Evidence of What?

Evidence does not tell us what is real.  Evidence tells us what we are capable of recognising.

Example: I visited a school last week. The Head of Year is talked about a Year 8 boy. He has over 250 negative behaviour points and 20 positive behaviour points. Evidence that the boy has a behaviour problem, right?

The numbers are real. The meaning given to them depends on what meanings we can recognise.  To the Head of Year these numbers simply show that the boy has a behaviour problem. To me the numbers show that the boy  is experiencing ten times more negative exchanges than positive and that this pattern is being repeated and stabilised to the point where it is recognised as being real.

Choice. Are we going to use these numbers as evidence that confirm who this boy is?

Or are we going to use evidence as a way of seeing repeated actions that is making behaviour, making a person.

Are we looking at a ‘problem’ measuring just what the boy does or is? Or are we going to look at these numbers and recognise that a ratio of 10:1 negatives to positives is not a ratio that works for anyone. The exchanges are the problem-making, the exchanges are making the person.

The meaning that we give to those numbers determines our actions. The meaning that we give to the numbers shows what access to positive possibilities that student has been expriencing.

Action 1: the boy continues down the disciple pathway and ultimately gets excluded from school.

Action 2: we draw up a plan to reduce the number of negative points and increase the number of positives. We change the exchanges. Adults learn what makes a difference for this boy, so they extend their skills. The boy learns what actions are recognised as positive and so he extends his skills.

 Ethics vs author-ity.

Child alone vs child in community.

People with fixed identities vs people being made through repeated exchanges.