Many of us have supported the movement of flipped classrooms and flipped learning. It changes the pedagogy by turning traditional instruction upside down. Flipped classrooms move the independent work associated with homework to the classroom and the direct instruction associated with class to home.

We can also flip our leadership and culture. How can traditional school leadership be improved by turning it upside down? Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Flip the rules

Instead of focusing on rules or policies, focus on opportunities. I’m not saying abandon all rules and policies. Indeed, a strong school culture is based upon mutual respect, professionalism and trust.

Do we get those by hammering students and families with a litany of rules and policies? No. By emphasizing opportunities and community first, we can create a strong school culture that supports rules, policies and expectations.

Think about the first thing most people see on a school campus. Often, it’s a large list of rules and, sometimes, the penalties if they are violated. The message conveyed is that rules and policies are paramount���not learning, not opportunities, not relationships and not a truly trusting school culture.
What if people were greeted at the gates by messaging that focused on the unique opportunities at the school, on great projects or great staff, or on quotes from alumni?

Flip the communication

Think of the messaging that goes home. For example, most districts still produce some sort of handbook for students and parents to read and sign. We all know that no one really reads the handbook, so what would it take to make that document more valuable? Answer that question, and then do it.

Some districts and schools allow students to sit on a committee in a symbolic role but rarely as active participants.

Rather than just listing policies and procedures, what if the handbook explained opportunities, challenged students and families, or inspired ways for advanced learning?

Think about all the newsletters, robocalls and even social media communication from schools. Yes, we still have to communicate dates, deadlines and even rules. But if our communications focused more on opportunities, learning, celebrations and innovation, these efforts would be seen as more valuable by parents, students and stakeholders.

Flip the hierarchy

Traditional school hierarchy features the principal, the vice principal, the teachers, the staff and the students. Now, we realize that the top-down approach leads to minimal results and little buy-in from constituents or stakeholders.

Many schools have moved to a more democratic approach by having teachers and staff serve on committees to expand voice, ideas and buy-in. But we often exclude one key group: students. Some districts and schools allow students to sit on committees and serve in symbolic roles, but they are rarely active participants. What if we solicited student opinions on school decisions, policy development, curriculum, instructional approaches, tech integration and more?

At my last school, we never had an interview panel without at least two student representatives. The students played a vital role in evaluating teacher interviews, presentations and applications. Indeed, if we had competitive candidates for a teaching position that required a second interview, we often had the teachers face a group of students in a ���teach off��� during which the students evaluated the learning environment, their engagement and their overall experience. Consider ways to include students when developing school programs and procedures, making decisions, and building culture. You will get tremendous buy-in and probably some innovative ideas.

Bottom line: Don’t do what you’ve always done. Stop being so scientific, and try different things. Choose something that you’ve always done one way and turn it upside down. You’ll be experimenting and innovating. The results may surprise you.

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes about transformational leadership and PD.

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Professional learning, development and growth is an established practice across all professions and disciplines. In education, the stakes might even be higher. Not only do educators need to keep pace with the latest practices and technologies, but they also need to model what they demand from their students: lifelong learning.

If we ask most educators what professional learning should look and feel like���and how much of it is relevant���we may see quite a bit of disparity and mixed success at best.

No man is a prophet in his own land

Professional learning often takes two forms: attending professional development events (conferences, workshops) or hosting outside consultants (curriculum experts, keynote speakers, technologists).
As someone who often serves as a paid PD facilitator and attends PD events, I’m not suggesting that conferences and outside consultants don’t have value.

We often use the term ���instructional leaders��� to describe administrators. But why do so few of them ever lead professional learning?

However, we should also examine our own internal capacity and tap into our own experts for professional learning facilitation.

We now have unlimited access to free and low-cost resources to learn almost anything. But learning, especially professional learning, requires consistent and dedicated time. And the learners must be invested in learning.

檎艶温糸:油The importance of leadership coaching

With that in mind, how can professional learning evolve? Here are few areas to ponder when planning professional learning.

