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Our work is about ensuring that professional learning results in moving theories of action to theories in action

By Learning Forward
October 2013
Educators across the globe regularly engage in learning. This learning is usually grounded in espoused theories of action, with a hope that changes in professional practice and improved student learning will result. Yet, far too often a gap exists between what people have learned and what they do day-to-day. Why are schools and organizations so consistently experiencing this knowing-doing gap? Alan Webber said: “Doing something actually requires doing something! It means tackling the hard work of making something happen. It’s much easier and much safer to sit around and have intellectual conversations … and never actually implement anything” (Webber, 2000). Gervase Bushe, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, asserts that we can’t even call an experience learning without change. He describes learning as

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“Leaders of companies that experience smaller gaps between what they know and what they do understand that their most important task is not necessarily to make strategic decisions or, for that matter, many decisions at all. Their task is to help build systems of practice that produce a more reliable transformation of knowledge into action” (Pfeffer & Sutton, 1999).

References

Bushe, G.R. (2010). Clear leadership: Sustaining real collaboration and partnership at work (Rev. ed.) (p. 42). Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

 

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: Macmillan.

 

Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R.I. (1999, Fall). Knowing ‘what’ to do is not enough: Turning knowledge into action. California Management Review, 42(1), 104.

 

Studer, Q. (2007). Results that last: Hardwiring behaviors that will take your company to the top. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

 

Webber, A.M. (2000, May 31). Why can’t we get anything done? Fast Company. Available at www.fastcompany.com/39841/why-cant-we-get-anything-done.


Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.


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