Education is known for endless change, and over the years that’s taken many forms: testing modifications, curriculum adjustments, new committees to join, fresh acronyms to learn. With these continuous shifts comes an accompanying sense of urgency, one that tells educators to hurry up and implement whatever is on the horizon, even if that leaves us feeling a little like the hare in the classic tortoise and the hare fable. When change is needed, why is it accompanied by a mindset that necessitates rushing the process?

Whatever the reason for our various (and often knee-jerk) reactions to constant change, it is fairly vital that we breathe and just slow down. Otherwise, we run the risk of having to fix a series of broken pieces that create a less than ideal whole. Looking at change on multiple levels can help us determine how to take our time and maximize the effectiveness of new initiatives. Here are a few.

  • Classroom Change Rather than working fast to assign lengthy tasks, teachers can do more with far less. That way, instructional shifts are focused and intentional, creating desired results the first time around.
  • School-Wide Change Before creating anxiety with a set of directives each new school year, greet staff with an overall “why,” and then enlist the help of all to break the work into manageable chunks that follow a clear progression.
  • Professional Development Change Consider the power of slowing down the change process when it comes to training. When school leaders see a gap, they want to fill that need as quickly as possible, which is understandable. However, creating a wish list for professional development results in a lack of focus.

Read the full article about education change by Miriam Plotinsky at EdSurge.