Intentional Interruption: Breaking Down Learning Barriers to Transform Professional Practice

We interrupt this program to bring meaningful, conceptual change to your team′s professional learning! If you′re involved in professional learning, you know that big ideas can sometimes get stuck on the way to becoming real change. Steven Katz and Lisa Ain Dack explain the secret to getting unstuck: interrupting the status quo of traditional activity-based professional development to help educators embrace permanent changes in thinking and behavior. They outline a process—grounded in psychological research—for real professional learning that ultimately leads to improved student achievement. You can enable true learning by Building a focus on learning, collaborative inquiry, and formal and informal instructional leadership in schools Recognizing the psychological processes involved in adult learning, and overcoming the psychological biases and barriers to change  Using tools and strategies such as critical friend relationships, learning conversations, task sheets, and protocols Illustrated with concrete, school-based examples drawn from real practice, Intentional Interruption shows how rethinking professional learning can lead to the development of a real and sustainable learning culture in your school. "Few books challenge your thinking of a field to this degree. The authors reveal the secret key to unlocking true professional learning and thus impact for students." —Terry Morganti-Fisher, Consultant Learning Forward "Before your learning team goes much further, it needs to stop, read, and collectively reflect on these insights. This book will identify those sticky challenges and how you can optimize your joint work." —Mag Gardner, Superintendent of Student Achievement Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, ON

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. From Activity to Learning 2. The (Very) Hard Work of Learning 3. The Problem With Professional Learning 4. How Do Focus, Collaborative Inquiry, and Instructional Leadership Enable Learning? 5. The Barriers: How Our Minds Get in the Way 6. Intentional Interruption References Index

About the Author :
Steven Katz is the director of Aporia Consulting Ltd. and a faculty member in the Applied Psychology and Human Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE, UT), where he teaches in the Child Study and Education graduate program. He is the recipient of the OISE, UT- wide award for teaching excellence. Steven has a PhD in human development and applied psychology, with specialization in applied cognitive science. His areas of expertise include cognition and learning, teacher education, networked learning communities, leading professional learning, and evidence-informed decision making for school improvement. He has received the Governor General’s Medal for excellence in his field and has been involved in research and evaluation, professional development, and consulting with a host of educational organizations around the world. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World, Building and Connecting Learning Communities, Intentional Interruption, and The Intelligent, Responsive Leader.   Lisa Ain Dack is a senior associate at Aporia Consulting Ltd. and an instructor in the Master of Teaching and Master of Child Study and Education programs at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE, UT). She has a PhD in developmental psychol­ogy and education from OISE, UT, with a collaborative degree in developmental science. She is the 2017 recipient of the OISE, UT award for excellence in Initial Teacher Education. Lisa facilitates Leader Learning Teams in various school districts in Ontario, leads numerous research projects investigating learning teams, and is involved in research projects on assessment and evaluation. She also undertakes program evaluations at both the primary and secondary levels. In addition, she leads workshops for administrators and teachers throughout Ontario on Leader Learning Teams, professional learning, and data-driven deci­sion making. She is coauthor of the best-selling book Intentional Interruption. Lisa and her husband Jeff have three children, Sadie, Rachel, and Dylan.

Review :
"Excuse this important interruption! Before your learning team goes much further, it needs to stop, read, and collectively reflect on Katz's insights. This book will identify those sticky challenges and how you can optimize your joint work." -- Mag Gardner, Superintendent of Student Achievement "In the work to implement professional learning communities (PLC's), the practice for many schools and districts has been diluted, misinterpreted, or poorly implemented. [The author(s)] incisively show how effectively to address the professional learning part of PLC's." -- Glen Ishiwata, Superintendent (Retired) "Few books challenge your thinking of a field to this degree. The authors reveal the secret key to unlocking true professional learning and thus impact for students." -- Terry Morganti-Fisher, Consultant "Intentional Interruption is essential reading for every educator involved in planning or facilitating professional development and professional learning communities. The authors explain why professional development often fails to achieve its purpose, and offer practical suggestions to empower teacher learning. Grounded in research about how humans think, and supported by the authors' work in schools, this book challenges the status quo of professional learning, and guides educational leaders toward wise choices for addressing the needs of teachers in their community. -- Patricia W. Newhall, Associate Director "Educators have spent the last several years becoming proficient at discussing student work and student learning. It's now time to shift our work and thinking to how we, as educators, learn. Intentional Interruption defines true professional learning, identifies the barriers to that kind of learning and offers suggestions for making educator learning the focus of our learning communities. This book will change the way you think of 'professional development.'" -- Melanie Sendzik, Principal