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Answer the questions from Handout #6: Learning from the Game: Pulling it All Together.

• Pay attention to what questions contribute to our learnings in the following four areas:
  • Role of effective leadership
  • Role of people
  • A Systems Perspective of Change
  • Understanding and Using the Process of Change
• Reflect on:
  • Why you were blocked?
  • What did you to get beyond the blocks?
  • What did you learn about resistance to change?
  • How does this relate to your experiences in your own organization? Handouts #7 and #8
• Look at the total number of Bens you received and note when your team first started earning them.
  • What Year was it?
  • What activities moved many people and gave you the most Bens? Handout #11
• What data gathering activities did you choose and how did they help or hinder you?
  • Did you collect data throughout the simulation?
  • If not, how did this affect you? Handout #13
• How did the sequence of your activities affect your outcomes?
  • How would you change your sequence if you played again and why? Handouts #12, 14
• What activities in the simulation helped the school community members to learn continuously?
  • How did you as players continuously learn throughout the simulation? Handouts #9, 13, 10
• Create a group PDCA map and post it in the class WIKI PDCA map area

 

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GROUP THUNDER PCDA MAP!

Jamie Beckman, Jim Nelson, Paul Pulvermacher, Dan Simonson.

 

Key: Black=successful

red=unsuccessful

 

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 1 2. Survey Stakehold 7. Assess Problems 1. Assess District Success 7. Assess Problems 12. Document success / failures	4. Talk With stakeholders 6. Create Vision 3. Gather information 4. Talk With stakeholders 6. Create Vision		Total Bens: 0

Stage of Change:	AW	PREP.	PRACT.	MAST/INT	REN.
Number of People:	14	7	0	0	0

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 2 1. Assess District Success 7. Assess Problems 8. Compare vision to reality 7. Assess Problems 15. Develop teamwork skills	4. Talk With stakeholders 5. Talk with again 6. Create Vision 11. Conduct quality tools training 5. Talk with again 4. Talk With stakeholders 17. Communicate vision		Total Bens: 50

Stage of Change:	AW	PREP.	PRACT.	MAST/INT	REN.
Number of People:	4	15	5

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 3 9. Develop long range plan 25. Revisit revise 7. Assess Problems 10. Develop plan 14. Create improvement teams	4. Talk With stakeholders 11. Conduct quality tools training 13. Professional development 16. Implement new learning strategies		Total Bens: 1330

Stage of Change:	AW	PREP.	PRACT.	MAST/INT	REN.
Number of People:	2	3	10	4	5

 

Thunder PCDA Questions: answers in red

 

Reflect on:

• Why you were blocked?

We were unsuccessful when we acted too quickly. We wanted to get started and make the change right away. We quickly found out that it wouldn't work.

• What did you to get beyond the blocks?

We consulted with other school districts for help.

• What did you learn about resistance to change?

Its human nature, however when you are part of a team, change is reality. Now that we had this experience from the administrative side, we have a new perspective and appreciation for change. As much as we may think we are in charge of our own castles, as teachers we do have a boss. If a district wants to implement change we as teachers need to give it a try!

How does this relate to your experiences in your own organization? Handouts #7 and #8

 

Look at the total number of Bens you received and note when your team first started earning them.

• What Year was it?

We received bens in year two on our second activity which was "1. assess district success"

• What activities moved many people and gave you the most Bens? Handout #11

In year three, step "#16 implement" we received 500 bens!

What data gathering activities did you choose and how did they help or hinder you?

We surveyed stakeholders right away and it moved everyone except for Pat, Will and Irene. We spoke to share holders (#4) on five different occasions with three times having no change and twice having minimal movement. We had poor timing.

• Did you collect data throughout the simulation?

Yes. Data was collected throughout. We should taken notes on what was said on the response cards.

• If not, how did this affect you? Handout #13

n/a

How did the sequence of your activities affect your outcomes?

Again, because of a desire to act, we moved too quicly and did not plan as well as we should have.

• How would you change your sequence if you played again and why? Handouts #12, 14

Talk, plan, act. If we could, we would consult with other districts before we started.

What activities in the simulation helped the school community members to learn continuously?

It helped when both administration and teachers whose opinions were respected were involved.

How did you as players continuously learn throughout the simulation? Handouts #9, 13, 10

We assume that our results mirrored those of troubled districts anywhere in the United States. Districts need time to make quality decisions, but because they are uner pressure to turn things around immediately (NCLB) they are forced to make bad decisions quickly.

