1 Session 2 Acting as a change agent

2 It is one thing to create a new curriculum but you can’t assume that teachers in schools will be enthusiastic about using it.

3 Common dilemmas faced by teachers Organising the children on an individual basis Giving children a degree of control over their use of time, their activities and their work standards Seeking to motivate the children through intrinsic involvement and enjoyment of activities Attempting to integrate various elements of the curriculum Trying to build up co-operative and social skills

4 A recent researcher indicated that teachers have the following teaching styles: Reproduction teachers – they are concerned directly with the improvement of performance – they use cut and dried methods that work Meaning teachers – are aware that their own interpretations are limited. They try to enable students to obtain better understandings. They try to clarify their experiences to students

5 Teaching styles continued… Open teachers – are those who acknowledge to themselves and others that there are problems of communication to be resolved. They do not create the impression that they know all Closed teachers – are those who do not communicate to others about their inadequacies. They are relatively narrow in their communications Survival teachers – are those who are not just really concerned about learning. They just want to survive in difficult classrooms

6 Some definitions Diffusion is the spontaneous, unplanned spread of new ideas. It involves a special type of communication between individuals and groups because the messages are concerned with new ideas. Diffusion is really a one-way process. Most frequently it is affected by an exchange of ideas and information between individuals

7 Definitions continued… Dissemination has a narrower focus and applies to the specific procedures used to inform individuals and groups about an innovation and to gain their interest in it. Some people see dissemination as mainly a marketing activity. Others see it within a cultural framework. They maintain that you need to be aware of a school system’s attitudes and administrative structure and use dissemination activities that are suitable for it

8 Change strategies and tactics A strategy is a plan for replacing an existing program by an innovation. There are a number of strategies but as a general guide the following three are typically used: Power coercive strategies are based on the control of rewards and punishments and are relatively easy to apply. That is, they are extrinsic in nature.

9 Change strategies and tactics continued… Normative/re-educative strategies refer to actions intended to manipulate recipients so that they can see the situation differently. This can be achieved by biased messages, persuasive communications and by training workshops. The recipients are trained or re-educated to appreciate the beneficial aspects of a particular innovation

10 Empirical-rational strategies rely upon the recipients realising that they should change to the new innovation in their best interests. The strategies rely upon providing detailed knowledge about an innovation by holding workshops, seminars and demonstrations Change strategies and tactics continued…

11 Change strategies Power-coercive Use rewards and punishment Normative–Re-educative Persuade persons to see things differently Empirical-Rational Use detailed knowledge/evidence

12 Tactics Tactics are specific actions that are taken to reinforce the impact of a strategy. There are many possible tactics that might be used. They can include the following: Impersonal information Personal demonstration Interpersonal field agents

13 Tactic Components There are 5 components for each tactic, namely: Relative costs Relative coverage Relative impact User convenience Feedback

14 Tactics and their potential effects

15 Tactics and their potential effects continued…

16 Tactics and their potential effects continued…

17 Tactics and their potential effects continued…

18 To take an example, consider the following: Impersonal information e.g. direct mail to schools Relative costs Relative coverage Relative impact User convenience Feedback Low High Low Moderate Low

19 Do your own summaries for each of the following tactics, making sure you rate each of the five components each time as high, medium and low Impersonal – Direct Mail; Mass Media; Printed Matter; Professional Association Personal Demonstration – On-site; Visitation; Workshop Interpersonal field agents – Non- commercial; commercial