A NAFPhk Professional Development Programme – Serving Principals Needs Analysis Programme Conversations 2: Change and Strategic Thinking
Developed and Written by Allan WALKER and Terrence QUONG
with the assistance of Daniel CHAN Wing-kwong, Robin CHEUNG Man-biu, Cecilia WONG Yeuk-han and Shirley WONG She-lai
© Allan Walker, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Education and Manpower Bureau, HKSAR, 2003.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any forms or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission of the copyright holders.
For more information on the Needs Assessment for Principals (Hong Kong) [NAFPhk]
programmes, please email us at NAFPhk@fed.cuhk.edu.hk or visit
Every serving principal has heard about strategic leadership and change management. We have all been told – and we believe – that nothing is certain in schools except change.
Lets ask ourselves some change questions:
• Are my school’s resources being fully utilised?
• What networks do I have that let me know about change?
• What are my staff’s expectations? Am I seen as an agent of change?
• Is my school known as innovative? Conservative? And which do I prefer?
"If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted."
– Francis Bacon.
C ONTENTS
How To Use This Booklet 3
C
ONVERSATIONSL
EARNINGJ
OURNALC
HART4
CONVERSATION 1. FUTURE TRENDS FOR SCHOOLS
7
CONVERSATION 2. 教育決策與教育改革
8
CONVERSATION 3. LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
9
CONVERSATION 4. 教育改革的問題
10
CONVERSATION 5. PRINCIPALS AND CULTURE
11
CONVERSATION 6. 重新設計學校教育
13
CONVERSATION 7. 校園生態為何變了？
14
CONVERSATION 8. THE TRIPLIZATION PROCESS
15
CONVERSATION 9. 價值教育與香港教育改革
16
CONVERSATION 10. ACTION LEARNING AND ACTION TEAMS
17
CONVERSATION 11. LEADING SCHOOL CHANGE
18
CONVERSATION 12. BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE IN SCHOOLS
19
CONVERSATION 13. VALUES BASED STRATEGIC PLANNING:STRATEGIC THINKING
21
S
KILLSA
UDIT– A
MI
AN INNOVATIVE LEADER? 23
C
ONCLUSION24
How to Use this Booklet
* A ‘learning goal’ is something that you read in a conversation that you want to learn more about. It should be able to reflect what you want to learn about the ideas and insights that you identify from the conversations.
1. Read and Reflect
Start by reading the conversations in this booklet. These are stimulus materials chosen to make you think about various aspects of your principalship.
2. Identify Ideas and Insights
As you read each conversation identify ideas and insights that are important to you and your school. Record these ideas and insights in the chart called “Conversations Learning Journal Chart” on the next page of this booklet.
4. Transfer Learning Goals
Transfer your Learning Goals to the Leader’s Learning Journal in the SpNAP Workbook.
3. Write Learning Goals*
Think about these ideas and insights, and then turn them into Learning Goals. A learning goal is something that you read in a conversation that you want to learn more about. You do not have to record a learning goal for every conversation. Record your learning goals in your “Conversations Learning Journal Chart”.
Conversations Learning Journal Chart
The structure of the “Conversations Learning Journal Chart” is described below.
The Journal is a log or diary that records your progress through the conversations.
A sample of a “Conversations Learning Journal Chart” entry is shown below:
Complete the chart on the following page as you progress through the booklet and then transfer the Learning Goals to the Leader’s Learning Journal in the SpNAP Workbook.
Date Conversation number
Ideas and insights arising from
conversation Learning Goal 8/5/05 Conversation 6:
What are eBooks? What are eBooks and are they
cost effective? Goal: Investigate the possibility of using eBooks in my school – involve English HOD and Librarian to develop a plan. Is there a cost advantage?
Conversations Learning Journal Chart: Change & Strategic Thinking Date Conversation
Number
Ideas and Insights Arising From
Conversation Learning Goal
*Transfer your most important learning goals to the SpNAP Leader’s Learning Journal.
Conversations Learning Journal Chart: Change & Strategic Thinking Date Conversation
Number
Ideas and Insights Arising From
Conversation Learning Goal
*Transfer your most important learning goals to the SpNAP Leader’s Learning Journal.
Conversation 1. Future Trends for Schools
Schools are under pressure to totally rethink what they do and how they do it.
• Schools no longer serve as a sifter of manpower nor a provider of terminal qualifications, but the starting point of lifelong learning.
• Primary and secondary schools are no longer seen as places for narrow vocational preparation, but are responsible for student acquisition of core capacity for lifelong learning.
• Schools are no longer the major provider of information, and hence its role of feeding information will soon deteriorate.
• Schools are now given the renewed mission of student development.
• Schools lives therefore go well beyond examinable subjects, and extend to
extra-curricular and extra-campus endeavours.
• Schools will move increasingly away from
“set-menu” curriculum for students, and will play a weaker role in dictating students’
learning paths.
• Schools face pressure to liberate its structure and hence will blur the formal/informal as well as the private/public borders.
• Teachers will change from an information provider and examination facilitator to mentors of student development.
There is an obvious trend towards a new type of humanity in education. The last two decades have seen a shift of emphasis from the system to schools.
There is a further shift of attention from schools to students. The shift is not only about the level of focus, but also a shift from hard knowledge and skills towards more intangible development of capacities within the student.
If student development is accepted as a necessary focus then all other routines in schools that are less concerned about student development should be reduced to the minimum. Education should be brought back to its very fundamental mission;
education policies should concentrate on student learning; school activities should be reduced to the basics; school “management” should be brought down to the utter simplicity.
The knowledge economy and technological developments will drastically bring about a liberation of human capacities in learning. Schools and formal education in general must seek a new identification.
This is the basic task of educational reform at this time of human history.
Extracted from:
Cheng, K. M. (2000). Schools into the new millennium:
In Quest of a New Paradigm. Keynote address to International Council for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Hong Kong.
