Solving problems along the way

Barber, Rodriguex, Artis (2015) acknowledge that making sure action is meaningful and continuous can be challenging. It is only natural that at certain periods of time, especially if significant progress is not apparent at once, it will feel like nothing is changing and the urge to give up on the action plan to return to “things as before” will be tempting. Therefore, it is important to plan how you will overcome these challenges and motivate yourself and others to persist through distractions and monotony, as well as think about how to solve any problems or resistance that may arise in the action phase of the cycle.

The authors encourage to solve problems early and rigorously:

1. Identify and prioritize the right problems to solve

2. Clearly define the problems that you have prioritized

3. Analyze those problems

4. Develop solutions

The steps to solve problems are similar to the larger data-driven decision making cycle, making sure you collect the data necessary to make informed decisions for the best solutions.

When assessing the problems, ask yourself these questions:

Are the problems linked with the instructional decisions you made when planning your action steps? If after analyzing the problem you conclude that it is directly linked with the course of action you planned, it is necessary to take a pause and reevaluate the plan, coming together as a team to address the problem and come up with solutions. Remember that it is completely acceptable to adjust and make changes to your action plan along the way as you expand your knowledge and understanding of the situation, but be aware that change does take time and that results might be slow to reveal themselves!
Are the problems unintended consequences? If you conclude that the problems are unintended consequences, think about the severity of the consequences and consider the other risks involved. Is this just a short-term effect of the changes that eventually might pass? Or might the consequences you are currently facing have a long-term impact on the learning and wellbeing of students?

Persisting through resistance

At any point in the cycle you might face resistance in the form of 'change fatigue', general teacher data-angst and anxiety, or feelings that new methods will not be as effective as the old ones. In any case, at the first sign of such resistance, it is vital to address it quickly and efficiently, going back to the norms for collaboration and reestablishing the collective vision that everyone is working towards, so that everyone involved has a chance to remember the reason this cycle was started in the first place.

Is this still our priority? Do we still agree on these student outcome goals?
Do you have a better way to meet them? How do you know that it's a better way? What data supports the alternative?
Do we need to focus on anything else?
Are we all on board?
Is everyone informed about the progress?

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