Create Your Own Context

[Matt]

One of the most fascinating studies conducted by Langer is the "Counterclockwise" experiment, described in Chapter 6: Mindful Aging, The researchers place several older males in a home that resembles their lives from 20 years ago (when they were in their mid-50s). The music, the pictures, the magazines, the decorations, even the way the men spoke to each other resided in the idea that they were living in the 1950s instead of 1981, the time when the study took place.

The effects were astounding. As a New York Times Magazine article described last year, "On several measures, they outperformed a control group that came earlier to the monastery but didn’t imagine themselves back into the skin of their younger selves, though they were encouraged to reminisce. They were suppler, showed greater manual dexterity and sat taller — just as Langer had guessed. Perhaps most improbable, their sight improved. Independent judges said they looked younger. The experimental subjects, Langer told me, had 'put their mind in an earlier time,' and their bodies went along for the ride." (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/mag...) Langer didn't even publish the results for fear that journals would reject her work because the editors wouldn't believe it.

Why list this study within a group of school leaders? Think about our current contexts. There are unrealistic expectations on educators to realize outcomes in students that are not within our control. Standardized tests and the professional evaluations tied to them create a context in schools that leads good teachers to teach to the test, instead of addressing students' needs and interests through engaging curriculum choices and responsive instruction driven by reliable assessments.

What if a faculty could control their destiny, and request that these outside factors no longer exist within a school house? In the place of standardized tests would be formative and interim assessments. In place of infrequent and announced formal observations, principals and peers would engage in frequent instructional walks that were strength-based and based on observational feedback.

The final question: How does this happen? That is what I am exploring right now. I have a phone call with a state-level associate on the possibilities. Stay tuned!