Conversation 1. Future Trends for Schools
Conversation 2: 教育決策與教育改革
教 育 改 革 要 求 教 師 改 變 其 教 育 思 維 和 教 學 習 慣 、 培 養「 新 世 紀 人 才 」， 這 是 教 育 決 策 者 的 意 願 。 對 教 師 而 言，教 育 決 策 的 首 要 問 題 是 決 策 者 在 制 定 決 策 時 未 必 有 充 分 考 慮 到 教 學 的 複 雜 性。教 育 決 策 者 希 望 教 師 能 迅 速 和 爽 朗 地 改 變，卻 沒 有 理 解 到 教 師 在 轉 變 教 學 方 法 時 ， 會 遇 到 不 少 的 質 疑 和 挑 戰 。 將 單 向 講 授 、 練 習 、 記 誦 的 教 法 改 變 為 發 現 、 綜 合 、 協 作 的 建 構 性 學 習，教 師 需 要 一 定 的 水 平 和 勇 氣，因 為 這 種 規 範 性 的 教 學 轉 變 往 往 會 讓 人 懷 疑 教 師 是 否 放 棄 讀 、 寫 、 算 等 基 本 能 力 的 培 養 ， 甚 至 會 有 人 懷 疑 教 師 在 教 學 上 是 否 盡 責 。 教 學 的 改 變 需 時 ， 然 後 才 去 嘗 試 、 去 為 「 新 法 」 辯 護 。 這 正 好 說 明 教 學 革 新 不 能 一 下 子 就 成 事。若 決 策 者 不 能 理 解 這 點，在 沒 有 充 分 考 慮 教 學 的 複 雜 性 的 情 況 下 而 勉 強 為 教 育 改 革 定 下 時 間 表，則 會 出 現 欲 速 不 達 的 情 況 。
對 教 師 而 言 ， 教 育 決 策 的 第 二 個 問 題 是 決 策 者 在 制 定 決 策 時 的 偏 頗 假 設 ， 如 教 師 的 「 不 足 」。 決 策 者 為 了 改 進 教 學 質 素 而 要 求 教 師 在 工 作 上 有 所 調 節 和 配 合，這 是 合 理 的。不 過 要 求 教 師 改 變 的 出 發 點 卻 不 應 是 教 師 的「 不 足 」。 在 香 港 ， 由 政 府 主 導 ， 對 部 分 教 師 的 重 新 評 核 便 是 這 種 偏 頗 假 設 的 引 例 。 在 過 去 ， 教 師 為 某 些 教 育 問 題 而 要 承 受 的 責 備 是 屢 見 不 鮮。現 時 的 政 策 措 施 ， 都 會 以 教 師 培 訓 配 套。這 是 一 種 負 責 任 的 政 策 實 施 的 表 現。在 這 裡 必 須 要 澄 清 的，是「 凡 改 革 ， 必 培 訓 」的 方 案 ， 是 否 能 就
解 決 教 師 在 改 革 進 行 過 程 中 所 遇 到 的 困 難 。 教 師 培 訓 的 重 點 ， 都 旨 在 讓 教 師 增 加 認 識，補 其 在 工 作 上 之「 不 足 」。 如 果 教 師 的 培 訓 只 是
「 新 知 」、「 新 法 」 的 傳 授 而 沒 有 照 顧 他 們 專 業 發 展 的 其 他 需 要，那 一 種「 不 足 的 教 學 模 式 」便 會 凌 駕 於 教 師 發 展 之 上，只 肯 定 了 教 師 的 知 識 、 技 能 及 質 素 的 不 足 ， 而 將 注 意 力 集 中 在 補 救 「 不 足 」 之 上 。
從 體 制 的 層 面 來 看 ， 教 育 決 策 的 第 三 個 問 題 是 教 育 政 策 的 實 施 問 題 。 自 90 年 代 開 始 ， 香 港 和 中 國 內 地 的 學 校 教 育 經 歷 了 一 浪 接 一 浪 的 教 育 改 革，實 行 的 改 革 措 施 實 在 很 多，但 卻 沒 有 見 到 有 系 統 的 政 策 評 估 出 現，及 向 公 眾 交 代 這 些 動 用 大 量 公 幣 的 改 革 建 議 的 實 踐 成 效。沒 有 客 觀 和 系 統 化 的 政 策 評 估，大 家 都 不 知 道 已 實 踐 的 改 革 建 議 有 多 大 的 作 用，日 後 更 無 取 棄 的 依 據 。
本文內容擇自：
盧乃桂（2001）。教育改革潮中的教師和教師
發展。【 基楚教育學報】10.2: 73-100.
Conversation 2. 教育決策與教育改革
Conversation 3. Learning in the 21st Century
The construct of ‘learning societies’ in the 21st Century has been dominated by the enormous growth in digital media. Computers, the internet and Information Communication Technology (ICT) in general is rehaping education in the 21st Century in the same way as the printing press transformed the educational organization and the process of learning in the 19th century. Spender (2002) describes the nature of lifelong learning as we change from “the old to the new”:
• From education as a right, as an established system, to learning as a commodity, where the consumer can choose (and where the learning products increasingly can be purchased).
• From education which controls entry, which regulates availability, to learning for all, to deregulation.
• From education as a qualification or credential, to learning and skilling as a lifestyle; where instead of working your way through someone else’s prepackaged information, you cherry pick from all the available courses to get the skills you need for the work you want to do.
• From education as a scheduled activity, to learning any time, any place, any pace; what ever you need for as long as you want it and you only pay for what you use.
• From taking in content (studying), to making information, doing something with the resources, creating something new – a solution, process, methodology.
• From memory testing, to the demonstration of performance; it’s not what you know (which has little value in itself) but what you can do with it – the value is not in the known but the new.
• From competitive to collaborative practices;
whereas the book, the essay and the exam have all been isolated activities, the online and networked environment allows for a much greater degree of collaboration.
Extracted from:
Spender, D. (2002). e-Learning and its future. Paper for the Conference Connecting the Future: Global summit of online knowledge networks. http://www.educationau.edu.au/
globalsummit/papers/dspender.htm, March 2002.
