No Limits; The Limited Edition
Working through the text in this class has been intriguing. I have taken a step back to look at all the irons in the fire. Managing the immediate and putting off what is not imminently due has been become normal operating procedures. 4DX calls this the whirlwind. Many “great” ideas pop into my head and many times I try to execute them all. In my learnings I have discovered that I must narrow my focus onto 1 or 2 wildly important goals (WIG). My school district has already set into motion one of my WIG. Implementing my innovation plan must be the other. Fortunate for me, both involve significant change and can be implemented simultaneously. Earlier, my influencer strategy pointed to key sources of influence. Using this framework along with 4DX will help to keep this innovation plan moving in the right direction.
Changing for the Right Reason.
Clear & Concise: My first order of action is to begin with the end in mind. I must deploy my innovation plan in such a way that is will be easy to understand. I have already polled students in a survey regarding change. What tactics would be most effective regarding change. I believe that having the students on board and very much a part of the change process is essential if this launch is to be a success.
We are Go for Launch: It is now time to turn the words into actions. The planning and preparations have all accumulated since the beginning. We will be moving into the water cautiously. This will not be a cannonball! My paraprofessional will be a stakeholder in the process, and we must have WIG sessions early and often. As the year goes on and the system begins to run as planned these WIG sessions can reduce to not less than one a week. We must always keep our WIG session focus on what they are intended for and not stray into off topic conversations.
Adoption is scary exciting: When the students are able to freely navigate their learning, we will be able to move forward, and norms will be redefined. Our students must learn how to hold themselves and their peers accountable. The foundation must be set with trust. Once the team has this established, healthy conflicts can drive our success. This coupled with a high level of commitment will make reaching our goals seem very attainable.
Optimize: Obstacles to Opportunities. There will be snags and trip lines set as we move forward. How can we turn these into opportunities for growth? Having a Can-do attitude with a mindset that focuses on “not yet” instead of “I can’t” will be critical. Sometimes we win and sometimes we learn. We will face troubles and at times may even need to make modifications to the plan. We must view every setback as an opportunity for growth.
Good Habits: We carry an attitude that we will not fail. Almost arrogant. Almost. We must believe that we will win. We also must be so focused on the success as a team that others around us will want to drink the Kool-Aid. We will become the example in our building and others will want to follow our lead.
Focus on the Wildly Important
The construction industry is very large with many different career paths involved. My job as an instructor is to expose students to as many of these opportunities as possible. Often, it is easy to get lost in the mundane and scratch just the surface. Students receive quality education, but it is superficial. I typically wear size large/xl shirt, trust me when I say you do not want to see me in a small! This being the case, why would we force a student who wishes to be a plumber to synthesize masonry concepts? We must continue to allow all students to “scratch the surface” in all areas but allow them a choice for that deeper instruction/exploration into the career of their own interest. Imagine a class that a student can chart their own path! If it is freezing out and a small sweatshirt is all that is available, I’m using it, but it would be much nicer to have one that fits. It is the same with career pathways.
At least 90% of all students must be able to deploy appropriate technological components by the end of the first semester for late stage learning to be effective.
Blended Learning is the beginning focus as the students will connect their online LMS experiences with their hands-on experiences in the classroom. In the early stages, the teachers will be available as “tour guides” as the entire class manages the same materials. Career Connections and Google Classroom (or Moodle) will be the LMS used. Moving into the second semester, students will explore the career path of their own choosing. They will now be working on an individualized curriculum. EBG will ensure that all students are moving towards proficiency.
90% of the students must be able to manage their own learning and stay on pace to complete their self-guided tour in the 3rd marking period.
Act on Lead Measures
We know where we are going but how do we get there? The Lead measures are influenceable and will help to achieve desired Lag measures. What can we do to initiate a response that will lead to success?
Start Simple: Daily exercises must be implemented from day one. Requirements for success here is small. Read and reply. Rigor is not extreme here, but steps moving towards completion of the simple tasks will encourage users (students) to move forward and attempt the more complex.
Step it up: Its now time to embrace the content. Each week will “level up” and procedures will be developed. Consistency is key here as the students will need this as a safety net as they prepare to jump into the unknown as they explore a whole world of new concepts.
Make it fun: Now we bring the learning together as we apply what we have learned in a hands-on setting. Concepts explored through the LMS systems will be tied into real-life applications.
Measure & Repeat: This model must be deployed effectively and intentionally. Any loss of focus or momentary strays from the plan can be detrimental to the end goals. Student involvement and completion percentages must be monitored especially in the early stages where the learning is focused on the technology use itself.
No Participation Trophy, Use that Scoreboard.
The scoreboard that we must develop must consider the students voices. What it means to “win” may look different to them than it does to me. If we do not develop a scoreboard that suits our collective needs, we will fail. To reach certain completion percentages we must find something that works as a motivator. Proper motivation will create the drive needed to succeed. I have some ideas for effective scoreboards such as a bullseye target on the wall in the classroom, online line or bar graphs noting completions, etc. I will not completely develop a scoreboard without the input of the stakeholders.
Count on Me and I will Count on You, Accountability.
Team accountability is something that excites me. I love working as a team to reach goals. This plan will take many pieces coming together at the right times to achieve the desired results. WIG meetings should not be secluded to just me and my paraprofessional. Students should be involved in some of these meetings as well. All stakeholders should have these opportunities to come together to see where they are at and discuss how to get where they are going. Collective encouragement is going to help to get us there.
Bringing it back.
As I stated earlier, using information from each of the texts: 4DX, Influencer, and Crucial Conversations will aid in implementing my innovation plan. Managing the whirlwind will be a constant struggle, but I must be able to focus on that WIG. Having the right focus will help keep the whirlwind at bay while leading effective changes in the classroom. I must also remember that y students will be managing their own whirlwinds and they must have supports to focus on goals set as a group.
References
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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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Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A.. (2013). Influencer: The new science of leading change. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.