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The Human Side of Changing Education
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The Human Side of Changing Education
How to Lead Change With Clarity, Conviction, and Courage

First Edition

Foreword by Arthur Levine



May 2018 | 152 pages | Corwin

Make change humanly possible 

Today’s schools know they must make problem solving, collaboration, self-directed learning and creativity an integral part of the school’s DNA, but they don’t always know how. 

When we ask schools to change, we are asking human beings to change. This requires special tools and a human-centered approach. In The Human Side of Changing Education, leaders will learn to make sense of their challenging change journeys and accelerate effective implementation. With this practical framework that includes human-centered tools, resources and mini case studies, readers will learn to navigate and succeed on their unique path of change. 

  • Understand why resistance is to be expected and how to get through it. 
  • Discover three different kinds of change strategies and when to use which one 
  • Learn how to use the “messy middle” of change, where real transformation happens 

Change the heart of the system by enabling the hearts and minds of those who make schools work.

"Julie Wilson is both a visionary and a pragmatist. Her book is a wonderfully clear and concise guide for leaders who seek to navigate the road to educational transformation."
Tony Wagner, Author
The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators

 "If you want to understand what it takes to create innovative and lasting change, then forge ahead with The Human Side of Changing Education, and bravely create your own hero's journey. This is a valuable guide, with practical advice and real-life examples to support you in this very complicated and challenging work."
Ann Koufman-Frederick, Chief Academic Officer
LearnLaunch Institute, MAPLE

"If everyone working in U.S. K-12 education were to read this book and put even half of its thinking into practice, we would be well on our way to a far better society. It is timely, visionary, and relentlessly practical – a rare combination. Discover what our future could look like if enough of us dare to make it happen."
Andy Calkins, Director
Next Generation Learning Challenges at EDUCAUSE

 

 

 

 

 
Foreword by Arthur Levine
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
INTRODUCTION
Becoming Agents of Our Own Learning

 
Schools That Support Human Development

 
The Core of Change Is Learning

 
Change Is a Developmental Task

 
 
Chapter 1. WHAT’S WORTH LEARNING? YOUR NORTH STAR
A Rising Tide of Consensus

 
Worthy Skill 1: Self-Directed Learning

 
Worthy Skill 2: Creativity and Innovation

 
Worthy Skill 3: Planning, Adaptability, and Agility

 
Worthy Skill 4: Strengths Awareness and Application

 
Worthy Skill 5: Self-Efficacy

 
Worthy Skill 6: Global Citizenship

 
Worthy Skill 7: Relationship Building

 
Worthy Skill 8: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

 
Key Points

 
Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
Chapter 2. HOW DO WE REDESIGN AN EXISTING SYSTEM?
The Pedagogy Needs to Reflect the Outcomes We Seek

 
Changing Pedagogy Changes Your Culture

 
Moving From the Industrial Educational Model to a Postindustrial Model

 
What Kind of Change Is It?

 
Differentiating Your Approach

 
Key Points

 
Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
Chapter 3. FIVE SUCCESS FACTORS FOR CHANGE
Success Factor 1: Sustained Leadership and a Visionary School Board

 
Success Factor 2: A Shared Vision of the Change

 
Success Factor 3: Unleashing Talent and Building Teams

 
Success Factor 4: Rethinking the Use of Time and Space

 
Success Factor 5: Overhauling the Assessment Structure of Learning and School Performance

 
Leading Transformative Change Requires Adult Development

 
From Socialized Minds to Self-Authoring Minds

 
Moving Away From the Patriarchal Model of Education

 
Key Points

 
Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
Chapter 4. LEADING YOUR ORGANIZATION THROUGH CHANGE: STRATEGIES
Success Factors in Action

 
Strategy 1: Your Learning History

 
Strategy 2: The Future: Where Would You Like to Go?

 
Strategy 3: Building Organizational Change Capacity

 
Strategy 4: Helping Others Through Change—The Power of Development

 
Strategy 5: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint—Leading Through the Uncertainty of Change

 
Strategy 6: Building Effective Teams

 
Strategy 7: It Could Be a Library or . . .

