|
I’ve been interested for a long time in the idea of soft skills. I even helped produce a podcast focused on this called Skilled by Design. Tom Bay has done a lot of work in this arena. As has Seth Godin.
I recently found Dr. Marvin Berkowitz’s book PRIMED for Character Education: Six Design Principles for School Improvement to have the best definition, and one that I will adopt and use frequently. I only wish I had come up with it.
I use the notions of organic vs. mechanical concepts, metaphors, and terminology. So much of what we say and do in education is framed in terms of mechanics. We teach. We transfer knowledge. We control behavior. We manage classrooms. We engineer school change. And so on. Instead, I want to hear us talking about and enacting more organic processes. We should nurture learning and development. We should foster understanding and human flourishing. We should educate for character. Humans are organic entities (p. 5). Organic skills are what have traditionally been termed the soft skills. The beauty of this view is that they are the skills that continue to grow and develop. You can’t perfect these skills, for as soon as you are proficient, a new level is unlocked.
Mechanistic skills are the hard skills of math, engineering, and science. There’s a definitive answer. There’s a clear evidence of mastery. It’s less context-dependent. You can make a multiple choice test on mechanistic skills, but if you try to make a multiple choice test on organic skills, you’re sure to have some argument.
My friend Jeff Becker just created a new software to share his organic skills video lessons for schools. Check it out, and if you want to be part of a pilot with that, just apply here.
 All the best,
Jethro
|
|
|
PODCAST Episode
Implementing Distributive Leadership with Jack Arend Transformative Principal 531
Jack Arend outlines the benefits of distributive leadership in schools, sharing methods for empowering educators through shared decision-making and fostering a collaborative culture.
|
Concepts & Frameworks
Use AI to Buy Back Your Time
AI can feel overwhelming or even scary to school leaders—but it doesn’t have to be. The truth is, AI can be one of the best time-saving tools you’ll ever use. One of my favorite ways to get started is using Get Principal Turbo, a GPT I created specifically for school leaders to build their leadership profiles, so it can sound like you. Try this: take your latest parent newsletter draft and drop it into any AI with your Leadership Profile (which you made with Get Principal Turbo, these serve as your custom instructions). Ask it to make the tone clearer and more concise. Or, better yet, start from scratch—tell it what you want to communicate and who it’s for. You’ll go from 50 minutes of overthinking and editing to 5 minutes of review and refinement. The key isn’t to let AI do your thinking for you, but to use it as a tool to help you lead with clarity and focus. Start small. Let it help you buy back time, and invest that time where it counts—with your people.
|
|
|
|
Just double-checking something real quick. We've got you down as [IDENT_SINGULAR GOES HERE], and we want to make sure you’re getting content, stories, and tools that actually match where you’re at. If we got it right, awesome. If not, choose an option below and set us straight.
|
| What best describes your role in education? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Book Study
SchoolX
Unlock the systems behind successful schools with the SchoolX book study—a practical, proven blueprint for transformative leadership.
“
This workshop helped me feel that we are not alone, because that is what this feels like. Many are moved from classrooms and highly effective teaching teams into “office” jobs. Connecting with others made me feel not alone
— Kerry, AP Workshop Participant
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jethro Jones
Transformative Principal
Education and leadership nerd, and founder of Transformative Principal. You might know me from my latest books, How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX, and the longest running ed leadership podcast, Transformative Principal.
|
|
|
|
|
