One of the key things I found as I have been putting the plan together is that I cannot roll this out as some new initiative. Regardless of how well I present the “why”, or even how well it’s received by the staff, our history of initiative overload combined with the whirlwind will soon create serious problems. For that reason, I am doing a slow rollout. My goal is not to convert the entire staff it once. My goal is to work with one or two teachers at a time. I want to ignite a slow burning flame. Several years ago, our district head started to put in a K-12 coding program. A key component of the program throughout all 12 grades dealt with computational thinking. Like so many other programs it fell by the wayside. The educational need for it is still there but the buy-in is not. This is what surrounds the need for lunching the program slowly and quietly.
The second way that I’m using the scoreboard is a part of my six sources of influence. You can see it in more detail in my earlier post (link). It Is a part of the structural influence where teachers can see more and more other peers incorporating computational thinking. They can also see the effects of more and more students utilizing better problem-solving skills. Utilizing the scoreboard for this purpose will help create a structural support for teachers who are implementing computational thinking activities as well as encouraging more teacher to participate as well. In this respect, it takes on an internal and external importance.
I see a strong relationship between the Influencer and 4DX books. It’s a similar relationship that I saw between the three-column table and Understanding by Design. You can refer back to that post here. In short, the Three column table gave based overview of the goals and learning targets for a unit or course. Understanding by design took those targets, went much deeper and laid out a roadmap to reach them. Together they formed two interconnected but unique parts of the plan. The influencer model identifies they six sources of influence needed to help bring about change in people. 4DX lays out a plan to utilize those six sources in a way that brings about lasting change in an organization. They are also interconnected but unique parts. 4DX helps give focus to the six sources of influence. In fact, it gives a laser focus to them. The Influencer model focuses on the working with and changing the behaviors of individuals in an organization. On the flip side, 4DX looks at creating the systems in the whole organization to make these changes lasting and a part of the fabric of the organization. You really have to have both in order for the change to take place. To illustrate this, think of athletes. When they are working out, they must not focus only on one part of their body. It is almost comical to see someone who spends all their time working on their arms and upper body, while ignoring their lower body. These people tend to look like a chicken. They have a large torso, arms, and shoulders, but scrawny legs. Ignoring either the individuals or the entire system is the same thing. If you don't pay attention to both, then things are out of balance and it will soon fall apart. As the project progresses, it will undergo several stages as outlined in 4DX. The chart below outlines several key points in each stage. Like all endeavors, the environment, the participants, the situation, and more, will all undergo shifts. It is just like when applying heat to a material. If you take a block of ice and add heat, the molecules start to move around more. Eventually, they move so much that the ice melts and becomes water. As you continue to add heat, the molecules move even more and soon change to water vapor, a gas. In each phase, it is still “water”. Each molecule is made up of one atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen. The difference is the change in activity level. The same goes for this project. My campus is in one phase right now. As the project progresses and the flame grows, things will begin the undergo a phase change and behave differently. I have to be ready for these changes so that I can adapt to them and respond accordingly. References:
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The new science of leading change: 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 disciplines of execution: Achieving your wildly important goals. New York, NY: Free Press.
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About 5304This is my fifth course in the Lamar University Digital Leading and Learning program. I am now working on how to create the change in my school to facilitate the successful completion and longevity of my project. ArchivesCategories
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