The Power of Reflection and Conversations

I have always shared with new administrators the importance of solving problems through conversations. I have also strongly encouraged administrators to find time to reflect on their daily work. In my latest new job as an interim principal in a small eastern Los Angeles County district, I have found that there is real value and real opportunity for greater learning when conversations and reflections are combined. I have not really done this in the past, but in my new position, I am working with two outstanding administrators who are willing learners, and want very much to better prepare themselves to become principals.

I have decided that the best way that I can provide assistance to both of these fine people is to think out loud with them, and then hold conversations with them around my thinking. They tell me that this is very helpful, and I am finding it very helpful to me, as well.

I have always worked under the premise that no one person has answers to every educational question or issue that arises at a school site, so only through a series of conversations can a group of people come to a possible and reasonable solution to the question that is presented. Through conversations, you can also build common vision (which I have written about in a previous post)and develop a common ownership for the decision. This common ownership will allow for the greatest chance for success.

Reflecting out loud really causes me to think more deeply about my decisions, my vision through which I filter my thinking , and provides me with deeper learning at the same time. The conversations that the three of us hold either deepens my belief in what I am thinking or causes me to rethink some of the decisions that I may or have made in the past.

This process has helped me to focus my professional development leadership for the staff of this school. In my first effort to lead the staff through professional development, I rolled out my overarching beliefs about the education of all students. The second professional development focused on the intersection of the instructional practice and the value of personalization in order to help raise the academic achievement for every child. In the development of this second professional development, the three of us came to the inclusion that we should include the staff in the discussions and we did more than had usually happened in the past. Now we are continuing our planning and moving toward the importance and value of understanding and teaching the 21st Century Skills. The assistant principals and I work together on this very closely, and now they lead the professional development, and I try my best to provide feedback. We also ask the staff to reflect on what they have heard and to commit to how they can use what was presented at this time.

Professional development is now deeper for everyone on this campus. With enough focus and time, I do believe that reflection and conversations will help the staff at this school, and lead to continuing the academic achievement gains that have been going on for the last five years.

Have you had any experiences around the power of combining reflection and converations that would help us all to grow? I look forward to hearing from you.