1 / 19

Polarity Management™

Polarity Management™. Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems Presenter: Carolyn McKanders, M.A., M.S.W. Co-director, Center for Adaptive Schools. Outcomes. Understand polarities Awareness of how managing polarities can support your work Intrigue to want to learn more.

kueng
Download Presentation

Polarity Management™

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Polarity Management™ Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems Presenter: Carolyn McKanders, M.A., M.S.W. Co-director, Center for Adaptive Schools

  2. Outcomes • Understand polarities • Awareness of how managing polarities can support your work • Intrigue to want to learn more

  3. Private Reflection Think of a time when you had a similar dilemma… where you had to simultaneously hold two seemingly opposing ideas to create a positive outcome.

  4. BETTE ACHINSTEIN ON CONFLICTCommunity Diversity and Conflict Among Schoolteachers: The Ties That Blind, 2002

  5. GARMSTON AND WELLMAN ON CONFLICTThe Adaptive School: Developing Collaborative Groups (2009)

  6. BETTE ACHINSTEIN ON CONFLICTCommunity Diversity and Conflict Among Schoolteachers: The Ties That Blind, 2002 “A community of diverse elements has greater capacity to adapt and renew itself in a swiftly changing world. To keep a balance between diversity and wholeness, communities must apply structures to reduce polarization, to foster communication between diverse groups, and mechanisms for conflict mediation.” John Gardner

  7. Polarity Management Polarity Management™ is a model that involves a set of principles and tools for dealing with all polarities in life. A Polarity (also known as a paradox, dilemma, or conundrum) is an interdependent pair that needs each other over time to create positive results.

  8. Polarities are. . . • unavoidable and unsolvable • have two or more right answers that are interdependent. • must be managed with both/and thinking.

  9. Breathing as an example of a polarity, p. 5 Clean Out Carbon Dioxide Get Oxygen Inhale Exhale Too Little Oxygen Too Much Carbon Dioxide

  10. Please with your partner create a summary statement by completing this prompt: “Here’s what we understand about polarities…”

  11. Examples of Polarities • Internal focus and External responsiveness • Student learning and Teacher learning • Individual efficacy and Collective efficacy • Structure and Freedom • Reflection and Action • Distributed leading and Autonomous leading • Challenge and Support

  12. Examples of Polarities Parent as Expert and School as Expert Relationship and Academic Excellence Individual and Team School Responsibility and Parent Responsibility Consistency and Flexibility Honor native language/culture and learning new languages/cultures

  13. Select a polarity that speaks to you. Turn to a partner and complete this stem: “This is a dilemma for me because . . “

  14. Polarity or Problem Is this a problem to solve or is it an ongoing polarity we must managewell?

  15. Polarity or Problem Problems to solve are those with one right answer or two or more right answers that are independent. Problems to solve can be complex, but they have an endpoint. Keep either/or thinking and problem-solving strategies.

  16. The Polarity Map

  17. Structure - Freedom Polarity Self -directed Students Clear standards Predictability Order Instructional Focus Flexible Practice decision making Honors individuality Motivated students Freedom Structure Chaos Confusion Worsening of behavior Wasted time Rebellion Passive Aggression Low Morale Absences

  18. A Well Managed Polarity

  19. BENEFITS: The Five C’s Complexity - Seeing the Forest and the Trees Change- Convert resistance to change into a resource Conflict- Create “Win/ Win” Outcomes Chronic Issues - Convert chronic issues into sustainable strength Cross Cultural issues- Celebrate and capitalize on differences

More Related