Conversation 3. Learning in the 21
stCentury
Conversation 4. 教育改革的問題
每 個 在 台 灣 生 活 著 的 人 都 有 一 張 自 己 的 教 育 改 革 藍 圖，街 頭 巷 尾 都 不 難 看 到 數 著 教 育「 不 是 」的 人 們。而 在 教 育 改 革 的 策 略 上 一 直 誤 將 「 病 癥 」 當 「 病 因 」， 以 「 過 程 」作 為「 目 的 」的 解 決 方 法 使 教 育 問 題 一 次 比 一 次 更 為 棘 手。而 近 年 來 還 常 因「 認 知 不 足 」或 一 些 與 教 育 無 關 的 個 人「 情 緒 」與「 政 治 立 場 」， 有 意 無 意 混 雜 在 政 策 方 案 的 推 動 、 宣 傳 與 落 實 的 隙 縫 間 ， 更 使 改 革 成 為 另 一 場 劫 數 。
教 育 的 問 題 錯 縱 複 雜 ， 其 改 革 層 面 含 蓋 文 化、價 值 與 生 活 現 實 等 問 題 ， 而 其 內 涵 或 為 意 識 形 態 ， 或 為 生 存 的 基 本 需 求。因 此 從 事 教 育 問 題 的 解 決 不 但 要 有 系 統 思 考，更 應 以 堅 實 的 教 育 哲 學 作 為 基 礎。但 是 長 久 以 來，我 們 解 決 教 育 問 題 卻 以 最 簡 單 的 思 考 邏 輯 與 世 俗 常 識 做 工 具，僅 在 表 面 的 升 學 問 題 上 不 斷 耗 盡 資 源 以 致 衍 生 更 多 的 教 育 問 題。「 九 年 國 教 」、「 自 學 方 案 」 等 幾 次 重 大 的 教 育 改 革 政 策 都 是 在 如 此 的 思 考 與 作 法 上 失 去 改 革 教 育 的 契 機 。 目 前 的「 多 元 入 學 方 案 」和「 基 本 學 力 測 驗 」似 亦 掉 入 如 此 的 邏 輯 泥 沼 中。入 學 方 式 等 技 術 性 改 革 可 以 為 解 決 教 育 的 手 段 或 過 程，卻 絕 不 能 由 此 完 成 教 育 目 標 。
「 教 育 形 式 ， 重 於 教 育 實 質 」 的 觀 念 是 目 前 問 題 的 主 要 根 源，亦 是 目 前 的 社 會 劣 質 文 化 。 所 謂 的
「 明 星 」學 校 ， 與 其 他 的 社 會 流 行 風 尚 一 樣 ， 實 質 的 意 義 並 不 多 ， 卻 令 多 數 人 頭 昏 目 眩 。 競 爭「 明 星 學 校 」， 是 盲 從 地 為 爭 得 「 面 子 」 與
名 氣。教 育 本 質 受 到 如 此 的 扭 曲 與 物 質 化 ， 自 然 有 了 大 量 的 失 敗 者 。 如 果 教 育 改 革 不 能 將 教 育 回 歸 至 其 內 涵 與 本 質 ， 而 仍 複 製 簡 單 的
「 廢 除 考 試 、 減 輕 學 生 負 擔 」的 思 考 模 式 ， 則 教 育 問 體 不 但 永 無 改 善 ， 且 將 衍 生 更 嚴 重 的 教 育 問 題 。
要 從 事 有 計 劃 的 教 育 建 設 ， 其 過 程 必 能 讓 教 師 、 家 長 、 社 會 大 眾 更 清 楚 教 育 本 質 ﹔ 了 解 求 學 的 意 義 和 價 值 ﹔ 明 白 義 務 教 育 與 選 擇 教 育 之 分 野 及 全 民 教 育 與 菁 英 教 育 之 不 同。教 育 的 問 題 一 定 要 回 到 教 育 的 本 質 ， 由 教 育 的 方 法 與 內 容 ， 有 根 本 做 起 ， 累 積 成 果 。
目 前 主 要 教 育 改 革 政 策 著 重 在 由 上 而 下 推 行 ， 缺 少 研 討 、 辯 證 與 對 話。因 此 教 育 本 質 與 內 涵 的 理 解 與 共 識 建 內 都 極 為 不 足，而 改 革 措 施 之 設 計 與 學 校 落 實 之 策 略 也 往 往 經 不 起 升 學 現 實 與 行 政 干 預 的 影 響 。 面 對 社 會 轉 型 、 國 際 競 爭，在 自 由 化 與 多 元 化 的 教 育 改 革 趨 勢 中，我 們 應 在 政 策 推 動 改 革 的 同 時 更 積 極 建 立 起 我 們 正 確、且 有 共 識 的 價 值 觀、發 展 教 育 改 革 的 中 心 思 想 與 教 育 哲 學 。
本 文 內 容 擇 自 ：
周 麗 玉 (2003)。 推 薦 序 ﹕ 五 【 誰 捉 弄 了 台 灣 教 改 ﹖ 】 台 灣 ﹕ 心 理 出 版 社 。
Conversation 4. 教育改革的問題
Conversation 5. Principals and Culture
For decades, the terms climate and ethos have been used to capture this pervasive, yet elusive, element we call "culture." Although hard to define culture is extremely powerful. This taken-for-granted aspect of schools, too often over-looked or ignored, is actually one of the most significant features of any
educational enterprise. Culture influences everything that goes on in schools: how staff dress, what they talk about, their willingness to change, the practice of instruction and the emphasis given to student and faculty learning. Culture is the underground stream of norms, values, beliefs, traditions and rituals that has built up over time as people work together, solve problems and confront challenges. This set of informal expectations and values shape how people think, feel and act in schools. This highly enduring web of influence binds the school together and makes it special.
School leaders from every level are the key to shaping school culture. Principals communicate core values in their everyday work. Teachers reinforce values in their actions and words. Parents bolster spirit when they visit school, participate in
governance and celebrate success. In the strongest schools, leadership comes from many sources.
