We are now two months into our journey as Technology Integration Specialists in a 1:1 middle school. Up to this point, we have been very supportive of our staff and have been observing their classes and their use of technology, co-teaching, co-planning, recommending resources, and offering help when asked, but not being too overbearing. We have been following our EdTech GPS guidelines and focusing on collaboration within the classroom this month. Next month, we will begin to "stretch" our staff and encouraging them to push further into integrating technology into their curriculum. This is going to occur right during the time of the "mid semester slump" (See article from NEA Today on how to beat the Mid-Semester Blues) and the beginning of the second quarter. I am expecting to encounter resistance and already have encountered some passive resistance when working with some staff members. So how do you handle educators who are resistant or hesitant to change?
I view our roles as ed techs much like a farmer. This may sound like a strange analogy, but bear with me as I explain this for you.
- A farmer, must first work the soil so that when it comes time to plant, the ground is ready to accept the seeds. My soil preparation occurred during our 1:1 training during the first week of August this year. All teachers received two days of professional development before the school year. During this training, we shared the district's vision of 1:1 and why we are doing this, explained and demonstrated 21st Century Teaching and Learning, and trained teachers on the use of core tools (Google Docs, HaikuLearning LMS, and Chromebooks).
- After the soil is prepared, the farmer then plants the seeds. During the months of August and September, we met with teachers and grade level curriculum departments and supported their needs as they worked on implementing 1:1 in their classrooms. Just like with farming, this is a critical time in development.
- After a farmer plants the seeds, a lot of factors determine whether the seeds will begin to grow. A farmer can provide irrigation and fertilizer, but too much or too little and the plants will not grow. We were very careful to not be overbearing during this time. For the first month we didn't push new initiatives or make a lot of suggestions, but were very supportive and helpful when our staff needed us. These were factors which we could control, but like farming, there are factors that you cannot control, and we experienced those as well. We had an issue with our internet filtering appliances and lost internet access for one week. This was definitely a setback, but we offered advice, support, and encouragement to our teachers through this time. While we did our best to get our teachers through this, I feel that it did affect our teachers positive growth.
- Plants can grow at different rates. Again, many factors can contribute to the growth rate of a plant and the same can be said for teachers. After a plant begins to grow, it still needs nurturing. It needs water, sun, and minerals from the soil. After the first month, we started offering more suggestions, tools, and resources to our staff. We promised that we would only give them one new thing at a time as to not overwhelm them and then we observed to see who took our suggestions and what they grasped onto. This allowed us to see which teachers had a growth mindset and which teachers had a fixed mindset. (I haven't read it yet, but I have this book on my to read list. You should add it to yours)
- A good farmer will find what is causing his plants to not grow or to grow slowly and will work to remove the problem. Occasionally, weeds will appear and will choke out the sun and steal the plant's nutrients. This is where we may encounter the resistance. Our job as ed techs is to cultivate a culture of change and to help teachers grow. There will be teachers who either refuse or are hesitant to your coaching. As an educator, it is easy to keep doing what you have always done, as it can take more effort to think of new ways to integrate technology. Now that the "honeymoon" is over, the newness of the 1:1 implementation is wearing off, and we are beginning to push teachers to implement technology into their curriculum more, we are experiencing more resistance and hesitancy. As an ed tech, you must get to the root of the problem and find out what is creating the barrier for your teachers to accept your support and to change. You must then decide if your time is better spent on nurturing your healthy growing teachers or the ones who refuse to grow. It is very easy to get caught up in the negativity of resistance and to lose sight of all the positive changes that are occurring. Do not stop working with your resistant teachers, but don't devote all of your resources to them at this point.
- Harvest your success! At the end of the season, farmers will harvest the produce from their plants. Hard working farmers will have more to share than other farmers who did not put forth the effort. Traditionally, harvest takes place in the fall and is celebrated through the Thanksgiving holiday. As an ed tech, you need to celebrate when your efforts are manifested as teacher change/growth and when teachers produce great work. Also, share those successes with your staff, students, parents, and community and give credit and encouragement to everyone involved in making it happen.
As the Borg from Star Trek would say "Resistance is Futile". Change is inevitable and eventually people will grow. Some will grow quickly, others will need help getting there, and others will drag their feet throughout the process. Just keep planting the seeds of change, nurturing growth, and harvesting success!