What is ridiculous in the 21st Century?

“You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous.” — Donald Trump 

My apologies Mr. President, I can not disagree with you more. I worked with a team of dedicated teachers and support staff to deliver school from behind a computer screen for six months. Our entire definition of school went right out the window. Some struggled with the technology. Forget about the constant updates, poor documentation, and how the feature you want “is coming soon.” Teachers just want something that reliably works!  Because, when you can get it to work, you quickly run up against the limitations of how to engage students from behind the computer screen. We researched lesson delivery, trialed software, provided coaching, troubleshot software, provided more coaching, and held a lot of hands.  And we, a team of teachers who many thought this was ridiculous, came together to deliver the five additional months of the school year. 

Online learning was nobody’s first choice, Mr. President. Teachers quickly realized that many of their goto tools in their learning toolkit did not work online. It came down to our creativity in complex problem-solving. We faced multiple challenges where teams of individuals got to work on each one. No lone genius solved it. We did not say, “sorry, no more school.” We did not stoop to name-calling or point fingers. We got behind our computers and taught. Month by month, we reflected, tweaked, reiterated our lessons to deliver online learning. As you said, Mr. President, “[we] learned it by really going to school.” Hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, and parents knuckled down and got it done.

As teachers, we try to be role models for our students. We take risks, interact, explain our thinking by citing references, and occasionally mess something up. If you move that process to a virtual environment, I can see how that can be scary. How easy it would be to resist something new. To say, “that’s not my style.” Honestly, it took every ounce of our cognitive flexibility to pivot our thinking and change the way we work. 

The change did not come from a directive. No lone genius provided a solution. It was a process that pushed limits, brought joy to some, and frustrated the heck out of others. Testing no longer worked, students lethargic, and parents and administrators anxious as we let go of former beliefs and methods. 

So, please, take a virtual walk in our shoes for ninety minutes. You possess people you trust on your team to help you rise to this challenge. Elected officials owe it to the American voters to connect with them. They are the ones lining up to vote and potentially risking their lives. A virtual debate will draw you a much larger audience. An audience to whom you can show your thoughts and leadership style. You already do virtual rallies. Why not stretch yourself a bit more and take a risk on a virtual debate. 

I worked too hard, saw teachers walk back off the edge, heard parents ask for refunds, and yet, we all managed to end the year virtually. If you say it’s ridiculous to debate from behind a computer, you invalidate the hard work of so many. Leadership Mr. President, it’s about people.

I know a guy

 Is the replace not repair big store anonymous employees world we live a good model for us as a culture? Yes, prices are low, the selection is immense, & convenience is king. What of the minimized or entirely missed opportunities to make and grow personal connections, to learn about others?

I grew up in the “I know a guy” family. You repaired your car; changed your oil. You went to see Duck at the autoparts store. He did body work on the side too. If you needed something welded, you went Sipple’s. You went to Silverglade’s for cheese and Bolte’s for coffee and exotic spices. No, it was not always quick, yet it became a bit of an adventure in itself. If these guys didn’t have it, they “knew a guy” who would. If you needed if fast, well more adventure ensued as you set off to find what you needed.

Geniuses replace our electronics. Store get bigger and buy other stores. Or we avoid stores and order online. Again, I get it, low price, selection, and convenience. Where is the adventure? The stores I mentioned above were frequented monthly and often weekly. We knew who worked there. I learned of their families, their challenges, and could even get inspired. Jim, of Bolte’s, had a Solidarność, Polish trade union, connection. He told stories and handed out buttons. Who doesn’t love a rebellion against oppression story? Loosely put, we were collaborators. They gave us items we needed which we used for our families. We then went on to create our own stories.

Connections are messy, yet a good story though entertains forever. What do you value? In a world of fake news, comic book adaptations, sequels, reboots, we need our own adventures to tell. Can’t repair your own phone, prepare your own food. Frustrated by personal and public transport, design a better option. Youtube videos all the same, create a better one. Don’t own any quality tools, get to Sears before they go bankrupt.  Be a flexible problem solver. I understand; life is hard, money needs to stretch, convenience trumps most everything, and we all feel entitled. My point, take action. Get out there, whether real or virtual, connect and collaborate.  Create your own stories, learn more about yourself, and make new acquaintances. More important, tell your stories, entertain and inspire others. Be “the guy” others know and call when they need help.

Design, innovation & our future: why should we care?