We learned the hard way how you need to move slowly.

 

---THUNDER

 

 

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Team 3 Horsemen + 2 (apologize for adding this in the middle, but the formatting at bottom of page was causing problems with our paste)

 

Our five team members also were on multiple teams during the simulation, so we have drawn upon the experiences of each group in writing our answers.

 

PDCA Map:

 

 

 

Handout #6 Answers:

In the simulation, we were blocked at first because we did not inform our Administrators enough on what we were doing. We also were trying to do some of the actions prior to planning. Once we got our background information established and conveyed to others we were able to proceed and create the vision and start moving past the initial phase. This took most of year one.

 

We learned that change will not happen overnight and that we do need to include everyone, even if some feel that the activities and actions are not important. We also found that the resistors could be influenced overtime if they were included in larger groups and kept them informed. The resistance to change was normally brought on by people that like the old ways, had too much on their plate, or was just angry and was tired of failing in helping their students. We also learned that resistance was limited once the Administrators were up to speed with what was going on and they were actively involved with the process.

 

This simulation is very similar to what we deal with in the education field. We often have those stubborn teachers that are either close to retirement and just want to coast their way to retirement or the teachers that lack confidence in trying something new. We deal with it when it comes to getting new computers, computer programs, textbooks, grade books, ways to take attendance, and the list goes on.

 

During the simulation we would receive Bens for positive improvement in our vision to improve our simulated school district. During the three years of simulated planning, we found that Bens increased as the years went on. The first year our group received Bens one time, this was when we raised awareness by gathering information to develop interest. The second year the group began moving more by developing new skills and getting organized. We also took risks and look at feedback to create a vision. This is where our Bens increased noticeably. In the last year our Bens increased dramatically, where we received more than the previous years combined. We gained the most Bens by creating, maintaining, and developing team skills, implementing learning and teaching strategies, reflecting, and changing support systems to support vision. This allowed us to gain Bens for everyone beyond a stage of change. These activities were all changes completed later in the second year and in the third year.

 

In developing interest we needed to gather data and plan activities. To gather information we gathered social information, assessed district success, assessed problems, and talked with a variety of people a few times over the course of the simulation. After compiling the data we were able to plan and share a vision for the school district. Our plan compared the vision to reality, developed a long-term plan, and planned for professional development. All of these activities assisted in moving people in the simulation. At points we jumped ahead of ourselves, trying to determine the plan and actions before collecting and sharing information with everyone. We solved this later by taking a step back and consult with more people and administration. Throughout the simulation we found that incorporating administration and different combinations of people assisted in change. We also made sure to keep everyone well informed by revising the vision and sharing findings with everyone. This allowed everyone, including “Irene” to move up the game board, making the vision successful.

 

The sequence of our activities was very important to success. If a move was attempted without proper planning, then there would be no movement. If a move was attempted of major importance (create vision, get training, etc.), without talking first with the district leaders AND going back to clarify the information, then that move was blocked and the bits spent on it were wasted. If we were to play the game again, we would start with communication, follow up with minor planning, then go back and verify that stakeholders were on-board with the direction that we were taking. Once the vision is created, then spending time and energy on training and staff development were much more important.

 

The continuous learning activities were those that involved developing and maintaining skills; the creation of teams that learned to use data analysis tools and went to staff development on teamwork were vital to the movement of the district as a whole. As a team, the feedback that we received during each ‘summer break’ was very important; networking with the other districts allowed us to fine-tune our strategies and determine where our plans (particularly in year one) were flawed.

 

 

 

PDCA Map - The Three Horsemen + 2				Font in red = Negative or no movement
				Font in green = Positive change
YEAR 1	PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
	3. Gather social information
	2. Survey stakeholders
	6. Create a shared vision
	4. Talk again
	1. Assess district's success
		11. Conduct quality tools training
	4.Talk again
	6. Create a shared vision
	1. Assess district's success
Awareness	Preparation	Practice	Mastery/Integration	Renewal	Total Bens
17	7	0	0	0	30
YEAR 2	PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
	5. Talk again
	6. Create a Shared vision
		11. Conduct qualitiy tools training
	7. Assess problems/processes
	8. Compare vision to current reality
	9. Develop a long-range plan
		17. Communicate vision
	10. Plan profressional development
		16. Implement new learning /teaching strategies
Awareness	Preparation	Practice	Mastery/Integration	Renewal	Total Bens
0	11	8	5	0	60
YEAR 3	PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
		17. Communicate vision
		13. Provide professional development
		21. Benchmark best practices
		16. Implement new learning /teaching strategies
		14. Create/maintain improvement teams
		15. Develop team work skills
		18. Model effective practices
			19. Check activities against vision and effectiveness of plan.implementation
			20. Reflect with colleagues
				24. Communicate progress
			12. Document successes and failures and share learnings
				26. Revise plan
		17. Communicate vision
Awareness	Preparation	Practice	Mastery/Integration	Renewal	Sub/Total Bens
0	0	1	2	21	2085/2175

