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What Does it Mean To Be A Change Leader In Education?


This is a terrific question, Eric. I'm shootin' from the hip with my answer. It's tough to answer in 140 characters or less, so here's my long-form answer. I will start by breaking this concept into bite-size pieces. 

  • Change - Not just for change sake, change leaders in education acknowledge there's always room for improvement. Advances in science and technology have driven change in many professions, just ask any dentist, doctor, journalist, farmer, or automobile mechanic. Change leaders see things for what they can be, not just what they are. This vision comes from reading, writing, discussing, and most importantly, learning.
  • Leader - The leader gets others to see and act upon this vision of change. They lead by example, taking risks, and sharing their learning transparently. Leadership is seldom a smooth path. Resistance, doubt, and jealously can derail good intention. A "growth mindset" can help turn negativity into fuel for change.
Instead of describing change leaders in education, I would do better to share a few examples of people from my personal learning network who are widely considered change leaders in education.

 Will Richardson, Alan November, Tom Whitby, Dr. Jackie Gerstein, Eric Sheninger, Todd Whitaker, George Couros, Steve Wheeler, Alice Keeler, Silvia Tolisano, Aaron Davis, Stewart Hase, A. J. Juliani, Audrey Watters, Alfie Kohn, and so many others that I will think of after sharing this post. 

Thank you, Eric, for sparking this conversation. I am interested in reading what people have to say about this. BTW, I also consider you a change leader in education! Enough said, for now.

 How would you answer this interesting question - "What does it mean to be a change leader in education?"

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Location: Chicago, IL, USA

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