In Their Own Words

In our latest Deming in Education podcast, Andrew and David talk about a controversial subject: cellphones in classrooms. Should teachers have them? Students? Should they be banned? Or is there another way? TRANSCRIPT 0:00:03.2 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz and I'll be your host, as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm continuing my discussion wit...

In this episode, Andrew and David talk about chaos, authority, and when calming the chaos can feel like a loss of control. They explore the "psychology" aspect of Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge, and how that applies to classrooms and and school systems. TRANSCRIPT   0:00:02.4 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host, as we continue our journey into the teachings of D...

Now that we understand Operational Definitions (see Part 12), it's time to figure out how to use them to get the improvements and results you want. Andrew and David talk about examples of useful Operational Definitions and how they can impact all aspects of education (and beyond!) TRANSCRIPT 0:00:00.0 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the...

Operational definitions are clearly defined words, phrases, and concepts that everyone working together agrees to use in the same way. Making assumptions about words like "tardy" or "good" is a fast track to confusion and disengagement. In part 12 of our Deming in Education series, Andrew and David talk about operational definitions in education - for students, faculty, and administrators.  TRANSC...

Dr. Deming listed 7 Deadly Diseases of Management in Out of the Crisis , and one of the more surprising is #3: Evaluation of performance, merit rating, or annual review . In this episode, David and Andrew discuss the harmful practice of awarding "teacher of the year," "student of the month," or other traditional recognition practices. David also offers practical suggestions for alternatives. TRANS...

In this episode, David and Andrew talk about Common Cause Variation vs Special Cause Variation, and the problem of confusing the two. Using the example of transgender students, David describes how a system's capability should be expanded rather than using that special cause situation as a weapon to destroy the entire system.  TRANSCRIPT Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we c...

What is the Taguchi Loss Function and how does it apply to education? In this episode, Andrew and David talk about statistician Genichi Taguchi's idea that the further you move from a measurable quality target, the more quality is lost, even if the item still "meets specifications." David shows how you can apply this to education. (For more about the Tachugi Loss Function, visit Wikipedia  or Chri...

In this episode, David and Andrew discuss the dreaded standardized tests, including how they evolved, how they're used (and not used) now, and what Deming said about them. David also offers practical tips for educators who want to move away from standardized tests in their classrooms. TRANSCRIPTION: Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings...

In this episode, David and Andrew discuss going beyond solving problems in schools to preventing them from happening. David also shares a tool for finding the area where optimization of the system would have the greatest impact. In the episode, David shares his screen with Andrew and fills in a diagram. The beginning version has post-it note images around the sides, and the final version has lines...

With nearly 2 million students not returning to schools and educational institutions after COVID, David and Andrew explore the question "how do we create quality education systems so students are excited to come to school - and stay there?" TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.8 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host, as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W Edwards Deming today....

In this episode of our special Deming in Education series, David and Andrew talk about the difference between "continuous" and "continual" improvement - and how that applies in classrooms. TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.5 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I am continuing my discussion with David P. Langfo...

David and Andrew's discussion of how using Deming in the classroom not only inspires achievement it also creates collaboration among excited students. TRANSCRIPT 0:00:01.9 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, we continue our series of Deming in Education with David P. Langford where we explore De...

In this episode, David and Andrew continue to talk about the thorny problem of tracking student progress - grading - and how to remove it from the classroom.  TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.3 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, we continue our series of Deming in Education with David P. Langford, where we e...

David and Andrew continue their discussion on how to track student progress when you don't use grades or other conventional methods. TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.3 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, we continue our series of Deming in Education with David P. Langford, where we explore Deming thinking to...

Andrew Stotz talks with Dr. Mustafa Shraim of Ohio University about Deming's approach to variation, comparing it to Lean and Six Sigma. "When you do Six Sigma, you're basically outsourcing your quality to an external source, providing the training, the titles, and all of that. You can cut it off any time. But when you do the [Deming] theory of knowledge and the Plan-Do-Study-Act, you have to commi...

Deming frequently discussed the right to joy in work and in learning. But what does that mean exactly? David P. Langford explains Deming's intent, particularly as it applies to education. TRANSCRIPT Stotz : My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today we're gonna be talking about the Langford application of Deming to b...

In this wide-ranging discussion, Kelly Allan shares his experience with bringing the Deming philosophy into many companies. So much of the leadership principles Dr. Deming taught have seeped into companies in all industries - though most don't know that their methods originated with Deming. Kelly believes we're reaching a tipping point, and shares his ideas on how easily anyone can get started on...

Kevin Cahill, President and Executive Director of the Deming Institute, reflects on growing up with Dr. Deming, learning about his grandfather's impact on the world, and his own Deming journey. Kevin also describes The Deming Institute's origins, the DemingNEXT initiative, and using Deming in the real world. SHOW NOTES Books mentioned The New Economics and Out of the Crisis , both by Dr. Deming (a...

In our 6th Interview episode, Plant Manager Dan Vermeesch and Quality Manager Brain Hoff discuss their Deming Journey. Topics include a discussion on variation and getting the Deming Philosophy into the education. Show Notes [00:00:12] Deming Institute Podcast Interview [00:00:35] Micron Manufacturing [00:00:50] History of Micron Manufacturing [00:01:10] Dan Vermeesch [00:01:51] Brian Hoff [00:04:...

In our 5th interview podcast of 2019, Alan Winlow, MBE, former Managing Director of Yorkshire Brick Company, Continuous Improvement Director at Marshalls PLC, and  2019 ASQ Deming Medal Recipient , offers insights on his efforts to lead a Deming transformation. (This is Tripp's first interview with Alan) Highlights include: Opening quote from Myron Tribus, "If you continue to do what you've always...

In our 4th interview podcast of 2019, Donald Berwick, co-founder and former President and CEO of IHI, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement , shares his Deming Journey.  Dr. Berwick, who presented at The Deming Institute's 2018 Conference,  is  one of the nation's leading authorities on healthcare quality and improvement.  (This is Tripp's first interview with Dr. Berwick) Highlights include: H...

In our 3rd interview podcast of 2019, Wendi Middleton, Director of Continual Quality Improvement, from the Aging Adult Services Agency within the State of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services, and Dennis Sergent, President, Sergent Results Group, share reflections on the "Challenges and Opportunities in Applying the Deming Philosophy in Government." (This is Tripp's first interview w...

In our 2nd interview podcast of 2019, Steven Haedrich, President of New York Label & Box Works (NYLBW) , shared reflections on his continued admiration and application of the Deming Philosophy. (This is Tripp's second interview with Steven.  Link  here  for the first interview.) Highlights include: Update on NYLBW Immersed in the Deming Philosophy every day Everything is moving much faster; qualit...

In our January 2019 interview podcast, his 8th session with Tripp, Superintendent David Langford reflects on t he state of education, the system, and how its set up, including various ways in how schools are working  to move from "theory to practice" in their understanding and application of the Deming philosophy. Highlights include: The short term thinking which Dr. Deming warned us of, whether l...

In our second interview podcast of November 2018, Doug Hall provides an overview of his latest book, "Driving Eureka!: Problem-Solving with Data-Driven Methods & the Innovation Engineering System" (This is Tripp's third interview with Doug.  Link  here  for the first interview and here for the second .) Highlights include: Inventing "big ideas" for clients, as they entered the "Killing Zone" Appli...