Communication that reflects a healthy school culture
Design thinking can be the primary lever for applying practical strategies for meaningful communication that ensures a school functions each day and that adult problems don ’ t get in the way of student needs .
38 Leadership
Before I could stop myself ,
I blurted out “ She didn ’ t even eat my cupcakes !” Naturally , this confused both my boss and I – what did the current disagreement that I was having with my colleague have to do with cupcakes ? Absolutely nothing , but absolutely everything .
I would love to say that I have solely focused on improving student outcomes , but that just isn ’ t true . Adult problems get in the way of student problems , and as education leaders we have to proactively address them . School climate is a priority for both the students in our classrooms and the staff supporting them . However , miscommunication often leads us to focus on our peers , rather than our students .
Through this article , I will give an overview and practical applications of how “ design thinking ” strategies can be used to create a meaningful communication system to positively impact our professional climate .
Why communication ?
Design thinking uses analytic and creative processes to create and iterate systems by gathering feedback from users in an effort to redesign ( Razzouk 2012 ). A key element in design thinking is that the challenges with the current system are met with a process to solve the problem by the folks who use the system each and every day .
One of the biggest systems at our schools that lack intentionality is our communication system . At schools , we thoughtfully plan interventions and how to accelerate students , but we rarely consider how , what and why we communicate . For school operations , communication is the primary lever to ensure that a school functions each day . A strong communication system can be the root cause of a school climate that is studentcentered and positive .
Without effective communication , it is difficult to meaningfully collaborate or share best practices to truly transform the site .
Designing communication systems should be one of the first priorities that are addressed by new school administrators or schools that need a culture shift . Co-constructing this process with teachers creates collective buy-in and ownership of communication , climate and culture .
Facilitating change
At Oakland Unified School District , design thinking has helped me facilitate schools to re-set norms and strengthen col-
By James Hilton Harrell