My goal to bring about innovation within my organization is to get other teachers to implement blended learning. My why statement below explains why I believe teachers should try implementing blended learning in their own classrooms.
WHY:
Students need a safe place to grow academically and emotionally.
HOW:
I facilitate learning through a blended learning model.
WHAT:
Students gain skills to become independent learners and gain a safe place to be vulnerable.
A teacher at the Blended and Personalized Learning Conference shared that "before shifting to blended learning, our culture/climate survey score for 'I have one person in the building who cares about me' was 20%...now after shifting to blended learning, it's up to 70% (Fisher & White, 2017). Blended learning frees the teacher up to have more one-on-one conversations with each and every student on a daily basis. It makes students feel more valued and gives them a safe place to fail forward. When teachers see blended learning as a way to help combat mental health, I believe it will speak to their hearts and create a sense of urgency. Why would a teacher not want to try something that could possibly better the well-being of their students in more ways than just one?
If I'm going to get other teachers on board with implementing something new in their classrooms when they already have enough responsibility on their plates as it is, I must understand what it takes to be an influencer in order to influence change. The influencer model can help me to maximize my influence through the six sources of influence.
The 4DX strategy, also known as the four disciplines of execution, will help an organization develop a habit of achieving goals. While the Influencer model focuses more on the psychology of change, the 4DX strategy focuses more on the structure or system of change. I believe both are necessary models to successfully implement change as I don't think change would be as successful if you used one without the other. If you are able to convince people to change, but don't provide a system for the change, then the people won't know what to do. If you provide the system for the change, but don't convince people that change is necessary, then the system won't matter because the people won't use it. The influencer model that I have developed will help my to convince people that blended learning is necessary, while the 4DX strategy that I developed will help my organization to actually implement it.
Anytime you ask for change, there will be pushback. There will be people who do not want to change and will hold you back from achieving your goals. When the stakes are high, emotions are strong, and opinions vary, it is time for a crucial conversation. The crucial conversations process will help teachers to understand why I'm pursuing change, help me to understand any hesitancy they may have towards the change, and help us all figure out how to build on those differences.
Knowing your why, using the influencer model, executing the 4DX strategy, and having crucial conversations can all work together to make me a more effective agent for change.
References:
Fisher, J., & White, J. (2017). Takeaways from the 2017 Blended and Personalized Learning Conference. From Maverick to Mainstream, 1–12. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED586384.pdf
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. (2016). The 4 disciplines of execution: achieving your wildly important goals. New York: Free Press.
Patterson, Kerry, et al. Crucial Conversations. McGraw-Hill, 2012.