Kise - Unleashing the positive power of differences: polarity thinking in our schools

Polarity Thinking in our Schools

FOR INFORMATION:

Copyright 2014 by Jane A. G. Kise

All rights reserved. When forms and sample documents are included, their use is authorized only by educators, local school sites, and/or noncommercial or nonprofit entities that have purchased the book. Except for that usage, no part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All trade names and trademarks recited, referenced, or reflected herein are the property of their respective owners who retain all rights thereto.

The MBTI is a registered trademark of CPP, Inc.

Polarity Map, Polarity Thinking, Polarity Management, and PACT (Polarity Approach to Continuity and Transformation) are registered trademarks of Polarity Partnerships, LLC.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-1-4522-5771-6

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

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Acquisitions Editor: Dan Alpert

Associate Editor: Kimberly Greenberg

Editorial Assistant: Cesar Reyes

Production Editor: Melanie Birdsall

Copy Editor: Linda Gray

Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.

Proofreader: Caryne Brown

Indexer: David Luljak

Cover Designer: Rose Storey

• Activity 2.1: Using Polarity Thinking to Analyze a Failed Initiative
• Activity 5.1: Mastering Calculations and Mastering Mathematical Thinking
• Activity 7.1: A Forty-Five-Minute Introduction to Leveraging Differences
• Activity 8.1: Mapping by Moving Through a Polarity
• Activity 9.1: Reading With the Lens of Polarities
• Activity 9.2: Mapping Any Article
• Activity 9.3: Incorporating Polarity Mapping in a Book Discussion
• Activity 10.1: Demonstrating Respect
• Activity 10.2: Point of View Debate
• Activity 11.1: Student Discipline
• Activity 11.2: On-Your-Feet Arguments
• Activity 12.1: Reflecting on Biases

Not a word of this book could have been written without Barry Johnson, founder of Polarity Partnerships, who not only gave me permission to use his theories and tools in the arena of education but also invited me to training sessions, brainstormed ideas, cofacilitated with me, critiqued early chapter drafts, and in so many ways gave generously of his time and intellect. His passion for polarity thinking as a framework for helping people leverage the dilemmas of life is contagious! Thank you, Barry!

Barry also connected me with many of his colleagues in the world of polarity thinking. Yarrow Durbin was instrumental in helping me frame some of the book's ideas and navigate between theory and practicality. Todd Johnson shared his wisdom, exercises, and practical advice gained from years of working with educators on polarity thinking. Rebekah Marler provided stories and shared her experiences in using polarities in schools. Ann Deaton and Cliff Kayser also critiqued chapters, and Cliff helped me develop PACT assessments to use with schools. Leslie DePol of Polarity Partnerships provided guidance on how we might best make the tools available to schools.

Thank you, also, to my many education colleagues who willingly worked with me on early mapping of the issues in Part II of this book. Joellen Killion not only expanded my thinking on teacher evaluation but brought together a group of educators for a daylong workshop that was invaluable for tailoring the book to educators. Lois Easton provided key writing advice and feedback on early chapters. Robert Marzano, Marilyn Burns, and Lucy West listened to my early ideas and gave key suggestions. Bryan Goodwyn, Charles Kyte, Wendy Behrens, Lynnell Mickelsen, and Kari Ross all contributed to helping me present balanced views on the issues. Susan Powell, Erin Boltik, and Mary Rynchek allowed me to guide their teams in applying polarity thinking to real issues in their organizations as a way to develop the slides and scripts included in this book. And as always, Sue Blair, my psychological type colleague, helped me make these concepts practical and clear.

The advice of the peer reviewers was also invaluable, including Dr. David Petrovay.