• Offer peer-led PD. We can all be learners, and we can all be experts. Every school team, department, site and district has talented and creative educators who have a great deal to offer one another. We should be fostering ways to teach one another. Educators are comfortable teaching their students, but are often reluctant to teach one another. We should identify our colleagues’ strengths and encourage them to showcase and share those strengths. If we have team members who do not have strengths to share, we could be revealing a major flaw in our profession.
• Use in-house coaches. Many of our school districts have technology coaches and instructional coaches, and we should take full advantage of their time and expertise. Whether or not coaches work full time, part time or even for a stipend, they can be the bridge. They don’t have to lead or facilitate all the professional learning, but they could help everyone else share and showcase their strengths. Like all good teachers, they can work to maximize the capacity of their peers.
• Have leaders serve as instructional leaders. We often use the term ���instructional leaders��� to describe what we want from our administrators. But why do so few of them ever lead professional learning? Instead of focusing on opening remarks, data sharing, or setting the challenge or culture, administrators should directly facilitate PD.
• Provide online learning opportunities. With digital or online learning, we can create opportunities for educators to work at their own pace, choose areas of special interest, and even get certification and digital badges that can help promote their own professional learning in the larger education community. Professional learning cannot be optional, but we can create more choices for opting in to it.

Time is a challenge, but we always find time for what is important. We have the need. We have the resources. We have the capacity. We should continue to attend external PD events and invite outside guest experts to help us as well. But we can only maximize professional learning if we begin leaning on in-house experts and opportunities.

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes about transformational leadership and professional development.

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Here are a few areas in which we can do that.

Reading

Although we require our students and teachers to read, it’s amazing how many leaders are not actively reading���for personal or professional purposes. And when reading professionally, we should be reading about education, as well as other forces and thinking in our universe, such as business, culture, entertainment, politics and more. For some ideas on where��to start, see my 91心頭 blog post on ���The well-read K12 administrator���
(91心頭mag.me/wra).

With the number of reading opportunities offered by blogs, social media and new education books, there’s no excuse for leaders to not be active, engaged readers who share their learning and enthusiasm with their constituents.

Writing and publishing

Our various state standards require students to not only write, but also to create and share digital content in a variety of forms and writing genres. Yet, how many of us do the same? Reading is great, but writing and publishing gives us a chance to process, connect and apply what we read. Reflecting through writing and publishing allows us to connect with our stakeholders, to share our stories of success and failure, and to demonstrate that we are operating in the public sphere.

With the number of opportunities for leaders to blog, write feature articles and contribute to digital content, there is no excuse for us not to do so. For more details, see my 91心頭 blog post on ���Why school superintendents should blog��� (91心頭mag.me/pdblog).

Speaking and presenting

Because school leaders have to present to staff, school boards, parents, community members, business partners and other leaders, most realize that presenting is a big part of the job and are confident doing it.

But are leaders pushing themselves to be lifelong learners as public speakers and presenters? They need to model this. It is not only important for their teachers and students, but it’s also important for leaders as it helps everyone continually improve and stretch themselves.

Beyond our standard audiences, we should present at professional conferences to bring our district’s story to other audiences. We should share these talks on social media and through avenues such as YouTube. We are obligated to push ourselves as hard as we push those we serve. We have great stories and experiences to share. It’s time that all education leaders share them.

We are obligated to��push ourselves as hard as we push those we serve.

Youth advocacy

Many school leaders encourage their teachers and staff to be more student-oriented. We want our students to have more personalized, engaging, collaborative and relevant learning experiences. We ask teachers to be more accessible, flexible, creative and forward-thinking when it comes to interacting with students. Leaders need to model this as well. For example, how many of our school leaders meet regularly with students? How often are students invited to be part of interview panels, advisory groups, committees or other groups?
I was fortunate enough to start a new school where students always served on every interview panel, and could text any staff member, including the principal. We can go a long way by including students in decision-making. For more details, see my blog post on ���5 Ways To Include Student Voice In School Change��� (91心頭mag.me/isv).

Whether it’s a skill, a standard, a pedagogy or just a good idea, we must share, promote and champion it. But we must also practice it.

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes on transformational leadership and professional development.

