When I was in the classroom, I taught students a lot of content. After I moved into a STEM role, my job became more about teaching students to think using the engineering design process. After watching IDEO: Shopping Cart Design Process (Sahakyan & Dateline NBC, 2017) for the fifth or sixth time, it dawned on me how much time the engineers spent researching problems with the shopping cart before they considered solutions. First, they brainstormed potential problems. Then, they categorized types of problems. Next, they divided into teams to brainstorm potential solutions for each problem. Finally, they brainstormed again as a whole group. Much of what was shown on the program demonstrated that to really meet customers’ needs, we needed to know what problems they were facing.
Define Your Problem
In his TED Talk Change Behavior- Change the World (Grenny, 2013), Joseph Grenny describes a woman named Jane who ended up in the sex trade in her country through some unfortunate circumstances. As he talks about her life and how to help her change her situation, he asks how to define the problem of Jane (Grenny, 2013). This question resonated with me. As I struggle with my proposal on The Paperless Office, I have a hard time determining what the problem really is. Much like Jane’s story, the scope of this problem seems so large. I find that I’m left with more questions than answers:
What do I want to accomplish?
What will the lead measure be?
How will I determine which behaviors are vital behaviors?
How will I determine the real problem of the paperless office?
Create A Goal
According to Influencer (Switzler et al., 2013, p 13-14), the 3 keys to influence are:
Focus and measure
Find vital behaviors
Engage all 6 sources of influence
I know that eventually, my goal will be to connect to each of the 6 sources of influence, but like the engineers at the IDEO, I need to start with the problem at hand. Based on the Influencer worksheet and book, this involves setting a SMART goal. My SMART goal is:
Goal: Decrease printed paper use by administrators and administrative assistants over the course of one year by 20%.
This is just a sample goal. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m measuring the right kind of influence. I’m pretty sure measuring paper usage is a lag measure. Should I focus instead on writing a lead measure? According to The 4 Disciplines of Execution (Covey et al., 2012, p. 109), a lead measure focuses on a behavior that is observable before the fact, while a lag measure looks at something in the past that you can no longer act on. Decreasing paper usage is definitely a “past” measure.
Back to the drawing board
As I think through what I’m measuring, it’s important to think through the vital behaviors that I might need to measure before I can plan how to engage the sources of influence. On his site, 4 Effective Ways to Find and Test Vital Behaviors | It’s About Learning, Dr. Harapnuik (2016) talks about 4 vital behaviors for identifying behaviors to change:
Notice the obvious
Look for crucial moments
Learn from positive deviants
Spot culture busters
What are obvious uses of paper that I can address that might be a lead measure?
Taking notes during a meeting
Creating meeting agendas and printing them
Use of sticky notes or notebooks
As I think about making meaningful change, I think I might have the start of a goal:
Goal: Increase the use of digital notes during meetings, training, and day-to-day tasks by administrators and administrative assistants over the course of one year by 20%.
While this is definitely in the brainstorm phase – I plan on doing research to determine the percentage increase – I can start to think about what steps I need refine this goal. This will help me to adequately determine the problem. Otherwise, what am I even doing? If I don’t know the problem and can’t communicate it, I certainly won’t be able to influence others to implement solutions.
References
Covey, S., Huling, J., & McChesney, C. (2012). The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. Free Press.
Grenny, J. (2013, April 26). Change Behavior- Change the World: Joseph Grenny at TEDxBYU. YouTube. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://youtu.be/6T9TYz5Uxl0
Harapnuik, D. (2016, January 28). 4 Effective Ways to Find and Test Vital Behaviors. It’s About Learning. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6253
Sahakyan, D., & Dateline NBC. (2017, September 29). IDEO: Shopping Cart Design Process. YouTube. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izjhx17NuSESwitzler, A., Maxfield, D., Patterson, K., Grenny, J., & McMillan, R. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition (Paperback). McGraw-Hill Education.
Essential Question: Develop a plan that introduces the fundamental ideas introduced by Dr. Dweck as you develop and support a growth mindset in yourself and in others within your organization.
Image from Getting Out of the Comfort Zone and into the Growth Zone (Warren, 2020).
Do you often try new things and push yourself into uncharted territory in your development?
More often than not, I try to push myself into uncharted territory as I continue to grow. In most areas of my life, I seek to grow and develop. However, are times when I get “stuck” in my thinking. For example, my thinking around finances is very fixed and I struggle to learn and grow. I often give into stress. Also, when I’m confronted about certain opinions around politics or my core beliefs, I notice a lot of self-justification and the need to be “right” in arguments. Finally, as I challenge myself to grow as a leader, I feel a great deal of anxiety that I will not be able to do it. I worry that “no one will listen,” or that my ideas aren’t “right” or “important enough.” I recognize that while I exhibit a growth mindset in general, I can definitely improve my fixed mindset in these areas.
