Managing Change for Learning in Digital Environments

As I continued with the LRNT 525 readings about leading change, I couldn’t help but think about leading change to students in secondary math and science courses. Throughout the years, I have noticed many students are often reluctant to change: 1. they take time to adjust to new routines and procedures; and 2. they are unwilling to accept new knowledge, especially if it contradicts what they think is correct. Not accepting change is not unique to teenagers—it is a common human phenomenon. Newton’s first law of motion states that an object’s motion (either moving or not) will not change unless a push or pull (force) is applied. In other words, objects remain on their same paths until forces initiate changes in motion. Similarly, students require forces to accept changes. In the classroom, I have realized that the forces for sustaining successful changes are best when slow and gradual, involving careful planning and a chosen diverse team of people to demonstrate the visible benefits.

The global pandemic was the force needed to change our learning environments from face-to-face to remote. Unfortunately, public school educators, parents, and students did not have the time or resources to deal with the rapid change to remote, online learning. Loerme Akhtar & Kotter (2019) argued accepting change requires “urgency” and an answer to “why now”(p. 2); and, although we experienced that urgency, the switch to remote, online learning was not a sustainable change. The urgency pushed the change, but the sudden force didn’t allow enough time to plan and gradually introduce the change. The change was not sustainable because there was too much variation from the previous school culture. Biech (2007) argued that change cannot be so different from the existing culture and that the keys to successful change are two-fold: 1. It would be best if you had a step-by-step plan for change, and 2. It would be best if you involved everyone who has a stake in the change. In other words, “you must plan the work and work the plan” (Biech, 2007, p. 2). The pandemic forced a very different cultural experience from what we were all used to, without a step-by-step plan including everyone’s involvement. 

As I began to lead my students in face-to-face and digital learning environments in September, I quickly recognized the negative feelings towards their previous remote, online learning experiences. Students, teachers, and parents were quite vocal about how much they disliked remote learning last year. I knew I had some convincing to do when introducing the digital learning platform we’d be using this year. Due to students’ negative experiences with remote, online learning, there were no signs of readiness (Weiner, 2009) to accept a digital learning environment. Nonetheless, I spent many hours planning and guiding the change. The school year’s future was unknown, and I needed to make sure students were ready to tackle remote learning if it happened again.

I have been lucky to teach Science 9 throughout this entire pandemic school year, and I am currently working with my fifth and sixth groups of students in a quarter system. From the first group until now, the expectations laid out have been the same. Students have been attending face-to-face classes, accessing digital supports in Office 365 Teams, and communicating their learning by submitting weekly digital showcases of their work. Using digital tools has been a significant change for grade 9’s at our school, and initial buy-in has been slow and low.

Grade 9’s are very social, and therefore the information has now circulated about how Science 9 is delivered and assessed (I am the only teacher for all of them). The fifth and sixth groups of students have been fortunate because my teaching strategies have evolved. I now take more time to involve students in sharing how they upload their work. I show exemplars of “proficient” work and involve parents by sharing the successes of how students have been working together as a community of learners to discover the benefits of using digital devices. Students who have found the most efficient ways of uploading their work have mentored others in the class. The results have been outstanding. Compared with the first few groups of students, more students have mastered the task of submitting digital showcases of their learning, and it is only the end of Week 2 with the new groups!

My observations on implementing change within the classroom are consistent with Kotter’s eight-step model for change: 1. establish a sense of urgency for change, 2. assemble a diverse group of people to support change, 3. outline a vision and strategy for change, 4. communicate the vision, creating buy-in, 5. clear the path by removing barriers, 6. show progress by celebrating the short-term wins, 7. continue to build progress, and 8. embed the change into the culture (Loerme Akhtar & Kotter, 2019). My observations on implementing change within the classroom have impacted my future planning for introducing change in digital learning environments. I need to take a leadership role to plan and manage change, and more importantly, I need to recruit a select group of students to accept and help demonstrate the benefits to others.

References

Biech, E. (2007). Models of Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader’s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD

Loerme Akhtar, V., & Kotter, J. (2019). Charting the course: The path to transformation in education. Kotter. https://www.kotterinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Transformation-in-Education-web-version.pdf

Weiner, B.J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science 4(67). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67

Attribution: Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash

5 thoughts on “Managing Change for Learning in Digital Environments

  1. Hi Wendy,

    It was great to learn about your success – how often do we get to say “the results have been outstanding”!? You were able to reflect on your past experiences and move your organization toward “increasing readiness” by identifying champions and mentors to help support others in their learning process as well as building a successful model for including more digitally supported pedagogies. Responding to the circumstances we have encountered with pandemic restrictions has led to the sense of urgency in Kotter’s 8 step model – and many of the steps were likely skipped (there was just no time to create a vision or get buy-in – everyone just had to move). Moving forward, how do you envision trying to create that sense of urgency and buy-in to keep the momentum going?

    1. Michelle,

      Keeping the momentum going involves continuing with a predictable routine and maintaining communication with students and parents. Timely feedback is a must.

  2. Hi Wendy,
    Interestingly enough I also discussed our lack or preparedness in my blog to educate students online during this pandemic. I think you were spot on when you mentioned that students and parents were and still are reluctant to learning online. Why do you think that is? I think our technology really needs to evolve more for us to get to where we want to be. The idea of learning online sounds so convenient and appealing but in reality it usually acts as a barrier to learning.

    1. Students and parents are reluctant to learn online because they had a bad experience with it last year. There was a massive wipe-out. The best way to combat this bad experience is to slowly integrate online learning with face-to-face learning. Slowing introducing digital activities and digital communication is a start. Relationship building is a must. Riding with training wheels, offering a helping hand, and accepting several falls along the way will eventually get us to the point where we can ride independently.

  3. Hi Wendy,
    I love how you have seen such a difference this year compared to last. I wish I had autonomy when it comes to my students and making changes with their learning environments. I have seen some small gains this past semester however nothing as you have accomplished.

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