Meeting Potential
I’ve been thinking a lot about (still!) about the presentation I did in November, and a panel discussion we had here at the ESD in December. The latter was on the role of principals in implementing ed tech initiatives in schools. Two district representatives shared about great programs going on in their schools in building up principals as ed tech leaders. A third panelist, however, reported a more real-life scenario. He himself is a principal, and though he has worked with technology himself for years and has been the technology planner for his district, ed tech isn?t on his to-do list. This isn?t because he isn?t deeply interested in it himself (which he most certainly is), but because it simply isn?t in his accountability set ? he gets pushed and pulled in many directions, but nobody is pushing him on technology.
I think he felt like a heretic in church, but I really appreciated what he had to say. I have listened for years to enthusiastic presenters tell us why technology will change education. Heck, I?ve been one of those presenters. Lately, however, I?ve been looking at this from the other direction. I have no doubt that we need to radically change education, and technology is both a driver and facilitator of that process. I would say that a large percentage of the people in the education profession would agree. So it doesn?t seem to be a question necessarily of convincing people; what is holding things back?
As I?ve been pondering this, I came across a self-improvement writer named Tim Gallwey, who has written books called the Inner Game series. I have found the latest book to be very insightful and useful, and I highly recommend it. I also found that he uses a simple formula for discussing his approach that I connected with right away:
Here P is for Performance, p is for potential, and i is for interference. Performance equals potential minus interference.
Now we?re talking! When we look at whether or not educational technology is impacting the performance of the student or teacher, we have to look not only at the potential of the technology, but what problems interfere with its use. All the potential in the world is wasted if you don?t understand and deal with the interference.
Most importantly, we have to recognize that most of the issues that cause interference are outside the control of the individual classroom teacher. I don’t want to see any more presentations that imply we need to change the teachers? attitudes and beliefs, since I find that often that isn?t the issue at all. To the contrary, I meet many highly motivated teachers that don’t need more enthusiasm; they need help removing barriers. They want to try new things, but there aren?t enough computers, or equipment, or preparation/training time, or clear guidance on how to integrate into their instruction. Even more importantly, for many teachers the P for Performance their principal or district is measuring doesn?t include technology, but instead is focused soley on content performance by their students. Unless we can demonstrate that technology is helping with that kind of performance, technology instead will be perceived as an interference in itself, detracting from the potential of the teacher and students. Sadly, I’m sure many already do perceive it that way!