With the start of every new school year is the promise of a new strategy or idea that formed over the summer months. If you’re like me, you probably feel like you have 101 ideas swirling around in your head. It can be difficult choosing which ideas to implement that will make the most effective change. This can be further compounded on when you start the implementation process. So how do you decide and get going?
First, start small as you know realistically you can’t implement every idea. I tell the teachers I work with to choose at most 2 to 3 things they want to work on or change. Once one idea is mastered by both you and your students, move on to the next one. Many teachers have come back to tell me this strategy has helped them from feeling overwhelmed and kept their students from getting stressed out about too many changes. This focus helps all stakeholders involved move at a comfortable pace and still keeps the content as the focus.
Give Yourself Time to Think
Next, think about these questions:
- What are your objectives?
- What do you want to accomplish?
- Is this idea a goal for you, your students, or both?
- How will this idea enhance your curriculum?
- How will this idea give structure to or re-structure your classroom?
Don’t Give Up
Implementing new ideas can take time. Don’t expect students to immediately understand a new idea or like it the first time they try something. I’ve seen many teachers, especially those in their first 5 years of teaching, try something with students and have complications ranging from technology issues to students misunderstanding a direction. It can even be students complaining about doing something new. Then the teacher stops and the idea is deserted. But these are small issues that can be fixed.
CHANGE IS HARD, but persistence will win out! It can take 4, 5, or 6 times of implementing a new activity or strategy before it clicks with students. If you can, have it be part of your first week activities and make it a classroom procedure. Repeat it again every day of the first week and then again at least once a week during the first month. If it’s later in the year when your implementing, follow these same steps. This process creates a protocol that students will pick up and be able to do without you having to remind them. The Eduproctol Field Guide series of books by Jon Crippo, explains this in more detail and I highly recommend reading them for any classroom teacher.
This process also includes Modeling, an essential skill for new idea implementations. Modeling might mean walking students through a procedure step-by-step or creating an instructional video which allows them to review your instructions as many times as needed. Then design a task that allows students to apply their learning, preferably with a partner or group, where they can figure it out with additional help, before allowing students to do it on their own.
Reflect and Get Feedback
This is an area teachers often skip because: 1) It’s time consuming and 2) It can be hardest part of implementation.
Some ideas for reflection include:
- Staring a blog
- Typing up your goals
- Keeping track of your own observations
- Observing what students respond to
- Note challenges in the process
By keeping track, you may be able to spot specific trends. Or ask a fellow colleague to give their observations. What do they see that you might be missing because you’re too close to it? A different perspective may help solve an issue or enhance what you’re already doing.
But the key people to ask are your students. What do they think? Is this worthwhile or does it feel like busywork? Give students a voice through a Google Forms survey and gather all your feedback and reflect on whether or not this new idea is succeeding. If it is, how can you share it with others? If not, how can you change or adapt it?
Network, Network, Network
Connect with your PLC whether it’s in your building or digital. Ask if others have tried something similar and see what advice or templates they are willing to share. You can also ask if another class wants to work together and collaborate.
Go For It
“Mistakes are evidence you are trying.”
-Unknown
One of my biggest challenges is letting go of my perfectionism and just give something a try. I’ve learned that when I can just let go of my fears, BIG things happen! After reading about and putting into practice the principles of a growth mindset, I see the value in letting students see our struggles and am learning to fail forward. We’re human and we make mistakes, but there’s a difference between trying and not starting. So give that HyperDoc or Jamboard or whatever your new idea is, a try!
What new ideas are you struggling to implement? What strategies for implementation can you share with others? Add your thoughts below in the comment area.
Ms Priester EDU 