Terms
travel easily. PLC is one of them. Many of us have them, but how we use them is
really quite varied. The problem is that the results vary as widely as the manner
in which we decide to implement our collaboration time. As a principal, I am
constantly faced with decisions which could potentially allow for other agenda
items to become more important than the mission itself. When we sacrifice our
values we give permission to others to believe that the vision you have set
before your staff is really not that important. There are, however, specific
paradigms that wedge their way into our work and slowly disrupt our best
intentions. When this happens we fall victim to the knowing-doing gap. This is
a common misstep in PLC. We all know a well-intended leader working very hard
to effect change in a building or district, but the results are a ‘mixed bag.’
The reasons why this occurs are due to both internal and external factors, some
within our control, and others outside of it. I would argue these barriers to
successful implementation are identifiable and navigable.
The PLC Knowing-Doing Gap
Professional Learning
Communities have made their impact on many school districts across the nation.
The level of implementation has much to do with the leader’s ability to
understand and implement these concepts. Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer
and Robert Sutton studied the knowing-doing gap (2000) focusing on understanding
the barriers of turning knowledge into action and how to overcome these
barriers. In their book, they discuss five principles that define the
knowing-doing gap. These five principles apply to the implementation of PLCs as
well.
If you know by doing, then there is no gap.
Whether you are implementing PLC from
the ground level or piloting a new initiative, the best method for getting better
is simply to learn by doing. We sometimes overthink our steps and wait until all
the details align before engaging the work. At Glacier Middle School in the
White River School District, we began the process of reviewing common
assessment data in our PLC teams. In many respects we were unsure of whether
what we were doing was the correct way. However, once we began the process we
realized what needed to change and we made those changes in the moment. Because
we did this together as a team the change was meaningful and the new product
had ownership. We have developed the mantra – Get started, get better. The
bottom line is that no matter how intimidating, or unwieldy the next step might
be, just get started. Expect to make mistakes. That is what you are looking
for; learning opportunities that arise in the moment and get fixed in the
moment. Getting started right now, making mistakes, and fixing them in the
moment is the quickest route to learning at high levels. Isn’t that what we
would want for our students to do?
Talk. Does your PLC suffer from
excessive talk and a lack of action? PLCs are prone to this dynamic. Without a well-established
agenda, a strong team leader, and norms which hold team members accountable,
PLCs quickly lose their power to the side bar conversation, the hidden agenda,
or the ‘nay-sayer.’ When these conversations take over, you have effectively
broken a promise to your stake-holders, the school board, your parents, and
students. This is simply unacceptable. The time dedicated to PLC time must
remain pure to its intent. Train your team leaders annually to draw them closer
to the heart of the work and more deeply connected to the mission of improving
student learning.
Memory. I call this ‘status quo’
thinking or ‘This is the way we have always done things around here.’ School
systems are notorious for adhering to “the way things used to be.” The irony is
that never in the history of education have we been in more need of doing
something drastically different with how we teach our youngsters. The fact of
the matter is that as we become well practiced at something we become rigid in
how we do it. When we ask our teachers to meet in PLCs, collect data, share
results with each other, and make changes to our practice, we are effectively
asking teachers to change what they know and do differently. We are asking our
teachers to feel anxiety and discomfort. Creating tension by implementing
change is an emotional and trying effort. Stay true to your target, work with
these mindsets as you grow forward.
Fear. The concept is simple. People
may fear taking risks, sharing information, or making suggestions for
improvement, especially if they think that they will be punished for doing so (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000). I have witnessed
a staff share widespread concern that the data being collected on student
learning was going to be used against them in year-end evaluations. The reality
is that PLCs are professional development for teachers. Sharing data allows
teachers to learn from each other and grow in their professional practice. When
we implement PLCs with fidelity we need to confront fear by giving voice to
teams to make decisions, open the channels for healthy communication, go soft
on ideas and hard on people, treat failure as an opportunity to grow, punish inaction,
give second and third chances, learn from and celebrate mistakes, follow
creativity, and banish people, especially leaders who humiliate others (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000).
Measurement. Data is our world.
We have become an industry that champions the use of data and appropriately so.
We are held accountable to it and we constantly seek and analyze it. The
downfall is that many of us are poorly versed in the appropriate use of data;
and more often than not wallow in the wrong data. Often times less is more. Too
much focus on the wrong data obstructs good judgment. The key to using data
effectively is to be intentional about the purpose of using it. If your goal is
to determine whether or not students learned a specific standard, then keep
your data specific to that purpose and no more.
While these are
important considerations, it also equally important to consider your building
and district culture as well. The gap between knowing and doing is not a
struggle for one individual. It is an organizational phenomenon. The very
nature of leading an organization embodies an organic element which requires
human relations and behavioral dynamics. Building trust, confidence, and morale
is essential for establishing a strong and safe environment for changing a
culture. As we lead in our work, we must be cognizant of the effect we play on
the organization and how we interpret problems. Instead of creating a solution
to fix the problem, we need to go to the root cause and solve the issue there.
Having a keen sense of the gap will enable us to see how we allow for problems
to occur, and begin solving the problem by looking at ourselves first, and then
how we are connected to the system.
references
DuFour,
R. (2007). In praise of top-down leadership. The School Administrator, 38-42.
DuFour,
R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional
learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement.
Bloomington, IN. Solution Tree
DuFour,
R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (2002). Getting
started: Reculturing schools to become professional learning communities.
Bloomington, IN. National Educational Service
DuFour,
R., Eaker, R., DuFour, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at
work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Fullan,
M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pfeffer,
J., & Sutton, R. I. (2000). The
knowing doing gap: How smart companies turn knowledge into action. Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Reeves,
D. (2007). Closing the implementation gap. Educational
Leadership, 64(6), 85-86.
Senge,
P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The
art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday
Currency.
Senge,
P., N. Cambron-McCabe, T. Lucas, B. Smith, J. Dutton, & A. Kleiner. (2000).
Schools that learn: A fifth discipline
field book for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education.
New York, NY: Doubleday.
Dr,
Greg Borgerding
Principal, Glacier Middle School
White River School District