School leaders do several important things when sculpting culture. First, they read the culture — its history and current condition. Leaders should know the deeper meanings embedded in the school before trying to reshape it. Second, leaders uncover and articulate core values, looking for those that buttress what is best for students and that support
student-centered professionalism. It is important to identify which aspects of the culture are destructive and which are constructive. Finally, leaders work to fashion a positive context, reinforcing cultural elements that are positive and modifying those that are negative and dysfunctional. Positive school cultures are never monolithic or overly conforming, but core values and shared purpose should be pervasive and deep.
What are some of the specific ways school leaders shape culture?
They communicate core values in what they say and do.
They honor and recognize those who have worked to serve the students and the purpose of the school.
They observe rituals and traditions to support the school's heart and soul.
They recognize heroes and heroines and the work these exemplars accomplish.
The eloquently speak of the deeper mission of the school.
They celebrate the accomplishments of the staff, the students and the community.
They preserve the focus on students by recounting stories of success and achievement.
Ganado Primary School in Ganado, Arizona, was once identified as one of the worst schools in the state. Now the culture is one that supports learning for its Navajo students, professional innovation for its staff and meaningful parent involvement for its community. The principal, Sigmund Boloz, and his staff regularly meet for "Curriculum Conversations"
about new instructional techniques and they discuss new books during "Teachers as Readers"
meetings. The school acclaims student
accomplishment of all types during the "Celebrating Quality Learning Awards." The building, whose architecture symbolizes the four directions of Navajo beliefs, has student work and the rugs of skilled Ganado weavers displayed everywhere.
Joyce Elementary School in Detroit, Michigan, has developed a strong, student-focused culture. The school is located in an economically depressed area, but its culture is rich with hope and support.
Over the past 20 years, Principal Leslie Brown Jr.
has worked with his staff and parents to build a
Conversation 5. Principals and Culture
place that values its students, encourages professional improvement and celebrates success.
Regular classes for parents support their interest in learning. Staff hold high expectations for
themselves and students. Joy and caring fill the hallways. A special honors ceremony with speeches, medallions for the students and time to reflect on personal achievement attracts hundreds of community members each year.
Extracted from:
Peterson, K. & Deal, T. (1998). How leaders influence the culture of schools. Educational Leadership, 56.1:28-31.
C o n v e r s a t i o n 6 . 重 新 設 計 學 校 教 育
戴 望 舒 教 授 於 重 新 設 計 學 校 教 育 (Initiating the Redesign process) 一 文 指 出 ，「 怎 樣 」 及 「 從 那 裡 著 手 」為 學 校 再 設 計 其 教 育 的 過 程 是 兩 個 最 困 難 的 步 驟。他 認 為 我 們 可 利 用「 學 校 之 需 要 評 估 」作 為 整 個 重 新 再 設 計 程 序 的 起 點 。
據 戴 望 舒 教 授 所 言 ， 要 評 估 學 校 的 需 要，第 一 步 是 要 釐 清 什 麼 是 推 動 學 校 變 革 的 動 力。這 可 助 學 校 抵 消 變 革 的 阻 力 和 弄 清 楚「 需 要 評 估 」 的 方 向 。
戴 望 舒 教 授 又 指 出 變 革 的 動 力 可 分 為「 內 在 」變 革 動 力 和「 外 在 」 變 革 動 力 兩 種 。
「 外 在 」變 革 動 力 的 項 目 一 般 包 括 ：
1. 政 府 或 教 育 部 門 頒 發 的 教 育 政 策 ： 如 課 程 改 革 、 賦 權 及 校 本 管 理 等 。
2. 政 府 教 育 奉 行 的 經 濟 政 策 。 3. 社 會 經 濟 結 構 轉 營 。
4. 適 齡 入 學 人 口 結 構 及 社 會 經 濟 的 變 動 。
5. 父 母 對 學 校 及 子 女 的 期 望 。 6. 學 校 間 的 競 爭 。
「 內 在 」變 革 動 力 的 項 目 一 般 包 括 ：
1. 學 生 的 學 業 成 績 。 2. 學 生 的 品 格 操 行 紀 錄 。 3. 教 師 教 學 的 主 動 性 。 4. 校 本 課 程 製 作 的 主 動 性 。 5. 教 師 專 業 精 神 。
6. 學 校 行 政 人 員 的 主 動 性 。 7. 委 任 教 員 作 新 的 職 能 綱 位 。
當 學 校 能 全 面 掌 握 其 「 內 在 」 與「 外 在 」的 變 革 動 力 的 時 候 ， 學 校 便 能 按 其 優 勢 與 弱 點，初 步 勾 劃 出 未 來 學 校 發 展 的 藍 圖、目 標 和 願 境。學 校 亦 可 在 評 估 需 要 的 過 程 中 逐 步 將 該 願 境 完 善 。
本 文 內 容 撮 譯 自 ：
Dimmock. C. (2000). Initiating the re-design process:
Creating the school culture. Designing the learning-centred school: A cross-cultural perspective (pp. 63-77). London:
Falmer Press.
