratory, and inquiry-orientated manner. We are far from achieving an ideal culture of learning, but at least serious steps are being taken in that direction with substantial positive consequences of building understanding in our organization.

How brutal are the conversations at your team meetings? What enhances new thinking, innovations and learning? What hinders leadership for learning?

I can’t recall in the past as a young(er) teacher ever being totally “blown away” by conferences….but it has happened numerous times now that I have come home feeling WOWed (and overwhelmed) by new learning. Is this a sign of the times? (and I am wondering whether our students get WOWed on a daily basis, but that’s another topic).

We educators have a huge responsibility to our students and learning for an unknown future. This is not an easy responsibility. We seem to be learning “just-in-time” skills that are outdated as soon as we learn them! We continue to fumble along…we can only guess! But the more we are aware of how this world is unfolding and evolving, the better our guess will be. And I am afraid that if we are not guessing right, we will be deeply hindering the learning.

So what will it take to move out of our industrial aging schools and to ascertain a bold learning environment that fully embraces the technological changes upon us? How long can we wait? How can we be smart about what we know and what we do not know?

I have returned from the Learning 2.0 conference to my own safe space to ponder! Technology is changing everything. While I do not believe that I need to be a technology geek (by the way, I love their humour), I do know I must be a passionate appreciator of technology. I also know I must re-imagine the learning and my work as an educator. We must develop a new mandate to pursue. What will that be?

Jumping ahead to find the cutting edge, here are some questions I am messing with:

• How can we brand our school?
• What innovative ideas can we develop?
• How can we re-imagine our role as educators?
• What part of our industrial aging school can we dismiss?
• How can our learning hub truly support and inspire learning?
• How can we use technology to truly blast learning into 21st century?
• How can we ensure bold learning?
• How can we take parents on this ride to the future?

Can you add to the vision? Please share any creative ideas that may help us (re)design a brand new school of thought and action?

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