Who Took My Chalk?

The EdVenture Group continues to assist individuals and inspire teachers to inspire and engage students. As part of this mission, The EdVenture Group created, Who Took My Chalk?™ This consulting and training program was developed specifically for education that provides a customized solution

to schools focused on the cultural aspects of change and the shift to 21st Century skills and learning.

 

 

Today’s principals and teachers face constant and rapidly moving challenges such as content and national standards, technology integration and students that have used more technology by the age of six than most teachers and principals from the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations have by adulthood.

Add testing and discipline issues to the mix and the pressures continue to mount. Over the past few years, one theme became evident — change.

 

Dealing with change is often the biggest obstacle that any organization, but especially schools, must overcome. There are few programs that truly address it. When large organizations merge, downsize or adopt new ways of doing business, they provide their employees with training and resources to help them through the change. Where was this training in education? Who Took My Chalk?™ was created to help schools face the tides of change.

 

 

Technology is one example of the change that educators face today. Teenagers are using text messaging, instant messaging and social networking sites to communicate and share all sorts of information that we couldn’t have imagined 20, or even 10 years ago. In many instances, schools do not

have the same level of technology in their buildings and in their curriculum that students use at home and outside of school. Schools are making great strides, but in many cases, funding, skill level and opposition to change prevent obstacles to this much needed change. This challenge will continue as our youngest children, who were born with technology, enter the school system. Even as toddlers, many future

students have used a cell phone, a blackberry, an iPod, a personal video player and a computer, and all that comes with it. They use these things intuitively without having to be taught.

 

We have always had change from one generation to the next, but the changes over the last 15 to 20 years, in regard to technology, have created a playing field that presents challenges and needs for change like none other. Instead of changes from black and white television to color we now face

the influx of text messaging and cell phones compared to house phones for all of us to share. A child born in the 1980s certainly does not remember party line phones and rarely uses the home phone if they even have one today. The impact of these changes on our children affects every aspect of their being and certainly influences their response to classroom activities.

 

Technology is changing our world and our classrooms. With instant communication and access to the world at their fingertips, students now must also have 21st Century skills — like decision making, cultural awareness, leadership and language, more now than ever before to compete in the global world in which we live.

 

All of these situations require planning, implementation, and in many cases, large scale change. Change affects people’s attitude, which in turn affects the culture of a school. Cultures are made of leadership, teams, communication and many components that can make or break a successful initiative in the school environment. The culture of a school, in large part, determines how students learn, how teachers teach

and how the community responds to and supports the school. This is where Who Took My Chalk?™ came into play.

 

 

Who Took My Chalk?™ takes all of these situations into account and creates a customized experience for each school based on their unique circumstances. Each school follows the steps of the model at their own pace and with adjustments based on their needs.

 

 

At this stage, something happens in the environment that makes schools realize that they either want to change or need to change in order to create a more optimal situation. This may happen due to rising tensions between staff members, circumstances within the school that make change necessary

or policies or changes that are introduced from outside the school. At this point, it has become evident

that change is necessary to survive and/or thrive. Typically, the idea of change must be less threatening than the status quo in order for this to occur. Change is hard, it is sometimes uncomfortable and it takes energy.

 

 

What challenges or opportunities does the school want to address? After a thorough debriefing with the

principal and other key leaders in the initiative, the staff is met with to assess the school culture and environment and determine what is happening Who Took My Chalk? at all levels within the school. Many

times this means one-on-one interviews with every teacher and staff member in the building. The results

of this assessment create the basis for which the following steps are taken.

 

 

With the assessment of the school complete, a Circle of Influence and Concern is created to address the

entire school as a united team. This typically takes place over a one or two day face-to-face training. During this time, all members of the school team work to address and discuss issues and concerns and create goals that will help the school overcome them. By setting goals, the foundation is created for a smooth change process. When all members of a team clearly know what is expected, there is less

room for misunderstanding and surprise when it comes time to evaluate.

 

 

Communication is at the heart of the Who Took My Chalk?™ process. This includes creating clear lines of

communication within the school team, improving modes of correspondence within the school, and if

necessary, communicating the message of change or describing the new initiative to outside constituents such as parents and community members. For schools that have determined that communication is a key concern, the goals that are set in step three can help overcome this obstacle.