Conversation 6. 重新設計學校教育
C o n v e r s a t i o n 7 . 校 園 生 態 為 何 變 了 ？
如 果 把 校 園 當 作 一 個 身 體 ， 校 長 這 個 主 要 帶 領 學 校 的 關 鍵 人 物 應 該 是 頭 ， 而 手 腳 、 血 管 應 是 學 校 的 行 政 組 織，至 於 身 體 裡 的 五 臟 六 腑 則 非 老 師 、 學 生 還 有 課 程 、 教 材 教 法 等 莫 屬。現 在 讓 我 們 先 看 看 頭 部 、 手 腳 和 血 管 。
台 灣 於 一 九 九 八 年 推 出 校 長 遴 選 制 度 後 ， 校 長 的 角 色 為 之 轉 變 ， 由 原 先 所 謂 企 業 的 「 總 經 理 」 變 成 員 工 的 「 工 頭 」， 許 多 校 長 可 能 因 為 每 四 年 的 遴 選 而 離 去，也 有 一 些 校 長 不 得 不 做 一 些 公 關，教 職 員 和 家 長 打 好 關 係，這 與 過 去 校 長 由 派 任 ， 比 較 能 有 為 有 所 不 為 ， 權 力 較 大 的 情 況 大 不 相 同 。
從 學 校 的 教 育 行 政 組 織 來 說 ， 由 於 引 進 家 長 會 、 教 師 會 、 教 評 會 以 及 校 務 會 議 等 一 連 串 措 施 ， 使 過 去 的 人 事 、 校 務 發 展 權 力 旁 落 到 這 些 任 務 組 織 上，教 師 參 與 校 務 成 為 新 趨 勢。校 內 教 師 會 的 存 在 更 是 台 灣 獨 特 的 制 度，因 為 世 界 上 很 少 有 國 家 在 校 內 直 接 成 立 教 師 會，這 使 原 本 是 專 業 經 理 人 而 非 資 方 代 表 的 校 長 與 教 師 會 的 關 係 ， 反 而 變 成 像 資 方 。 校 長 與 教 師 會 於 這 關 係 下 似 乎 容 易 成 為 對 立 關 係 ， 尤 其 在 校 長 職 能 轉 變 後 ， 無
論 在 校 長 遴 選 或 聘 任 新 教 師、人 事 權 的 安 排 等 產 生 很 多 問 題 。
本 文 內 容 擇 自 ：
周 祝 英 (2003) 。 校 園 生 態 為 何 變 了 ？ 【 誰 捉 弄 了 台 灣 教 改 ﹖ 】 台 灣 ﹕ 心 理 出 版 社 。
Conversation 7. 校園生態為何變了？
Conversation 8. The Triplization Process
Globalization, localization and individualization are necessary components of current educational reforms. All of these processes as a whole can be taken as a Triplization Process (i.e., triple + izations) that can be used to discuss educational reforms and formulate the new pedagogic methods and environment to implement new curriculum for students in the new millennium.
Tripl iz-at ion
Conceptions and Characteristics Preliminary Implications for Education
Globalization
Transfer, adaptation and development of values, knowledge, technology and behavioral norms across countries and societies in different parts of the world from/to a society, a community, an institution, or an individual (teacher or student):
• Global Networking
• Technological, Economic, Social, Political, Cultural and Learning Globalization
• Global Growth of Internet
• International Alliances and Competitions
• International Collaboration & Exchange
• Global Village
• Multi-cultural Integration
• International Standards and Benchmarks
To maximize the global relevance, support, intellectual resources and initiative in schooling, teaching and learning:
e.g.
• Web-site Learning
• International Visit/Immersion Program
• International Exchange Program
• Learning from Internet
• International Partnership in Teaching and Learning at group, class and individual levels
• Interactions and Sharing through Video-Conferencing across Countries, Communities, Institutions and Individuals
• Curriculum Content on Technological, Economic, Social, Political, Cultural and Learning Globalization
Localization
Transfer, adaptation, and development of related values, knowledge, technology and behavioral norms from/to the local contexts:
• Local Networking
• Technological, Economic, Social, Political, Cultural and Learning Localization
• Decentralization to the Local Site Level
• Indigenous Culture
• Community Needs and Expectations
• Local Involvement, Collaboration and Support
• Local Relevance and Legitimacy
• School-based Needs and Characteristics
• Social Norms and Ethos
To maximize the local relevance, community support and initiative in schooling, teaching and learning: e.g.
• Community Involvement
• Parental Involvement & Education
• Home-School Collaboration
• School Accountability
• School-based Management
• School-based Curriculum
• Community-related Curriculum
• Ability Grouping/ Classroom
• Curriculum Content on Technological, Economic, Social, Political, Cultural and Learning Localization
Individualization
Transfer, adaptation and development of related external values, knowledge, technology and behavioral norms to meet the individual needs and characteristics:
• Individualized Services
• Development of Human Potential in Technological, Economic, Social, Political, Cultural and Learning Aspects
• Human Initiative and Creativity
• Self-actualization
• Self-managing and Self-governing
• Special Needs
To maximize motivation, initiative and creativity in schooling, teaching and learning: e.g.
• Individualized Educational Programs
• Individualized Learning Targets, Methods and Progress Schedules
• Self Life-long Learning, Self Actualizing and Self Initiative
• Self Managing Students, Teachers and Schools
• Meeting Special Needs
• Development of Contextualized Multiple Intelligences
Extracted from:
CHENG, Y. C. (2000). Globalization, Localization and Individualization for Effective Education. Keynote paper presented to The International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Hong Kong.
