“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

Simon Sinek

One of the most common personal questions I get from my learners is why do I teach? I tell them because I love to learn. The reaction to my response is typically confusion. This was not always how I answered that question. Up until about 6 months ago, it would have been because I love math and the relationships I cultivate with my learners. The change in my reply to that seemingly simple inquiry has resulted from my learning over the first three classes in the ADL program. My search for my why led me to pursue my graduate degree. My why motivates me to get out of bed every weekday morning.

Speaking to the Heart

Changing human behavior is not for the faint of heart. It is challenging and painstaking. Change is a frequent occurrence in public education. Those in a position to make those changes do not see the daily struggle that we face in the classroom. We are forever trying to implement the right interpretation of the mandatory change only to rethink the protocol or program the very next school year. You see, with those mandated policies come very little guidance as far as exactly what it looks like when simply enacted. It often appears that those mandates are not passed with the heart of educators in mind. Thus leading to continued struggle and neverending obstacles.

In his video, The Heart of Change, Kotter argues that you must win over the heart, as well as the minds of people when trying to change behavior (2011). Student success is always at the forefront of any decision-making in a schoolhouse. Educators and administrators are driven by this criterion alone. If it helps our learners, then it is a change worth making. We must seek to engage the heart of everyone involved. This includes learners, as well as the community that every school is in.

Sense of Urgency

There is no secret when it comes to the antiquity of the approach in a traditional public school classroom. We all realize how urgent it is to better prepare our learners for the ever-changing demands of our technologically dependent society. Our learners are ill-prepared to find success beyond the high school classroom. Competition for jobs can be expected in all fields. I witness feelings of apathy in regard to education on a daily basis. Young people do not care to learn because the education they are receiving does not give them authentic learning opportunities. They have not been given choice and the chance to find that they have autonomy in their learning. This is unacceptable. We, the educators and school administrators, have the ability and obligation to do something about it.

By using a Flipped Classroom model in my math classroom, I will create significant learning environments that will afford them opportunities for choice and ownership (Harapnuik et al., 2018). A Blended Learning Model of a Flipped Classroom was an easy choice. My team and administrators have been supportive of my innovation project from day one. My team has planned and implemented a modified Flipped Classroom approach (Horn & Straker, 2015). The instruction is offered as videos that are accessible at home and at school. The practice component is where the choice is offered. I utilize digital resources, like Delta Math, Quizizz, Edia, and Google Forms and Practice Sets. The benefit of the online proactive is for the learners to have immediate feedback and intervention embedded into most of these platforms (i.e. videos and worked examples). I will also have a low-tech option for those students that have limited access to technology outside of the school house. 

By exposing my learners to a Flipped Classroom model, I hope to inspire them to look for their own resources to implement in future learning environments. Another possible outcome that I will strive to make happen is the influence of my innovation project on my colleagues to use a Blended Learning model in their own classroom. While making sure my students have the right tools and resources, they can use this approach themselves in any of their other subjects. It would be so awesome to see learners take full control over everything they seek to learn and master. My “teacher heart” would be full to even have one of my students experience this.

By influencing young people to find value in education and learning, their experiences will influence others and they, in turn, will continue this snowball effect of inspiring lifelong learners. I envision this as one strategy to break away from the traditional factory model of education. This change has to start in the classroom, not in a government committee meeting. Our learners can lead this change with their teachers as their mentors and coaches.

References

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018, January). COVA (0.9) [EBook]. Creative Commons License. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291

Horn, M. B., Staker, H., & Christensen, C. M. (2015). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Dr. John Kotter. (2011, March 23). John Kotter – The Heart of Change [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NKti9MyAAw

Dr. John Kotter. (2013, August 15). Leading Change: Establish a Sense of Urgency [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yfrj2Y9IlI

TEDx Talks. (2009, September 28). Start with why — how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&feature=youtu.be