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

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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!