Conversation 8. The Triplization Process
C o n v e r s a t i o n 9 . 價 值 教 育 與 香 港 教 育 改 革
在 我 們 這 個 科 學 時 代 裏 ， 科 學 精 神 中 的 客 觀 、 理 智 ， 以 及 只 相 信 事 實 證 驗 的 態 度 已 逐 漸 成 為 絕 大 部 分 知 識 分 子 和 學 術 界 之 準 則。社 會 學 的 研 究 強 調 價 值 中 立
(value-free)， 目 的 為 追 求 一 種 不 受 研 究 者 感 情 與 價 值 觀 牽 絆 以 達 致 客 觀 事 實 的 發 現 。
教 育 固 然 無 法 做 到 價 值 中 立 或 遠 離 價 值 。 良 好 的 教 育 ， 必 須 包 括 價 值 教 育。除 了 客 觀 的 知 識 傳 授 外 ， 德 育 、 美 育 、 體 育 和 群 育 亦 相 當 重 要。要 使 學 生 得 到 均 衡 的 的 發 展，大 家 都 認 為「 德、智、體、群 、 美 」 五 育 並 舉 是 教 育 的 理 想 。
香 港 教 育 的 失 敗 ， 固 然 是 由 於 過 往 殖 民 地 填 鴨 式 教 育 的 傳 統，以 及 教 育 的 各 種 制 度 的 流 弊 所 致。但 如 果 從 價 值 教 育 的 角 度 看，我 們 也 可 以 說 ， 香 港 教 育 的 一 個 核 心 弊 病，正 正 是 香 港 的 教 育 沒 有 恰 當 的 價 值 教 育。香 港 過 於 偏 重 知 識 的 灌 輸 ， 以 知 識 成 為 達 到 其 他 功 用 的
「 用 」的 價 值 ， 令 價 值 教 育 受 到 長 期 的 忽 視 。
在現時的教育改革中，有不少議論 強調我們不要只教授青年人知識，更重 要的是教他們能自學，使能終身學習。
這種想法固然正確，但所提倡的方法就 只能提高青少年的學習興趣。要知道要 建立他們的自學以致終身學習，與道德 教育、人生目標、價值取向的教育關係 密切，故須重視培養青少年立志。
況 且 ， 香 港 是 一 個 自 由 社 會 ， 人 人 都 強 調 多 元 價 值 的 可 貴 。 然 而，真 正 的 多 元 社 會 必 須 是 肯 定 及 容 許 不 同 種 類 的 價 值 的 存 在 與 追 求 — 必 須 是 價 值 教 育 成 功 的 社 會 。 因 此 ， 香 港 的 教 育 改 革 必 須 配 合 價 值 教 育 的 重 建 才 能 達 致 一 個 真 正 多 元 的 社 會 。
也 許 ， 很 多 人 對 香 港 教 育 問 題 的 理 解 仍 然 流 於 表 面，而 且 在 重 建 價 值 教 育 時 恐 怕 還 是 形 式 居 多。因 為 大 家 對 教 育 失 衡、教 育 失 敗 的 更 深 層 原 因 反 省 與 了 解 不 足；整 個 社 會 大 部 分 人 的 心 態 或 價 值 取 向 仍 是 知 識 技 能 、 實 用 功 能 至 上 。 而 這 種 知 識 的 、 實 用 的 、 功 利 的 價 值 取 向，卻 是 整 個 時 代 的 哲 學 與 文 化 的 病 痛 偏 蔽 所 致。因 此 在 推 行 教 育 改 革 時，我 們 必 須 對 時 代 的 哲 學 與 文 化 有 深 度 的 反 省，了 解 以 及 解 決 時 代 的 病 痛，才 可 令 教 育 的 改 革 建 基 於 更 穩 固 的 基 礎 。
本 文 內 容 擇 自 ：
劉 國 強 (1999)。【 論 價 值 教 育 與 香 港 教 育 改 革 — 一 個 建 基 於 哲 學 與 文 化 的 反 省 】 (教 育 政 策 研 討 系 列 之 二 十 四 )。香 港 ︰ 香 港 中 文 大 學 香 港 教 育 研 究 所 。
Conversation 9. 價值教育與香港教育改革
Conversation 10. Action Learning and Action Teams
Action learning describes a learning approach which takes effective action to address real work based learning and teaching challenges. The learning occurs between a group of colleagues who develop a united approach to addressing the challenges. Action learning is more than ‘learning by doing’ as it aims to develop a fresh perspective on existing knowledge and experience to apply to current challenges or issues. The need for review, reflection, rethinking and reinterpretation of this knowledge and experience is integral to the action learning process. (ANTA National Staff Development Committee: 1996)
Characteristics of effective Action Learning projects
• Address challenges identified as important by individuals, teams and the school.
• Have a plan that describes how the challenges will be addressed.
• Have well-focused actions that lead to significant and enduring improvements.
• Engage a small team of colleagues in a process where they reflect on their learning, develop fresh perspectives on existing knowledge and support and challenge each other.
• Are grounded in the reality of the school and/or classroom context.
• Use actions and strategies from the available theoretical frameworks (e.g. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, De Bono’s thinking structures) to provide a ‘learning edge’.
• Have a relatively short timeline, a beginning and an end.
• Address school and system initiatives, past and present.
Characteristics of effective action learning teams
• Are made up of staff members who work together to address identified teaching and
• learning challenges and engage in action learning.
• Engage in meaningful collaboration and systematic reflection so that ideas are transferred into practice.
• Assume collective responsibility for producing more effective learning for all students regardless of who teaches them.
• Address the tensions inherent in the personal and professional relationships within the learning team and avoid embattled positions.
• Experience three frames of support: personal, professional and structural. A sense of personal productive challenge and a balance between pressure and support characterises their work.
• Require knowledgeable, skilled and supportive principals who emphasise and model the importance of staff learning and shared leadership and act as coordinators and coaches.
Incorporating action learning into the work of the school
The process involves five actions or steps that project teams can carry out once they are committed to implementing an action learning project within a school.
1. Select a project area.
2. Identify a real work ‘vehicle’ for the project.
3. Focus the project and check its power for improving student and staff learning.
4. Take action.
5. Evaluate the project.
Extracted from:
Johnson, N. J. & Scull, J. (1999). The power of professional learning teams. Improving Schools (UK): 2 (1).
National Staff Development Committee. (1996). A guide to action learning. Australia: ANTA Publication.
Conversation 10. Action Learning and Action Teams
Conversation 11. Leading School Change
Professionals who have conducted an analysis of educational change in Thailand’s cultural context have suggested two propositions about leading change in schools. These may hold some lessons for Hong Kong principals.
1. Target formal leaders and obtain their support early in the change process. The leader’s role as a catalyst for change seems necessary, particularly in schools that are undertaking reforms that run counter to deeply-rooted cultural norms. Thus, early, firm support in school leaders seems necessary for catalyzing and sustaining the transformation of schools into ‘modern organisations’.
2. Formal leaders must use strategies that counter traditional norms of deference and bring staff concerns to the surface so they may understand and address staff resistance.
The high power distance prevalent in some Asian cultures creates an intriguing problem for change leaders. It would appear that the leaders may need to ‘disarm’ themselves of the most powerful tool at their disposal, power, in order to promote lasting change.
In the face of the principal’s power and status, some school leaders tend to show deference, forestalling the initial impulse of staff to ask important questions about the innovation. Consequently, leaders often fail to collect the concerns and questions from staff at the beginning of a change. They may come to believe that they have achieved consensus where none exists. The tendency of staff to respond with surface politeness also drives resistance underground. The result is a polite, surface compliance. This also means that managers fail to tap the most important resource they possess in the change implementation process, the knowledge of their own staff.
