Week 3 Comments - Mark Coppin

Week 3 -2 DB Quickies: Difficulties starting new programs/breaking the norm

Saturday, March 19, 2011

I think that most people in education resist change because they think it will end up being more work for them and also usually brings a certain amount of accountability and responsibility. This takes them out of their comfort zone. Some of it is complacency. If it is easy and quick, they may do it. I find it kind of funny that there are some teachers that stop learning when they become a teacher. They have no desire to expand what they know. They are not inspired and do not inspire. They need to be excited to learn and to make learning fun again.Administration needs to support those forward thinkers as well as reward and acknowledge those people. They also need to let staff know that is OK to fail. If you learn from your mistakes you move forward. A quote attributed to Thomas Edison stated – “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”


Heather Indelicato

access.denied, Lego style by Jerzy Kociatkiewicz

Saturday, March 19, 2011 - 03:19 PM

I have found exactly the same thing. If changing or adding something new is quick and easy then it may get integrated into their teaching. Oftentimes, even in myself, there is a certain amount of laziness and complacency that keeps teachers from following through even when they've found something with great potential for improving student learning. Other times though, it's like a scale weighing the balance of the time and effort on the part of the teacher and students to implement something new & the quality and quantity of learning achieved through the change vs. the detriment and time available by not making the change. Whatever the reason, it denies our students the opportunity to learn and be engaged in their learning.