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APA- Jurisch, A.; Lardinois, A.; Meddaugh, P.

PCDA write-up

 

 

Our team has deviated from the specific requirements of the assignment because we did not work together and do not have the green tracking sheet. We will discuss the activities of our collective teams in general terms.

 

Overall, our groups were successful when the team made decisions that included meaningful communication. Groups found success when they included all parties, ie. administrators, team members from each educational level, parents and community members. While a great deal of success was had by focusing on teamwork and engaging those who were resistant to the process, it was also very successful to focus on risk-takers and high performing staff at the initial and implementation stages of planning. On the whole, an emphasis on team building and appropriate training initiatives was successful.

 

In general, all groups found that moving too quickly in the process was unsuccessful. Beyond accelerating the process, teams also found difficulty when they did not include the right people in the process, particularly if key members of the administration were absent from the process. Top administration participation was a key link in planning success.

 

Through playing the game and the required reading, we have discovered that resistance to change is common and should be expected. We have learned that resistance to change results from faulty communications and fear. In our own schools we have seen people resistant to change when the change requires an addition to their workload or that have received inadequate training to implement change.

 

Evaluation is an important part of the planning process. Effective evaluation has its roots in data gathering. The teams used a variety of methods to gather data, including team meetings, surveys and social information gathering. The teams discovered the data was only valuable if the data gathered matched the stage of the team’s process.

 

 

Characters in the game achieved continuous learning by becoming involved in a cycle of communication, implementation, evaluation and modification with an emphasis on teamwork.

 

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Kristin Haefke, Kristin Hubmann, Melissa Schuett, Janet Yunker

 

 

• Reflect on:
  • Why you were blocked?
    • We were blocked for several reasons including; we didn't include everyone, little communication, not enough information, and administrators weren't included.
  • What did you do to get beyond the blocks?
    • Include administration, communicate, gather more information, and include all representative groups.
  • What did you learn about resistance to change?
    • Continue to include resistant individuals to get them moving, and our ideas need to be planned well.
  • How does this relate to your experiences in your own organization? Handouts #7 and #8
    • There will always be reluctant participants but the more informed and involved you get them the better your progress will be.
• Look at the total number of Bens you received and note when your team first started earning them.
  • What Year was it?
    • We received "bens" during our first year!
  • What activities moved many people and gave you the most Bens? Handout #11
    • Communication and creating/revisiting a vision gave us bens and moved everyone
• What data gathering activities did you choose and how did they help or hinder you?
  • Did you collect data throughout the simulation?
    • Yes, we did to ensure that the "vision" was heading in the correct direction.
  • If not, how did this affect you? Handout #13
    • At one point we didn't collect data that was necessary so we could not move any of our participants, so we had to go back and collect necessary data, which put us back time and "bits".
• How did the sequence of your activities affect your outcomes?
  • How would you change your sequence if you played again and why? Handouts #12, 14
    • Start with communication eary and continue it often. We found this to be very effective and to get people moving the fastest.
    • Move slowly. When we tried to jump too far ahead we didn't achieve anything.
• What activities in the simulation helped the school community members to learn continuously?
  • How did you as players continuously learn throughout the simulation? Handouts #9, 13, 10
    • We learned via feedback from the cards, discussion with other group members, sharing thoughts within group and with other groups.
• Create a group PDCA map and post it in the class WIKI PDCA map area

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 1 2. Survey stakeholders 4. Talk with staff/students/parents 6. Create a shared vision 4 Talk with staff/students/parents 6. Create a shared vision 5. Talk again 8. Compared vision to reality 3. Gather social information 1. Assess successes 7. Assess problems	11. Quality tools training

