leadership

Conflict Resolution for Facilitators

July 6, 2021 by Stacey Bruton

Educators and other professionals spend a lot of time participating in online and onsite meetings. As a facilitator, your role is to guide and manage the group. At times, this assignment can be challenging when conflict arises. Recognizing early warning signs can minimize the potential for trouble. However, some issues naturally generate differences in opinion. When facilitating, it is important to stay neutral and avoid the appearance of taking sides in order to move the group forward.

Careful planning can set a positive tone from the beginning and prevent the onset of negativity. When meeting onsite, arrange the room to have a conducive setting for group discussion. If meeting online, schedule your poll questions or create your breakout groups before the meeting begins. Start the session on time and outline norms for self-monitoring. Introduce all participants, or in the case of larger groups, provide them with name tags or tent cards. Ask online participants to verify the screen name displayed is correct. Make sure to have an agenda — hard copy or electronic — so the goals are known to all. When developing the agenda, try to structure the time to have the participants spend more time talking than the facilitator.

When resistance occurs, consider the reasons behind it by asking some questions.

Is there another event taking place simultaneously that participants are missing?
Was the meeting location difficult to find or inconvenient for travel?
Did participants have insufficient notice, or was it scheduled at the last minute?

In addition, there may be other reasons group members are apprehensive. Some may have preconceived ideas about the outcome of the meeting, which can overshadow productivity. Participants may anticipate more work as a result of the meeting, or they might believe there will be limited support if new ideas are implemented. Individuals may also have something personal going on. Regardless of the cause for tension, facilitators need to avoid becoming defensive, pushing through despite the climate or countering the resistance with force.

Differing opinions are a part of healthy decision-making. Even when facts are presented and used to make the best choices, sometimes challenges arise. How do you know whether to intervene?Signs of problems include continual sidebar conversation with peers, noticeable digital conversations, folded arms, leaning back in the seat, eye-rolling, and complete disengagement. A quick gauge of the situation allows the facilitator to determine the next steps.

Is the problem serious?
Is the situation disrupting focus?
Are the conversations becoming personal?
Do I have enough credibility to mediate?
What could happen if I do nothing?

Choose careful wording in order to restore group effectiveness and avoid damaging relationships.

Facilitator intervention starts with a neutral tone and approachable voice. If the group is no longer functioning as a whole, point out that the energy seems to be lost. Ask a question and use exploratory language with plural forms to show there are options for a solution. What are some ways we can regain the focus? If there is a contentious discussion, again, intervene through questioning. What might be some causes? Reasons? Ideas?If a heated discussion continues, paraphrase the conversation in order to recap the options put forth and redirect adversarial behavior by asking another question. Asking always elicits a better response than telling because participants are more likely to accept suggestions generated by fellow group members. Telling the group what to do is the last option; however, it may be necessary when members display the inability to follow group norms of behavior.

Sometimes group discussion becomes group dysfunction requiring action. If someone is intent on criticizing another’s ideas, use a question such as “We have heard your opinion about the cons of _____’s idea, but what are some of the pros?” Do not allow personal attacks or blaming others, but avoid confrontation in front of the group. It may be necessary to call for a break and then approach the naysayer privately during that time. Online meetings allow chat conversations without involving the entire group. When people feel passionate about a topic, they might “vent” in private just for the simple need of being heard. Guided questioning can be an effective way to allow the person to share his/her feelings. Why do you feel this way? What happened the last time? What do you think would make things better? When emotions have been released, the participant is more likely to move forward in identifying solutions. Establishing rapport through non-verbal cues of posture, gestures, and breathing will have a calming effect. Avoid arguing and using loaded language, stating the participant is angry. That will only create more conflict. Remember to listen and empathize with concerns, but continue to stay neutral to help de-escalate the situation.

As the whole group comes back together, reward positive interactions with head nods, eye contact, and a friendly face. Complimenting participants for providing feedback is also helpful to set the new tone. The facilitator can also promote understanding of different viewpoints by allowing one side to present and answer questions. The alternative side can then share their points and field questions. Comment on the strengths offered by both sides so the group can move to make a decision.

