Transforming Thinking. Rob Darrow ([email protected]). Nov 2006. Transforming Thinking Rob Darrow...

Transforming Thinking. Rob Darrow ([email protected]). Nov 2006.

Transforming ThinkingTransforming Thinking

Rob DarrowRob Darrow

NYSAIS ConferenceNYSAIS Conference

November 2006November 2006


Yogi BerraYogi Berra

"It's tough to "It's tough to make predictions, make predictions, especially about especially about the future." the future."

But we can think about the past…


Transformation – Transformation – It’s all how you look at itIt’s all how you look at it


What do you see?


This famous perceptual illusion in which the brain switches between seeing a young girl and an old woman (or "wife" and "mother in law"). This anonymous German postcard from 1888 depicts the image in its earliest known form, For many years, the creator of this figure was thought to be British cartoonist W. E. Hill, who published it in 1915 in Puck humor magazine, an American magazine inspired by the British magazine Punch.

Another Version


What do you see?


Where do the stairs begin?


TransformTransform

Definition: Definition: to undergo a change in form, to undergo a change in form, appearance, nature or appearance, nature or charactercharacter


Technology and TeachersTechnology and Teachers

Transforming from….Transforming from…. Agrarian, assembly line Agrarian, assembly line

mentality (left brain) to…mentality (left brain) to… DigitalDigital, , hyperlinkedhyperlinked world world

(right brain)(right brain)



“Let me teach you how to integrate technology with your students.”

It’s about transforming thinking to use technology, the Web, podcasting, etc.



Difficult to force another person to transform – it is a personal decision

It’s about transforming thinking to use technology, the Web,

podcasting, etc.

but you can ‘salt their oats’


Transforming Thinking

Transforming Activities of Teachers

Transforming Activities for Students


What are transformational What are transformational eventsevents in education? in education?

(accidental – it just changed)(accidental – it just changed)

Paper/Pencil – ComputerPaper/Pencil – Computer Floppy Disk – Flash DriveFloppy Disk – Flash Drive Others?Others?


What are transformational What are transformational activitiesactivities??

(intentional – a decision to change)(intentional – a decision to change)

Things that Things that causecause people people to think and do things to think and do things differentlydifferently– A bookA book– An interactionAn interaction– Others? Others?

My transformation


Major Transformation Major Transformation Caused by Technology Caused by Technology

and Digital Nativesand Digital Natives


Growing Up Digital Growing Up Digital (Tapscott,1998)(Tapscott,1998)

The Net-Generation is here (N-Gen)The Net-Generation is here (N-Gen)– Eighty-eight million offspring ages 0-20Eighty-eight million offspring ages 0-20– First to grow up surrounded by digital mediaFirst to grow up surrounded by digital media

TVTV is is controlledcontrolled by adults. Kids are passive by adults. Kids are passive observers. observers.

In contrast, on the In contrast, on the NetNet, the , the users (kids)users (kids) control control much of their world much of their world – They do not just observe, they participate.They do not just observe, they participate.– Web 2.0 to the max!Web 2.0 to the max!


Growing Up DigitalGrowing Up Digital N-Gen LearningN-Gen Learning

Opportunity to Opportunity to shift (transform)shift (transform) to a to a new, more powerful, new, more powerful,

and effective and effective learning paradigm….learning paradigm….


Growing Up DigitalGrowing Up Digital (1998) (1998) N-Gen LearningN-Gen Learning

Linear sequential to Linear sequential to hypermediahypermedia Instruction to Instruction to construction/discoveryconstruction/discovery Teacher-centered to Teacher-centered to learner-centeredlearner-centered School as torture to School as torture to school as funschool as fun Teacher as transmitter to Teacher as transmitter to

teacher as facilitatorteacher as facilitator

Paradigm shift from...


Contrast this with Contrast this with A Whole New MindA Whole New Mind

PINK (2005)PINK (2005) DesignDesign StoryStory SymphonySymphony EmpathyEmpathy PlayPlay MeaningMeaning

TAPSCOTT (1998)TAPSCOTT (1998) construction/ construction/

discovery discovery hypermediahypermedia learner-centeredlearner-centered school as funschool as fun teacher as facilitatorteacher as facilitator


What are your personal What are your personal transformations in tech? transformations in tech?

Your “Your “personal transformationpersonal transformation” in ” in technology??technology??


What leads to transforming What leads to transforming teacher thinking?teacher thinking?

** ** Intentional Institutional VisionIntentional Institutional Vision ****

Curriculum/Standard ChangesCurriculum/Standard Changes New TechnologiesNew Technologies Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development Other?Other?


Professional Development Professional Development LevelsLevels

PersonalPersonal Peer to peerPeer to peer TrainingsTrainings ConferencesConferences CoursesCourses


Professional Development Professional Development LevelsLevels

““Change occurs most when the Change occurs most when the professional development occurs professional development occurs closest to the teacher’s closest to the teacher’s classroom.”classroom.”