Compare and contrast growth and fixed mindset. What are the dangers of a fixed mindset?Why is the growth mindset so important?
As I explained in previous posts, Too Close to Home and Growth Mindset: Useful Tool or Parlor Trick, individuals with a growth mindset view effort over talent and constantly seek development (Jeffrey, n.d.). Individuals with a fixed mindset see their talents as, well, fixed. They seek external validation and often give up in the face of failure (Jeffrey, n.d.). No one falls completely into one category or another. Most people have a growth mindset in some areas and a fixed mindset in others, although some people might have more of a fixed or growth mindset overall (Jeffrey, n.d.).
The fixed mindset is a dangerous trap to fall into. People with a fixed mindset believe in natural-born talent and that some people just can’t do certain things. Because of this, they see growth and effort as a waste of time, which creates no chance to develop potential (Jeffrey, n.d.). This can cause an aborted sense of self-actualization in a person with an overall fixed mindset.
The growth mindset is important because with this mindset, “you can develop any ability through dedication and hard work” (Jeffrey, n.d.). The growth mindset increases your desire to embrace challenges and persevere when you encounter setbacks. Also, the growth mindset is the “essential ingredient on the path to mastery” (Jeffrey, n.d.). According to Carl Jung’s work, self-mastery is the “commitment to never-ending improvement; it’s a process of becoming” (Jeffrey, n.d.). Self-actualizing individuals experience more peak, life-affirming moments, improved relationships, and greater productivity in their life goals (Jeffrey, n.d.). In other words, approaching life with a growth mindset ensures that you will continue to learn and face the challenges life throws you. It creates a more rich and meaningful life experience.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs demonstrates the biological, emotional, and growth needs that humans must obtain and develop to achieve self-actualization and transcendence. Image from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (McLeod, 2020).
Most of us hold both a fixed and a growth mindset around certain topics or areas of development. Fortunately, mindsets are just beliefs and you can change your mind. You can choose a path toward self-actualization.
How are mindsets formed?
Praise and labeling from influential adults in our lives develop growth or fixed mindset. Think about this. If a person has a fixed mindset, they desire external validation for their skill and ability. In other words, they probably received a lot of that as a child. If a person has a growth mindset, they must have been praised on what they value – the process they use, the effort they put in, and their personal improvement.
How does understanding how the brain learns work to lay the foundations to develop a growth mindset?How does practice develop learning? How can it be used to learn to have a growth mindset?
How can we go about changing our minds? A 1998 study determined that adult brains continue to create new cells. As a result, the concept of neuroplasticity exploded along with research into adult learning (Remedium, 2005-2013). While the knowledge that adult brains can continue to learn was revolutionary, what we know about how we learn is similar in adults and children. As you learn a new skill your brain makes connections. Through repeated practice, your brain builds myelin along the axons. The more myelin you build, the faster the signal moves. The more you practice, the stronger your brain gets, and the more automatic the skill or knowledge becomes (Jeffrey, n.d.).
This process is observable externally with the concept of the Four Stages of Learning.
This figure demonstrates the Four Stages of Learning. As we correctly practice new skills, we move from a state of conscious incompetence to one of conscious competence. Eventually, the new knowledge or skill becomes intuitive. Image from Four Stages of Learning (Jarrard, 2019).
Jeffrey also suggests changing our thoughts around practice. The comic below provides the perfect explanation:
In this comic, the teacher praises the student’s ability. The student repeats that her “God-given talent” is actually just practice. Image from Sarah’s Scribbles (Andersen, 2015).
If we make a conscious effort to shift our praise from fixed to growth, our mindset is sure to follow.
What resources will you use to promote the growth mindset?
In The Feeling Good Handbook, Dr. David Burns teaches readers how to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT to retrain their brains (Burns, 1999). He talks about the reaction chain that happens in split seconds and how it leads to unconscious behaviors. He takes the reader step-by-step through this process, helping them identify what they are feeling and the thought that causes that feeling. Then, the reader can look through thought distortions to if any fixed mindset – or distorted – thinking affected their feelings. Finally, he guides users through useful tips on reframing their thinking for a more positive outcome. CBT is a well-known, often used process for overcoming depression and anxiety and improving relationships.
How 4 Steps:
The Four Steps are similar to the process Dr. Burns used to teach people how to reframe their thinking. Using the four steps, someone should be able to:
take on a new challenge,
learn from setbacks,
persist without exception,
and adjust their actions based on feedback (Jeffrey, n.d.).
