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As a Learning Technology Coach, I have taken my role as a change agent quite seriously. My former role as an Instructional Technologist required me to be a change agent as well, but the implementation of Strategic Design greatly impacted my role as a catalyst for change. Having clear goals helped focus my intentions while a deep exploration of Schlechty’s philosophies on engagement and design have caused me to rethink my strategies for working with teachers, administrators, and my team members. Before I was an island unto myself when I was on campus, working with teachers one at a time, having great impact on the small group of teachers who chose to work with me, and giving unwilling teachers time and space to come to me of their own accord. I was impactful, but not on the scale that has become necessary with Strategic Design and Senate Bill 1557. Now, change must occur not on a classroom-by-classroom basis, but entire campuses and the district must transform, and soon.
I realized I must change my own actions in order to be truly impactful. I began modeling many of the changes that needed to happen. I began collaborating with my fellow coaches to expand on my ideas and get a more global picture about the changes that needed to be made in the district. We tackled our first “projects” by meeting teachers in PLC’s and planning sessions, expanding our reach to entire departments.
I have made an effort to approach these meetings as a thinking partner, and NOT as an expert who has arcane knowledge with which to bless these teachers. It also became important for teachers to understand the vision and belief behind Strategic Design, so a shift from technical, how-to support to a more global approach became necessary. This approach resulted in an increase in teacher capacity not only in terms of using a tool in class, but richer, deeper ways to innovate the learning experiences of students.
Another example of Strategic Design working through me and my fellow coaches was a two-hour workshop for teachers at LHS to support the 1:X initiative Affiliation, Protection from Initial Consequences of Failure, and Authenticity were key qualities we considered when designing the work, which involved a multi-sensory approach to organizing the knowledge and a variety of Kagan Structures designed to keep participants talking 90% of the time.
I have taken pains to reflect on teachers as learners when designing engaging work for them. I have used video artifacts, surveys, and back channels to capture what teachers think engagement is and how they would like to learn about engagement. By intentionally making an effort to form relationships with teachers and finding out how they like to learn, I act as a role model for them when they begin designing engaging work for their students. One example is this math teacher who has innovated formative assessment in her classroom.
I have also been involved in changing the way teachers communicate and collaborate. I helped lead the charge in initiating Google Apps on several campuses, which has in turn led to innovative practices by teachers which are supported and facilitated by principals. For example, our team conducted “camp-outs” at Durham and Huffines, inviting teachers to explore Google Drive and Sites with us. As a result, Durham has initiated an ePorfolio system using Google Sites, and Huffines uses Google Apps to collaborate on team and grade level documents. We have also implemented this model at Hedrick MS.
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