Entry: Chicken Littleracy Sunday, April 04, 2004



Nancy Willard, of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use made an interesting comment in a post to the WWWEdu list the other day (the list is devoted to discussion of the role of the WWW in Education, but it wanders over all sorts of educational restructuring issues). She was relating some POV from a book called The Tornado of Change. The startling point she made while describing the chasm that lies between the Visionaries of Change and the Pragmatists who are reluctant to embrace it, was this:

Pragmatists trust Visionaries but Visionaries do not know how to talk to Pragmatists and most if not all school administrators are Pragmatists.

My goodness me. Even if this was logical it would make no sense. Now, Nancy said several things in this posting (it will be in the archive if you are curious) that upset others, such as that she had never met a visionary principal, but I had such a startled reaction to this line of thought (which may not even be Nancy Willard's - she was reflecting upon a good read) that I have to vent here and now - I tried to reply to the list but the words would not come out right.

I want to start by reminding you all that I have written quite a bit myself on the dynamics of technology integration. Read my But not Least... essays called Dis What?, Change Happens, The Flickering Teacher, The Software Web and both Longitude and Latitude essays and you will get some idea of my view of what is coming to be a problem for many schools: teachers who are resisting the "buy-in" to technology integration.

The point I make, I think, consistently and whatever the metaphor or framework is this: Change can not be made without a systemic dialogue and systemic collaboration. I offer the following points for consideration:

  • I have worked for several administrators who "trusted" Visionaries (who one them called Gurus) - Visionaries came, pontificated, demonstrated, and left. The trusting administrators were left with an empty balloon and NO CHANGE;
  • I know personally and professionally many Visionaries who "talk the talk" of the teacher in the trenches and do so because they feel it is all-important;
  • I know of many Pragmatic teachers who embrace change without vision, and do it well.
  • I know of many pragmatic educators who are skeptical of Visionaries.

    • I reject the Tornado of Change. It is not merely a rationale for allowing things to stay the same, technology-wise, in schools, it places no value whatsoever on the teacher who is moving from Reluctant to Engaged - because he or she want to do it. No matter how many metaphors and models we create, the simple facts of professional development are these:
  • If you know the individual teacher, you stand a good chance of initiating relearning;
  • If the individual teacher has on-going support and respect for efforts, the relearning will continue;
  • Administrators who don't bother to relearn are going to stonewall change.

    End of soapbox.

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