In
the last few posts, I’ve been discussing the inevitability of change as the new
school year approaches. Previously, I’ve listed common pitfalls for change
initiatives and how to avoid them. Research on change provides another
important step to consider on the road to positive change: Short-term success.
Making
sure short-term goals are set and met keeps the change process moving. Business
literature talks about the importance of a “big win” within the first 60 days,
and I’ve found the same holds true in schools. If teachers don’t see the
“something new” making a positive difference by the end of the first term,
momentum is likely to run out.
So,
how will you measure success within the first two months? It doesn’t have to be
a standardized test score. It could be a writing sample, an audio recording of
students reading, or students’ visual representations of their mathematical
thinking. The short-term goal needs to tie directly to the initiative itself
and its long-term goals. If your goal is focused on PLC’s, an October faculty
meeting could be dedicated to sharing products of their constructive work. Or,
if your focus is on vocabulary word walls, you could do a classroom tour during
the meeting, seeing how these walls have been put into practice across the
grade levels.
However
short-term successes are defined, find a way to celebrate them publicly.
Success breeds success and it will keep the positive energy going!
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Getting
the classroom ready? Save room for the children! Ideas for bulletin
board borders by and for children:
Share
this blog post about modeling to improve students’ writing:
Promote
learning of academic vocabulary across academic areas by “catching words:”
Teaching
chess builds students’ cognitive skills:
Understanding
the games kids play to avoid failure:
That’s it for this week. Happy
July!
No comments:
Post a Comment