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. – Henry Ford

We are by our nature curious! We see patterns, ask questions, and draw conclusions. Occasionally we ask more questions. If we don’t get answers that make sense, we wonder. Not always for ourselves, for others too. We see things through their eyes. Often, we don’t stop there. We go beyond wonder and take action. We take a few notes, make a sketch, and connect a few dots. I would argue, we are all designers provided we work at it; else we risk becoming a group of passive consumers. We must care about design because the world does not need faster horses.

Future ready
I never let my schooling get in the way of my education. – Mark Twain

We can no longer accurately predict the future. Social media strategist, blogger, data miner, drone pilot, who knew these would be jobs? ¹ We are creating artificial intelligence (AI) that does the amazing, drives, writes, and grades. We replace TVs, phones, and computers, not fix. Cars run for ten+ years. The future looks good. Yet, if we eliminate more jobs then we create, what will we all do? This is why we need our curiosity, interesting questions, and our ability to care; it defines our “humanness” if you will. We need to focus our educational efforts on our uniquely human qualities, which cannot be duplicated; else what job is next.

Creativity & innovation
Repetition is the death of magic. –Bill Watterson

Self-driving cars, stores where you don’t line up,² and AI that writes poetry³ all seem wildly creative and innovative. Yet, so many products are poorly designed or lack empathy. We wait in too many lines. And standardized tests still define our future. We are in an age of transition. We struggle with how to teach creativity and define innovation. The top ten grossing films in each year of the first decade of the millennium, seventy-four of the one hundred were sequels, adaptations of an earlier work, or based on comic book/video games.⁴ Going forward, we need to be comfortable with the dynamic nature of terms like original, inventive, fresh, surprising, risk, better, and useful. Algorithms/AI cannot yet solve complex problems, build social collateral, or be empathetic. Remember when we used to play in the sandbox? We build stuff, worked with others, and sought feedback from parents. Teamwork can be infectious, if we let it. The future needs creativity and innovation and people who question authority. Let’s get back in the sandbox and keep magic alive.

What can we do?
Every great design begins with an even better story. – Lorinda Mamo

Don’t wait! Curiosity, wonder, the design cycle, these are not top down movements. It is not going to come from admin, the school board, or even parents. We are all creative provided we give ourselves the permission. Celebrate good design when we see it. Call out bad design, but be prepared to ask questions, to step up, and offer insights and solutions based on research. Critics only and passive consumers need not apply. Stop just reading and discussing what defines creativity, innovation, and design and take responsibility for our future! Go create a story to own. There no shame in failing, so why not do it with a little style?

Note: this post is a result of an on going collaborative between myself and  John McBryde the Director of Origins Education. Without his guidance and friendship, it would look quite different.

Footnotes

1. 10 jobs that did not exist 10 years ago – Digital Marketing Institute
2. Amazon to open convenience store with no lines – the two way breaking news from NPR
3. Google’s AI has written some amazingly mournful poetry – Wired
4. Everything’s a remix part 1 – Kirby Ferguson

If you are looking for innovative learning, don’t rely on a GPS

I recently spent a week in the Bay Area with a group of colleagues researching innovative learning. We visited half dozen schools, took in the Exploratorium, stopped by IDEO, the Stanford D School, Apple’s Executive Briefing Centre, and attended the Nueva Innovative Learning Conference. The learning was immense. Our pace was fast. The time was limited.
We saw great learning; we saw learning that we do better. After much reflection, I am confident we possess the same innovative spirit here. The question, how do we build upon it, to grow it, to innovate the innovators if you will? – image by By Jean Marc Cote 

Common language

Innovation takes many forms and individually we all hold our own unique understanding of it. This is good, for diversity is a key to innovation.  Methods may vary, speed is relative and success is not a given. It is the learning during the process that we are after. We need to start with commonality by creating a “common language.” It will provide clarity, inspiration and direction. The definitions will need to be simple enough to grasp and apply, yet thick enough to ensure cohesion and fluidity. Any tweaks, augmentations, or additions made must be made known to all our innovators. Without consistency and communication, no organization, large or small, can maintain or scale innovation.

Growth mindset – rethinking risk

We need to focus on improvement instead getting it right. We need to work to promote learning as a whole process with multiple answers that lead to better questions. Students who understand this are more likely to work towards improvement.  Simply urging students to take a risk is not enough. Risk inherently implies danger or harm. We need to create a culture that distances ourselves from risk and embraces growth. Learners should not need to ask for permission to take action on a task or a project. Yes, assessment will need to be rethought, just remember take small steps but dream big.

