Lean in education: O2A5 speaking out

Blaas: “When I came here two years ago, each school was too much on its own island. It was, and is, my mission to turn those separate locations into one cohesive cluster, with the ultimate goal of strengthening education even further. Our greatest desire is that the schools cooperate optimally and that there is a shared culture of learning and improvement. But in a cluster where knowledge sharing does not come naturally, this is not something you achieve overnight. As cluster directors and IBs, we want to set an example in this. Together with Symbol consultants Annemiek Verschuuren and Roger Beumer, we are taking firmer steps toward our goal.” “And let’s put it first: this benefits every employee in our schools,” Brocken adds. We very much want to strengthen our teaching, but at the same time find that we do not get around to it enough – we experience a high workload. We are now learning that we can be more effective with our time and resources by using our energy for things that matter. It is good to reflect on that, because we are convinced that there is still room for improvement.”

From every man for himself to looking at a common ground

A good example is the purchase of a new language method, something that has played out recently. Blaas: “Several schools were working on this – each one for itself. But why should everyone reinvent the wheel? In order to make well-founded choices, you have to work together. What are the common starting points? Why does something work for one person and not for another? And what are our learning experiences and what can we as an organization learn from them? By tackling this together and looking at what really matters in the process, you realize an improvement together and it is less stressful for everyone involved. You don’t have to do it alone. In situations like this, sharing knowledge and working together seems complicated, because in education a lot of value is attached to autonomy. But it is also necessary.”

“The teacher matters.”

And this is precisely why cooperation with Symbol was sought, as the acquisition of the new method is just one of many examples. Blaas: “As directors and IBs, we first had a joint introduction to Lean. In one of the meetings, the work process was mapped out, through Brown Paper sessions. That was very special, because we found out how many underlying processes touch each other. Or in other words, how much is set in motion when you improve one process. Everything is linked, deep down in the organization. And all those processes ultimately affect the student as well. The better and more efficient teachers can do their jobs, the better education is provided. The teacher matters, that’s really the bottom line.”

The group discussion process under the microscope

“The next step after the Brown Paper sessions was to identify various development and improvement opportunities so we could prioritize,” Brocken continues. “The first process that the IBs were eager to pick up was the group discussion process with teachers. One IB’er was annoyed that agreements made were not kept, another was annoyed that the group meeting was mainly a check-up – did things happen? The long lead time of the process also played a role. Often the situation had already changed in the time between scheduling an appointment and the IBs and teachers actually meeting. As a result, the added value for education was minimal. All needed a more proactive attitude from the teachers and the strengthening of their expert role. Thanks to Annemiek’s guidance, we not only figured it out, but also worked it out ourselves. In the process, we standardized the group discussion process. We now all work in the same way, with the same documents. Very convenient for when someone gets sick or possibly leaves. And it also makes it easier to talk to each other about further improvements to the process.”

From shop floor to strategy

Changing the group discussion process has been an intensive process. “But it definitely paid off,” Blaas said. “We went through the process step by step in six sessions with colleagues. The shop floor was also involved in this and participated. Because of the corona time, we had some additional individual sessions in the background. Brocken adds, “I especially enjoyed sparring with colleagues and noticing their willingness to think along. Moreover, it’s nice that this improvement program is in line with the organization’s objective and the MT’s vision. This ensures that we will actually implement it and that it is something for all of us. It is now ‘a matter of following through’, implementing improvements step by step and continuing to dialogue with each other about the effect on our education.”

A professional learning community (PLG).

For management, the process continued after the Lean introduction with a number of strategy sessions. Blaas: “In those sessions we looked at where our cluster is now, what our goals are and what our school plan should look like for the coming year. Our starting point: it must contribute to sustainable development and we want to be a professional learning community (PLG). Working together and learning from each other must become commonplace, because that contributes to the main goal: improving students’ motivation and learning performance. We keep the focus on what really adds value. The group discussion process that the IBs have picked up fits in well with that. There too, at the bottom line, it’s all about better education for the students.”

The responsibility for a collaborative learning and improvement culture

“Together with Annemiek and Roger, we as MT continued to develop our plan,” Blaas continued. “Our next step is to roll it out even further on the shop floor so that the PLG idea becomes known throughout the cluster. Only when the responsibility for a collaborative learning and improvement culture is placed lower in the organization will it become the new normal.”

“The ball is rolling – and must keep rolling”

Culture change is a process of years, both Blaas and Brocken point out, but by now knowledge sharing is already in everyone’s mind. “The ball is rolling and should keep rolling now – even without Symbol. Until the end of the school year we will be intensively guided by them, which is very pleasant. With her years of experience and expertise, Annemiek is like our supervisor, our booster. She ensures that started improvement initiatives go through – and she does that very well. But in a few months we should be able to stand on our own two feet. We are confident of that, because not only we but also the teachers are open to it and enthusiastic. For example, the Working Group on Reading Comprehension is already working cluster-wide. And Nathalie can take a pioneering role in this with the knowledge and experience learned from this project. A nice step towards one cohesive cluster.”

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