The post How to model lifelong learning appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

The power of ���yes’

It seems that educational leaders, especially, are trained to say ���no.��� We are conditioned to be concerned about everything from supervision and safety to policies and procedures. But if we want our teachers and staff to dream big and think outside the norms, then we have to support that by having faith in them and saying ���yes.��� Saying ���yes��� is more difficult than saying ���no.��� It forces us to question our philosophies and beliefs. When we say ���no,��� we don’t have to find out if an idea will fail. When we say ���yes,��� we expose ourselves and our educators to risk and fear of failure. But as leaders, it’s our blessing of the idea, as well as our removal of any barriers, that will ultimately lead to a more innovative and creative community.

Dial up some disruption

One of the great myths of education is that learners need a routine to feel comfortable, to have lower anxiety, and to perform. We certainly seem to cling to routine in our schools and in our personal lives. But a routine is not the same as a protocol or norm. Routine leads to complacency and automation. We can keep our rubrics, forms and systems, but if we want to encourage innovation and creativity, we might need to break routine.

As Tom Robbins wrote in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues: ���In times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings���artists, scientists, clowns and philosophers���to create order. In times such as ours, however, when there is too much order, too much management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption.���

Let’s disrupt the routine. Let’s throw that proverbial monkey wrench at our school and classroom complacency. If you want innovative and creative endeavors, one has to be willing to push the boundaries, reshape the environment and rewrite the rules.

Want more? See ���15 hands-on ways to create a culture of innovation���

As the principal of a small, project-based high school, I tried to continually push the boundaries for both students and teachers. For example, we used to reverse the schedule on occasion. The last period of the day would become the first, and the first period would end the day. This simple switch produced a variety of reactions. Some loved it, and some hated it���but all were disrupted. It forced teachers to evaluate why the last class of the day had a different culture. Students said, ���I loved having math first thing in the morning for once��� or ���It was hard having math at the end of the day.��� We added just enough chaos to get people thinking, reflecting and creating.

Culture is a mindset. Our institutional mindsets will need reprogramming to produce new environments and learning communities that are innovative and creative. Like anything transformational, this has to be a lifestyle and not a bumper sticker.

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes on transformational leadership and��professional development

The post Leading a culture of innovation, creativity and community appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

1. Walk the walk and model lifelong learning – leaders need to blog, publish, use technology and social media, and ultimately demonstrate that we too are not afraid to keep learning, growing and pushing our own creativity.
2. Start the school year off with culture, culture, culture. Learning will not be maximized until culture is established. Once established, revisit culture and evolve it on a regular basis. See SmartStart ().
3. Breakaway from packaged and corporate curriculum and move more towards project-based learning and other inquiry-based practices.
4. Recognize and reward innovation and creativity across all disciplines, stakeholders and endeavors.
5. Host, coordinate and facilitate school wide challenges, contests, competitions related to projects and other endeavors that require creativity.
6. Allow students to solve school and real world problems.
7. Add and create new elective courses, intercessions or lame duck days where teachers can create short or long-term experiences related to their passions, interests and sense of creativity (.
8. Throw wrenches into schedules, routines, expectations and past practices.
9. Change the physical environment – new spaces, technology and situations may induce new ideas, collaboration an inspiration ()
10. Foster and encourage projects of passion, student voice and choice – () and ().
11. Defend young people at all costs to all other stakeholders – we can not tear down youth in order to build them up.
12. Allow teachers and students to own learning by having them take on various roles in school projects, governance and more.
13. Move away from outdated policies and practices that emphasize formality as the path to respect versus developing relationships.
14. Study culture outside of education – cutting edge companies, non-profit organizations and others.
15. Make public commitments and promises related to innovation and creativity.

–Michael Niehoff

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In recent years, thousands of teachers have participated in PBL professional development. It is pervasive in today’s professional learning.

However, little has been done to address what it takes to lead PBL.

As the founding principal of a project-based high school (91心頭mag.me/mck12), it was apparent to me that the successful implementation of PBL depended on the expectations, culture and collaboration that our district leaders facilitated. There was an effort to create a schoolwide environment where PBL could thrive.

