Description: David Langford's F-Test experience has often been called the Red Bead Experiment for educators. Dr. W. Edwards Deming brought attention to the destructive force of grading in schools and universities. Many people recognize this problem, but not everyone understands the statistical, psychological or systemic reasons why we shouldn't give grades and what to do differently. This is an immersion session where people participate in role playing, data collection, analysis and discussion.

Target Audience: Anyone who gives or gets grades.

Organizational Issues: From grades in school to performance appraisals at work, this session will reveal how the non-systemic nature of such measures of performance and offer a proposal on what to do instead.

Objectives: To transform education into learning.

Dates: Monday, May 2nd

Length: 7 hours (8:30am-12:00pm and 1:00-4:30pm)

Location: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - 6633 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park

Cost: None

Handouts: Available for download after the Forum

Biography: Langford Quality Learning originated in 1986 as a process to improve student learning in David Langford’s high school computer and business classes. Studying the work of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Myron Tribus, Dr. Russell Ackoff and others, Mr. Langford used basic statistical tools to teach students to assess and monitor their own progress and intrinsically take responsibility for learning.  Effort was then directed toward improving school wide learning by identifying, defining, and overcoming barriers that hindered the students’ path of learning.  Through these efforts, students realized that school exists to foster lifelong learning.  Since 1992, Mr. Langford has devoted his research and time toward using quality methodology and concepts to improve student learning, school leadership, business processes and procedures, and to promote society partnerships.  Out of this effort emerged the concepts of Quality Learning, Just-In-Time Learning, and the Self-Managed Classroom. 

Mr. Langford’s presentations have been seen throughout the United States and in Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Qatar and Australia.  His former students have also given presentations in the United States, Canada, Japan and England. David P. Langford was featured in the film Quality...Or Else which aired on PBS and has appeared in other documentaries including the Deming Library Vol. XXI.  He is co-author of the book Orchestrating Learning With Quality, and the author of Tool Time for Education, Business and Healthcare. Langford has created a number of new quality tools such as: The Consensogram, Code of Cooperation, If...Then, Integrative Analysis, Capacity Matrix, Morphing, Parking Lot, P3T, and Systems Progress as well as creating additional quality resources and materials.

Langford’s educational clients include Pre-K-12 School Districts throughout the United States and internationally, colleges and universities, Regional Education Service Centers and Chambers of Commerce.  He has also worked in the business sector with clients ranging from General Motors to government agencies such as the Department of Defense.  Clients from education, government, healthcare and business attend his 4-Day Seminars.  Mr. Langford is currently an international consultant, trainer, keynote speaker, writer, and educator on improving the quality of learning in education, business and government.

David P. Langford was born and raised in Durango, Colorado.  He graduated from Montana State University-Billings with a B.S. in Education K-12 and has a Masters in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University.  He has been a music, technology, science, and business teacher/coordinator in education since 1979, with experience ranging from preschool through postgraduate studies in both rural and urban settings.  He currently resides with his wife and five children on the Calamity Jane Horse Cache ranch in Molt, Montana (just west of Billings).

Contact: David can be reached by e-mail at david@langfordlearning.com for additional information about this post-conference session.

Website: www.langfordlearning.com