Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

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A silver lining

By Randy Ziegenfuss

A silver lining

Throughout all sectors of society, including education, we are feeling, in 2022, the tensions between two worldviews. One worldview is systems-centered, emphasizing order, standardization and hierarchy; ambiguity is the enemy. Another worldview is human-centered, emphasizing the individual as part of the whole; ambiguity is expected. I wonder how the work our journey toward transforming education […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Is our use of tech working against us? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Is our use of tech working against us? 🤔

Yesterday’s post was about focusing on the human. Today, I’m wondering how our use of tech in schooling is working against our human focus. The question was sparked by this article in the MIT Technology Review: Eliminating the Human The author, David Byrne, isn’t specifically talking about education, but about life in general. While technology […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

What’s NOT going to change in the next 10 years? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

What’s NOT going to change in the next 10 years? 🤔

I texted a couple of friends this quote from Jeff Bezos yesterday… “I very frequently get the question: “What’s going to change in the next 10 years?” That’s a very interesting question. I almost never get the question: “What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?” And I submit to you that that […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Is it time to rethink how we frame “curriculum”? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Is it time to rethink how we frame “curriculum”? 🤔

We can all agree that we are in the midst of exponential change, largely driven by technological innovations. Check out this short video on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to get a sense of the change we are dealing with. Some further evidence… …how rapidly vaccines were recently available, significantly exceeding expectations. …how we can connect […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Have we focused too obsessively on individuality? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Have we focused too obsessively on individuality? 🤔

Our reading group is currently reading Thrive: The Purpose of Schools in a Changing World. The authors propose that a new technologically advanced planet needs a new purpose of schooling and that it should be… …thriving in a transforming world. (Yes…we haven’t seen anything yet.) And with a transforming world comes challenges that can only […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Are we missing this key voice in the transformation conversation? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Are we missing this key voice in the transformation conversation? 🤔

I have mixed thoughts about the World Economic Forum…I love some of their stuff, and then there is some that kind of falls short with a too narrow focus.  That narrow focus of the economic/jobs context. BUT… …they recently released a number of resources on what young people see as the challenges facing society, government […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

The Human Library

By Randy Ziegenfuss

The Human Library

The pairing of those words piqued my curiosity. I suppose in some sense we are a library..a collection of life experiences…. Unique experiences that make us the individuals we are… And also shared experiences that make us part of identity groups, communities, nations….humanity. I pursued my curiosity about the Human Library and watched this short […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Does power have to be a zero-sum game in our schools?

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Does power have to be a zero-sum game in our schools?

The role of teacher is no longer to disseminate knowledge to passive learners.  An alternate way for the teacher might be to co-design memorable experiences that acknowledge the identities, experiences, knowledge and wisdom each person brings to growing in the learning environment. The role of leaders is no longer to dictate a vision and command […]

Filed Under: Leadership, Learning

Outcome-driven learning? Curiosity-driven learning? Or somewhere between the two? 🤔

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Outcome-driven learning? Curiosity-driven learning? Or somewhere between the two? 🤔

One of the challenges of the current standards-based system of K-12 education is that as educators we feel we need to approach the design of learning with highly scripted opportunities. In the extreme, it’s right there in the textbook… …”hook” the class by asking the following question…. …then deliver this direct instruction…. …then use these […]

Filed Under: Learning, Teaching

Preparing graduates for the future? Focus on these…

By Randy Ziegenfuss

Preparing graduates for the future? Focus on these…

One of the ways that schools and districts are exercising a future-focused mindset is to develop a Portrait of a Graduate. (If you are interested in this work, check out the https://portraitofagraduate.org site for resources and see lots of quality examples from around the country.) In the process of developing a Profile, the question being […]

Filed Under: futurelearning, Leadership, Resources

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About Working At The Edge:

My name is Randy Ziegenfuss, and I'm a retired public school superintendent and a life-long educator with over 34 years experience developing a passion for teaching, learning, leadership and technology. <read more...>

I first came across the phrase working at the edge while learning about the work of Marzano, et al. School Leadership That Works: From Research to Results. In this work, the researchers define 21 responsibilities of the school leader, one being change agent. A change agent is defined as one who is, "...willing to challenge school practices that have been in place for a long time and promoting the value of working at the edge of one's competence."

Randy Ziegenfuss, Ed.D.

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