Linda Darling-HammondLinda Darling-HammondStanford University Professor of EducationStanford University Professor of Education


Successful PD features:Successful PD features:

experiential, engaging teachers in concrete experiential, engaging teachers in concrete tasks of teaching, assessment, and tasks of teaching, assessment, and observationobservation

grounded in participants' questions, inquiry, grounded in participants' questions, inquiry, and experimentation as well as profession-and experimentation as well as profession-wide researchwide research

collaborative, involving a sharing of collaborative, involving a sharing of knowledge among educatorsknowledge among educators

Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin 1995


Successful PD features:Successful PD features:

connected to and derived from teachers' connected to and derived from teachers' work with their students, subject matter and work with their students, subject matter and teaching methodsteaching methods

sustained and intensive, supported by sustained and intensive, supported by modeling, coaching, and problem solving modeling, coaching, and problem solving around specific problems of practicearound specific problems of practice

connected to other aspects of school connected to other aspects of school changechange



PD and Transforming of PD and Transforming of Teachers Teachers Questions to AskQuestions to Ask

Does it reduce the isolation of teachers, (or Does it reduce the isolation of teachers, (or does it perpetuate the experience of working does it perpetuate the experience of working alone)? alone)?

Does it encourage teachers to assume the Does it encourage teachers to assume the role of learner, (or does it reward traditional role of learner, (or does it reward traditional "teacher as expert" approaches to "teacher as expert" approaches to teacher/student relations)? teacher/student relations)?




Does it provide opportunities for everyone Does it provide opportunities for everyone involved with schools to understand new involved with schools to understand new visions of teaching and learning, (or does it visions of teaching and learning, (or does it focus only on teachers)? focus only on teachers)?

Does it provide a rich, diverse menu of Does it provide a rich, diverse menu of opportunities for teachers to learn, (or does opportunities for teachers to learn, (or does it focus primarily on episodic, narrow it focus primarily on episodic, narrow "training" activities)? "training" activities)?




Does it establish an environment of Does it establish an environment of professional trust and encourage problem professional trust and encourage problem solving, (or does it exacerbate the risks solving, (or does it exacerbate the risks involved in serious reflection and change involved in serious reflection and change and thus encourage problem hiding)? and thus encourage problem hiding)?




Does it make possible the restructuring of time, Does it make possible the restructuring of time, space, and scale within schools, (or does it expect space, and scale within schools, (or does it expect new forms of teaching and learning to emerge new forms of teaching and learning to emerge within conventional structures)? within conventional structures)?

Does it focus on learner-centered outcomes that Does it focus on learner-centered outcomes that give priority to learning "how" and "why", (or does give priority to learning "how" and "why", (or does it emphasize the memorization of facts and the it emphasize the memorization of facts and the acquisition of role skills)?acquisition of role skills)?



Linda Darling-HammondLinda Darling-Hammond

““No matter how innovative or progressive No matter how innovative or progressive the professional development activities, the professional development activities, none will succeed in changing teaching and none will succeed in changing teaching and learning if the policies of the school, district, learning if the policies of the school, district, and state fail to support or promote the and state fail to support or promote the kinds of changes needed to support the kinds of changes needed to support the achievement of higher standardsachievement of higher standards.”.”

Can’t change if there isn’t institutional support.Can’t change if there isn’t institutional support.


Jerome BrunerJerome BrunerFour Crucial Ideas for fosteringFour Crucial Ideas for fostering

a “Community of Learning”a “Community of Learning”

AgencyAgency: taking more control of our own mental : taking more control of our own mental activity. activity.

ReflectionReflection: making what you learn make sense,: making what you learn make sense, CollaborationCollaboration:: sharing the resources of the mix of sharing the resources of the mix of

human beings involved in teaching and human beings involved in teaching and learning. learning.

CultureCulture: - the way of life and thought that we : - the way of life and thought that we construct and negotiate and createconstruct and negotiate and create


Accidental vs. Intentional Accidental vs. Intentional TransformationTransformation

ACCIDENTALACCIDENTAL– Do my job, others will Do my job, others will

learnlearn– Model for others and Model for others and

maybe they will changemaybe they will change– Internet changesInternet changes

INTENTIONALINTENTIONAL– Write down your ideas Write down your ideas

to share (articles, blog) to share (articles, blog) about common topic of about common topic of interestinterest

– Organize groups/study Organize groups/study groups/book groups to groups/book groups to focus on one topicfocus on one topic

Identify when there have been accidental and/or intentional change in your school.


What do you want to transform What do you want to transform in your school?in your school?

What can you do to make this occur?What can you do to make this occur?


Transformational ThoughtsTransformational Thoughts

““There is a time to let things happen, and There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen.“a time to make things happen.“



"Circumstance does not make the man. "Circumstance does not make the man. Circumstance reveals man to himself."Circumstance reveals man to himself."—Emerson —Emerson



"Imagination is the beginning of creation. "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you imagine and at last you create what you will."what you will."—George Bernard Shaw—George Bernard Shaw



"Energy is the essence of life. Every day "Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going to use it by you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus."focus."——Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey


Richard McGinnRichard McGinn

““One of the key qualities that any CEO (or One of the key qualities that any CEO (or successful person) needs is a successful person) needs is a willingness to stretch yourself and go willingness to stretch yourself and go after goals that others think are too after goals that others think are too visionary, too hard, or too ambitious to visionary, too hard, or too ambitious to accomplishaccomplish.”.”

Richard A. McGinn. Chairman and CEO, Lucent Technologies. 2000Richard A. McGinn. Chairman and CEO, Lucent Technologies. 2000


A Whole New MindA Whole New Mind

DesignDesign StoryStory SymphonySymphony EmpathyEmpathy PlayPlay MeaningMeaning


Contact InformationContact Information

Rob DarrowRob Darrow Coordinator, Library ServicesCoordinator, Library Services Clovis Unified, Clovis, CAClovis Unified, Clovis, CA [email protected]@cusd.com


Comments, Questions?Comments, Questions?

Transforming Thinking. Rob Darrow ([email protected]). Nov 2006. Transforming Thinking Rob Darrow...

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