20bens

Stage of Change:	AW	PREP.	PRACT.	MAST/INT	REN.
Number of People:	20?	4?	Reflection on Game: Rosie Green, Amanda Simon, Penni Uribe * We can't get our map to post right. Louie, we will send it to you. (It is pasted below - Louis)   This game truly represented the process of change. When we began year one, our group suffered a lot of blocks. We found that we were blocked because we were trying to move too quickly. Instead of planning in our first year, we were trying to do too much. For example, we could not create our shared vision until we talked with others and assessed the district’s previous success. Doing these activities allowed us to develop a long-range plan that linked our activities to a vision and hence we started to move people. When we look at our PDCA map we see that the first year was made up of a lot of planning, allowing us to figure out what our end goal may be. Our second year was still a lot planning but we also started to do activities such as teamwork and training. Giving people training and communicating our vision to everyone allowed people to start moving from awareness to preparation and practice in year two. Year three was our most successful year- almost all of our players made it to renewal! This happened because we did a lot with team building and gave people strategies to use. We also spent a lot of time checking to see if our plan was working and had many discussions. Not only did the people in our district reflect, but also we went to other districts to discuss what they had done.   While the game did get frustrating at times, especially in year one, our team did not give up and continued to evaluate what we were doing. We also discovered if we went into each year with a plan we saw better results. As we played we saw how some of the school members were resistant to change. Good old Pat and Will were set in their ways! With a lot of talk and team building we were finally able to move them. This demonstrated that no matter what there will always be some people who don’t want to change.   Speaking of not wanting to change… each one of our group members has seen a similar situation in our schools. Some of us have seen teachers who refuse to change with the times because they feel their older way is better. Also, we have seen teachers who will not teach the new curriculum because they don’t want to put the time into creating new activities. We all agree that change is hard for most people, however, in education one has to change with the times or the students will get left in the dust!   One of the motivating factors in this game was earning benz. Our team earned its first benz at the end of year one when we assessed our district’s successes. We earned a bit in year two when we did activities with communication and skill building. Year three was our big benz year! Talking to other districts gave us lots of money- we guess what they say is true, don’t reinvent the wheel. We also earned a lot when we modeled effective practices.   In terms of data gathering, we needed to gather more data at the start of the game. We especially needed to develop a long-range plan before rushing into sharing our vision with others. Talking with others and assessing our past successes turned out to be two very important activities.   If we were to play the game again, we would start by surveying the stake holds and then assessing the district’s successes. We would also spend more time in the planning process before trying to rush out and do the activities.   As players, we learned a lot about how to implement change in a systems way. We now see how important leadership is when trying to create a change. Leaders must create a shared vision while involving others, communicate the vision to all, and truly model the effective practices. The leaders must gain support from all involved and constantly revisit the change they are trying to make. Leaders must always be willing to go back to the drawing board and accept feedback. If a leader truly does the above, a continuous improved learning community will occur with time.

P LAN   Map of Progress Red= Negative Move Green= Positive Move		DO		CHECK		ACT
Year 1
3.Gather Social Information
2. Survey Stakeholders
4. Talk with staff, parents, and others
6. Create a shared vision
4. Talk with staff, parents, and others		11. Conduct Quality Tools training
6. Create a shared vision
1. Assess district’s success
1. Assess district’s success						Total Bens= 30
Awareness	Preparation		Practice		Mastery/Integration		Renewal
17	7		0		0		0

 

 

 

 

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 2 8. Compare vision to current reality
9. Develop a long-range plan that links activities to a vision
10. Develop a system wide professional development plan	11. Conduct Quality tools training
5. Talk with again	17. Communicate vision
6. Create a shared vision	16. Implement new learning strategies		Total Bens= 70
7. Assess problems and process of school community
Awareness	Preparation	Practice	Mastery/Integration	Renewal
0	11	8	5	0

 

 

 

 

PLAN	DO	CHECK	ACT
Year 3	17. Communicate vision
	13. Provide system wide professional development opportunities	19. Check activities against vision and effectiveness of plan/implementation
	16. Implement new teaching and learning strategies	20. Reflect with colleagues
	14. Create/maintain improvement teams	12. Document successes and failures and share learning
	15. Develop teamwork skills	26. Revise plan based on current reality
	18. Model effective practices	24. Communicate progress
	21. Benchmark best practices for learning and teaching
	17. Communicate vision
Awareness	Preparation	Practice	Mastery/Integration	Renewal
0	0	1	2	21

 

 

 

 

Created by: Rosie Green, Amanda Simon, Penni Uribe