Collisions of people

Diverse groups of learners solve problems better and faster than homogeneous ones. Traditionally educators are grouped by subject area, yet we need and exit our comfortable departmental bubbles. By engineering diversity while channeling accountability, we will see action and learning across the organization. Everyone has an idea, a suggestion, or a thought. Often it is never offered. Worse, those who do contribute are rarely empowered to action it. We need to create collaborative environments where people routinely share their ideas. We can build open offices, communal kitchens, team rooms, and cafes. Yet, this only gets us so far. Leaders, at all levels, will need to promote, model, and celebrate collision to build a growth mindset culture where our mantras are “what if” and “yes, and.”

Tasks & spaces – research

Innovation exists in our schools, no dispute. Let’s find it, look at it, ask lots of questions of it, and leave it alone. If it isn’t broke, why break it? There will be plenty of time to tweak or scale it later. It’s the data we want, specifically from the question, “how did these educators innovate with current tools and in their current space.” Educators are quick to champion innovation, especially if they had this tool, something extra in their room, or could access a Makerspace. We get it! You want stuff to innovate. Yet, we as educators cannot wait for the school to formally come up with a plan to change the tools or space available. Channel your inner MacGyver and start by changing tasks, being creative available materials, and leveraging the right tool for the task. If we do, every room becomes a Maker Space.

Showcase & celebrate

Showcasing hard work brings validation. With validation, new inspiration emerges, commitment can be renewed, and moments of reflection often come to light. Celebrating exam results got us this far. From here, we focus on the process of the learning. Successes and setbacks, they all need to come to light. Leaders, educators, and learners alike need to be apart of creating our growth mindset. Highlight it in class. Mention it at the water cooler. Entertain with it at school gatherings. Write about it on your blog, newsletters, or in your favorite medium, Yes, it is easier said than done. Yet it is crucial to success.

Seeing it through – chutzpah

Innovation was always around. We just conveniently ignored it. Our challenge is making and sustaining it. Yes, other challenges will emerge, yet how do we not ignore innovation again? We build it into our workflows. We continually come back to our common language for guidance. Its continued use and discussion keeps us moving forward. As learners change, new collisions of ideas will occur. Both educators and learners will depart and arrive, we need to be ready to receive them, guide them, encourage them, and even get out of their way. Tasks and spaces will continue to be questioned, tweaked, and at times completely scrapped. The conditions for innovation will never be ideal, yet they will always be optimal if you let it.

job or opportunity

“Where does it say that on the job description?”  “Why don’t other people have to do this?”  “I didn’t sign up for this…” You can treat your job two ways.

One, it’s a list of tasks to get through each day. You perform a couple of A’s and a few B’s. Someone calls you with an urgent F and G, so you do them. People are grateful and you are content. The day goes by and you adeptly notch off several other tasks all corresponding to different letters of the alphabet. You accomplish much, yet you do not concern yourself with why F & G come up so often and always together? Why X only appears at the end of the month? You take them all in stride knowing that there will always be more, similar, and repeating tasks to tackle.

Two, it’s a list of tasks to question. You notice patterns, question procedures, and generally see tasks as opportunities. Curiosity demands you investigate F, G, and X. You research, collaborate, problem solve, and solutions appear. Familiar tasks disappear while new ones emerge. Your skills stay sharp, your learning is fluid, and your job is dynamic.

The future is not about what is required, but what is possible. Thinking about possibilities stimulates creativity. We ask, we push, we analyse, and we act. Curiosity should be encouraged at all levels. Be proactive, question authority, and never settle for your routine. Yes, we will always need people to get things done, yet we need more people who can push their brains beyond what’s required.

Will you still have a job if you solve all the tasks? Yes, it just might be some place else. There will always be new tasks, problems, and opportunities to tackle. While both scary and exciting, the future needs proactive problem solvers. It needs hungry people who can work in teams. And, it especially needs risk takes who are not afraid to fail. Those who are happy with the status quo, need not apply.

Image by dgray_xplane @ CC

hiring people, two ways

You can write a detailed job description and then wait for the right person to apply. This is our list of skills we need. You will do X and Y, posses Z years experience, and here’s a smidgen about us. It’s very one sided. Plus, you’ve said a lot about your company, its bureaucracy, and its ability to take risks. No doubt, someone out there with those exact skills is waiting to jump through your hoops. It’s a time-honored method of hiring that’s worked for decades, more or less.

