Stage 1: Clarity – Overcoming Skepticism
The first stage of change aims to create strategic clarity about the purpose of the proposed innovation. It is natural for educators to experience doubts or resistance when initiating a methodological transformation, especially when it involves using new digital tools or structures like literacy stations. Therefore, this stage seeks to ensure that all stakeholders understand the urgency, relevance, and feasibility of the change through a shared and emotionally meaningful goal.
Discipline 1: Focus on the Wildly Important Goal (WIG)
What to Expect:
In this initial stage, it is common for teachers and the educational team to have doubts and skepticism about the feasibility of the change. This is a critical moment in which the proposed approach may seem challenging or very different from traditional practices, as team members may be accustomed to teaching methods they consider adequate. The transition to a hybrid model can generate uncertainty. Additionally, teachers may feel unsure about the potential outcomes, especially if a similar plan has never been implemented. Some may also feel uncomfortable using new technologies or unconventional pedagogical strategies. This is the moment to address those concerns and clarify how the change will positively impact student academic performance and educational experience.
Discipline 1 is based on the need to focus all efforts on a fundamental goal, the Wildly Important Goal (WIG). According to McChesney, Covey, and Huling (2012), focusing on one WIG is crucial to avoid scattered efforts and ensure that actions align with key results. This discipline is grounded in the idea that, to succeed in a changing environment, it is essential to concentrate energy and resources on what matters most, because spreading efforts across multiple objectives lowers the likelihood of success in any of them. A clear focus on the WIG generates urgency, motivates the team, and aligns their efforts toward a common goal, maximizing positive impact and ensuring the change is sustainable and effective over the long term.
Key Action 1: Define a Clear and Specific WIG
Purpose:
Establish a clear, measurable goal that will serve as the guiding focus of the innovation plan. In this case, the WIG will target the improvement of second-grade students' reading comprehension through a blended learning approach that combines in-person instruction with adaptive digital tools.
Define a specific and measurable objective.
Increase reading comprehension by 20% by the end of the semester through adaptive reading platforms and integrated literacy stations. v
Align all team efforts around this common purpose to ensure that every action taken contributes directly to achieving the WIG.
Key Action 2: Communicate the WIG Clearly
Ensure that all educational team members understand what is expected and why it matters by making the WIG visible, accessible, and central to their daily work.
Implementation Steps:
Host an initial meeting with teachers, administrators, and instructional leaders to present and explain the WIG.
Use visual aids like charts, infographics, or progress boards to help all stakeholders see the goal and track progress.
Highlight the importance of this WIG for improving literacy outcomes and how it contributes to the development of essential learning skills in students.
Key Action 3: Ensure the WIG is Attainable and Measurable
The WIG must be realistic, ambitious, and measurable so the team can effectively monitor progress and make necessary adjustments.
Implementation Steps:
Define clear success metrics using reading assessments and digital progress tracking tools from i-Ready and Amplify.
Break down the WIG into monthly sub-goals so that incremental progress is visible and celebrated.
Establish a continuous monitoring system to ensure students and teachers advance as planned. This will include weekly reviews of student performance in reading and writing activities.
Key Action 4: Reduce Skepticism and Build Commitment
Initial skepticism about the innovation plan can become a barrier. The goal is to transform uncertainty into positive engagement and ownership of the process.
Implementation Steps:
Demonstrate the relevance and credibility of the WIG by sharing success stories from other classrooms or schools that have implemented similar strategies with positive outcomes.
Develop a consistent communication plan to inform all stakeholders about progress, highlight early successes, and adapt strategies.
Actively involve the teaching team in planning and reflection by encouraging them to contribute ideas, co-create solutions, and take ownership of the implementation process.
Influencer Model Action Plan: Creating a Sense of Urgency and Emotional Motivation
To support the successful implementation of the innovation plan, this phase will apply key strategies from the Influencer Model (Patterson et al., 2013) to create a compelling emotional and behavioral foundation for change. The following actions will be executed:
Action 1: Establish a Sense of Urgency
The Influencer Model emphasizes that a strong sense of urgency is essential for initiating change. When urgency is lacking, initiatives risk being delayed, deprioritized, or dismissed. Therefore, all team members must understand that the change must begin now, not later.
How will it be implemented?
Use concrete data, such as low reading comprehension results and identified learning gaps from diagnostic assessments (e.g., i-Ready and Amplify), to illustrate the need for immediate action.
Highlight the innovation plan's immediate impact on students by showing how targeted interventions will address areas of struggle.
Present local evidence that traditional instructional approaches are not effectively closing these learning gaps, using recent school or district data as examples.
Action 2: Build Emotional Motivation
For change to be sustainable, it must resonate with educators' hearts, not just their minds. Emotional investment increases the likelihood of teachers engaging deeply and persistently with the innovation's goals.
How will it be implemented?
Share success stories from other schools or teacher teams implementing similar literacy-focused innovations. These stories will illustrate potential outcomes and reinforce the belief that meaningful change is possible.
Incorporate student testimonials that show how improved reading comprehension has positively affected their learning and confidence.
Align the change with the teaching team's values and purpose, demonstrating that improved literacy will help students become more autonomous, confident, and capable of facing future academic and life challenges.
Action 4: Demonstrate the Transformational Potential of the Innovation
Team members must believe that the proposed changes are feasible and transformative. Change should not be viewed merely as “something new” but as a genuine opportunity for growth for students, educators, and the entire learning community.
How will it be implemented?
Present internal and external examples of successful initiatives utilizing blended learning and adaptive technology to improve literacy.
Illustrate how the innovation will have a profound and lasting impact, not just on academic outcomes, but on how students experience learning and school as a whole.
Action 3: Connect the Change to Impact Beyond Academics
Change should not be perceived solely as an effort to increase test scores. Instead, it must be seen as a cultural shift that benefits students emotionally and socially and revitalizes the classroom experience.
How will it be implemented?
Emphasize the broader impact of improved literacy: increased student engagement, stronger classroom community, and higher levels of intrinsic motivation.
Show teachers how their efforts to implement the innovation will result in meaningful, observable growth in their students, leading to enhanced professional satisfaction and a renewed sense of purpose.