Here are four areas for PBL leaders to consider.

The icon of innovation

PBL involves both students and teachers taking risks, stretching themselves and venturing into uncharted territory. This may produce fear, insecurity, frustration and even a temptation to quit. Our ability to push others���by pushing ourselves���is paramount.

Leaders need to be transparent and to show all stakeholders that they, too, are part of this cycle of risk and innovation. Leaders need to demonstrate their fears of failure, their insecurities, their doubts and their moments of wanting to quit. But through this transparency and vulnerability, leaders show that they are truly lead learners.

Run the run

Often known as “walking the walk” this is a good leadership practice. PBL is not just a pedagogy. It is a professional lifestyle. Leaders need to live it and model it.

For example, PBL involves student voice and choice. Learners should have a say in what they learn, how they learn and how they show what they learn.

PBL leaders can model this in many ways���through taking regular student surveys; meeting with students individually and in small focus groups; inviting students to participate on interview panels; and even encouraging student input on schoolwide policies and governance.

Going public

Publicizing the work is a key element of PBL. 91心頭istrators, not teachers, should facilitate these public opportunities.

Showing student work includes face-to-face events (showcases, exhibitions, presentations) and digital showcasing (social media, websites, blogs, video, portfolios, YouTube channels).

PBL schools should also institutionalize the expectation that all students reflect upon their work (metacognition).

At Minarets High School, we did this with our year-end portfolio presentations, called the Personal Brand Equity (91心頭mag.me/pbe), and with our senior project, the Senior Legacy Experience (91心頭mag.me/sles).

Practices and protocols

We don’t want project micromanagement, but we can benefit from institutional practices, such as schoolwide presentation and collaboration rubrics.

Leaders can help facilitate regular student feedback and, more importantly, how faculty uses that feedback.

Leaders can encourage teams of students to pitch ideas to them���and to community partners���and ultimately work to implement the best ideas.

Leaders can also begin every school year with schoolwide design challenges that focus on building skills, culture and a PBL environment.

Consider how New Tech Napa High School Principal Riley Johnson kicks off the year for his entire student body and staff (http://damag.me/ntdt).

All 415 students participate in a cross-curricular, cross-grade challenge for three days, addressing questions such as, “How might we tackle a problem that our community���global, national or local���faces?”

Creating systems in which students and teachers understand common expectations and vernacular will lead to more high-quality PBL.

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes on transformational leadership and professional development.

The post Learning to lead K12 project-based learning appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

The number of education blogs is quickly expanding. Many superintendents know that publishing a regular blog is a great way to accomplish a variety of communication goals���these include sharing the story, modeling, reflective practices, expanding one’s professional learning network and more.

Here, a few superintendents elaborate on the advantages of blogging.

Sharing a transparent story

School districts have a story. Sure they all have mission and vision statements, but to make those come to life, one can tell stories through blogs.

“Blogging has provided another option to share my experiences with internal and external community members” says Michael McCormick, superintendent of Val Verde USD in California. “They get a window into my experiences of all aspects of our district and community” he says.

There is a demand for transparency from our stakeholders, says Superintendent Joe Sanfelippo, of the Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin. “Because blogging pushes my thinking” he says, “the community gets to see the real-world complexities of decisions we make and initiatives we prioritize.”

Modeling as the lead lifelong learner

Many superintendents embrace blogging as a means to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk when it comes to being a lifelong learner.

“Modeling self-reflection and sharing stories of success���and failures���in the age of social media are big motivators for me to blog” says Andrew Schwab, associate superintendent for learning and innovation at Union School District in New Jersey.

Many superintendents appreciate that blogging also models reflective thinking. Schwab feels an obligation to demonstrate continuous learning for his staff and students. “If the only people in the building learning are ages 4 to 18, we are doing it wrong” he says.

‘Why we are changing education’

Educators have long known that reflective practices correlate to higher-level thinking. Superintendent Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez, of San Antonio Union School District in California, says blogging is a great way for leaders to increase their own metacognitive development.

