Making Change Possible

October 24, 2014
Issue #327

Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of some of my favorite books, such as Blink, Brain Matters, and Outliers, was a recent speaker at the World Business Forum. There, Gladwell talked about what it takes to transform a business or even the world. "What are the preconditions that make that kind of change possible?" he queried.

Gladwell said that change and transformation are often derailed by talk about the importance of technology, knowledge and resources, and the kind of money needed to make big changes happen. But he believes we leave out a crucial component to making a change or transformation: "We don't talk about frame of mind—attitude. The kinds of attitudes that lie behind provocateurs.”

I began to wonder, Can that frame of mind and attitude also be the component we need in our own classrooms and schools to make transformation possible?

I recently visited a school in Central America, where as an outsider looking in, I was keenly aware of the windowless buildings constructed of wood and cardboard, with scraps of linoleum and dirt for floors. Class sizes ranged between 28 and 32 children in tiny rooms, with students seemingly sitting shoulder to shoulder in the sweltering heat and humidity. There was no play structure outside, and there were no computers inside. There weren't even any overhead projectors in the classrooms. The children who attend this school are from families that are unable to afford the tuition for a private school.

I was escorted through the classrooms by a mother of two young children who are students at the school. The immense pride in her voice as we toured the school was palpable. She explained that it is the only public school in the region, that it does not receive any funding from the local government, and that it runs totally on donations and funds raised by the families. Over the past few years, the parents have joined forces with the teachers and administrators to make what she declared to be fundamental changes, which included procurement of a new building and, perhaps most important, raising money for books and teacher training. She went on to say that in the past three years their school of 860 students had won awards for high levels of student achievement. 

When asked how they had made changes that resulted in such positive outcomes, she explained that they had set a goal, put their minds to it, and worked together tirelessly on behalf of the much-deserving students.  Never once did she talk about the seemingly insurmountable hurdles that needed to be overcome: the incredibly high levels of poverty or the shortage of resources.

At that very moment, I realized that the school’s frame of mind and can-do attitude was exactly what Malcolm Gladwell spoke of: the precondition that we often don’t talk about when we consider making fundamental changes. As we are all looking to make changes in our own classrooms and schools, perhaps Gladwell's teachings and the experience of this Central American school can help inspire the transformation. How can my attitude or frame of mind positively influence changes in my classroom or school?

                                                           

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Professional Development Opportunities

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The 2015 Workshop schedule is available. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two covers all things CAFE. Sign up early to reserve your spot.

Location	Dates
Chicago, IL Westin North Shore	April 18, 19
Charlotte, NC Westin Charlotte	June 6, 7
Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano	June 25, 26
Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America	August 29, 30
Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth	September 19, 20
Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas	November 14, 15

 

Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses.