Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

#11 of 60: How is human-centered leadership different from the dominant way schools are led today? 🤔🤔🤔

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In an earlier post, the question of first principles of learning was posed:

What are the principles of learning on which we can build human-centered systems and organizations?

A number of years ago, my colleague Lynn Fuini Hetten and I asked a related question regarding leadership:

If the transformation of education requires a paradigm shift accompanied by new learner-centered mindsets, how might leadership intentionally support the shift?

After over 50 published episodes of conversations with learner-centered leaders and learners on the Shift Your Paradigm podcast, we discovered some interesting themes:

Learner-centered leaders…

  • Reframe transformation by distinguishing shifts in learner agency and the role of the teacher in learner-centered environments;
  • Support the development of resources, people, and conditions for transformation. This is done by providing powerful learning opportunities to develop mindsets and skillsets, creating risk-friendly environments, and unlocking time to maximize opportunities;
  • Prioritize a culture of deep relationships. Relationships are central to learner-centered education. Without a deep connection to the learner—both young and adult—there can’t be “learner-centered” anything; and
  • Prioritize learner voice. To be learner-centered means to start with the learner, prioritizing their voice throughout the learning process. In the many stories we’ve heard over the past two years, leaders accomplish this by first believing in their learners.

Lynn and I have shared our findings more deeply in a series of articles originally published as part of Education Reimagined’s magazine Voyager.

There is so much richness in the episodes, and this has been a transformational inquiry for us!

—–

âť“ Provocation:

As we explore first principles of leadership, which ideas resonate with you? Are there any stories you can share of leaders who thought, felt or acted differently in pursuit of learner-centered or human-centered education?

đź’Ž Resource:

Shift Your Paradigm podcast

🧠 Mindset:

Radical open-mindedness

đź’ˇ Area:

Leadership

📣 Drop your thoughts in the comments, or in the Facebook group, and feel free to share resources. 🔥🔥🔥

Randy Ziegenfuss
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