Session 3
Targeting the key players
1
The School Principal
Cultivate professional working relationship
Seek regular meetings
Be supportive and respectful of school
principal’s decisions but press for
curriculum reform
Provide regular and detailed feedback to
the principal about initiatives and progress
Be prepared to share concerns and
problems you are experiencing with the
principal
2
Middle administrators
Enlist their support
Carry out their duties and try to maintain a
balance of power
Ensure sound communication with them
Try to ensure mutual understanding
3
Teachers
You need to find opportunities to get teachers
to talk about curriculum issues which are
important to them:
Are they happy about certain kinds of
teaching they do with their students?
Why? What else would they like to do?
4
Teachers continued…
What specific problems do they have with the
curriculum reforms? Are they issues about
- understanding
- technical skills
- personal confidence
- time available
- pressures from parents
Consider using a diagnostic instrument such as the
Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and Stages
of Concern to get details from teachers
5
CBAM
CBAM assumes that there is a specific
curriculum or innovation available and
potentially useful to teachers at a school
The CBAM instruments provide data to help
teachers successfully implement a new
curriculum. That is, they assist individuals
rather than organisations
There is also the assumption that a change
agent will be needed to facilitate this
change
6
Stages of Concern about an innovation
(SoC)
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Refocusing
Collaboration
Consequence
Management
Personal
Informational
Awareness
7
Stages of Concern about an innovation
0. Awareness – little concern about involvement
with the innovation is indicated
1. Informational – a general awareness of the
innovation and interested in learning more detail
about it
2. Personal – individual is uncertain about the
demands of the innovation, his or her adequacy to
meet those demands, and his or her role in the
innovation
3. Management – attention is focused on the
processes and tasks of using the innovation and the
best use of information and resources
8
Stages of Concern about an innovation
continued…
4. Consequence – attention focuses on impact of the
innovation on students within teacher’s immediate
sphere of influence
5. Collaboration – the focus is on coordination and
cooperation with others regarding use of the
innovation
6. Refocusing – the focus is on exploration of
more universal benefits from the innovation,
including the possibility of major changes or
replacement with a more powerful alternative
9
Stages of Concern
Stages of Concern (SoC) focus on teachers’ feelings as they
become involved in implementation
10
Open-ended Stages of Concern
response sheet
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE………………………………
WHAT ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT?
(Do not say what you think others are concerned
about, but only what concerns you NOW). Please
write in complete sentences, and please be
forthright, candid.
1. ________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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Open-ended Stages of Concern
response sheet continued…
2. _________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
3. _________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Please place an asterisk by the statement that
concerns you most.
12
Sample open-ended Stage of Concern
paragraph
I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a
child. This is my aspiration and I take this very
seriously. I blame myself if I don’t do things well. I
feel I have a kind of professional spirit inside…
There were times I got frustrated and just wanted to
give up… Other teachers said that you don’t need to
be their private tutor. But I think as a teacher, I have
to teach them. Then you’re really frustrated. The
situation is even worse when this happens in your
own class. I just wonder if I’m too inadequate to
handle them. I feel like giving up and just working
for the salary.
13
Sample open-ended Stage of Concern
paragraph continued…
Another sample
I think my principles of teaching pupils are basically
similar to those of my Principal. My standard is that
pupils should have good academic results, good
conduct, and love drawing and playing music. I’ll
nourish their interests in all these so that they will
not feel empty during their leisure time. But to me,
nourishing is not the same as expecting them to
come first in everything
14