21st Century: Thinking Leadership-Thinking Learning-Thinking Schools
I just got Tony Wagner’s new book, “The Global Achievement Gap” (Basic Books, 2008). Tony is Co-Director of the Change Leadership Group out of Harvard School of Education. So what does he suggest as the major pathway for 21st century learning and leading? THINKING. But not just tired old logic games and tortured critical thinking, but dynamic, creative, collaborative problem-solving and decision-making. So what are the actual TOOLS for innovate, entrepreneurial thinking? And what are the tools for thinking that support effective oral and written communication, and high quality performance?
It takes a school—a whole school and systems working very consciously toward becoming a thinking community. What does it look like? Check out this interview from a school in Rochester, New York. Thinking Maps had been successfully used across the school for the students and teachers, but Marcie Roberts, principal at Norman Howard School in Rochester, NY began using Thinking Maps for leadership decision making --- and for communicating and working with the school board. The result? Marcie transformed a dull strategic plan into a dynamic change document by using the maps as tools for transforming information into action-based knowledge for her school board.
In this wide ranging interview that we have edited down to a few minutes, Marcie and two members of her leadership team share how Thinking Maps are used in their thinking and decision making. And then Marcie tells her story and shows the process in action.
Marcie doesn’t tell you in this interview, but off camera she told me that she got a standing ovation from her school board after presenting the dynamic document. Rock stars, politicians, and motivational speakers get “standing O’s”… but school directors in front of their school board?!
David Hyerle
See more leadership video clips including a conference Leadership Panel.