 

 

A roadblock is less likely to bring you to a complete stop if you know that it is coming and you can plan another route. At this point in the change process, it is important to think about what could stop you from achieving your goals. What could get in the way of your end result? By thinking about what those

possible barriers to your success might be, you can plan ahead so that you have strategies to meet them. This is especially important in schools where demands are high and time is short. By thinking about possible challenges ahead of time, strategies can be created that will prevent the process from stopping

because of unforeseen circumstances.

 

 

People who are successful have one thing in common — they get the support they need when they need

it. Support at the school level in the Who Took My Chalk?™ process is twofold. Within the school, the team determines how they will support one another in achieving their goals. At the same time, the team determines what outside support they need to make their initiative successful. The key questions in this step include:

• Who do I need to support me in this initiative?

• What do I need from them?

• How do I approach them and ask for what I need?

 

 

Making it real in Your classrooms means providing teachers with the resources and training they need to

implement the initiative and work toward the goals set by the group in their classrooms. It is important during this stage to provide real classroom examples to teachers so they not only understand the goals they are working toward, but they know what steps can be taken to achieve specific results and make it useful in their classrooms. This can take the form of face-to-face training, one-on-one coaching or mentoring or online classes and discussions. Like all of the steps in Who Took My Chalk?™, it is customized to the circumstances presented by the school.

 

 

Because every school is different, the plan for success will also be different. In this step, the school designs its plan and all of the components in the previous seven steps. Having this plan solidified

and in writing helps all members of the team understand the goals and expectations. Further, the plan can be modified as the school progresses based on things that work and things that don’t. It is also important in this step to determine how successes will be recognized and celebrated so everyone benefits from the success of the team.

 

 

The Who Took My Chalk?™ model can make a difference in nearly any kind of school change initiative. Many challenges that schools face benefit from a third party unbiased facilitator. Challenges that arise from cultural and communication issues in the school do well with Who Took My Chalk?™ due to the way the model collects information and facilitates a school wide approach to goal setting, communication and change. The model has also been found to be most successful in schools where the principal and other

key leaders are actively engaged in the process, and the staff are open and willing to at least try something new to correct the challenge at hand.

 

 

 

The principal at XYZ School wanted to implement 21st Century Skills with a focus on technology in her school. Although this initiative would be in the best interest of the students, she knew the transition would be challenging given the average age and years of experience of her teachers. She knew she had wonderful, highly qualified and experienced teachers, but she also knew that the teachers’ mindsets needed to change for them to embrace technology as an effective teaching tool. After she and the school technology coordinator learned about Who Took My Chalk?™, they knew that is what their teachers

needed to make their plan successful. 

 

 

Who Took My Chalk?™ became the centerpiece of a four-day technology institute for XYZ High School. The institute began with a program session discussing change and attitudes. Numerous activities engaged the staff, both new and experienced and gave them the opportunity to look at themselves

individually and as a group to determine their concerns about the 21st Century Skills Initiative. Issues and concerns around making changes within the classrooms of the school were addressed in a very open environment.

 

The EdVenture Group worked with the staff in a variety of sessions on implementing and understanding

21st Century Skills. A follow-up session was also held for goal setting and discussions on how the school

could support the effort and address issues of major concern. The principal was involved in the discussions every step of the way and provided the support and leadership necessary for any significant change movement.

 

With The EdVenture Group, the school has been able to provide sustained professional development

throughout the year that has enabled and empowered teachers to try new technology. The principal has asked her teachers to try one new technology tool each week, so that by the end of the year, they will have a toolbox full of technology tools that they can use in their classrooms.

 

 

After six months, XYZ School is a technology rich school with teachers excited about using technology. According to the principal, teachers are now asking, “What’s the next step?” When teachers are excited about teaching, students are excited about learning. The principal knew from experience that careful consideration must be given to the effects of change on those expected to implement it. In addition,

the teachers needed to receive the necessary professional development to become proficient in the implementation of 21st Century Skills in the classroom. Knowing the staff well, the principal knew it would be a struggle to get some of the “digital immigrants” to accept these new classroom skills. Preparing the staff for change, even before training them on the technology, made the difference between success and failure for XYZ School.