On a crisp July winter’s morning, I had the pleasure of spending 45 minutes listening to the fabulous Yong Zhao (YZ). For all 2700 seconds, I sat on the edge of my chair enthralled by what he said, the synapses in my brain tingling with passion and purpose. A few weeks later, my mind is left buzzing; his words still ringing in my ears. Which is why this blog post exists; my way of re-gifting these key messages (and calls to action) from such an inspirational gentleman.

So, sitting from the comfort of my chair, in the warmth of my wee house, it feels fitting to tell the ‘Sherlock-Holmes’-style tale of, “The curse of the bell curve”. Cue: the typical murder mystery introductory style music….

Somewhere in the world today (the exact location is not important — because, in fact, it could be anywhere), there is an education system or two in which failing learners seems to be an uncomfortable yet consistent trend. Although the system aims to provide the best setup for learners everywhere, the ongoing ‘crimes’ of Learner Disengagement, high levels of Youth Unemployment, and Inequity, continue to cast a shadow over the outcome that the system itself strives for. So, what is happening in this structure that is having such a worrying impact on the learners of today?

Now, being aware of this, the Education Detective Agency (The EDA) has cross-examined and kept a close eye on the three main suspects of this sorry tale: Assessment, Curriculum, and Pedagogy. They have put each one under the spotlight, examined and provided tweaks here and there (the system’s equivalent of a nip and tuck) in hope of changing the ending. The problem is that these tinkerings have, in reality, done little to change the outcome for all learners. Leaving the EDA puzzled and confused about what to try next, enter left of stage Education’s version of Sherlock Holmes (in this instance, Yong Zhao)…

Yong Zhao closely examines the evidence before him, looks for the reasons beyond what are there purely in black marks across pages and pages. After months, days, and hours, and viewing education system after education system, Mr Zhao finds the link between the cause and effect and jumps up (in a “I’ve-got-it-my-dear-Watson”-style moment) to suggest that the problem is not that a poor education is being delivered, but that it is the wrong education. He proceeds to talk about how tweaking is not enough, and that a complete system transformation needs to occur to make a real and authentic difference, meaning that those crimes mentioned earlier no longer occur. Surrounded by a room full of empty faces, not sure how to receive this insight, Zhao knows that he is going to have to draw the web of evidence out to really convince his peers.

Zhao, takes a pen and beings to draw a curve on a board. In actual fact it is a bell curve, something that all in his company are aware of. He proceeds to add some stick figures on different parts of the bell curve:

He then goes on to explain that the problem with the bell curve is that, in order for it to exist, there must always be someone at the bottom, a large group at the top, and a few stragglers leading the way. This leads us to fitting our learners into categories (failing, coping, and sailing). If we continue to view learners in this way, then we are never going to move beyond this — 85% at or above … someone has to fall into the 15% — this means we are always failing these learners.

The room begins to grow in noise and activity as those in the EDA start muttering in agreement and understanding with what had been presented to them. The problem has been identified and reason unleashed, but the questions bubble up — Is this really what we want for our learners? Is this how we want to view our society as a whole? How can we break this curse?

The good thing to mention here, is that the story is yet to end, and, therefore, the final chapter can still be written! And, here are the things that need to be considered in order to do so. YZ knows that the curse will not be easily broken, and what it does require is a united front in which all in the system flip it on its head. To begin this process, the first thing that needs to happen is that the system has to fit the learner (not the other way round) — being personalised and learner driven. This means, not only acknowledging, but celebrating, individual differences and moving away from prescribed outcomes to fit-for-purpose ones that are responsive to the individual. Take Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, as an example. Under the prescribed outcome, he didn’t meet the criteria but all it took was a wee bit of belief from Santa, a foggy night, and a chance to shine for the little fellow to finally see what it was that made him special. His purpose was established.

So, this is where the tale ends (for now anyway) with a call to action to all to help write the last chapter and make a difference to those we work for — our learners. Start with something small and watch the ripple effect occur. Ask yourself, ‘What am I doing to help my learners to find their strength, their point of difference, and their motivation? And, how can I utilise this to help them to succeed?’

For more information, why not delve into Yong Zhao’s book Counting What Counts: Reframing Education Outcomes.

