I’ve been reading a very interesting book recently: Leading Adult Learning: Supporting Adult Development in Our Schools by Eleanor Drago-Severson (Corwin-NSDC, 2009). She builds on the work of Robert Kegan at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He’s especially interested in the behavioral changes associated with adult learning.
Drago-Severson describes four key pillars of learning: teaming, providing adults with leadership roles, engaging in collective inquiry, and modeling. She also extends Kegan’s thinking on Constructive-Development Theory. Her book is a great resource, but a bit challenging to read.
Today, I was reading more about her first learning pillar: teaming. In that chapter, she reminds her readers of Roland Barth’s four common ways of interpersonal interaction among adults. Barth describes them this way:
1. Parallel play — a school where teachers and the principals work in isolation and whose “territories are the classroom” (or for the principal, his/her school).
2. Adversarial relationships — Centered around competition, with winners and losers, where sharing of individual knowledge and skills is not valued.
3. Congenial relationships — The culture is “friendly and positive,” but it does not necessarily result in improved learning or teacher growth.
4. Collegial relationships — Barth contends there are four aspects to shifting from congenial relationships to collegial:
- talk about practice (e.g. curriculum, team teaching, assessments);
- share craft knowledge (what works, what doesn’t)
- observe one another (including follow-up conversations and feedback); and
- help one another
In other words, schools that consistently serve their students — and teachers — well, are places that actively promote a culture of respect, learning and sharing. They build on strengths rather than inciting competition or opening the way to tearing each other down.
Drago-Severson also cites 5 “essential features that enable teams to harness energy and capitalize on learning” —
• Using questions to promote inquiry
• Creating time for collaboration
• Providing timely and relevant data for analysis
• Providing tools for using data and protocols for analysis
• Planning membership and crafting roles
What are you doing in your school/district to create or strengthen a strong collegial culture? What tips do you have for colleagues who are working toward this goal?
