Transfer theory is where an individual takes past experiences, both the positive and negative, and applies them to a current or future situation. The essence of transfer theory is through the process of self-reflection. Without mindfully applying these past learned experiences they are just memories or events. Everyone takes not only understandings from a career standpoint but also personal experiences. Thus, the transfer theory of learning is the epicenter for administrator preparatory courses such as this one. If I had no prior experiences in education or as an administrator I would have no knowledge to pull from to create a deeper understanding. The entire internship plan is based on self-reflection of the pre-test and the competencies. Each person’s plan in the cohort will be different based on his or her own self-reflections and areas of expertise and this is why transfer theory requires previous leadership experience.
I have never had a name to put with the vertical learning curve that I have had in the past year and half as the principal of an elementary school. It is called the Theory of Transfer of learning. I laugh when I think about the start of my first year as a principal. I was not really nervous; I was more excited and ready to see what it was going to be like. The start of this year, as my second year, was very different. I was nervous, I was scared, and my mind would not stop going over the lists of things that I had to do to be prepared. I was so green my first year that I didn’t even know what prepared or nervous looked like. There are two major duties that I do everyday, communication and problem solving or decision-making. I am daily becoming more efficient with these tasks and require constant feedback to ensure that I am effective.
A perfect example of how I must remind myself of the balance of veteran experience versus experiences happened to me just the other day. I was meeting with the intervention team and the counselor. All three are veteran teachers of 15 years or more. One teacher was discussing about how tired they are about the trends in our district where we have placed more emphasis on academic areas that we scored low on and then the next year we score high in that area, but low in the others that were neglected. I took immediate offense to this and shared with the group that as a campus this is not our thinking or plan of action. Not even taking into account that I have only been on this campus for two years and the group was not discussing current trends but past trends that were the cause of the current gaps that we are seeing in the upper grade levels. How could I be so close-minded and see the forest and the trees? Or so arrogant to think they were trying to attack me? After sharing we all laughed as I self reflected to them about my misunderstanding. They are speaking from veteran experiences and I was thinking in terms of the here and now. Rookie mistake, but a classic example of the difficulties of self-reflection and the power of growth it can create.
In 1990, Peter Senge wrote a book titled The Fifth Discipline. He describes systems thinking and how personal mastery or self-reflection is one of the disciplines to a superior learning organization. Transfer theory is centered around reflection and now in the 21st century we can blog our way through this. Senge questions why is personal mastery or self-reflection so difficult and talks about the “softness” that many face when dealing with how situations make them feel or respond. In the optional reading for this course Standards-Based Leadership: A Case Study Book for the Superintendency by Sandra Lowery and Sandra Harris, it cites many other journal articles that respond to the value of self- reflection for the creation of core values that allow leaders to lead. In summation, if we cannot lead ourselves how can we expect others to follow. As leaders we must step back and see the picture that Senge paints of the forest and the trees and find our strength from our weaknesses so that we can move our district or campus into the direction of a shared vision.