That is because they learn to notice their feelings and thinking, and they learn to reframe their thinking to achieve positive outcomes.
What are the four steps:
Scott Jeffrey (n.d.) shares the four steps in Change Your Fixed Mindset into a Growth Mindset.
Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset “voice.”
Step 2: Recognize that you have a choice.
Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.
Step 4: Take the growth mindset action.
Using these steps is similar to using CBT to work through distorted thoughts. The only difference is that the outcomes apply specifically to mindsets around learning.
How will you communicate the message of “yet” to others? When and how often will you promote the growth mindset?
My Brainstorm:
Coaching questions to use with individuals and in training sessions.
What can I learn from this?
What steps can I take to help me succeed?
Do I know the outcome or goal I’m after?
What information can I gather? And from where?
Where can I get constructive feedback?
If I had a plan to be successful at [blank], what might it look like?
When will I follow through on my plan?
Where will I follow through on my plan?
How will I follow through on my plan?
What did I learn today?
What mistake did I make that taught me something?
Is my current learning strategy working? If not, how can I change it?
What did I try hard at today?
What habits must I develop to continue the gains I’ve achieved?
Modeling the behavior myself.
Twitter Campaign.
Incorporate graphics/information into staff training.
In coaching and professional/individual interactions.
Preemptively Create a graphic that can be used throughout the district.
When? Soon and often – especially when learning new content. A lot of the people I work with will need a lot of support when learning technology.
THINK BIGGER…
Conclusion: How will the growth mindset influence or impact the way you approach your work in this course and the program?
Scott Jeffery says “Mindset places learning in the context of our thoughts and beliefs” (Jeffrey, n.d.). He refers to Jung’s work, stating that we exist with two opposing forces. One of those forces pulls us toward safety and another pulls us toward growth (Jeffrey, n.d.). How can we work in the Growth Zone? By facing our fears. To do this, we must “become aware of the fear driving your behavior, welcome it, and realize it has no basis in your present reality” (Jeffrey, n.d.). In addition, through small repeated actions and consistent practice with The Four Steps, we can change our mindset and spend more time in growth and learning (Jeffrey, n.d.).
I use CBT on a regular basis in my life. I already noticed a fixed mindset thinking around my leadership capabilities and started “talking back” to that voice. It helps that I have supportive teammates who will gladly call me on my thinking. Above all, my hope is that applying the concepts from Dr. Dweck’s research to my own life will help me move from the Comfort Zone throughout the Applied Digital Learning Program and beyond.
Image from Moving from the Fear Zone to the Growth Zone (Maxwell, 2020).
References
Andersen, S. (2015, September 5). Sarah’s Scribbles by Sarah Andersen for September 05, 2015. GoComics. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.gocomics.com/sarahs-scribbles/2015/09/05
Burns, D. D. (1999). The Feeling Good Handbook (Plume). Penguin Publishing Group.
Jarrard, B. (2019, May 14). Four Stages of Learning: Are They Enough to Make Innovation Happen? –. Mindwerx. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from http://mindwerx.com/four-stages-learning-enough-make-innovation-happen/
Jeffrey, S. (n.d.). Change Your Fixed Mindset into a Growth Mindset [Complete Guide]. Scott Jeffrey. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://scottjeffrey.com/change-your-fixed-mindset/
Maxwell, T. (2020, April 20). Moving from the Fear Zone to the Growth Zone. Succeed On Purpose. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.succeedonpurpose.com/post/moving-from-the-fear-zone-to-the-growth-zone
McLeod, S. (2020, December 29). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Remedium. (2005-2013). Neuroplasticity: An Extraordinary Discovery of the Twentieth Century. A to Z of Brain, Mind and Learning. https://www.learninginfo.org/neuroplasticity.htmWarren, P. (2020, August 18). Getting Out of the Comfort Zone and into the Growth Zone. eyeTHRIVE by GPN. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://eyethrive.net/getting-out-of-the-comfort-zone-and-into-the-growth-zone/
It’s important to believe you can do something. However, the idea that mindset alone can accomplish goals comes across as a bit tone-deaf and overly simplified. What about things like social circumstances and access to resources? For example, right now there are 2 million people in the United States without access to safe drinking water. Some of them are our students. This is bound to affect their ability to pay attention in school. I realize that Dr. Dweck isn’t saying that mindset is the only factor. But to imply that people are beholden to their mindset under such difficult external circumstances rubs me the wrong way. The fact that no one has been able to reproduce her work and that her website, mindsetonline.com, cannot be reached leaves me with more questions than answers. That being said, I’m going to try to approach these videos with a clean slate.
