Factory Model for PD?
Most of us in education learned that public schools in the 1920s and 1930s were organized using the factory model. It made sense at that time. Students who graduated or dropped out would be employed in factories where they would repeatedly perform one task throughout their shift. Employees were expected to follow the instructions of their supervisor. Their good ideas were not welcome. In fact, there is a cartoon in most history of education textbooks with the caption, “Just leave your brain at the factory door.”
To prepare students for that future, desks were arranged in orderly rows. Lessons were one-size-fits-all. Teachers stood in the front and children obediently followed directions. Tests were regurgitation of information from teachers and textbooks. Students were rarely given opportunities to collaborate on projects or build independent thinking skills. After all, the purpose of schooling was to prepare these students to become compliant factory workers.
We’ve come so far, although I still sometimes visit classrooms that look and feel like factories.
As technology, automation, and robotics have replaced so many mundane jobs, employers have shifted the expectations for our graduates. Employer groups contributed to the 21st Century Skills that many schools now embed in their Portrait of a Graduate. Schools have shifted to include higher order thinking, problem solving, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills into their curricula.
Engagement!
Our best teachers structure their classes with problems to solve, with opportunities to collaborate, with multiple access points for learning, and with personalized feedback tailored to each student’s learning journey.
We’re excited to see sparks of creativity in our Joyful Inclusion Schools when teachers use flexible grouping based on formative data. Their enthusiasm is contagious when they discover strategies that promote engagement and student-driven learning.
But how about our professional learning sessions? Too often, they still look like the factory model where teachers passively listen to a speaker. When do teachers get to uncover their preconceived assumptions, feelings, and beliefs underneath their resistance to change?
Today’s professional development should be both transformational (shifting worldviews, beliefs, and expectations) AND transactional (learning new instructional strategies). Our Joyful Inclusion Team keeps confirming the research -- simply sharing new teaching approaches will not create irreversible change in how teachers implement inclusion. Teachers need opportunities to self-reflect and dig deep into unconsciously held assumptions. That’s why we’ve organized our Joyful Inclusion professional development packages into monthly video modules with facilitator guides and on-site coaching.
The key to big change is principal endorsement and expectations. That’s the focus of our newest offering. Our Joyful Inclusion Principal Accelerator is designed to equip principals with background knowledge, new insights, and useful tools so they’ll be ready to lead inclusion in their schools. The Fall 2024 cohort is starting soon! Click the button below to learn more.
