Green Quadrant: Continuous Improvement

The upper-right quadrant emphasizes novelty and the creation of a generative learning organization. Generative in this sense means creative and naturally evolving. Practices in the green quadrant are grounded in the idea that students need to grow. The implicit goal is the ability to self-actualize, to become a self-empowered, lifelong learner. Learning is characterized as a spontaneous process that is accelerated through the co-creation of new processes. The objective is to establish an adaptive and flexible classroom that is a stimulating environment for learning. In this generative domain, the emphasis is on creative exploration and relevance, and the culture is marked by high engagement. The teacher tends to be a catalyst of transformation. The time orientation is forward-looking, and students are encouraged to envision and realize potential in real time. They bring the future into the present. The emphasis is less on facts and more on examining and questioning assumptions and beliefs so that learning is transformative. The organization is less hierarchical and more of an agile structure that flexes as necessary. The desire is for students to develop a love for learning. Key processes are self-organization and shared leadership. In such a classroom, leadership moves from person to person as the teacher sometimes disappears from the center of attention and control. One teacher told us, “They discover the lesson among themselves and leave me with little to do but watch in amazement.”

A green theory of action also has limitations. An excessive application of green quadrant attributes can result in a loss of control or the emergence of chaos and disorder. As is the case with any of these quadrants, when green attributes are overemphasized the classroom becomes less effective. The red quadrant in particular can help teachers avoid moving into this negative zone.