Several years ago I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book,Outliers, during a long layover in Las Vegas. (Yes, I’m so geeky that I choose books over slot machines). This was the 1st time I was exposed to the 10,000 hour rule, which actually comes from the work of Anders Ericsson, who is considered the expert on peak performance. He details how someone moves from accepting to be “good enough” to reaching extraordinary results through deliberate practice. Working at the boundary of our comfort zone is one of the most important aspects of shifting from goodness to GREATNESS.

So as I was reflecting on this information, I began to think about the structure that I’d like to see for the collaborative learning groups for my staff’s professional development–how I can cultivate this deliberate practice in our PD on developing the writer skills and attitudes in our learners. So I’ve been trying to find a way to connect the dots between Arthur Costa’s ideas on reflective practice and Ericcson’s idea of deliberate practice.  During this rainy holiday week I decided that I would create a collaborative guide for teachers  that would help move them in a direction that sponsored reflection on their comfort zones during these sessions. This is my first iteration with this effort so I’m looking forward to feedback and I’m really excited to get started. I’m hopeful that teachers will “pull up” each other with thoughtful discussion and deep reflection that promotes another level of sophistication and effectiveness in developing their craft, rather than giving me “push back” on how teachers’ self-directed inquiry doesn’t work.

I feel a bit anxious and vulnerable, but I trust that the teachers’ inner desire to be awesome, coupled with my charisma, will overcome any barriers and they will be open to peer coaching and collaborative planning.