Creating Conditions for Transforming PracticeDawn Koger, PhD Susan Wit, MEd.,OTL Oakland Schools Royal Oak Schools

Learning outcomes

Identify conditions that facilitate change Recognize indicators of positive

collaborative relationships Identify lessons learned and principles of

transforming practice Be familiar with attributes of meaningful

professional development Understand how changing practice

changed administrators, staff, families and children

CHANGE ENERGIZES

Facilitating Change – Transforming Practice

Engage and Focus

Clarify and Validate

Action and Follow Up

Assess and Connect

Royal Oak Was “Ripe” for Change

Status Quo Receptive due to dissatisfaction Core of “higher ups” willing to support

our change Collaborative relationship with Oakland

Schools

Sentimental Journey

The history of our change to an early intervention service delivery model aligned with current best practice.

Natural Environment Transdisciplinary Primary Service Provider Routines Based Parent Driven

Framework for Group Development

FormStormNormPerform

First described in 1965, revised in 1977 by Bruce Tuckman

Form: Team comes together

Honeymoon period Spirits are high; members are optimistic Main task is to “sell” ideas and realize group’s

purpose Facilitator’s role: - A lot of direction and a little

support Help group understand charge Engage all members Create a non-judgmental accepting environment; Determine how team works together, responds to

pressure

StormTeam Conflict

Different ideas compete for consideration Discrepancy between initial hope and reality

sets in Members start to argue or disagree Necessary but can be contentious and

unpleasant Facilitator’s role: A lot of direction and support

Guide professional behavior to support patience, tolerance

Encourage all opinions and views to be shared Clarify work goals, objectives and individual roles Draw out and resolve differences Move through…not avoid!

Royal Oak’s “Not So Perfect” Storm Identify the Issues

Personal “I have to do what?”

Interpersonal Timing of participants

Intrapersonal Economic, Social, Union, Skill Set, Family

Perceptions

Norm:A growing sense of togetherness

Create a mutual plan for the team with a clear purpose

Sort out personal conflicts and roles Focus on work that needs to be done People start to help one another and have

ambition to work for team success Facilitator’s role: A little direction and a lot of

support Step back and allow team decision making Balance focus on people and the work

Reinforce results and maintain trust among the members Ensure communication is effective

Norm: Royal Oak’s team plan

“Standard Bearer” Intra-team selling Team building Team goals and mission

Perform:Team Reaches Optimal Performance

Team is knowledgeable, motivated, competent, autonomous

Function as a unit to get the job done effectively and with little conflict or the need for supervision

Recognizes importance of fine tuning Facilitator’s role: A little direction and support

Remain involved but allow team to direct self Focus on performance management and

motivation

Perform:Royal Oak’s High Performance Team

Change to recognize a benefit Ongoing process of fine tuning Change is continuous

plan, do, implement the journey is a circle

Standards drive change

Change is everything!

Change is not important

Our Mantra:

Why can’t they change? (Or won’t they - don’t

they)Will?

Motivational obstacles

Skill?Lack of

knowledge or abilities

Hill?Environmenta

l or procedural obstacles

Adapted from Tools of the Trade by Larry Edelman, presented at the National Training Institute, March 2012

Skill:What “Learners” Wanted

To learn when they wanted to What they felt they needed to In an informal setting With hands – on experiences And practical assimilation

Skill:Professional Development Plan

Started with a needs assessment Researched national evidenced based recommendations Set regular times to come together outside of team time Organized book studies, article analysis, literature

reviews, online searches Encouraged reflective practice, facilitated dialogue,

debate Facilitated skill building sessions regarding “deficit areas” Invited team to teach others, conduct PD at other local

districts, present at conferences, write and submit a journal article

How to Transform Your Practice (According to Royal Oak’s Early Intervention Team)

Be open to change. Check your attitude (your ego,

your assumptions) at the door. Be prepared to have a new

perspective – and willing to understand the perspective of others.

Get the support of administration.

Be flexible. Know where you’re going. You

have to have guiding principles to guide decision making.

Know that trust is essential. Make time for team time. (There

never is “enough” time.)

Know that change gets harder before it gets easier.

Be willing to admit that you don’t have all the answers.

Focus on what’s good for families and children, not necessarily what’s good for me.

Be vulnerable. Admit to your team what you don’t think you can do, what you need to know, how you need to grow.

Write it down. Create a handbook that documents journey and leads to a set of protocol/operating guidelines/procedures.

Remember…It almost always comes down to relationships.

Every relationship has the potential and power to enhance other associated relationships. (Gilkerson & Taylor Ritzler, in press; Weston et al, 1997)

Administrative support sets the tone for the quality of supervisor-practitioner relationships.

Supervisory relationships can enhance practitioner-practitioner relationships and practitioner-parent relationships.

All of these relationships, in turn, strengthen parent-child relationships.

It is through these essential interrelated relationships that we create a web of support for our young children. (Larry Edelman, 2005)

CHANGE ENERGIZES

(yes it bears repeating)

How have children and families changed?

Most importantly,

Questions?