Schools That Deliver by Martin William C. & Edwards John

Author:Martin, William C. & Edwards, John [Martin, William C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2016-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

Action Learning

Both of us were taught early in our lives that learning is not a spectator sport. We knew that to really learn we had to get off our backsides and do something. My life as a child outside school in Australia was filled with action, learning by doing. This was a strong part of our culture. In the United States, Bill developed a similar love of the outdoors and sport as places to chew into life and learn through direct experience. Both cultures highly respect delivery.

My research inside classrooms and inside business and industry reinforces this concept. The “doers” stand out from the “talkers.” They earn respect. Students warm to teachers who deliver, just as workers respond to bosses who deliver. As I watched Bill lead, I saw that his staff paid close attention to the way he lived his leadership, his walk . Some confided in me at the pub that they did not particularly agree with Bill on many things, but they all told me that they respected him. “You get a handshake agreement from Bill and you can bank your life on it.”

His parent body shared with me: “You never want to talk with Mr. Martin at the gas station; he never stops talking about that vision!”

When their working-class Detroit school won their Blue Ribbon Award (Toporek, 1999); they all wanted to talk about that vision (see Figure 4.1 ).

Figure 4.1 When a Shared Vision Is Delivered

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