Growth Mindset
In her TED Talk, Dr. Dweck makes many researched-based claims (2014). One of her most prolific claims encompasses the concept of “yet.” When a person claims “I can’t do that,” the addition of the word “yet,” with feeling and truth demonstrates their ability to learn. This is an example of a growth mindset. When someone has a growth mindset, they bank on their ability to grow continually as a learner rather than intrinsic ability. Someone with a fixed mindset has faith that their genetic and intrinsic abilities are fixed qualities, for better or for worse. For example, whether someone sees themselves as “smart” or “stupid,” if they have a fixed mindset there’s not much that can change their opinion. According to Dweck, adopting a growth mindset enables one’s ability to learn and grow as a human throughout the rest of their life.
Her book, Mindset goes into more detail. In fact, regarding my statement above – mindset alone can accomplish goals – is heavily rebutted. She states, “People have different resources and opportunities” (Dwick, 2006, pp. 47). She continues to say, “People with fewer resources, in spite of their best efforts, can be derailed so much more easily” (Dweck, 2006, pp. 48). In other words, Dr. Dweck recognizes that other factors beyond mindset have a role to play in student success.
Growth Mindset, Part 2
In his TED Talk, Eduardo Briceño fully supports Dr. Dweck’s research (2012). His team has developed a new website – https://www.mindsetworks.com/ – and continues to espouse her teachings. Eduardo defines the mindsets much like Dr. Dweck. He calls them physiological manifestations and says that:
A fixed mindset worries how they are judged and sees setbacks as a fact of who they are. This causes people with a fixed mindset to lose interest and withdraw.
A growth mindset sees setbacks as part of the process. People with growth mindsets are concerned only with their learning.
Eduardo also noted the pronounced effect in minority groups.
Love & Logic
I don’t disagree entirely with Dr. Dweck’s findings. In fact before Dr. Dweck’s 2006 book Mindset, The New Psychology of Success, this concept was addressed in the book Teaching with Love & Logic (Fay & Funk, 1995). Fay and Funk talk about “golden language” and using “I notice” statements as a means to build relationships. For example, instead of saying, “I like your drawing!” and providing positive feedback, a teacher might say, “I notice you like to draw.” This puts emphasis on the student and their intrinsic desire rather than placing the emphasis on the teacher’s opinion of student work. Anecdotally, this worked wonders in my classroom with many a reluctant student.
Maybe it’s Personal
I think I see a lot of myself in the fixed mindset thinking. And it’s not pretty.
I’m from a small town. In that small town, I was labeled, “smart” and “gifted.” Then I grew up. At the university level, I wasn’t just nobody… I was failing. Advanced chemistry ate my lunch! I will never forget walking back from the first failed test, test in hand, openly crying in the elevator. My mindset was fixed – I thought I was gifted or smart and that was enough to get me through! When I switched to an easier chemistry class, I bounced back pretty quickly. Also, my mindset definitely shifted quite a bit as I learned how to learn.
On a very personal note, I suffer from anxiety and depression. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I am incapable of digging myself of the fixed mindset hole, from a physiological standpoint. On the other hand – all the work I did and continue to do to combat mental illness is because of my growth mindset around mental health. In fact, Dr. Dweck’s work supports a connection between a fixed mindset and depression (Dweck 2006). She also compared fixed mindset peers and growth mindset peers with depression and found that growth mindset peers became determined in the face of depressive episodes (Dweck, 2006). Finally, Dr. Dweck taught depressed people a growth mindset and found that “it changed the way they reacted to their depressed mood. The worse they felt, the more motivated they became” (Dweck, 2006, pp. 39).
This particular research helped me understand a lot about who I am – someone with bouts of depression and anxiety who wants more than anything to be a learner.
Whether or not Dr. Dweck’s work is overly simplified, there is some merit. I am really curious about what others’ opinions. Please share your thoughts!
For more on my thoughts about the growth mindset, read my previous post.
References
Briceño, E. (2012, November 19). The Power of belief — mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach. YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc&feature=youtu.be
Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
Dweck, C. S. (2014, October 9). Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck. YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ
Fay, J., & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with Love & Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. Love and Logic Press.
My very first grad school post was about a dream I had the evening after our first class meetings. In the dream, I was facing a team of people – a church choir – that needed to undergo change if they wanted to attract new members. However, I saw myself as a divisive leader. My solution was to step down as the single leader and to develop a team of people. When I woke up, I was pretty proud of my dreamstate problem solving. At this time I had been reading the book Blended (Horn & Staker, 2015) and was deep in the chapter on the type of team to develop to enact disruptive innovation. However, as I reflect on the readings and videos in this discussion, my thinking has shifted.
