BACK TO PROJECT BASED LEARNING BLOGS

By: Ryan Steuer, CEO

Magnify Learning

Dallas, TX

@ryansteuer

When I worked for Mission Indy, a small local missionary organization in Indianapolis, we would do an Asset Based Community Development protocol with non-profit leaders from around the country. We would draw a map of their city on a large dry-erase board and then ask them to talk about the needs of their community. They might say that the East side of their city had food insecurity issues, or they might say that there are transportation issues on the South side, or they might say there's more crime on the Southeast side of their city.

Then we would ask them to switch gears and list the assets of their community. The room's tone would immediately change as the groups started listing their favorite neighborhood heroes! They would start to tell us about the food banks that were super involved in the community over on the East side, or they would talk about a free shuttle for seniors on the Northwest side, or they would talk about a church that had a lot of volunteers on the West side of their city, or an after school program that was phenomenal over on the South side, or Harold who was always willing to help out in a pinch.

In the final step of the protocol, we would think of ways to connect these assets across their community. We would brainstorm ideas of how we could support the community's assets to grow their influence and expand their territories. We would leave with a list of action items to increase the community's assets.

As we debriefed the protocol, we noticed that assets could also help in the areas of need. Every time we walked away from this Asset Based Community Development protocol, our groups were enthusiastic, optimistic, and excited about change in their community. We didn't ignore the community's needs, but we did focus and grow our ideas around the community's assets.

What if we did the same thing in schools?

What if we worked on Asset Based School Development? When Magnify Learning does this work in schools we don't ignore the needs we come in contact with, but we do always want to focus on the assets of a school. We say, “We aren’t called Replace Learning. We are called Magnify Learning because we are here to magnify the good work that is already happening here.” We want to acknowledge that your staff has been passionately working to find positive solutions for your learners long before we entered the picture. We want to focus on the positive assets of your school.

We run an assessment and ask people—students, teachers, parents, community partners, and administrators—about your school's culture and vision.

What are the things that could be improved on in your school? Some needs assessments stop right there and say, “Okay, let's go fix the needs!” but we don't stop there. We continue on to ask about the assets of a school.

What are the really great things that are happening in your school?
Who are the people that everyone knows as a mover and a shaker?
What structures are really helpful for learners?
What communication tools really work to inform parents?
What teams are super helpful at your school?
What initiatives are really helpful at your school?
Why do you enjoy working at your school?
What are the best things about your school culture?
What was your favorite faculty meeting ever?

After we've done an Asset Based School Development (ABSD) Assessment, we can overlay the needs and assets to see where our assets can help out with our needs. Every time we do this, we see synergies! There are things that are working that we can put more energy into to actually dissipate the needs. We can put more fuel into the fire of the things that work to increase positive outcomes.

In one school in New York, we found out that the teacher culture was fantastic. The teachers loved working at this school, but they did not like the faculty meetings. The faculty meetings could have been taken care of in an email. They were not collaborative. They were boring. They were the standard faculty meetings that nobody likes. Through the ABSD Assessment, we found out the administrators didn't like the faculty meetings either!

The fix to this was simple and easily accepted by all. A team of teachers and administrators created a collaborative faculty meeting that would synergize with their positive teaching culture. Everyone agreed that a few more emails would be sent out for updates and positive, collaborative faculty meetings were born! If we had not discovered the positivity of the teacher culture we might not have found the solution to faculty meetings so quickly. We may have cynically looked at faculty meetings and said the teachers are just being negative about a meeting that has to happen. Instead, the ABSD Assessment found a solution that the administrators and the teachers both agreed on. We created a great synergistic solution because we enlarged the assets of the school - the things that were working in the school solved a problem.

We know there are things in education that need to change but sometimes we start that change too early too quickly. I’m all for change - I'm a high D on the DISC scale and on the Compass Points Protocol I’m a North. I love to move quickly and make quick decisions, but I also want to make sure that we're moving in the right direction. Ensuring that change is moving in the right direction is what an Asset Based School Development process can do for your school. Asset Based School Development lets you know where you're at before you start moving. After all a map does you no good if you don't know where you are. A map is only helpful if you know where you are and action is only helpful if you know where you're at and where you want to go. Slowing down and performing an Asset Based School Development Assessment is the perfect way to find out the great things that are happening in your school. You hear from your teachers, your students, your parents, Community Partners, and your administrators what is going well in your classrooms.

If you just go off of the negative comments that you hear and then start making changes you might be changing the one thing that one teacher who has a loud voice is upset about or one parent who speaks up and is upset about. Meanwhile, the rest of the folks around really enjoy that portion of your school. We know that voice and choice is super important for our learners in the classroom and it's just as important for our teachers, our parents and our Community Partners. They want to give us input but a lot of times we don't have the right vehicles in place to get their input or to get their thoughts. When we do an Asset Based School Development Assessment, we're inviting others into our school culture. We're inviting parents and learners and Community Partners into the process of improving our school. Everyone starts to take ownership, and you get to hear everyone's voice. When you make changes, you can now say, “Based on our Asset Based School Development Assessment parents really love the opportunity to experience their child’s learning. To fulfill this, we are going to start inviting all parents to an expo once a quarter.”

You have a vision for your school. A vision where classrooms are student-centered and voice and choice abounds at the student level as well as the teacher level. A vision where Project Based Learning is melding standards based learning with Community Partners coming in to enhance classroom learning. You have this vision and you're ready to move, but you need a spark. You need to know that you're confidently moving in the right direction and that you have momentum and buy-in from your stakeholders. An Asset Based School Development Assessment is the place to start. Don't just do a needs assessment. Don't just ask people what needs to change. Ask people what's really working. What are the parts of your school that they absolutely love?

At Magnify Learning, we love to start school partnerships with an Asset Based School Development Assessment. We love to come visit your school and feel your culture. We have so much more momentum because we know where we are starting and where we want to go. We also know that some schools are ready for an ABSD Assessment but aren’t ready to commit to a full 3-year training engagement yet, so we are giving away our ABSD Assessment resources for no cost.

You can use the same resources we use to find the needs and assets of a school culture. Go to pblculture.com to download a free set of Asset-Based School Development resources to help you get started in finding the things that need to change AND the positive things that are going in the right direction. You will want to add more fuel to that fire of the assets in your school to have your vision come to fruition. As you move along this path of Asset Based School Development you will find that you will have inspired educators, inspired learners and an inspired school.

I’m Ryan Steuer – author and thought leader who specializes in Project Based Learning training, coaching, community, and content to help educational leaders fulfill their vision of deeper learning in their schools. I’ve worked with leaders in school districts of all sizes, from 400 students to 100,000 students. These visionary leaders care about their students, but they are often stressed, overworked, and overwhelmed with the work ahead of them. That’s where I come in! I help leaders achieve their PBL vision, lead their staff, AND stop working weekends.

When I’m not guiding school leaders through Project Based Learning mindset shifts, I am outdoors with my wife and 5 kids - canoeing, hiking, biking, and traveling the US in our RV.