As the factory model of schools disintegrate, the landscape of school communication, growth and potential changes. How does this change affect professional conversation, work and questions? Also, the ready access to information, social media and email creates a "wild west" of sorts when it comes to communication. What protocols lead our work as we navigate the old, new and upcoming communication paths? I believe that schools profit from idea share and dynamic conversation, but I also realize that both idea sharing and conversation can become easily tangled today without guiding protocols and direction. Hence, as an educator on this new horizon, I am left with the following questions.
1. If I'm on the front line, and I have a problem or see room for growth and change, what is the best channel to communicate that information?
2. If I communicate to one person, it's possible that person may dismiss or not read my thoughts and ideas, but if I communicate to two or more people it's more likely that the idea will be read, considered and possibly further shared. Hence, who and how many do we share ideas with? This is particularly important if you have multiple leaders.
3. Do we accept the decisions of leadership even if we know of research, experience or data that challenge those decisions? And if we do challenge ideas, what is the best way to do that? Are challenges welcome?
4. As members of world-wide PLNs, many educators share their ideas online? What are the organization's attitudes, guiding protocols and response to that sharing?
5. In this age of communication excess, many simply do not answer emails or respond to requests? I have learned this is common. What are the expectations with regard to response?
6. Changing schools have led to changing leadership? How do the leaders in your organization intersect, and what are the specific roles and responsibilities of the leaders? A process of introducing and clarifying roles will help all when it comes to sharing ideas and working effectively.
The "factory model" is crumbling, and it's very important that we foster dynamic conversation and establish protocols as we move from schools of old to learning communities of today. This is a wonderful change, and one we need to embrace with changing structures, attitudes and communication.
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