Systemic Change and Mathematics Education

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Systemic Change and Mathematics Education

• Kit Peixotto
• Senior Program Director
• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

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Leading Change

• Making Change for School Improvement and the
  Concerns-based Adoption Model

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Session Goal

• Simulate an organizational change experience in
  comfortable, low-risk environment
• Learn effective change strategies, processes, and
  models
• Practice working as a team to design and lead a
  change effort

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What are your assumptions about change?

• Think about a past change effort in which youve
  been involved.
• What were some of the assumptions that were
  operating for you about how change occurs?

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Change is a journey

• Were going to embark on a journey together for
  the next several hours . . .

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Stop asking me if were almost there! Were
nomads, for crying out loud!
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Leading Change

• Making Change for School Improvement and the
  Concerns-based Adoption Model

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Making Change for School Improvement

• Goals of the Game
• 1) gain StuBens (Student Benefits)
• 2) move staff ahead in their use of an
  innovation
• Hergert, L., Mundry, S., Kolb, F., Rose, R.
  Corro, J. (1999).
• Making Change for School Improvement (2nd
  edition).
• NETWORK Rowley, MA

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Welcome to theVERIFINE School District!

• Game board
• Player pieces and info cards
• Player instructions
• Activities sheet
• Strategy record sheet
• Budget (42 bits) in a cup

The Change Game
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Directions for Play

• Look at Board
• Select Team Roles
• Recorder
• Runner
• Facilitator

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Change Simulation Player Roles

• 1 runner to the monitor station
• 1 recorder for the strategy record sheet
• 1 mover of pieces on the game board

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Activities Sheet
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Strategy Record Sheet
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Welcome to theVERIFINE School District!

• The district is in the process of implementing a
  new district-wide equity program
• The challenge is your committee (team) is
  responsible for implementing this program

The Change Game
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Things to Remember

• Blank spaces are free spaces
• Identify roles for your team
• Bring bits AND strategy record
• sheet to the monitor station
• Return cards to monitor station
• Keep a record of stages people are in and the
  number of StuBens on the strategy record sheet

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Agenda

• Year 1
• September June (1 hour)
• Summer Break (30 minutes)
• Data Collection Site Visits
• Debrief
• Break (15 minutes)
• Year 2
• September June (1 hour)
• Data Collection Debrief
• Lunch (1 hour)
• Final Debrief (45 minutes)

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To Begin

• Read player instructions
• Read about the people in the Verifine School
  District on the people cards
• Decide on an activity

GO!
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Year 1
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Summer Break
Data Collection Record the number of people in
each stage Record StuBens Record (bits)
remaining
Site Visits Decide who will visit districts in
your region and each of the other regions Decide
who will remain at your district
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Summer Break
Data Collection Record the number of people in
each stage Record StuBens Record (bits)
remaining
Site Visits Visit other districts What strategies
were successful? When? For whom?
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Debriefing

• What should we keep doing?
• What should we stop doing?
• What should we start doing?

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Ready for Year 2???

• Do you have your teams 42 bits?
• You can use ALL activities in years 1 and 2.

BEGIN!
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Year 2
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End of Game

• Dont touch your game board!
• Update your chart on wall.
• Number of people in each stage
• Count your Stubens
• Remaining (bits)
• Prepare to debrief.

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Questions for your team

• What patterns did you observe?
• How did your experience with the Change Game make
  you feel?
• What did you learn?
• About the change process?
• About peoples willingness to change?
• About your role as leader of change?

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Debrief

• What did you learn from this simulation?
• What worked? When? For whom?
• How do you know what worked?
• What were some barriers? Frustrations?
  Roadblocks?
• If you were to do this again, what would your
  team do differently?

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BIG IDEA 1

• Change is a process requiring developmental
  growth in feelings and skills.

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Research Findings from Concerns-based Adoption
Model (CBAM) Project

• Change is a process not an event
• Change is made by individuals first, then
  institutions
• Change is a highly personal experience
• Change entails developmental growth in feelings
  and skills

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How do these research finding apply to your work?
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Change is a process requiring developmental
growth in feelings and skillsApply Big Idea 1
to Your Work

• Expect that people in any group will be at
  different places in the sequence
• Plan interventions that support people wherever
  they are, not just the beginning
• Repeat interventions over time accommodate new
  people to the system
• Check to make sure you are getting the results
  you intend

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BIG IDEA 2

• People commit to ideas at different rates

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ADOPTER TYPES based on RESEARCH
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Adopter Types

• Innovator - 8 - Eager to try new ideas
• Leader - 17 - More thoughtful about
  involvement, trusted by others
• Early Majority - 29 - Cautious and deliberate
  about involvement
• Late Majority - 29 - skeptical about change
• Resister - 17 - generally opposed to new ideas,
  sometimes isolated

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Adopter Types

• How might you categorize members of the Verifine
  School District among the various adopter types?