Start with WHY
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” (Sinek, 2009). I’ve seen this talk over a dozen times, and each time I glean something meaningful. Each time I watch, I watch through a different lens. In this instance, I was looking through the lens of leading meaningful change. In his famous TED Talk Start with Why, Simon Sinek (2009) explains that innovation must start with why. A company, individual, or team needs to understand why and how they do what they do and communicate that information in order to effect change. By speaking to the why and how change leaders can communicate with the part of the brain that is rooted in instinct and feeling: The limbic brain or lizard brain. This “inside out” communication turns mere “power holders” into inspiring leaders who people actually want to follow.
Facts vs. truth
I tried to wrap my head around the concept of starting with why while working through more course materials. Tom Askar’s TED Talk Why TED Talks Don’t Change People offered some insight (2014). In his talk, Askar shares the broken metaphor comparing humankind to computers. In my blog post titled What a strange machine man is! I go into more detail on this metaphor. For this purpose, I focused more on why “The Why” is so important to change. It comes back to the concept of fact vs. truth. In this talk, Askar quotes Robert McKee: “What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens” (2014). Ankar said, “We make decisions based on facts, but only if they support our personal truths” (2014). But what is a “personal truth?”
Quantum Psychology
Author, futurist, and philosopher Robert Anton Wilson says that “all perception is a gamble” (2008) and refers to the concept of naive realism. Naive realism is the idea that one person’s perspective encompasses the whole of reality. Wilson argues that this thinking is incomplete, as everyone is looking at reality through their own “reality tunnel,” that is filtered through past experiences, social constructs, and our location space-time. Any observation cannot be separated from the observer. This means that if I make an observation, my thoughts, experiences, and ideas affect that observation. I cannot separate it from who I am.
With all of this in mind, to enact change requires moving beyond the facts and the frontal lobe and reaching into the feelings and limbic brain of the people you serve.
Dream State
How would I solve the problem posed in my dream now? Instead of giving up and delegating, it was time for me to lean into the discomfort and develop a sense of urgency amongst the people I was serving. How? Start with Why. Tap into the stories the people in the choir were telling about themselves. Create a reality that all of us can stand behind. Develop a sense of why we needed to grow as a church choir.
The same is true for my innovation proposal, Paperless Office, Paperless District. I need to lean into the discomfort I have around leading change. I can do this by creating a reality that everyone in my district can stand behind. I’m glad that our first assignment is to develop our Why around our proposals because I have a lot of questions for myself moving forward:
Why am I going to grad school?
Why did I choose Paperless Office? How will it lead to a Paperless District? What are the implications?
What story am I telling myself about myself?
Most importantly: Why should anyone listen?
References
Askar, T. (2014, June 30). Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014. YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://youtu.be/W0jTZ-GP0N4
Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why — how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
Staker, H., Horn, M. B., & Christensen, C. M. (2014). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. Wiley.
Wilson, R. A. (2008, September 17). Robert Anton Wilson On Reality. YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOplymDx4I
I can’t believe that my first two grad school classes are almost complete. I am tired, but it’s that good kind of tired. My accomplishments are meaningful and my growth is measurable. When I look at my ePortfolio or Literature Review I think, “I did that.” I am proud of my accomplishments so far and look forward to what is coming next.
Key Contributions
Glows & Grows
As I reflect on my role in my own learning and the learning of others, I recognize that a lot of what I am learning is clicking! This is because I – like all humans – have a natural love of learning and I’m putting effort into my work. For starters, I love the look and feel of my ePortfolio. It is organized well for the ePortfolio course, the Disruptive Innovation course, and for coming courses. I also did a great job of creating all of my discussion posts for both classes as blog posts first. I love to use writing to connect ideas, so blogging is right up my alley!
There is always room for improvement. I like to turn opportunities for improvement into goals, so my goals throughout grad school and the implementation of this plan are to:
Build confidence: I can implement my plan innovatively! I know that I have the right pieces in place.
Increase flexibility: I am going to listen to feedforward regarding my innovation plan for the paperless office. It will keep me from getting stuck. I definitely have room for improvement here.
Collaboration
One of my greatest strengths is connection and collaboration; I learn best in groups. When I learned about Stephen’s “business world perspective,” I e•mailed him immediately. He connected with Kimberly. Kimberly set up the Group Me chat, and our “Adult Learning Focus Group” was born. We used our group chat to discuss specific assignments for Dr. H and to review formatting tips for Dr. Sue. To be honest, the three of us led equally, each with different strengths that we bring to the table.
Stephen brought a business perspective, insightful suggestions, and a thematic approach to our group.
Kim is highly detail-oriented, analytical, and you can count on her to be ten steps ahead.
I am the big picture thinker of the group, full of ideas and motivation, and I offer the ability to refocus on the “why” in each assignment.
