CHAPTER 12: CLOSING THE KNOWING-DOING GAP.

R. Dufour, R.Eaker, and R. Dufour (2005) Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap. in R. Dufour, R.Eaker, and R. Dufour (eds). On common ground. (ppg 224-251) Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Abstract: This is basically the closing, wrap-up chapter of the book. Now we have the knowledge about PLCs. This chapter tells us how to turn that knowledge into action. The writers realize that educators have to act on this knowledge, or they cannot expect results. There are basically ten barriers which stop us from acting to implement PLCs. The chapter outlines them, and what we can do to overcome them. The first is substituting a decision for action. When this happens, people think that a decision made by a higher up person, will cause people to act in new ways. However, this doesn't really happen. There is a different between something that is intended and something that is implemented. Educators need to implement decisions, not just intend to make a change. The second barrier is substituting mission for action. This is when schools spend a bunch of time coming up with a great mission statement, and then think the entire staff is going to automatically change the way they act to comply with the mission statement. The real mission is revealed by what people do, not what they say. They could be saying one thing, and not really doing it. In PLC schools, the educators develop shared visions to guide how they achieve their mission. The third is planning as a substitute for action. You can plan to create a learning community all you want, but if you don't commit to it and implement it goes no where. Planning needs to be done and adapted throughout the year, not when the school year begins. The fourth barrier is complexity as a barrier to action. Basically the whole idea behind this is to keep it simple. Have simple structures, simple language and simple concepts. Over complexity just limits what you can do. Big ideas and simple messages can help get the points across. The fifth barrier is mindless precedent as a barrier to action. This is when teachers take the "ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. If they are doing things one way and its "working" why should they change? This is a bad mindset that teachers need to get out of. Educators need to be challenged to think carefully about if they are really making progress or not, and how they can improve. The staff should be given information and develop their own conclusions, without making assumptions. The sixth barrier is internal competition. This is when people refuse to admit they could actually learn something from their colleagues, share knowledge, and develop skills. Leaders need to create a "Sharing culture", where teachers don't compete. To do this, leaders must shift the focus from individualism, to school wide and collaborative success. The seventh barrier is badly designed measurement. This is when systems are ineffective in evaluating progress. Badly designed measurements tell educators how they did, not what things are going right and what are going wrong. That is more important. This is basically like having on going feedback, and formative assessments. The eighth barrier is the external focus barrier. That is when people look at things that are going on outside of the organization which impede its progress. People, who don't want to act, can always find justification for inaction. Basically, people who don't want plcs will look for negative things and criticize it. Giving teachers input and having them focus on what they CAN do to improve the school, not what isn't allowing them to improve, helps them. It is kind of the glass half full approach. The ninth barrier is the focus on attitudes barrier. This is when some colleagues are not "ready" to act and are not persuaded to jump on the PLC train. No school is ever going to have 100% agreement about doing PLc's. But after implementation, action can influence attitude. Once a teacher sees the improvements, they will be more likely to change the way they viewed the plc before hand. The tenth barrier is training as a substitute for action. This means there is more time training for doing the task them doing the task. You learn more from experience than you do being told. Basically, implementing PLC's is difficult but definitely do-able. They can have huge impact on student learning and the success of a school.

Reflection:
One thing I liked about this chapter was that it basically cleared up the problems with PLC's I had been thinking about as I read the book. There definitely are some barriers that can stop the effectiveness of PLC's but the awareness of those barriers allows you to remedy them. I think the knowing-doing gap is without a doubt there. Just because a school KNOWS a ton about PLCs doesn't mean they will be effective in creating one. They need to "do". Educators need to set their excuses aside, and give the chance for improvement. If they really care about learning, then they should want improvement. I really hate the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it idea". I was glad that the chapter covered that. I could see a lot of teachers saying, well what we are doing is working, why do we have to change. It all comes down to if you want to make progress as a school or if you want to stagnate. If teachers want to continue to remain where they are and not improve, then, well, too bad. As a school and a teacher you don't want to flat line, you want to constantly improve. Not everyone is going to jump on the PLC bandwagon right off. There are a lot of teachers that have been teaching for a lot of years that might scowl at it. Instead of waiting for 100% commitment to a PLC, leaders should implement it, and then let the progress change the attitudes. Seriously, never is every single person going to agree with what a leader is doing. Someone can ALWAYS find fault. In that case, it is important to think about what’s best for the school and the students, because that is what it is all about. If a teacher can't take off his or her blinders and see the big picture, and how they can help their students, their schools, and improve their teaching, then maybe it’s about time to apply at McDonalds.