What I learned over the course of my three-month tour of schools across the country.

1. M U T A T I O N , I N N O V A T I O N , T R A N S F O R M A T I O N
G R A N T L I C H T M A N 1 @ G M A I L . C O M
T W I T T E R @ G R A N T L I C H T M A N
B L O G : “ T H E L E A R N I N G P O N D ”

2. PUSH OUR THINKING
EVOLVING/EMERGING ROLE OF THE CTO/CiO
LEADERS?

3. 12 WEEKS; 64 SCHOOLS; 48.3 MPG

5. THE WORLD IS CHANGING AT AN INCREDIBLE RATE
OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS NOT

6. Re-imagining the
fundamental
learning
relationship
between teachers,
students, and
knowledge.

7. Persistence
Confidence
Resilience
Patience
Openness
Creativity
Adaptability
Courage
Perspective
Empathy
Self-control
WHAT WE WANT

8. VOICES FOR THE FUTURE
JOT DOWN SOME WORDS!

9. IN THE NEXT
YEAR…

10. IN THE NEXT YEAR…
Hundreds of school
leaders will try new
approaches to management
and organizational
structure…
…without a guarantee
that they made the right
choice.

11. IN THE NEXT YEAR…
Thousands of teachers
will link together via social
media…
…many with no prior
approval from their
supervisors.

12. IN THE NEXT YEAR…
Hundreds of
thousands, perhaps
millions, of parents will
seriously think about new
options for educating their
children.

13. IN THE NEXT YEAR…
Millions of students will
access, manage, or create
knowledge in some new
way...
…whether or not any
adult teaches them
how.

14. IN THE NEXT YEAR…
Millions of students will
take university courses
online…
…for free.

15. STOP
In this rapidly changing environment, what is the r

16. WHAT I SAW

17. • BLOOM IS BUSTED
• TAILORED LEARNING
• MESSY, NOISY, AND
CHAOTIC
• RISKY
DYNAMIC

18. • INTERDISCIPLINARY
• TEACHER
COLLABORATION
• BUSTING SILOS
• EXCITING NEW COURSES
ADAPTIVE

19. • OFF CAMPUS
• COMMUNITY PARTNERS
• EXPEDITIONARY LEARNING
• ONLINE AND BLENDED
• LOCAL, REGIONAL,
GLOBAL
PERMEABLE

20. • IDEA WALLS
• DESIGN STUDIOS
• STUDENT-OWNED
• KNOWLEDGE CREATORS
• EMBRACING FAILURE
CREATIVE

21. VOICES FOR THE FUTURE

22. STOP
How might SYSTEMIC changes support, leverage,

24. Start with Questions
Questions from within the frame:
Who? What? Where? When?
Questions that inform the frame:
Why?
Questions that expand or re-imagine the frame:
What if…? How might we…?

25. Look over your notes from videos.
Ask “What if…?” questions that would break,
discard, or fundamentally change something that
exists at your school today.
• Major expenses
• Organizational traditions
Post up questions.
ACTIVITY: “WHAT IF…?

26. AFFINITY MAPPING “WHAT IF”
Grab a sheet of flip chart paper for each table
Post up your notes
Find some common themes
Pick one to share with the group in < 30 seconds

29. ECOSYSTEM
CREATIVE
ADAPTIVE
PERMEABLE
DYNAMIC
SYSTEMIC
SELF-CORRECTING
INDUSTRIAL
CONTAINED
CONTROLLED
PREDICTABLE
SCALABLE
REPEATABLE
MEASURABLE

30. VOICES FOR THE FUTURE
OUTSIDE EDUCATION

31. Shoshana Zuboff, HBS: Mutation
• Moving from era of mass
consumption to focus
on the individual
• Radical reduction in
cost
• Products or services are
affordable to few, but
desirable to many
• Your end users have
needs and desires you
have not imagined

32. “Socialstructing”:
amplified individuals
taking on functions that
previously only large
organizations could
perform.
Marina Gorbis, Institute For The Future

33. Welcome to the Cognitosphere

34. 13-Year Old Logan LaPlante

35. OBSTACLES

36. FEAR
INERTIA

37. Ask "How might we...?":
• Shift how leaders promote/protect silos at your school
• Help bust silos between subject departments and
divisions. Between teachers and admins.
• Decrease barriers with respect to other schools
Share with table, using “I like, I wonder, what if?”
The How:

38. DEVELOPING ORGANIZATIONAL
COMFORT AND CAPACITY FOR
CHANGE.
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS ARE GOOD AT…

39. • REWARD COURAGE
• ALIGN RESOURCES WITH VISION
• DEVELOP PEOPLE
• RE-TOOL AT THE SYSTEMS LEVEL
• FOCUS ON VALUE
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS ARE GOOD AT…

40. 1. Do you have a forward leaning vision that
articulates the relationship between students,
teachers, and knowledge?
2. Are your resources aligned at a systems level
with your vision?
3. How are you communicating the differentiated
value that your school offers to your customers?
THREE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

41. Where do we
want to be?
What does
“innovation”
mean?
DEWEY

42. -JOHN DEWEY
…if we teach today as we taught
yesterday, we rob our children of
tomorrow…”

44. VALUE

45. The difference between what
you say you do and what you
actually do in the eyes of
your customer.
VALUE PROPOSITION

46. INNOVATION DOES NOT = IDEAS
INNOVATION DOES NOT= GOOD IDEAS
ATION = IDEAS THAT ENHANCE VALUE FOR THE ORGANIZ
SUCCES= SUSTAINED VALUE

47. VALUE:
Delight the customer
-Steve Denning
INNOVATION:
Ideas that create value

48. • Who is your customer?
• Discuss alternatives.
• Share implications.
• Report contrasting viewpoints.
ACTIVITY: WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER?

49. Shoshana Zuboff, HBS: Mutation
• Moving from era of mass
consumption to focus
on the individual
• Radical reduction in
cost
• Products or services are
affordable to few, but
desirable to many
• Your end users have
needs and desires you
have not imagined

50. ACTIVITY: CORE STRENGTHS
CAN BE SHIFTED CANNOT BE SHIFTED
THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOUR SCHOOL DOES

51. Welcome to the Cognitosphere

52. S T U D E N T S T E A C H E R S A D M I N
A T S C H O O L
C O M M U N I T Y
N E T W O R K S
G L O B A L
How is your school
connected?

53. REFLECTION

54. Share powerful learning experience
(12 mins)
One thing I learned I will take back
with me (10 mins)

55. Quiet writing (10 min)
Action starting with “How might we…”
(3 min)
Who/what do I need? (3 min)
1:1 interview using “I like, I wonder,
what if?” (4 mins)
Open floor