As educators, we serve others. Nearly every educator I have had the privilege to come into contact with (classroom teachers, instructional coaches, administrators) entered the profession out of a desire to positively impact the lives of others. This altruistic mindset leads many to constantly seek additional resources and strategies that will benefit those they serve. Continuous improvement is key, and this drive to continually improve is vital in order to best meet the needs of our learners. However, we must be careful not to overload ourselves and our students. It can be tempting for educators and leaders to add more initiatives and additional instructional methods to our plates. But breadth may not be as impactful as depth. More is not necessarily better. I have found that it is more impactful to focus on quality rather than quantity.
The Draw of Many New Ideas
I have witnessed many educators (myself included) return from a conference or professional learning workshop with a plethora of new ideas to implement. In their excitement, well-meaning educators attempt to roll-out many things simultaneously, often resulting in a one and done approach. A teacher who learns how to facilitate virtual collaboration between their students and other learners from across the globe may try it once and then go back to business as usual. Even if the new idea was successful, an educator may struggle to determine how to best fit it in on a regular basis. An administrator may roll-out a new initiative with great fervor and attention, only for it to be placed on the back-burner the following year. Educator/Author Michael Fullan warns leaders that “initiative fatigue” can occur when we try to implement too many things at once. Focus is key.
How might we continue to innovate without causing educator burn-out?
And how can we ensure that new ideas have a lasting impact?
Start Small for More Impact
As a teacher, I learned that in order for an innovation to be sustained in my classroom, the change idea needed to be flexible, adaptable, and require little prep. As an administrator, I found that any new initiative introduced to teachers would not be sustained if it did not align to the context of their work in classrooms. And as a coach and professional learning facilitator, I have discovered that implementation is most likely to occur in classrooms when teachers are provided with a limited number of ideas, complete with prep time and continued support. When I facilitate a professional learning experience, I like to build in time within the session for educators to plan and prepare to implement a new strategy in the classroom for an upcoming lesson. This approach requires that the innovation fit naturally into teachers’ learning environments as they currently exist. New changes that ask teachers to rethink their entire classroom routine can cause anxiety and overload. In accordance with improvement science, it is most effective to pilot incremental changes slowly. This is more manageable for educators and allows them to focus, to refine their practice thoughtfully.
Simplicity is Key
Avoid overload and foster sustainable change by ensuring innovations are applicable nearly immediately, replicable, and manageable. As an educator and coach I loved to use physical breakout boxes and sphero robots in classrooms. While engaging for students, these platforms required a great deal of preparation. I have learned to simplify the slidedeck presentations I present to teachers and the sample lessons I prepare as ideas for their classrooms. While I myself have the skills to create visually stunning slides, I have discovered that these do not seem replicable to teachers. Simple is better. Teachers need to know that the change I am suggesting is doable for their skill sets, and that they will not be spending hours of prep time for a single lesson.
Recently I have been sending the following message to teachers: “I am here to provide ideas that require less prep but give you more impact”. The routines below have proven to be valuable to the teachers whom I serve, in grades preschool through 12, in multiple content areas.
Replicable, Flexible Innovation Ideas for Teachers
Daily writing prompts in google classroom can be easily replicated on a consistent basis.
Students draw an image to represent their learning on paper and insert the image via the webcam within a collaborative google slide.
A quick 30 second flipgrid video to demonstrate learning.
Each of these routines is replicable, fosters creativity and collaboration, and can be used in nearly any grade level and or subject area. Recently, these lesson strategies have been implemented in classrooms more than any others I have introduced. In a typical professional learning session I facilitate, educators experience two or three of these protocols as students, and then have time to prepare to implement one strategy in their classroom within the next few days. My message is the following: select your favorite idea and try it. Then try it again. Once you feel successful, then we’ll add something new. We focus on depth rather than breadth. As we implement one change idea at a time per classroom, the innovation is more likely to become permanent and sustainable. Beware of teacher overload. Ensure that new ideas or initiatives are rolled out with simplicity and ease.