Resistance is a natural by-product of the change process. It is something leaders must learn to work with; not something to sweep under the rug, to bludgeon into submission or even to ‘overcome’
through argument. To successfully foster change in
organizations, leaders must learn to look for and use resistance.
Some strategies to foster staff interest and involvement in change projects include:
1. Obtain and cultivate the support of informal leaders and leverage the resources of the social network to create pressure and support for change. Principals target informal leaders in the initial implementation of the reform project and maintain close contact with them throughout. Assessing the resources of the social network of the school, in some cases the community, create support for change.
2. Use formal authority selectively to reinforce expectations and standards consistent with implementation of the innovation. Principals over time use a variety of strategies that increase pressure for implementation. They are not afraid to use the authority of external educational constituencies, the expectations of the community and peer pressure to foster change.
3. Find ways to inject fun, encourage the spirit and celebrate shared accomplishments in the workplace while maintaining accountability.
The skill of leadership lies in finding an acceptable balance between the pressure for change and group harmony.
Extracted from:
Hallinger, P. & Kantamara, P. (2000). Educational change in Thailand: opening a window onto leadership as a cultural process. School Leadership
& Management, 20(2): 189-205.
Conversation 11. Leading School Change
Conversation 12. Bringing About Change in Schools
I suggest that what educational leaders must do to overcome the natural reluctance of teachers to try new things is to develop a mix of vital factors:
Shared vision, understanding and respectful relationships are all crucial elements of a culture that fosters adult learning. This, in turn, promotes thoughtful, responsible risk-taking (educational
"R&D") and craft expertise focused on real competencies for all students. But something more is needed to transform our schools -- a different kind of engagement on the part of everyone (students, teachers, parents and the community) and a new understanding of what leadership qualities nurture such engagement.
In my experience, most American public schools are bureaucracies, not communities. Bureaucracies are often managed by leaders who rely on compliance, not commitment. Subservience to authority is valued above all else. Such an atmosphere fosters the mentality among students and teachers alike that one need do only the minimum to get by. When parents are faced with inflexible, bureaucratic schools and compliance-minded managers, they are more likely to take an advocacy or adversarial stance.
By contrast, a shared sense of community nurtures active engagement in learning and collaborative problem-solving. Both students and teachers learn more and do more when they feel a part of something important that is larger than themselves and that they have helped to create. Some of the best independent, magnet, charter and new small high schools have this characteristic. They are places in which everyone does much more than the minimum. These schools are also more effective at involving parents, community members and business partners in helping out and working with students through mentoring programs and internships. This extended community -- and the closer adult/student relationships it encourages -- is crucial. By themselves, educators cannot possibly solve the problem of motivating all students to want to achieve at high levels. To create such learning
communities requires both new structures and a very different spirit.
Structurally, school units have to be reduced in size.
Large schools need to be broken down into much smaller units within the same building -- autonomous schools-within-schools or academies in which a team of adults works with the same students (and their parents) over a longer period of time. These structures enable adults to work much more collaboratively. They also permit teachers to know students well and so better tailor learning to individual student needs and interests. As Theodore Sizer has often said, "You can't motivate a student you don't know."
The spirit of a learning community is one of shared responsibility and collaborative inquiry for both adults and students. Everyone's voice is valued.
Developing such a culture requires a leader with qualities of heart and mind that are very different from those associated with the traditional role models. To get significantly better schools for all students, good management is not enough and charisma gets in the way.
Today's successful educational leaders understand that they cannot make change alone or by edict.
They motivate groups to learn and to solve problems together by asking tough questions and naming the big problems while refusing to offer easy answers.
They are self-aware and reflective, they seek constructive criticism and freely admit their mistakes.
They are leaders who, above all, model good teaching every single day.
But there are far too few of them. Can more of our educational leaders learn to say, "I don't know?" Can they learn to trust groups to find the best solutions to the pressing challenges of "reinventing education"?
Are they willing to take risks themselves and to become learners and collaborators? The future of American public education may well depend on growing numbers of new leaders who answer these questions with a confident "Yes!" and who have the courage to act on their convictions.
Conversation 12. Bringing About Change in Schools
Five of the most common factors contributing to teachers' resistance are:
Risk Aversion
Historically, many people have entered the teaching profession because it promises a high degree of order, security and stability. As a result many educators are risk-averse by temperament, while many who thrive in the business world are risk-seekers. The educational "fads of the month"
that have swept through schools for the past 30 years have served to reinforce the beliefs of many teachers that innovations are the fleeting fancy of leaders who are here today and gone tomorrow -- and so are not to be believed.
'Craft' Expertise
Teachers' greatest sense of job satisfaction often derives from introducing just a few students to their
"craft." Teachers have claimed that asking them to give up teaching such units would be like telling them to cut out a part of what makes them unique as human beings.
Autonomy and Isolation
Risk aversion and craft pride contribute to educators' reluctance to change, but the factors limiting their capacity to change are their autonomy and isolation.
Fifty years ago, the opportunity to work alone for most of the day was considered a plus for many adults in our society. Autonomy equaled independence. Not so today. The problems and challenges in the workplaces of the 21st century are impossible to solve alone. That's one reason why teamwork is now the dominant mode of work nearly everywhere -- except in education. But teachers working alone cannot possibly solve the systemic problem of how to get more students to achieve higher standards. What do leaders need to do to create the will to learn how to improve student achievement? First, they must acknowledge that most teachers care about students and they want to make a difference. That's one important reason why many chose the profession initially. Thus the
challenge in motivating teachers is to help them understand what today's students need to know and be able to do for work and for effective citizenship and to help them learn better strategies for teaching all students.
'Buy-in' Versus Ownership
Many school leaders say they talk to teachers about how the world is different and then provide them with workshops on new teaching strategies. But what are the real messages? ‘Get kids to pass the tests, or we're in trouble . . . and here's a workshop on the new state standards to help you.’ Not exactly inspirational. Yet leaders expect "buy-in" from teachers for goals and strategies that teachers have never even discussed. Indeed, one of the biggest problems faced by leaders today is how to get
"buy-in."