If the group cannot reach a consensus on a group decision, the facilitator may need to utilize specific steering questions.

What needs to happen for this to work for you?
What will eliminate your concerns?
What support needs to be in place?

While the preferred approach is to face the conflict and come up with a group decision, asking people to compromise and be more tolerant might be necessary. When it is apparent that a resolution will not happen that day, place the issue on the agenda for the next meeting and ask participants to come with any new ideas and be prepared to make decisions.

In short, the keys to mediating conflict are to identify the signs of dysfunction, determine when to intervene and provide the correct guidance to reach a resolution. When issues are more involved, it may require multiple meetings to come to an agreement. Using a systematic approach to meetings is just one dimension of being a good facilitator. To create a positive experience for everyone, facilitators should also be adept at mediating conflict and leading groups to solutions through various questioning techniques.

Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of Teachers

February 2, 2021 by Emily Makelky

Teacher looks frustrated and exhausted at desk with his hands on his face

Teaching through the pandemic is more stressful, time-consuming, and emotionally-draining than any other time in recent history. The stressors of teaching kids in person, virtually, and often a combination of the two, are far beyond the many stressors that teachers have experienced. What has become abundantly clear, is that for today’s educators, the conditions and scenarios in which they are working, cannot sustain if we want to avoid mass burnout.

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a push to make sure we are meeting the basic needs of our students. As we know, if their basic needs are not met, the chances of students being successful at achieving academic targets are slim. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is used to determine how to better meet the needs of students. This same hierarchy should also be used to better meet the needs of our teachers. Within your Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC), or curriculum governing committee, make this topic a priority at your next meeting. Here are some ways to address this issue:

Do the research As is common practice when discussing issues within the CCC, find articles that clearly communicate the topic like this one on teacher morale from Edweek. Upon reading, ask committee members to share out what resonates with them. Ask them to reflect upon the strategies listed, determine if their school is already doing them, or if any of the strategies could work there.

Introduce Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and each level of the hierarchy. Relate each need to teachers and how their needs are not being met due to the pandemic. For example, a physiological need that may not be met right now is food. As stress levels rise and time is short, teachers may be rushing to get out of the house in the morning and may not prioritize packing a healthy lunch. Another physiological need that may be lacking is sleep or rest. Additional responsibilities at work usually take away from personal downtime and might make it more difficult for teachers to get adequate rest.

Brainstorm solutions Ask CCC members to come up with ways that the district could help meet teachers’ basic needs. Put a poster-sized piece of paper for each level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs at different tables around the room. Divide the paper into columns. The first column would identify the specific need, the second column to list what the district is already doing, and the third column is used to record what more can be done. For example:

Encourage members to be as creative as possible and not to worry about the costs. If a solution does cost money, ask them to add a dollar symbol to that one.

Prioritize solutions Use a facilitation activity, like “Spent a Dot,” to determine priorities. Give members of the committee six or so dot stickers, or sticky notes, whatever you have on hand. Ask them to walk to each paper and review the ideas offered during the brainstorming session, and “spend a dot,” or add a dot sticker to the ideas that they think should take priority while planning next steps. After the activity, it should be clear which ideas, or solutions, to move forward.

Plan next steps Good intentions and discussions will always remain just those, unless, a plan is created and followed through. For each of the priority solutions, plan what needs to be done, who will be responsible for seeing it through, and when it needs to happen. It may be helpful to create a subcommittee for following through with the plan as some solutions might take more time and effort than others. To ensure that the next steps happen, make sure to revisit this topic at the following CCC meeting, and create ways for teachers to offer their feedback.

Continue to monitor the social-emotional health of your teachers throughout the remainder of the year and be sure to communicate your efforts to better meet their basic needs. The last thing anyone wants is for a third of the teaching staff to resign because they can’t continue teaching under the conditions of this past year or so. Your teachers will appreciate that you care and that the district is looking out for their well-being.

