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Learning Theory
This week, I chose to discuss Fullan's
Six Secrets of Change and the roadblocks that affect faculty's
willingness to change. I have a particular interest in the subject
being that the school I work for now is getting ready to put many of
their classes online and faculty have just not been accustomed to
teaching in this fashion. I'm certain there will be a lot of
resistance and barriers that stand in the way of some students
meaningful educational experiences. However, I do believe that when
professional development is implemented in the correct way, these
barriers can be broken down and overcome effectively. As stated in
our text from this week, Michael Fullan assumed six secrets of
change. After reading these secrets of change, comparing them to work
I have already done within the subject of professional development
and barriers with faculty, and seeing how they apply so significantly
to adult learning theory, I agree that these six areas of change
should be implemented in any facility trying to adopt a new learning
environment. The first need addresses a love for your employees. I
believe that employers, in general, should have a respect and desire
to want their careers to be meaningful, to increase the skills that
they already have, and to persuade them to help meet the
organization's goals. The second secret change that Fullan addresses
is to connect peers with the purpose. This means that faculty work
better when they know why and how problems and goals need to be
worked out within the system. When teachers can come together,
learned together, and address issues together, their own learning is
relevant and meaningful to their careers. So connecting them to each
other, letting them bring their experience to the table, helps change
occur more effectively. The third secret to change is that capacity
building prevails. This means that employees build on their own
skills and competencies, the resources of the organization, and
motivation within themselves and within the organization. This idea
also addresses the need of organizations to find leaders within its
employees, to grow their abilities, and produce their own leaders for
their future. The fourth secret to change is called learning is the
work. This means that administrators and leaders within an
organization must utilize and demonstrate the work activities their
own employees are expected to know. Just like in this class, we were
expected to learn how to use a video chat room in order to
collaborate with this project. Even right up front, Dr. Beavers met
with us on video chat also and used this tool meaningfully within our
class to show us the importance of what technology can do. Actually
portraying the activity you are wanting out of your employees is an
important secret of change. The fifth secret is of transparency. By
providing real data and real statistics, as well as constructive
criticism and evaluation of faculty's teaching abilities,
transparency can be established. In my own opinion as an employee of
an educational institution, I feel like transparency is one of the
most important ways you can get your faculty to respect your
leadership. The sixth secret to change is systems learn. This means
that ideas of technology and education that really work to provide
meaningful experiences for students can be shared with others. This
one of the beauties of Twitter and Facebook and some of these other
social media outlets and websites that help us with ideas for our
classrooms. The text indicates that the wheel does not have to be
reinvented (Sheninger, 2014).
The roadblocks mentioned in the text
include faculty thinking that change is too hard and that they are
old dogs trying to learn new tricks. They may run into time
constraints and not willing to put in the time needed for effective
change to happen. They may also be pride filled and not want to
collaborate with other colleagues about ideas that work and don't
work. They may also just want to tell each other how to use certain
technology without actually utilizing the technology in effective
ways, themselves. School support may also be another roadblock into
developing meaningful distance education. Without the support of
leadership and administration, it is very difficult to establish
change. Older generation adults, especially, have a fear of change
and a fear that the students know more than they do about technology.
Another barrier is the negative attitudes that many faculty will
carry. These are the people that nothing will ever make them happy
and they're going to complain regardless of what is going on. Another
roadblock to change is a weak professional development system.
Professional development can be such an effective source of
information and of creating change within an environment. But without
the correct establishment of that professional development.
Institutions may struggle with getting faculty on board (Sheninger,
2014).
References:
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital
leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Corwin.
My name is Amanda Parton and I am from
North Carolina. I am pursuing a Master of Education in Teaching and
Learning with an Educational Technology and Online Instruction
Cognate of which I am beginning to see the end in sight. I hope to
finish up my degree by October. I have been a Radiographer and CT
Technologist for 14 years now and was recently given the opportunity
to come out of the clinical setting into the world of academia where
I am now an Instructor for the Imaging Sciences Department at South
College, Asheville. This has been a very exciting, yet overwhelming
transition for me as I have never taught in the classroom before.
The verse of scripture I have been leaning on lately is from Psalm
61:2 that says “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock
that is higher than I”. I have been extremely nervous and anxious
about entering into this program, but with much prayer and support, I
know that this is where God has led me and I look forward to
fulfilling this next goal. South College is a small, private school
with campuses both in Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC. In hope of
getting many of our programs online within the next year, I am
pursuing this degree to try to aid in that transition.
I have been married for 13 years now to
a wonderful, Christian man who is the love of my life and we have two
wonderful daughters, Ellie who is eight and Kimsey who is 2 years
old. Both of my daughters are my testimonies to God’s great love,
Ellie who was a miracle when I was certain I could not have any
children, and Kimsey through an adoption that literally happened
overnight…but that is a story for another time. God has been so
good to our family and I am so grateful and blessed. My husband is
attending seminary at this time, also, so we are all very busy with
lots going on! We enjoy just being together and appreciate each
moment we have together. He has also become the new Director of our
Homeless shelter in our community and we really feel like God is
opening a huge mission field for us with these people in our local
area. We are very excited about the opportunities God has in store
for our family.
I look forward to getting to know each
of you personally over the next 8 weeks. I promise to be praying for
each of you and ask that you also remember me and my family in your
prayers as well. I have a lot to learn about technology and distance
learning and look forward to doing that with each of you. I have
enjoyed already learning a great deal about technology in education
and can't wait to learn how we can use effectively design it in to
our programs. Have a great week!