Reference
Zhao, Y. (2016). Counting What Counts: Reframing Education Outcomes Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Image reference:
Sherlock Holmes image retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/en/sherlock-holmes-detective-147255/ under CC0 with adaptions.
Santa and Rudolph image retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/en/santa-claus-reindeer-573826/ under CC0.

“Emotional invalidation is when a person’s thoughts and feelings are rejected, ignored, or judged. Invalidation is emotionally upsetting for anyone, but particularly hurtful for someone who is emotionally sensitive. Invalidation disrupts relationships and creates emotional distance. When people invalidate themselves, they create alienation from the self and make building their identity very challenging.” (Hall 2012)

I’ve written previously about validating resistance and the importance of taking time to listen to colleagues with differing viewpoints. All too often, in the busy world of leadership, it’s easier to use personal experience to inform, connect, and make decisions, rather than take the time to unpack challenges thoroughly. But, what if the personal experience is at odds with the emotions being displayed by a colleague? What if they’re reacting to something in a way you wouldn’t because you have a much different experience? There were many times throughout my teaching career in schools where I was called upon to support a colleague. Often, displays of emotion were heightened and irrational thinking had taken over as the cortisol levels rose, forcing my colleague into a stress response. In this situation, a good leader could be said to be one that listens, analyses, and offers support in order to move the colleague forward. However, I wonder how many times leaders have found themselves in the position where they are judging a colleague’s reaction to a situation, rather than stepping back in order to connect and problem solve collaboratively. Here’s a scenario:

Teacher A (a Beginning Teacher) is upset about the behaviour of the students she teaches. There has been a notable decline since the beginning of the week, due to lack of outdoor time and disruption of the calendar because of inclement weather. Her students are making choices that seem to show they do not value the learning or the learning environment. Teacher A is visibly upset and harbouring a growing feeling of failure. She turns to Teacher B (a senior teacher with many years’ experience) for support.

Pause and take a moment to ask, what you would do in this situation. How can you reassure your colleague without over-sheltering her from some of the hard truths she has yet to learn? As an experienced professional, it certainly crossed my mind that it was not something that Teacher A needed to be or should have been particularly upset about. It is common for student behaviour to decline when outdoor time is limited. One of the first expressions I found myself thinking was, ‘stir-crazy.’ But is that okay? Is it right for me to dismiss the feeling of my colleague because she is disappointed in the choices being made by her students, when my experience tells me it’s common? Of course not. Whether I, as a leader, would be upset by the same scenario is not particularly relevant. The fact remains, she is, and has turned to me for support — not to be told it’s ‘one of those things’ and to ‘brush it off.’ Furthermore, other issues the teacher may be experiencing are not being taken into account. For example, it’s the middle of the second term and she is a Beginning Teacher in her first year at a new school. She has also just finished writing reports for the first time in her career, and feels like she has had to rewrite them all after peer review. Everything is new, each inquiry, each topic, each success and failure. She is well within her rights to be utterly overwhelmed.

Although we choose to lead in different ways and by using different leadership models to inform our practice, there are many simple strategies we can draw from.

Listen — Let them vent and let them speak freely. Sometimes our colleagues just need to let off steam and share their frustration. Offer nothing but your thanks for their honesty.

Ask yourself what they are saying and whether it’s what has really upset them — Often, we begin to share our frustration with a situation, but it is merely the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’, masking several other issues that, given time, may rise to the surface.

Do not invalidate — You may have been through a similar experience and survived, but dismissing their emotions as unnecessary, or, offering an ‘it’ll-be-fine’ response could be detrimental to the moving forward process.

Wait — Do they need you to actively help them in this situation or simply listen? Instead of leading in with, ‘Well, this is what I’d do…’ ask ‘Would you like some advice or help with this?’ Allow them to make the decision to take the next stage of help.

Phrases like, ‘In my experience,’ and, ‘Well, I would do it like this,’ are sometimes fantastic in helping a colleague or friend move forward. But just how easily we forget we were there once, too. For some, it was many years ago; for others just a couple, but all of us have felt the overwhelming feelings associated with unfamiliar experiences in a high-stress environment. Pause, listen, validate, and wait…

References and Further Reading

Hall, Karyn. “Understanding Invalidation”. Psych Central.com. N.p., 2012. Web source.

Image sources:

•  Discussion: From Pixabay.com CC0 Public Domain
• Children walking together: From Pixabay.com CC0 Public Domain