Or you can treat a job description more like a set of guidelines, not spend to much time perfecting them, emphasis it’s a partnership, and sell some of the future. Why would anyone want to come work with you? You are looking for potential, not just someone with X, Y, and Z. This person will help shape the company’s future, and yours too, if you let it. S/he should be more than the sum of the skills on a job description.

You are looking for a person who wants to learn, not someone who simply can learn. Ask, how did they get these skills and knowledge? Acquisition is important resource. Talk about how they transfer of skills; assemble knowledge, and their research methods. If someone can do X, then it’s probably they can do Y with the right coaching. No, maybe you don’t want to coach them right now, but you don’t want to hire someone just because they can do Y and nobody else can?

You want talented people, those with multiple talents, doubly so. You want those who can step up when needed and preferably lead. At least, look for leadership potential. You want people who know people. How to talk, how to listen, and more importantly how to schmooze! And be ready that someone might be better than you at his or her particular talent.

Remember, it’s a partnership. If you want talented people, your company needs to be heading somewhere. Have your “why follow me” pitch ready. Yes, their five-year plan is important, but so is yours. Most likely, they are already in a position, so why would they jump ship? The people you want are not sitting surfing the web employed reading your job description. If they are, tread carefully. If people emphasis money over opportunity, say no. You are hiring people for who they will become, not for that set of skills you encapsulated for the good of the bureaucracy on a document.

 

Image by juhansonin @ Creative Commons

Tofu, invention, moving on, and rebounding

I frequented this small place in Beijing, which served inventive dishes. Their egg white wrapped tofu and walnut prawns both supplied visual texture and firm mouth feel. They served other dishes too; yet, one day the two dish were gone. They explained it “we don’t make those anymore.” I sampled the menu, yet found nothing particularly as inventive. So, I stopped going.

Restaurants can do okay on average food for a while, if they compensate with a terrific staff. Toss in a great wine list and, yes people will come back. They may be between chefs? Maybe the chef’s is amidst a personal crisis. Or maybe its owner is off starting her/his new restaurant? The point, people notice when something is off or does not work right. They will go with the flow, eat there, or continue to pay/work, as long as something else offsets it, convenience, staff, or price.

When something starts to slip, inventive dishes, an attention to detail, or great attitudes, people move on both physically and mentally. Physical movement rebounds are less challenging. Staff can coached to step up. New customers can be wooed with inventive recipes. Positive attitudes when facing challenges go a long way and build confidence. When people mentally move on, their mentality changes. Gone is the inventive spirit. Little gets celebrated. Challenges go unsolved or worse unaddressed. You hear, “we do it this way” all to often. When this mentality becomes part of your culture, rebounding is more challenging. So, why not just channel your energy to create a vibrant and dynamic culture that manages transitions well in order to sustain itself in the first place?

Image by dgray_xplane @ creative commons

Avoidance, too hard, someone else, too busy, & shredded carrots

Whatever you are thinking about, just go after it. Maybe it takes a lot of time, so what? The head often influences judgments regarding time. Don’t over think it. Break it into steps, create a timeline, get going, focus & keep at it, mix it up, let it marinate, and declare a finish line, then celebrate. Step #1, get carrots.

Note: the focus & keep at it step is really important! 

Develop a timeline! No, you may never be “done,” yet you need a finish line.  Always allow additional time for unforeseen complications. Planning is good, but over planning is bad. Step #2, peel carrots!

Get going! Don’t stop and hold meetings to talk about the decision. If you must meet, meet to support the decision. Do not let people criticize the decision and tell you how they never thought it was a good idea. Step #3, shed carrots!

Focus & keep at it! In order words, commit to the decision. You came this far, so follow through. You will need to push yourself. If others are involved, you will need to spend time keeping them focused. Step #4, prepare the marinade.

Mix it up! You will need to set yourself up for success! A poor craftsman blames his tools, so get the tools you need. Weather it is a Cuisinart food processor or people you trust, utilize them. The right tools make the mix better, aid with scalability, and lead to sustainability.  And remember, investing does not always mean money. Step #5, mix!

