Inquiry Inventory - 04/13/22
Here at The Human School, a big part of what brought us together is a deep love of reading and learning. We commit, as part of our learning journey, to sharing our week’s reading with you and what influences our thinking and learning.
Each week, you will see a post with what we’re reading, a quote, and an insight from that reading that leads us to deeper thinking.
To learn more about what we are reading, please take a look at our Connection Catalog.
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret Wheatley
“I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again. Simple, honest, human conversation. Not mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, debate, or public meetings. Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well.”
I’m currently teaching a course on teacher supervision and evaluation. A part of that work is coaching and conversation. How do we turn what is typically a top-down technical process into a human-centered opportunity to learn and grow in our practice? For both teacher and supervisor.
We all can be better at conversations whether they be in the work place, at home or in the community. We all deserve to be seen, heard and valued. Yet getting to better conversations takes skill. We can’t just read about it.
But before we practice for better conversations, we have to believe that we need to and must improve those skills for better outomes––personally, professionally, locally and globally. So we can change the world, as Wheatley suggests. How might you lead better conversations?
—Randy
“Here’s what we heard, over and over again: What’s true of the vision and learning model for the kids needs to be true of the professional culture and operating norms of the adults. To help students become capable, caring, self-directed learners and creative problem-solvers, these educators believe, their schools should deliberately model those same attributes for them—in their design of learning, for sure, but also in the ways the adults work together, address problems, design systems and procedures, and engage with the community.”
A friend of mine always points out that we often expect more from our students than we expect of ourselves. How can we best support students in becoming better critical thinkers, learners, collaborators, and problem solvers? We model that for them, authentically and thoughtfully, through our work and our practice. Most of us learned by doing and mimicking what we saw and heard as children, and that same practice can still apply on a smaller scale for learners in the classroom. The more we model what these skills look like day to day, in practice and in life, the better our students will be and do those things we so desperately want them to learn.
How might we take inventory of our practices and how they align (or don’t) with what we want for our students? What might we need to learn in order to help that happen? What might we need to let go to help that happen?
—Rachel
Creative Acts for Curious People by Sarah Stein Greenberg
“Design offers methods not for a changed world, but an ever-changing one. In the face of current challenges- those here today and those yet to come- we all need ways to prepare to act even when we are uncertain. We’ll always need to find our way to our reservoir of creative abilities, and figure out how to apply those abilities to each situation.”
The subtitle of this book is “How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways” and one of the things I am always curious about is how frequently the unconventional strategy or idea is often the one that resonates with people. As our first compass point is focused on being an Objector, this text resonates. With our second compass point, Inventor, this book explodes with ideas to engage others, design together, and develop the relationships that can lead to transformation.
How might we lead more creatively and unconventionally?
—Chad
