The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
October 4, 2008
Bumps in the Road
The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to
preserve change amid order.
Alfred North Whitehead
A few months ago I wrote about my daughter Dee taking a driver's
education course and receiving her learner's permit. Dee insisted
on taking the course right after her 15th birthday, as soon as she
was eligible. A full year before she could take the test for her
driver's license, she was eager to hit the road. She loved the
class, and took the wheel every time we got in the car in the weeks
after she received her learner's permit.
But a funny thing happened a couple months after Dee began driving.
She spent a few weeks out of state this summer, unable to drive
during this time. Before she left, there were a couple
disagreements about what music she could listen to while driving
(and how loud it could be). The transition from taking the advice
of a certified instructor to listening to her parents for guidance
wasn't completely smooth. By midsummer, my husband and I were the
ones nagging Dee to take the keys and drive, quite a switch from
the days right after her training.
I've talked to other parents who have children the same age, and
they experience similar issues. What we're up against is the
"implementation dip." When people try new things, there is often a
time after the first rush and pleasure of making a change when
skills level off, or even atrophy. It's hard to resist the pull to
go back to what is comfortable and routine. For a veteran teacher,
it may be a return to the way you've done reading groups for 20
years. For a teen driver, it may be a move back to the passenger
seat, where you can plug into your iPod and listen to your tunes at
any volume you please.
Michael Fullan has written extensively about the implementation dip
- the drop in "performance and confidence as one encounters an
innovation that requires new skills and new
understandings"(National Staff Development Council Tools, November,
2006). Simply put, things often get worse before they get better
when changes are made in learning communities. These bumps in the
road are a natural, expected part of any change process. October
is a time in schools when new ideas, a new curriculum, or new
protocols for staff meetings will be put to the test by the
implementation dip. In August or September, colleagues and
students will be willing to give most new routines a chance. It's
only after a few weeks or months that confidence and performance
may take a hit.
One of the best ways to deal with the implementation dip is to
recognize and expect it. Literacy leaders can reassure colleagues
and students that it's a good sign of change and growth to reach
the point where you're uncomfortable or unsure about your skills,
or questioning what progress is being made. Just knowing that
things will improve once you get beyond the dip and the innovation
becomes habit is all that is needed to push through for a few more
weeks.
Are you seeing any implementation dips yet? Have you prepared your
classroom or school for them? With Dee, it was a matter of firmly
letting her know it wasn't an option not to practice her driving
every week, and it's a routine now for her to drive certain routes
regularly to build her practice time. In schools, literacy
leaders can talk through dips and brainstorm ways to assist
colleagues as they struggle with what's new. We think through and
prepare for the initial resistance that is expected when making
changes. But in terms of enduring improvements, it's the quiet
dips in the midst that probably deserve more of our attention.
This week, we've got some materials on implementation dips, plus
more as always. Enjoy!
Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
www.choiceliteracy.com
Free for All
From the Choice Literacy Archives, Aimee Buckner connects her bumpy
road to a regular running routine to strategies for making changes
in her writer's workshop. If you feel yourself starting to "dip,"
grabbing a notebook and setting some goals as Aimee does may help
you persevere:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/385.cfm
Michael Fullan's Learning to Lead Change - Core Concepts Guide
has a detailed section on how to deal with implementation dips.
This is a helpful document if you are interested in the research
base for the implementation dip, as well as successful strategies
and case studies. Warning - This is a 17 page PDF file, so the
link will not work well if you are on a slower connection:
http://tinyurl.com/4qo6ch
"How to Win Over a Reluctant Reader" is an issue Big Fresh
subscribers think about all the time. The provocative twist in
LaDuska Adriance and Ellen Lindner's article at School Library
Journal is that their advice is presented in graphica. This would
be a terrific piece to share at a study group or staff meeting when
the topic of reluctant readers or using graphic novels in
classrooms is the focus:
http://tinyurl.com/5yelc4
When do we need to work with others? When is it alright to go it
alone? Literacy leaders grapple with these questions every day as
they try to nurture the individual strengths of teachers and bring
a school community together around shared beliefs at the same time.
Principal Karen Szymusiak in her blog post "Balloon Rides and
Train Rides" reflects upon the balance of individual and shared
goals in schools, as well as a leader's role:
http://tinyurl.com/46sc52
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When a student is struggling, language barriers can make it even
harder for teachers to connect. Andrea Smith finds webbing during
conferring is an excellent strategy for assisting a young English
language learner in her writer's workshop:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/710.cfm
We all want staff meetings and classroom visits that are pleasant,
but how do we get to the next level of support for teachers? In
"Congeniality to Collegiality," veteran literacy coaches and staff
developers Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan suggest a few tested
and successful protocols for meetings and study groups that foster
more thoughtful conversations:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/694.cfm
It's a long time till report cards and assessment narratives are
due...or is it? Those deadlines in late fall always seem to sneak
up quickly. We've got a couple features this week to give teachers
a leg up on gathering the notes and materials they will need to
make their report card writing a snap, with more to come next week.
In this week's video Joan Moser shares her "pensieve," the notebook
designed to capture all her notes, thinking, and goals for children
during workshops:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/638.cfm
Finally, this week's Choice Literacy Cluster focuses on
recordkeeping and in-class assessment notes, with contributions
from Jennifer Allen, Andie Cunningham, Katie DiCesare, Franki
Sibberson, The Sisters, and Brenda Power:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/709.cfm
That's all for this week!
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