We all grew constantly from our interactions with one another in both 5305 and 5303 simultaneously. We created our ePortfolios alongside our assignments for 5305.
Revisions
I made revisions constantly based on comparison and feedforward from my peers and from class, 1-on-1 meetings, and feedforward from Dr. H. Examples include:
I changed the color of the lettering on my ePortfolio from grey to black. After reflecting on Stephen’s theme I changed my ePortfolio to match the colors of my district logo.
I corrected the references in my Literature Review.
After reviewing Kim’s metaphor, I included more intentional phrasing on my front page.
After a meeting with Dr. H, I changed the focus of my proposal so that it is broader.
I changed a step in the implementation plan from “teach” to “empower.”
Finally, my drafts were continually changing with the support and feedforward of my group.
I completed as many of the course readings, videos, and supporting resources as I was able. My intention in grad school – and in life really – is to keep learning, reading, reflecting, and connecting as long as I can. I see this as a constant need for improvement. I met the various course deadlines, even when I was sick!
Supporting Contributions
Leadership Responsibility, Participation, and Communication
I was a leader among my base group, but also within my course. Within the course:
I assisted many individuals – including Jasmin, Kelvin, Andrea, Pedro, and Chastity – by fielding questions.
I responded to a number of posts within each discussion.
Jasmin, Kim, Danielle, Andre, and I met in a small group over Zoom to discuss the required readings. I devised a plan to split the readings, Jasmin created the group, and Kim and I both posted our notes on the 5305 Course Discussion Board.
I also participated in all of the discussions, communications, group chats, and live class discussions.
Finally, I made additional blog posts that weren’t required.
One area of growth – one of my posts was not submitted until toward the end of the course. If I could do it over again I would do all of the discussions earlier so that I could spend more time responding and reflecting with my peers.
In short, so many people from our crossover 5303/5305 group were supportive of one another.
I don’t know if I really am innovative. In fact, I’m scared that I might not be. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to follow through with my innovation plan. That it will be – along with grad school – just a thing I didn’t finish.
Okay so maybe I’ll finish grad school. I’m pretty persistent after all.
But am I innovative?
What makes an educator innovative?
Over-communicate
According toJohn Kotter – Communicating a Vision for Change, the key to making innovation happen is … well… talking about it. He says that it’s far too easy to under-communicate by huge amounts that will kill change.
There are three parts to talking about change effectively:
How much do you talk about it?
Probably far less than you think you do. Talk about the strategies. Talk about how it ties to the future. Talk to everyone from the highest up to the lowest rung. In fact, look 3 levels down to see the effects of your communication.
Where do you talk about it?
If it’s not everywhere in your corporation, it’s not enough. Saturate people with your vision, your mission, steps to your plan.
What vehicles of communication do you use?
Use them all. YouTube, Twitter, e•mail, newsletters, bathroom stalls. Find a way to communicate your innovation daily. Many ways, preferably.
If your lessons and plans don’t connect students or teachers with real people and real situations, you are doing them a disservice. You are holding them back from the opportunity to enact real change.
I guess I do communicate about my innovation plan a little bit. After all, it’s frequently on my mind. While my innovation plan is still in the early stages, I feel confident that I can enact a real change through my plan.
So am I innovative?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
References
Kotter, J. (2011, March 23). John Kotter – Communicating a Vision for Change. YouTube. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGVe3wRKmH0
Nielsen, L. (2016, March 13). Are You An Innovative Educator? Here’s How to Find Out. The Innovative Educator. http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ca/2016/03/are-you-innovative-educator-heres-how.html
We all have a brand. This is the “face” that we put on for the world, specifically on social media. I think about my brand often, specifically:
· What is the intention with a post or tweet?
· How does a picture or post fit into my long-term goals?
· Who is my audience for the picture or post, intentional or otherwise?
I don’t put as much thought into my “brand” as an influencer, movie star, or athlete might, but I am pretty intentional about what I share on social media. Whether other people realize it or not, they are too. It’s my opinion that everyone should put a little more cognizant thought into what they are posting and why. This gives you more control and direction over your personal and professional brand.
I love how Levi has already mastered the idea of a brand. His video Eportfoio Video taps into his story and his humanity. I really liked the racing shots, and Levi’s narration alongside demonstrated his passion for his sport. By the end of his video, I wanted to sponsor Levi, too!
ePortfolio Observations
An ePortfolio is another medium for creating your brand. This medium is not like social media in the sense that you have a greater degree of ownership over it. It’s not a profile on a secondary site – it is YOUR SITE. My own website is karinstateler.com! My biggest takeaway after reviewing several of the ePortfolios is the transition from coursework to “real life.” Right now – while Dr. H says our ePortfolios are for us and that they are real – they still feel like an assignment. However, the ePortfolios I reviewed were not assignments. They were businesses, professional sites, resumés, and more.