“I blog for self-reflection of my current practice and the understanding of why we are changing education” says Gildersleeve-Hernandez. “As we write, we think differently about what our thoughts are and what direction we’re heading.”

Expanding learning networks

Superintendents need to connect to their stakeholders, but also to the larger world of education leaders and change agents. Blogging expands one’s professional learning network as well, says Val Verde’s McCormick.

“Superintendents have a lot in common” he says. “They have unique access to their districts, have more contact with stakeholders and are likely to see a bit further into the future of their district’s implementation of current and future initiatives.”

McCormick says this perspective is more powerful when superintendents connect and engage by sharing each other’s reflections through blogging.

Working to stay current and relevant in an ever-changing professional environment can be challenging in terms of time, says San Antonio’s Gildersleeve-Hernandez.

“It’s really an expectation from our communities to speak from a place of experiences and not just observation” she says. “But when we write for a larger, public audience, we are more thoughtful, creative and articulate.”

Longtime educator Michael Niehoff writes on transformational leadership and professional development.

The post Why school superintendents should blog appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

However, to be truly innovative, educational leaders can discover amazing professional insights in the areas of business, politics, psychology, sociology, technology and the military.

Here is a list of non-education books that today’s educational leaders recommend to their peers:

The Power of Moments, by Chip and Dan Heath, explores why and how certain brief experiences in our lives can have profound impact.

It suggests we learn to create such defining moments in both our professional and personal lives.

Joe Sanfelippo, superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin, says the authors discuss how we can help provide more of these moments that will be remembered long after kids have left our schools.

“Educational leaders live in a world where amazing moments happen often, but we don’t know the impact until years later” he says.

First, Fast, Fearless (How To Lead Like A Navy Seal), by retired Navy Seal Lt. Commander Brian “Iron Ed” Hiner, is about going beyond the norm to get the seemingly impossible done.

“This book is invaluable” says Andrew Schwab, associate superintendent of learning and innovation for Union School District in San Jose, California.

“Even if you don’t embrace the military metaphor, this directly addresses building effective leadership teams and also managing your own brand as a leader.”

The Circle of Innovation, the follow up to Tom Peters’ legendary book Thriving On Chaos, presents new ways of envisioning the challenges of today’s world, says Jon Corippo, interim executive director of CUE, an educational nonprofit.

“This has become a quick learning model representing the new normal” he says.

“The book’s subtitle (‘You Can Shrink Your Way To Greatness’) has served me well for more than a decade.”

Start With Why by Simon Sinek perfectly illustrates the path to purposeful innovation with his concept of the “Golden Circle”: Starting with “why” then moving to “how” and finally “what.”

“When we follow this progression in our thinking, we are much less likely to fall into empty trends and much more likely to design purpose-driven ideas that represent our schools” says Jason Markey, principal at East Leyden High School in Illinois.

Camen Gallo’s Talk Like TED focuses on the art of storytelling. There has been much emphasis of late for school leaders to connect with all stakeholders, and this book could up our collective game.

“We connect with constituents on an emotional level to reach their hearts” says Brad Gustfason, principal at Wayzata Public Schools in Minnesota.

“There is real neuroscience behind this and it demonstrates how to take the art of storytelling to a whole new level.”

Naturally, this is not a complete list of non-education books educational leaders could read. It’s merely a snapshot of some highly recommended. Here are 20 more that came up often as well from educational leaders from around the country:

Tribes by Seth Godin

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Capital Gains by Chip Gaines

Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success by John Maxwell

Daring Greatly by Brenee Brown

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

Creative Confidence by David and Tom Kelley

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Thanks For The Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

Refugee by Alan Gratz

A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter

Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

Leadership And Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute

Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

The Book Of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

The Visible Ops Handbook by Gene Kim

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath

A Complaint Is A Gift: Recovering Customer Loyalty When Things Go Wrong by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller

The New Leadership Literacies: Thriving in a Future of Extreme Disruption and Distributed Everything by Bob Johansen

For 25 years, Michael Niehoff has been a teacher, advisor, director of activities, learning director, principal and author. He writes on project-based learning, social media literacy, transformational leadership and professional development.

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