It's the wrong question and the wrong answer. The question is how to create "ownership," not buy-in.
Understanding the Urgent Need for Change Why do we need change in schools? When education leaders asked this question, they often give thin and inarticulate responses. How can teachers be motivated to change if leaders cannot clearly explain why it is important?
Extracted from:
Wagner, T. (2001). Leadership for learning: An action theory of school change. Phi Delta Kappan, 82( 5):378-383.
Conversation 13. values based strategic planning
Values based strategic planning suggests that planning is founded on values. Sergiovanni’s (1995) broader conception of values-based leadership states that the specification of beliefs and
assumptions: “provides (schools) with a standard for determining what is good and bad, effective and ineffective and acceptable and unacceptable. Using a values-based approach for defining the role of the principal not only ensures that what principals decide to do meets acceptable standards, but also provides the school with a set of indicators that defines its educational and moral health”.
The same basic philosophy holds true for school-level strategic planning. Through clarifying shared values – what the school exists to achieve – schools prescribe for themselves acceptable standards and guides for decisions.
Strategic thinking
Strategic plans are of little value if the people whose lives they impact are unable to think strategically.
Strategic thinking on the part of teachers and the broader school community means that they are able to engage with the strategic intent of the school in ways that empower them to question what should be going on, what could happen and what is needed to achieve those things that are highly valued by the school. The extent of strategic thinking is usually restricted to the submission of lesson plans. In such situations, it is not surprising that teachers will be indifferent to a new strategic plan for the school, since they see it as having no relevance to their lives as classroom teachers. It may also help to explain why teachers are seen as being resistant to change;
their experience of it is as the victims of edicts from on high.
The Seven Planning Hexagons
One strategy for getting staff involved in thinking strategically is to promote the use of ‘planning hexagons’. The ‘seven planning hexagons’ are simple cognitive devices that help people to plan
activities. For example, teachers may be asked to develop a plan that would lead to improved classroom practice in the Early Childhood area of the school. The planning hexagon directs them to consider why, what, when, where, who and how they could improve what they have been doing in the context of both the structure and the culture of the classroom. In such a professional development session, the teachers are being asked to think strategically. They are to think about what they value and how it could be contained.
A useful way of providing a framework for strategic thinking is placing operational plans in seven categories:
1. what happens in our classrooms;
2. human resource management and development;
3. our management practices;
4. our community relations and client services;
5. our building and other capital resources;
6. financial resources;
7. risk management.
Schools need to have staff involved in strategic thinking that encompasses all seven areas of concern. Having staff involved in such strategic exercises paves the way for the school to undertake major strategic planning processes.
Strategic Management Tasks versus Critical Operating Tasks
Another strategy for getting staff involved in thinking strategically is to distinguish between strategic management tasks (tasks that define the uniqueness of the school) and critical operating tasks (basic tasks which must be performed by the school to ensure its existence and through which it strives to achieve its mission).
The underlying principle of this approach is that
Conversation 13. Values Based Strategic Planning: Strategic Thinking
effective schools pay equal attention to both operating and strategic tasks. This principle underpins the encouragement of strategic thinking amongst teachers.
Critical Success Factors
A third strategy for developing strategic thinking skills is the use of ‘critical success factors’. Critical success factors can be defined as those factors that provide an organization with its best opportunities for achieving its mission and for ensuring that its mission is both relevant and consistent with the needs of its clients. Isolating critical success factors can be a way of both building strategic thinking and establishing a school management system.
The main purpose of critical success factors is to provide schools with information which helps them to determine whether they have been successful.
Critical success factors can also be used to encourage teachers to think about the school’s performance in a strategic way.
Extracted from:
Quong, T., Stott, K. & Walker, A. (1998). Strategic thinking.
In Values based strategic planning (pp. 78-96). Singapore:
Pearson.
Reference:
Sergiovanni, T. (1995). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (3rd edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Skills Audit
The ‘instrument’ provided here is recommended as part of a general 360o survey instrument that you can use to gather information from your staff, parents or others about your learning needs. You might wish to use it after you have read some of the conversations.
Please rate the following items according to this rating scale:
Strongly Disagree Disagree Partly Agree Agree Strongly Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Q. 1. I respond to innovations and ideas presented by staff.
Q. 2. I am willing to cultivate staff as sources of innovation.
Q. 3. I am willing to support staff with the time and resources necessary to pursue innovation and new ideas.
Q. 4. I am committed to actively seeking ways to improve the school.
Q. 5. I am effective in getting staff involved in innovations and projects.
Q. 6. I am effective in coming up with new ideas, projects and innovations.
Q. 7. My school is innovative under my leadership.
Total Score on Ratings:
Skills Audit Am I an innovative leader?
5
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5
5
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
5
1 2 3 4
5
1 2 3 4
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed this booklet and that it has created some tensions in the form of cognitive conflict for you.
The ‘Conversations’ provided in this booklet are not conclusive. That is, they do not cover every aspect of change and strategic thinking that the serving principal might need to know.
The Conversations are merely starting points that hopefully have triggered in the reader various streams of thought. We hope that they have been catalysts for your curiosity about leadership and as such stimulated you to think about what you need to know with regards to change and strategic thinking. We hope that the ideas expressed in these Conversations will have enabled you to engage in meta-awareness of your own development needs.
At this point you should have completed your Conversations Learning Journal Chart and set some learning goals. If you have not moved them to SpNAP Workbook, you should transfer the most important to your Leadership Learning Journal now.
Core Area Strategic
Direction &
Policy Environment
Teaching, Learning &
Curriculum
Leader &
Teacher Growth
& Development
Staff &
Resource Management
Quality Assurance &
Accountability
External Communication
& Connection
1. 9 9
2. 9 9
3. 9 9
4. 9
5. 9 9
6. 9 9 9 9
7. 9 9
8. 9 9 9 9 9 9
9. 9 9
10. 9 9 9
11. 9 9
12. 9 9 9 9 9
Change & Strategic Thinking: Conversation Number
13. 9 9 9