 
Strategy 8: Measuring What We Value

 
Key Points

 
Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
Chapter 5. LEADING YOURSELF THROUGH CHANGE
When You Are or Are Not in Charge

 
The Hero’s Journey

 
Stages of the Hero’s Journey

 
The Hero’s Journey of Real People Like You

 
Key Points

 
Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
CONCLUSION
Getting Clear on Your “Why” and Taking Action

 
Summary Questions for Reflection and Action

 
 
Appendix
Organizational Change Capacity Questionnaire

 
Individual Development Plan

 
The Strengths-Based Conversation

 
 
References
 
Index

Julie Wilson dares to turn common sense into an action plan. This is an urgent, important book for all educators and parents.

Seth Godin, Author
Author of Stop Stealing Dreams

A refreshing and hopeful perspective on transforming the education system to prepare students for the demands of an unpredictable, unknown, and complex future. Wilson offers tools for educators to develop the necessary habits of mind to conquer wide-scale change. 

Elise Foster, Founder and President; Co-Author
Leadership Potential Consulting; Co-Author of The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools

Julie Wilson is both a visionary and a pragmatist. Her book is a wonderfully clear and concise guide for leaders who seek to navigate the road to educational transformation.

Tony Wagner, Author
The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators

If you want to understand what it takes to create innovative and lasting change, then forge ahead with The Human Side of Changing Education, and bravely create your own hero's journey. This is a valuable guide, with practical advice and real-life examples to support you in this very complicated and challenging work.

Ann Koufman-Frederick, Chief Academic Officer
LearnLaunch Institute, MAPLE

Julie Wilson’s advice is spot on: Find your north star, embrace the process of change, and focus on the adults in your system. Every educator needs to not only read this book, but also commit to the journey of change that Wilson has thoughtfully implored us to take.  

Ken Kay, CEO; Founding President
CEO of EdLeader21; Founding President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills

If everyone working in U.S. K-12 education were to read this book and put even half of its thinking into practice, we would be well on our way to a far better society. It is timely, visionary, and relentlessly practical – a rare combination. Discover what our future could look like if enough of us dare to make it happen.

Andy Calkins, Director
Next Generation Learning Challenges at EDUCAUSE

Julie Wilson has emerged as an important thought-leader among those seeking to transform America’s outdated, industrial model of education. With this important book, she has produced an invaluable resource designed to make sense of the myriad initiatives crowding the educational landscape. Concise, thoughtful, and based on a comprehensive review of the field, this book will serve as a catalyst for your own thinking, and for your school’s transformation.

Andy Willemsen, Director
River Valley Charter School

This book is a call to action. Drawing on proven wisdom, Julie Wilson sets out a path for championing change within the education system

Michael Bungay Stanier, Author; Senior Partner
Author of The Coaching Habit and Do More Great Works; Senior Partner at Box of Crayons

At long last, Julie Wilson's thinking about how to transform school culture and teacher mindsets is now in print for the global education community to consider within their individual school innovation plans. The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning has greatly benefited from Julie's on-site workshops and we are grateful to now have Julie's wisdom for immediate reference when she is not available in-person.

Glenn Whitman, Director; Co-Author
Director of The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning; Co-Author of Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education

The desire for an evolution in education has reached a fevered pitch over the last few years. Amidst this forward momentum, Julie Wilson’s book serves as a useful pause button; a reminder that education, at its core, has been and always should be a human-centered enterprise. It is worth noting how useful it is to have someone point out something that, once a light is shone, seems so obvious. I thank Julie – and this book – for being that beacon.

Chris Jackson, Chief Communications Officer
Big Picture Learning

Sample Materials & Chapters

Sample Material


Julie Jungalwala

Julie M. Wilson is a coach and advisor to school leaders, educational institutions, and foundations whose mission is to shape the future of K-12 education. She has over 15 years experience building effective learning environments that unlock human potential and enable organizational culture to adapt and grow during times of change. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Institute for the Future of Learning, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping transform the factory model of education. Projects include working with school leadership and teacher teams to reimagine curriculum and pedagogy, researching the current state of... More About Author

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ISBN: 9781506398532
$39.95

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