I look forward to transitioning my website to a digital representation of my brand throughout the ADL courses. I know that I’ll “feel it” when it starts to happen.
References
Harapnuik, L., & YouTube (Directors). (2015). Eportfolio Video [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfiebRB6rHI&t=5s
Coming down after the literature review to refocus on “my Why” has been a trip. Though I truly consider myself to be an empath, communicating facts to people to change their minds seems like it should work! Take the example presented in How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change. Smokers didn’t want to hear facts about smoking, even when presented by cute little children. Why don’t facts work to change people’s minds?
The head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been.
When it comes to changing anyone’s minds or behaviors – whether quitting smoking or trying to influence leaders in your district to adopt your implementation plan – “the head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been” (Harapnuik, 2015). In his post about called The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been, Dr. H says that
when you load people up on information – even if it’s correct and important – doesn’t create significant change (2015.) You need to connect to someone’s affective domains first: Their values, motivations, attitudes, stereotypes, and feelings . It’s like the saying “Maslow before Bloom’s” – you need to meet people’s physical and emotional needs before you can reach their cognition.
Why Ted Talks don’t change behaviors.
I love a good Ted Talk. They can inspire, delight, and teach. However, the Ted Talk Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors didn’t surprise me after some of the readings and videos in my ADL class. On the other hand, why this is true surprised me and helped me make connections to some of the previous readings and videos. Tom Asacker (2014) reminds us that humans are not the same as machines. He says, “[Humans] aren’t fleshy machines who make decisions based on the facts. We’re mad, feeling creatures who are being pushed and pulled by our environment, by our instincts, our truths” (Asacker, 2014). Similarly, the quote from Zorba the Greek that states, “What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams” (Kazantakis, N. 1996). We want to be like machines because machines make predictable decisions based on algorithms that we’ve programmed them to know. Humans on the other hand make decisions rather recklessly sometimes: Look at COVID, our response to climate change, and so many other examples. That’s because our decisions are based in: pleasure, control, and the story we tell about ourselves and others. Those things are not programmable. When you think about the fact each human views life from a unique perspective in which they are the protagonist, it’s a wonder we are such prosocial organisms! But alas, we are. So how do you convince someone to change, grow, and learn? Simple.
You appeal to their heart.
In the end, I actually have personal experience with getting two men in my life to quit smoking. One of those men is my father. Honestly, I think I convinced him to quit smoking by… well just by existing. I represent piece of his heart outside of his body, therefore my distaste for smoking made him rethink why he did it. I think parenthood is capable of making people face who they are. In my statements to him about wishing he would quit – because it was gross, because I didn’t like the way it smelled, and because it made me cough and hurt my lungs – I think I was able to touch his heart in a way that facts and a stranger might not be able to do. Parenting holds up a mirror the same way that only therapy can do. If you choose to look at the mirror, of course.
The other man I convinced to quit smoking is my husband. Again, it was because of love. This is more a case of time and patience. He sees who I am – someone interested in change and growth – and I think I inspire him to be a better person, as he does me. This created a desire for him to quit smoking. Again – not with facts, but by appealing to his heart. In both of these cases, the heart created the change and the head followed. Love will find a way.
I look forward to creating my video to communicate my ideas. And I think I know just how to do it:
❤️
🧠
References
Asacker, T. (2014, June 30). Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jTZ-GP0N4
Harapnuik, D. (2015, January 9). The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been. It’s About Learning. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5461
Kazantzakis, N. (1996). Zorba the Greek (C. Wildman, Trans.). Scribner.
Maxfield, D., & Grenny, J. (2015, January 5). How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change | The Behavioral Science Guys. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACi-D5DI6A
I remember in middle school attending computer class in a computer lab. One of the programs I learned was an early Paint program, found here. I remember creating my own orange color and using it to make Hardee’s logo. It was a highly pixelated, low level of creation, but I made it myself and I was proud. I also spent a lot of time learning to type on computers in high school. The “same skills we’d always needed” were applied to computing. This was all prior to the internet. Computer classes were separate from classrooms, so learning about computers was about learning to use a computer… and nothing else. Computers were the innovation.
