How to Embrace Change

 

In the fourteen years I have been in education, I have seen my share of changes.  In fact, one thing we can always count on in education (and life) is change.  To some degree, we are used to it; for example, we are used to meeting a new group of students each school year.  We know that’s going to happen and we accept it.  Yet, when it comes to adopting new teaching methods or instructional strategies, we can face them unwillingly.  I’ll admit change is not always easy.  When I changed school districts, it was after being on a three-year maternity sabbatical.  There were so many differences, the main one being electronic gradebooks! What was this?  Last time I entered grades I used a large scantron where I had to bubble in 90 and then 5 just to give the student a 95.  Other times it can be down right uncomfortable. This is how it felt when I left the classroom to become an Educational Technology Specialist.  It felt weird not having my own students, and I didn’t really know what to do with the time I had on the first day of school.  While I loved using technology in my classroom, to become the chief advocate of educational technology on a campus was going to mean a huge learning curve for me.  As a result, I stepped up to the challenge.  In this role, I have encountered many educators who have difficulty embracing the use of technology in the classroom.  I would like to share my

T.E.A.C.H. process for helping TEACHers embrace change in the classroom.

1. Trends– if you are staying on top of the trends in education by reading articles, journals, you become aware of some of the changes before they may hit your campus.  You may even consider doing action research and trying new things in your classroom to see how they work or not.  At any rate, you are making yourself aware of changes and can approach them from a pro-active instead of re-active manner.
2. Explore– technology is constantly changing so it’s necessary to explore a few technology tools that you would like to use in your classroom.  This could be part of your annual summer activity.  Exploring new websites, apps, devices, instructional strategies to see which ones may work well in your learning environmnent.
3. Assess– where are you? Honestly.  If you considered the SAMR model for integrating technology in your classroom, are you at the Substitution level, Augmentation level, Modification level, or Redefinition level.  Know where you are and start there.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  So if you are substitution, acknowledge that but don’t stay there.  Keep moving up!
4. Connect– there are so many avenues for connecting with great educators. You can do so through Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and other social networking platforms.  The goal though is to connect.  It’s no good if you create an account but fail to meet people, join chats, or participate in discussions.  It is through these valuable interactions that you meet other educators who are making a difference and can share their experiences of failure or success with you (for free)!
5. Hope– Change is not always bad.  Many times things always work out for the best.  That being said, why not hope for the best.  There is always a fifty-fifty chance that it will work, right? Plus, if you try it and you fail, you still learned a way that doesn’t work! Yay, go me for failing.  I saw a tweet once that read: FAIL- First Attempt In Learning.  That is so right on! Even when we fail, we learn something.  All we have to do is to get back up and continue to hope for the best. 

I hope this process will provide you with a new way to approach change.  After all, it’s the one thing in life that will never change.   

How do you adapt or handle change in your learning environment?