Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

It’s time to recognize “unintended consequences” as a law in the same way gravity is recognized as a law.

“Those who volunteer probably are not representative of the population.” If you don’t understand that, you can’t really call yourself “data-driven.”

Is it our job as #teachers to gather knowledge or shape understanding?

Paraphrasing Pauli: Your idea is so vague, it isn’t even wrong.

A blog post on leadership... bad leadership, but common leadership.
https://www.hackscience.education/characterizing-weak-leaders/

Unrealistically confident leaders love an echo chamber.. They surround themselves with a small group of weak advisors who will nod their heads in agreement and support any wacky idea proposed. 🤐 #EchoChamber #Management

An increasingly common trait is "unrealistic confidence." These leaders make decisions and blindly assume everyone will see the changes exactly as they predict, with the exact same positive reactions. 📉 #Delusion #Leadership

Want to know a weak leader's true colors? Pay attention to "Projection.". If a leader claims someone else is doing something wrong, you can be certain that they are actually the ones guilty of it.

The classic "Do as I say, not as I do" is a major red flag. A perfect example is senior leaders in higher ed sending an inaccessible email to demand that staff create accessible digital materials! ✉️🤦‍♂️ #HigherEd #Accessibility

Beware of "Guess what I am thinking disguised as brainstorming"
. This is when a leader says "there are no bad ideas," but they're really just waiting for someone to suggest the answer they already pre-determined! 🛑 #LeadershipFail #WorkplaceCulture

“This schedule is best for our learners,” is perhaps the least accurate statement I ever heard as a teacher.

I once very had a department of very needy and impatient faculty with whom I nurtured a good relationship for more than a year. Good will on both sides... then the new department head was hired.

When goals become the goal, I’m resigning.

You know the word for books one buys, but never reads? We need a similar word for PDF’s downloaded to our mobile devices.

Labels create boundaries. Sometimes we need these, but most often (IMHO), they limit options.

“Once students meet the standards, then we can...,” is an apocryphal way to start any sentence.

“Complainers hissing in their emails,” is my new favorite characterization.

Real critical thinking begins when we begin to doubt our own assessments of the quality of our information and ideas.

Blaming teachers is a version of blaming the victim... they might be on to something there.

If we know that novices most need to understand the unifying themes and concepts to organize their emerging expertise, why do we focus on measurable outcomes which cannot reflect the ideas?