Hardee’s Logo
New rules and a different game
The rules for innovation have shifted. In his TED Talk Want to Innovate? Become a “now-ist,”Joi Ito states, “In this completely unpredictable world, the survivors were working with a different set of principles. Bottom-up innovation that is Democratic, chaotic, and hard to control, and the traditional rules don’t work anymore.” (2014) No matter what the innovation is, it no longer happens in a vacuum. Ideas are tested, iterated, and improved upon without permission and before they are fully formed. Innovation is more like intentional play with a general idea. It is no longer the serious work with a clear path that it used to be. This rings true in the classroom as well. Our students are the innovators – they don’t need teachers to obtain access to information. They need a device and access to the internet.
What is the educator’s role then?
How might innovation look in education? In her TED Talk Blended Learning and The Future of Education, Monique Markoff challenges teachers and the educational system to provide one-to-one teacher-to-student personalized learning environments where computers are but a learning tool. In this environment, students are learning from computers, not about them. Learning about computers happens as a result of course, but it’s not the main focus. We need to stop compartmentalizing student learning and give students the chance to innovate! What if teachers gave students a compass to their learning instead of a map? This looks like students engaging in PBL and an individualized, self-paced curriculum in a blended learning environment. How might this allow students to be the pilots in their own learning journey?
Now is the time
Why are people still delivering content the same old way instead of empowering our students to use devices as learning tools? Like my HS computer class – I was learning how to type because of course, I would use a computer for data entry! That’s not even a necessity now! Not much has changed since then. While COVID pushed schools further than they had ever been, education still relies too heavily on sit-and-get, standardized learning. This is a big reason that I started grad school in the first place. I’m excited to ride the wave of change that COVID forced. Because of this, I get to experiment, innovate, and iterate using my plan for a Paperless Office. This is what innovation looks like. I get to be a part of the future… RIGHT NOW.
References
Ito, J., & TED. (2014, March). Want to innovate? Become a “now-ist”. TED Ideas Worth Spreading. https://www.ted.com/talks/joi_ito_want_to_innovate_become_a_now_ist?language=en
Markoff, M., & TEDxIthacaCollege. (2014, May 6). Blended Learning and the Future of Education. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb2d8E1dZjY
I consider myself easy to talk to and I try to be open-minded to new ideas, even if they don’t integrate with what I know to be true. However, to really convince me, I need to know WHY I should try a new idea, procedure, or suggestion. According to Simon Sinek, that’s pretty normal. In his famous “Golden Circle” Ted Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (Sinek & TEDx Puget Sound, 2009), Mr. Sinek says, “People don’t by what you do, they buy why you do it.” Brain science supports this theory. Everything that passes through our brains filters through our older, limbic brain which is responsible for feelings before the logic of our prefrontal lobe sets in. In other words, understanding “Why” and “How” to do a task is the basis for changing minds and influencing others.
Who owns the ePortfolio?
In Dr. H’s article Who Owns the ePortfolio, “Even though the students are doing the work, more often than not they do not own the ideas and are not making meaningful connections, they are simply completing assignments and giving the instructor what they want.” (Harapnuik, 2021) The idea of ownership is an important tenant of constructivist learning theory. Ownership personalizes learning and provides students with a “Why.” Therefore, it is important to provide students with just enough structure to make the learning intentional, while providing choices within the learning context to create an authentic learning experience.
My own ePortfolio is proving to be an amazing learning experience. I am especially proud of my blog posts. I document all of my discussion posts as blog posts first. They model how my thinking has changed through the ADL program. For example, my first idea for my project on training administrative assistants is outlined in Passionately Pursuing Nonconsumption: Disruptive Innovation as a Catalyst for Change. After meeting with Dr. H about my project, I sat in my cognitive dissonance for a bit. My post called Winds of Change recounts how I processed the information to form a more broad, big-picture plan for my innovation project. My Innovation Plan is the product of my reflection. Even my reflection on choosing WordPress over Wix in the article I Love You, I Hate You: The Story of WordPressshows how I’m forming meaningful connections.
Why is Ownership Important?
“Environments are not passive wrappings but active processes.” (Watters & Bright, 2015)
The question of ownership comes back to the purpose of technology. Are we using technology to teach the same way we’ve always taught? Or are we riding the wave of technology to create meaningful educational change personalized to each student? When we follow constructivist theory and create choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning experiences, we can use the new environment to empower students rather than apply the same ineffective methods in a different context.
“The real IT revolution in teaching and learning won’t happen until each student builds a personal cyberinfrastructure that is as thoughtfully, rigorously, and expressively composed as an excellent essay/ingenious experiment.” (Watters & Bright, 2015)
References
Harapnuik, D. (2021, August). Who Owns the ePortfolio. It’s About Learning. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050%20
Sinek, S., & TEDx Puget Sound. (2009, September). How Great Leaders Inspire Action. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en
Watters, A., & Bright. (2015, July 15). The Web We Need To Give Students. Bright The Mag. https://medium.com/bright/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d97713713