The Importance of Teacher Leaders in a District

June 2, 2020 by Stacey Bruton

Teachers at school in the classroom ready for work

Academic leadership need not rest solely on the shoulders of district and building-level administrators, but can often be more effective when shared with classroom teachers. Unfortunately, some teachers may feel less willing to go the extra mile or create quality work when tasks appear as a directive with no teacher input. But, when teacher leaders are utilized to lead the work and provide examples of quality, their peers tend to buy-in. Many of our partner districts have chosen this route as they work through their curriculum, instruction, and assessment work.

What is the role of a teacher leader? Primarily, teacher leaders are expected to support and lead positive gains in student achievement. Some responsibilities may include mentoring or coaching other teachers, developing or leading professional development sessions, serving on leadership teams and committees, or collecting and monitoring data. Districts often hire teacher leaders in the role of instructional facilitator, to work with a specific range of grade levels or to be content specialists. They are often expected to serve as experts in a particular field or grade level and to lead curriculum development efforts. One of their most important responsibilities is facilitating the lines of communication among all parties.

Why is there a need? There are numerous reasons. Teacher leadership programs emphasize the concept of shared leadership in a district. A facilitator may attend a conference as a district representative and, upon return, share the information with staff through local professional development. This approach is helpful for districts experiencing financial cutbacks or those trying to minimize lost student contact time with teachers. It can also relieve an additional initiative from the plate of the principals.

Teacher leaders are also beneficial when it comes to making decisions based on data. The need to increase student learning results has encouraged educators to collect and analyze data and respond to student needs accordingly. Classroom teachers can save valuable instruction and preparation time by relying on a teacher leader to pinpoint data trends and suggest instructional strategies for improvement.

Retaining quality teachers is critical to the success of any school district and the educational field as a whole. Even though college programs have extensive training for young educators, it is impossible to prepare them for every aspect of their actual teaching experience. Many districts now incorporate a mentoring program directed by the instructional coach, which provides support in instruction, resources, and classroom management.

Why does it work? A coaching relationship with another colleague can benefit the classroom teacher through modeling, team teaching, or mentoring in a non-evaluative way. This personalized support provides immediate feedback that allows for noticeable improvement as changes are made in previous practices. Research shows that using cooperative learning with peers at any level translates into significant gains.

Shared leadership provides a balanced foundation for any initiative. Whether it is curriculum development or implementing a new instructional strategy, the coach’s job is to support practices and share responsibility for ensuring success. Some coaches are specialists in content, and others are experts of specific grade levels. Either way, this knowledge and experience allow coaches to help teachers prepare for student learning transitions and make sure content and skill development builds when curriculum is addressed. Districts utilizing teacher leaders create a critical communication link in the school improvement process. When educational leaders have the necessary training and are used correctly, the qualitative and quantitative gains a district can make are immeasurable.

The Why of CLI and How to Find Yours

January 8, 2019 by cliweb

Simon Sinek, marketing consultant, and motivational speaker uses a model for “inspirational leadership” where at the center of three circles is the “golden circle;” essentially, the “why.” With his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek provides examples of how famous leaders communicated their why and were able to have success when others were unable. The principles they used can apply to individuals, small groups, or even conglomerates. For example, a company has a Why, each team in that company has a Why, and every individual on that team has a Why.

The WHY of any organization isn’t about making a profit. Instead, it is the purpose, cause, or overall belief of the group. It is not uncommon for an organization to confuse the WHY with another circle, the HOW or the WHAT. Members of the team may not even know WHY they exist because the focus is on making a product or how to provide a service. But, make no mistake that the WHY is the reason an organization exists. Clearly communicating the WHY is the best chance one has to get all interested parties involved.

The HOW sets an organization apart from others that share similar characteristics. It is a unique twist on a service or product that could provide a step above competitors. Most affiliated with the organization understand the HOW because there is considerable energy there to create the best WHAT possible.

Finally, the WHAT is known by all in the organization. Whether it is a product or service, people naturally look at the end result. In this case, the WHAT is the outer circle.

In all types of work, change must take place to keep up. Providing a strong reason for making a change, and communicating it clearly with staff, will ease much of the pushback from those the change will effect. Providing your “why” will hopefully inspire staff to follow because they will have a purpose.

The WHY of CLI

Identifying the parts of your Golden Circle can be easier by seeing a relatable example. Refer to the one below showing the WHY, HOW, and WHAT for Curriculum Leadership Institute.

