Take-Away Learning To understand why knowledge of how to improve learning isn’t always enough to improve learning. To identify causes and symptoms of the knowing-doing gap. To determine specific actions we can take to shrink the gap in our building. The knowledge of best practices across schools/districts is readily accessible. However, universal implementation of these ideas is much rarer across schools as well as within the same schools. Today’s session is designed to help us understand the causes and symptoms of this knowing-doing gap as well as explore ways to shrink it.

Knowing What Isn’t Knowing How Organizations are high in explicit knowledge (know-what), but low in implicit knowledge (know-how). School improvement comes from doing something with our knowledge, not just talking about our knowledge. In organizations, including schools, there’s a lot more emphasis on generating new knowledge than using the knowledge we have. Implicit knowledge is the knowledge that we carry in our minds. Implicit knowledge is more valuable because it provides context for ideas and experiences, but it’s more difficult to access. 70% of information transfer is done informally. Educators already know more than they need to know to improve their schools. They are reasonable familiar with the practices of high performing schools and if they don’t have knowledge, they know where to through books and training. And yet, many schools still do not act on this knowledge. This is known as the knowing doing gap.

The Knowing-Doing Gap When talk substitutes for action When memory substitutes for thinking When fear prevents acting on knowledge When measurement prevents good judgment When internal competition turns friends into foes Pfeffer & Sutton (2000). The Knowing Doing Gap

Schools Fall Into the Gap When… Action is substituted with: More staff development More analysis and review More programs More meetings Teachers lose sight of the objective. Planning becomes the goal, not the tool. No follow-up to make sure people actually do what they say they’re going to do. New initiatives come in rapid succession. Complexity rewarded, simplicity ignored. Teams don’t know what they don’t know. No simple answer, but several factors contribute to the knowing doing gap…

Beware of the Fear Factor Fear and distrust prevent acting on knowledge. Essential negative information is often not discussed. Leads to a focus on short term only. The culture must be willing to learn from mistakes. Fear is a major inhibitor of action. To close the knowing-doing gap, we have to eliminate our fears.

Let’s Think About It Discuss how new knowledge has been used or shared in our building. Describe new knowledge that hasn’t been used or shared. Do you agree that collective memory is not a good substitute for thinking? Why or why not? In pairs or table groups, give people 5 minutes to discuss these 3 questions. Have a few groups share out.

Seven Steps to Shrink the Gap Understand why before deciding how. Make action count more than planning. Treat failure as an opportunity to learn. Drive out fear. What gets measured gets done. Use the results of measurements. Build up the team.

PLAN DO STUDY ACT The most effective and efficient way to get the required results is with a systematic and systemic improvement process of planning, doing, study, and acting… The PDSA model is one of the best – most effective and efficient – ways to address learning goals for any grade level, course, or program. Ask the audience to define the difference between: efficient and effective systematic and systemic If there is confusion about these terms, consider charting definitions for participants to refer to.

Closing the Loop Plan Make sure the intended curriculum becomes the implemented curriculum. Do If we know by doing, there is no gap between what we know and what we do. Study Failure is essential—there is no doing without mistakes, setbacks, and dead ends. Act Just because we’ve always done it this way doesn’t mean we should keep doing it this way. Here’s how to apply the PDSA model to close the gap on knowing vs. doing. Plan: We all know that the curriculum we teach isn’t always the one that is intended. Rather than focus on the what, we should also think about the why –i.e. our assumptions that underlie our foundations of practice. Do: Knowing comes from doing and teaching. Our actions inside the classroom count more than our plans outside the classroom. Study: There is no doing without mistakes. Failure is an essential component. So we need to recognize, study (and not be afraid) to make a few mistakes along the way. Act: Pfeffer and Sutton call this ‘mindless precedent’ when we keep doing something just because we’ve always done it this way. If we don’t have a good reason (data) for doing something, then we probably should stop doing it or find a way to do it better.

Let’s Do It Based on today’s learning, identify one action you will take to transfer implicit knowledge into instructional practice. Each participant should write down this action and share it with their partner. At your next grade level meeting, have teachers each share what action they took and a result of taking that action.

The Final Act It’s easier to ACT our way into a new way of THINKING, than to THINK our way into a new way of ACTING.