Let it marinate! Leave it alone and walk away if you hit a challenge. Life is a blend of choices. Sometimes you need to let those choices rest. Step #6, marinate.
Declare a finish line! You can’t finish what you don’t start. Hoping and wishing are not strategies. Yes, you can definitely over plan. And don’t stop to talk about creativity or second-guess yourself. Get it done. Step #7, celebrate!

cool celebration photo coming eventually

Shredded Carrot Salad
4 large carrots
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
Marinate overnight or for at least six hours

Things, struggling, done, & mediocrity

We all struggle with getting things done. There is just so much to do. Deadlines, lets come back to those. Done, in today’s vernacular, means lots of reflection and collaboration. Then there’s timing, which differs from deadlines. Too soon, no one cares. Too late, well no one cares. And lets try to avoid the prevalent culture of mediocrity. We hand things in because the next deadline looms. If it works, well enough move on! And creativity is great just don’t get too creative.  Will Rogers quote – Inspiyr @ Creative Commons

Lets just focus on the getting it done part. If you don’t start, well that’s not good. If you do start, you probably don’t start by thinking lets create something mediocre with a lot of rules and bureaucracy. You do some research. You find a whole bunch of relevant articles and many more non-relevant way more interesting ones. Most likely, “it” turns out to be more complicated than anyone thought. So, you collaborate with more people. You hold a few more meetings. Turns out, no one really gets “it.” Possibly it’s too soon or it’s just not ready yet.  Henry Ford quote – QuotesEverlasting @ Creative Commons

Done involves choice! Choose well, things will get done. Not everything, but some things. Look for signs, read tealeaves, or even check walls for writing. Yes, retreating to the comfort of answering email is much easier. Done means continually evaluating your pitch and make choices to more forward.

Unfortunately, there’s more. You will need a hard-edged belief. You will need a drive, one that challenges mediocrity. One that continually asks, “Is value being added?” There will be difficult conversations.  And, you must possess a willingness to fail. When no one is with you, then you are probably right. Dudley Field Malone quote – madingflick @ Creative Commons

Go slow. Take you time and be resourceful.  You will need to do your homework and sell, market, and promote hard to get “it” done. Look for passion and borrow some if necessary. Deadlines loom, but useful and forward movement counts too. If it is right, it will work; else why are you on the team?

Change – Slow Boats – Willingness

Loose-leaf tea, Mandarin collars, century old eggs, congee, and tofu help me balance normality in my life. Yet, twenty years ago, I didn’t like them. I actively avoided them. And I certainly didn’t waste any time reflecting or writing about them. Life works to compliment our existence, but only when we are ready.

Images by A Girl With Tea, lynac, & Kake Pugh @ Creative Commons

Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, I saw not many of the articles above. Yes, there were Chinese restaurants, but tofu on the menu, I don’t recall. Leaves slipped from the teapot occasionally, but I would fish them out with my spoon. And Mandarin collars in the land of button downs, blue blazers, and prep ties, pleeease!

Proximity alone is not enough. I moved to Beijing two decades ago. Yet, with apologies to Dr. Seuss, I refused to eat century old eggs. If tea was served, I produced my own bag. When tofu was offered, I politely declined. I was confident in my new surroundings, just not crazy. Or so I thought.

Appreciation is key. Congee, alone is pretty boring. Cook it slow enough, add the right amount of water, set an egg in the right way, add some picked ginger, peanuts, scallions, add a dash of soy or chilli sauce, and voila, you’re in business. Yet, pleasures, likes, and vices all come from somewhere. It starts with a story here, a recommendation there, or an introduction from a friend of a friend. Rarely do we find them just waiting around for us. Appreciation plus willingness equals change, especially when the process is repeated over time.

Passion is crucial. It plays a starring role and is referenced continually. Someone shows us a way. We  talk, we learn, and we connect. To you, it’s a game of straining tea with your teeth and politely spitting. To others it’s the process. How leaves open, float and sink. What the flavor is like between pots. Or possibly it is not the tea at all, but rather the social dynamic of the undertaking. Passion with a dose of imagination brings creativity.

Risk, failure, and resilience feature prominently too. Not all century old eggs taste the same. You can’t buy a Mandarin Collar jacket off the rack. Well, not at Brooks Brothers. If you want something to work, it’s going to take energy. Visit a tailor, order a mystery dish, live on the edge and try some loose-leaf tea. Will you get it right the first time, probably not? For me, it’s always that third fitting at the tailor when you hit it big.  Yes, we possess a finite amount of energy, but what else are you going to do, with it?

I get it. Teas is for drinking, not grazing. Rice is great when fried, not as soup. And tofu’s lack of texture creeps people out. Remember it is not about you. It is about seeing greatness in small things. These small things restore normality in an ever-changing world, even if only for a short time. Change happens with or without you. So, why not enjoy the ride?