Finding Your Own Why

Authors David Mead and Peter Docker have published the book Find Your Why to assist organizations in digging deeper to determine the Why. They believe a good Why statement is

Simple and Clear for understanding and sharing with others.
Free of Whats but includes the real reason people love the organization.
Includes a Human Service Component and Impact for Others.
In Affirmative Language to provide inspiring words.
Important to Feel Right.

The first step in creating a Why is to fill in the blanks: To _____ so that _____. The first blank should include the contribution intended for others, and the second blank should be the impact as a result of that contribution. It could take a few drafts to find that perfect Why, so have your pencil sharpened and revise until it resonates and feels right! Here is a shortened example from CLI’s Why to get you going. To impact learning for students through professional development so that students receive a quality education.

Why Even Have a Why?

While it may be difficult to determine your Why, it is critical for clarity of a focus and vision. There is a reason the Why is the golden circle in the center of all of the circles. Once the Why is identified, it becomes part of the culture. Developing strategies, hiring employees, and communicating with a purpose will be simpler once the Why becomes the focus for all.

Transformational Change with the CLI Model

January 4, 2016 by cliweb

As an educator, you are often called upon to lead change efforts within your district. Even if you have not implemented the CLI Model, you know that all educators can be change agents and you have most likely already determined that in education, change is sometimes the only constant as you attempt to find new ways to reach students, manage buildings, and serve communities.

The research on how to make change in organizations is abundant. There are many “types” of change by definition; but, for simplicity, we have narrowed it down to the two basic types: first-order and second-order.

First-order change is typically less traumatic in terms of individual reaction and is sometimes referred to as developmental change. It may mean simple adjustments to what you are already doing while still staying on the same path. It is simply improving upon what you already have. First-order change is reversible, meaning if it doesn’t work out of the gate you can stop doing it, which also makes it reactionary change. These types of changes do not necessarily require new learning to take place and staff members are usually open to trying them because of these factors. However, there is danger when districts start and stop changes frequently—staff may think “this, too, will pass,” and they will not fully commit to making the change work. This can also lead to teacher confusion about which “thing” they should really be doing.

On the other hand, second-order change requires shifting to a new way of seeing things. This type of change is typically referred to as transformational change and is viewed as more radical. It is fundamentally different than what you have done in the past and it is irreversible, meaning once you start down the path, you can never return to what you have done previously. New learning is required and some staff members may be hesitant to support the change because there is no “safety net” as with a first-order change. During a second-order change, it is vitally important for the district’s top leaders to be on board and supportive of both the change itself and the staff they work with. For example, in a school district that has only one of four administrators on board, the change will be very difficult to realize. Transformational change is difficult even when all leaders are on board; so taking the time to build capacity and educate leaders on the benefits and possible challenges of the change is an important initial step. transformational change arrow

Although the adoption of a detailed school improvement process like the CLI Model is most likely a transformational change for a significant portion of a professional staff, keep in mind that a first-order change to one person may be a second-order change to another. Knowing your staff is key to understanding what the reaction to either type of change may be and preparing for success of change. If an educator’s fundamental beliefs are not challenged (first-order change), they may show more cooperation and less resistance than educators who must adapt to new ideas about teaching practices and their roles in the classroom. Deep philosophical changes (second-order) can produce resistance initially; however, with a safe, structured process in place that includes good communication, teachers and administrators eventually align their beliefs and practices to the reform effort, or they move on. In terms of resistance within groups of people, research from renowned education author and scholar, Everett Rogers, shows that:

8% will be innovators.
17% will be leaders.
29% will be early adopters.
29% will be late adopters.
17% will be resisters.

In other words, it isn’t natural for 100% of your staff to be on board with a second-order change immediately. Although some will jump on board as leaders and early adopters and see the value of a change such as using the CLI Model, in many cases, much legwork must be done in order to lead the majority of your people to believe in it. The key is providing ongoing two-way communication opportunities, appropriate staff development, and an empathetic ear coupled with a firm belief in moving forward with the change.

leadership

The WHY of CLI

Finding Your Own Why

Why Even Have a Why?

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