Al, Beth, Carol, David, Eve
Fern, Gary, Hazel, Irene
Jan, Lora, Mia Nora, Pat
Owen, QT, Ray, Simone
Thelma, Upton, Velma, Will
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Adopter Types

• Innovator - 8 - Eager to try new ideas
• Leader - 17 - More thoughtful about
  involvement, trusted by others
• Early Majority - 29 - Cautious and deliberate
  about involvement
• Late Majority - 29 - skeptical about change
• Resister - 17 - generally opposed to new ideas,
  sometimes isolated

• Gary, Mia
• Eve, Jan, Nora, Upton
• Beth, David, Lora, Owen, Thelma, Velma
• Al, Fern, Hazel, QT, Ray, Simone
• Carol, Irene, Will, Pat

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What are some of the reasons that people resist
change?
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REASONS FOR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE from the RESEARCH

• People do not know enough about the change
• No one has made a clear case for the change
• There has been poor communication
• People do not believe the change is worthwhile
• People are afraid they will fail
• The change is not aligned with the school culture
• Stakeholders are not adequately involved
• Lack of trust
• Lack of leadership for change

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How might you address these areas of resistance?
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Addressing Resistance

• Gather data to find the reasons for resistance
• Create a shared vision
• Hold high expectations for each other
• Develop plan to address concerns and needs
• Manage conflict
• Communicate

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How can you apply these research findings to your
work?
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People commit to ideas at different rates Apply
Big Idea 2 to Your Work

• Identify the leaders (or early adopters) first
  and get them involved.
• At the same time, invite and support the early
  and late majority
• Plan for phased-in involvement, aim for critical
  mass.

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BIG IDEA 3

• Much of what your experience tells you about
  change is confirmed in the research

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Learning from the Game...

• Change takes time and persistence
• Change strategies are most effective when they
  meet peoples needs
• The objective is to benefit students, not just
  convert staff
• Reflection and revisions are essential to the
  change process
• Administrative support and approval is needed for
  change to occur
• Developing a critical mass of support is just as
  important as developing administrative support
• Successful change needs leadership

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How does this apply to your work?
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Much of what your experience tells you about
change is confirmed in the research Apply Big
Idea 3 to Your Work

• It takes time
• It takes more time than you think it will
  take.always
• It must be supported from the top -- Someone has
  to be responsible for making it happen
• You need critical mass
• Change is inevitable

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High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain
focused. Still, he couldnt shake one nagging
thought He was an old dog and this was a new
trick
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Concerns as a Leader

• When I think of enacting my role as a leader for
  change, I am most concerned about...
• Please be frank.
• Write a complete sentence on a sticky note.
  Dont share it at this time.

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• Stages of Concern
• REFOCUSING
• COLLABORATION
• CONSEQUENCE
• MANAGEMENT
• PERSONAL
• INFORMATIONAL
• 0. AWARENESS

• Expressions
• I have some ideas about something that would work
  even better.
• How can I relate what I am doing to what others
  are doing?
• What impact am I having? How can I refine it to
  have more impact?
• I seem to be spending all my time getting
  materials ready.
• How will using it affect me?
• I would like to know more about it.
• I am not concerned about it.

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Stages of Concern about Leading Change

• Think about your own concerns statement.
• What stage do you think it falls into? Record
  your idea on the back of your sticky note.
• Turn to another person and discuss.
• Give your statement to a faculty member.

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Stage 0 Awareness Concerns

• Involve in discussions and decision.
• Arouse interest.
• Give permission not to know.
• Provide information and encourage sharing.

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Stage 1 Informational Concerns

• Provide clear and accurate information.
• Share information often and in a variety of ways.
• Show how changes relate to current practices
  (similarities and differences).

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Draw out and address personal concerns directly.
• Use personal notes and conversation.
• Connect people to others who are influential and
  supportive.

• Stage 2 Personal Concerns

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Focus on specific areas for change.
• Answer specific how to questions.
• Identify sequences of activities and set
  timelines for implementation.

• Stage 3 Management Concerns

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Gather data and provide feedback.
• Provide opportunities for users to share
  knowledge and skills.
• Provide evaluation strategies.

• Stage 4 Consequence Concerns

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Train people to collaborate.
• Arrange for people to help each other.
• Rearrange schedules so people have time to work
  together.

• Stage 5 Collaboration Concerns

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Strategies to Address Concerns

• Stage 6 Refocusing Concerns

• Train people to experiment and collect data on
  results.
• Document changes being made and monitor impact.

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Matching Concerns to Action

• What concerns do your colleagues voice?
• What are some of the interventions you might
  choose to address the concerns?

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Session Goal

• Simulate an organizational change experience in
  comfortable, low-risk environment
• Learn effective change strategies, processes, and
  models
• Practice working as a team to design and lead a
  change effort