Buzzword Soup

Pop Quiz:
List five educational buzzwords or phrases making the rounds in your school or district.

I’ll bet that was an easy task!

When I ask colleagues that question, they answer things like brain-based learning, assessment of learning v. assessment for learning, and essential learnings. I’ve also heard professional learning communities, child-centered classrooms and rigor, relevance and relationships. My favorite phrase: Using data to drive instruction.

Almost everywhere I’ve worked, dozens of buzzwords were part of the school culture. Collections of catch phrases defined who we were. “We’re a Covey school,” people would say in one. “We’re a PLC modeled after DuFour,” we’d say in another.

“We’re using common assessments to amplify effective instructional practices.”

“We’re creating learning opportunities that engage students in the creation of knowledge.”

“We’re focusing on the needs of diverse learners.”

Each of these phrases held value in my schools, forming a common vocabulary and providing direction for our efforts. It was easy to determine what was important by listening to our language. As Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach of the Teacher Leaders Network writes, “Just like school colors, team mascots, and other unifying symbols, the terms we use to describe our practice help to build a culture of educational thought…between those that use them.”

The danger in buzzwords, however, is also very real. Overuse can lead to casual interpretations that weaken meaning and lead to disagreement between dedicated individuals in the same organization. What “using data to drive instruction” looks like to one teacher may be completely different than what it looks like to another. Over time, a school that appears to be focused by a “collective commitment” to an “effective mission” and a “shared vision for student learning” may, in fact, be fracturing around what it values the most.

This danger grows exponentially as new members are added to a building’s faculty. Without a foundational understanding of a school’s core beliefs, these teachers are often left to learn by chance. Informal experiences — whether accurate or not — tend to shape their thinking, influencing their ability to effectively strengthen the work of the whole. Over time, what began as a strong commitment to shared ideals can become nothing more than a strong commitment to misinterpreted terms.

In short, a school ends up drowning in buzzword soup!

There is no doubt that teacher leaders play a central role in ensuring that the common language driving our buildings remains common. Our connections and credibility allow us to keep others focused on the true work of our schools. As Carol Midgett, the teacher who introduced me to the idea of buzzword soup, writes, “The challenge is to make certain that I do not fall in. When sharing with others, it is important to know the meaning they attach to these words/phrases so that our dialogue produces mutual learning.”

Where does your building stand when it comes to buzzwords? Are you right at the edge of the bowl? How did you get there?

More importantly, how are you going to crawl out?