Theory of Knowledge

How do we improve the math engagement rates discussed in last month’s post? In other words, what would your theory be for improving these rates?

Don’t get too caught up in the idea of theory. By theory I mean any set of assumptions that you use to predict what’s going to happen in the future. Here, I simply mean the plan or strategy you’d suggest to improve those rates. The plan or strategy you choose is based on the prediction that it will improve the 8th grade math engagement rates, and your underlying rationale for your choice in plan or strategy is your theory. Theory of Knowledge then is the study of how what we think we know and claim to know actually is the way we claim it is.

Goal Setting is Often an Act of Desperation, Part II

January is a popular month to set new goals, so I decided to kick-off this year with a four-part series on this very topic. In Part I of the series, I proposed four conditions that organizations should understand prior to setting a goal.

Organizations should understand the capability of the system or process under study.
Organizations should understand variation within the system or process under study.
Organizations should understand if the system or process under study is stable.
Organizations should have a logical answer to the question, “By what method?”

Absent an understanding of these conditions, goals are too often “arbitrary and capricious.”

Data Ponds & Streams

Last month, I outlined why data has no meaning apart from their context. The discussion centered on some key ideas for presenting data in context as well as a logical definition of improvement. I also introduced an example of how data is often misinterpreted in the education sector. In this post, I’ll begin to lay the foundation for understanding variation in quality improvement work; this will be a precursor to comprehending why so much of the data analysis that is done in organizations is akin to writing fiction.

Knowledge has temporal spread

In our organizations, theory must be the basis of all investigation, and the basis for any action we take to improve systems within our organizations has to include testing our theories. The Theory of Knowledge is all about where our knowledge comes from that we use in these improvement efforts. This knowledge has temporal spread.