Title: So, what can a school counselor offer to small learning communities? Small Schools Northwest Conference February 11-12, 2005
1So, what can a school counselor offer to small
learning communities?Small Schools Northwest
ConferenceFebruary 11-12, 2005
- Vicki Brooks-McNamara, Ph.D. Pat
Martin, The College Board - vbmali_at_earthlink.net
pmartin_at_collegeboard.org - Suzanne Klassen, Lewis Clark Dian
Poujade, Lewis Clark - klasjan_at_comcast.net
fredp_at_hevanet.com
2Outcomes for Today
- Understanding complex change
- Understanding the nature of teams
3- It is often said the only thing
- that is constant is change itself.
unknown
4Managing Complex Change
5- Ineffective management of change
- leads to
- S T R E S S
- leads to
- T U R M O I L
6- Where
- What
- Why
- Who
- How
- When
7Managing Complex Change
EVALUATION
Brandeis University Center for Youth
Communities
8What can make change successful?
Understanding teams
9(No Transcript)
10Small Learning Communities Teams!!
- TEAMS are groups
- COUNSELORS know how to lead groups
11What Works?
- Think about your best team experience.
- With a partner, list 5 reasons the team was
successful
12What Doesnt Work?
- Think about a team from hell
- With a partner, list 5 reasons the team
didnt work
13Effective Teams Have
- a clear shared purpose
- clear priorities and goals to support the purpose
- productive meetings.small tasks contribute to
the overall purpose - clear processes for making decisions
- team members feeling valued and engaged
- conflictviewed positively and constructive
- members knowing and performing their tasks
14- USE WHAT YOU KNOW
- ABOUT GROUPS TO HELP
- YOUR TEAM
15STAGE ONE FORMING
- WHAT
- initial coming together as a teamgetting
acquainted - POSSIBLE FEELINGS
- excitement, fear, suspicion, optimism,
anxiety, low trust
16Common Team Behaviors
- More talking than doing
- Defining teams tasks
- Discussion of issues and problems
- Compliance
- Politeness and pleasantries
- Individual needs are hidden
17Counselors Can Increase Team Effectiveness By
- Leading get acquainted activities
- Careful listening
- Asking clarifying questions
- Modeling respect for different perspectives
- Clarifying goals
18STAGE 2 STORMING
- WHAT
- Teams begin work together
- Conflict and disagreements appear
- More tension and less unity
- Working more as individuals than team
- POSSIBLE FEELINGS
- Frustration (lack of progress)
- Resistance to tasks
- Impatience, anger, discomfort
- Uncertain about next steps
19Common Team Behaviors
- Arguing
- Factions develop
-
- Defensiveness
- Setting unrealistic goals
- Struggles for control
- Preference to work individually
- Concerns over workload
20Counselors Can Increase Team Effectiveness By
- Allowing conflict
- Assist team in resolving conflict about task or
process - Watching for informal leaders
21STAGE 3 NORMING
- WHAT
- Ground rules are internalized
- Members begin working together
- Focus is on process, not task
- Less conflict, more cooperation
- POSSIBLE FEELINGS
- Safety, security, relief, renewed energy
22Common Team Behaviors
- Building healthy relationships
- Increased comfort in sharing
- Different expectations may surface
23Counselors Can Increase Team Effectiveness By
- Articulating groups rules, agreements, and
procedures - Monitoring group rules, agreements, and
procedures - Using data to drive decisions (ASCA)
24STAGE 4 PERFORMING
- WHAT
- Healthy group dynamics
- Work is completed
- POSSIBLE FEELINGS
- Excitement
- Pride
- Satisfaction
25Common Team Behaviors
- Competition and jealousy from different team or
group in the school - Group owns success or failure
- More open and relaxed
26Counselors Can Increase Team Effectiveness By
- Assist in communicating outcomes to others
- Facilitating celebration of outcomes
- Monitoring decision making and problem solving
process
27STAGE 5 ADJOURNING
- WHAT
- Team is ending (end of school year)
- POSSIBLE FEELINGS
- Pride, satisfaction, sadness,
- COMMON TEAM BEHAVIORS
- Loss of bond gained from working together
28Application/Activity
29Counselors Can Increase Team Effectiveness By
- Planning and leading closure activities
- Set Personal Growth Goals
- Increase knowledge and skills of
- team roles
- decision making
- conflict resolution
- use of data to drive decisions
- facilitating effective meetings
- staff training
30ASCA THEMES
- LEADERSHIP
- ADVOCACY
- COLLABORATION AND TEAMING
- SYSTEMIC CHANGE
31OUR CALLING
- School counselors work with all stakeholdersto
develop and implement responsible educational
programs that support achievementfor every
student - School counselors build effective teams by
encouraging genuine collaboration among all
school staff to work toward the common goals of
equity, access and academic success for all
students - ASCA National Model
(page 25)
32- They say that time changes things, but you
actually have to change them yourself. - Andy Warhol
33 34Change is a journey with unpredictable hurdles,
twists, turns, valleys, plateaus, surprise
detours, and road blocks.
R. Champion
35Change is....
- Situational the new small school, new boss, new
team roles, new policies - External outside of you
36It isnt the changes that do you in . . .its
the transitions. --William
Bridges
37Transition is....
- 1. Psychological a process people go through
to come to terms with the new situation. - 2. Internal inside of you, personal
38Transition ProcessThree Steps
- 1. Beginningletting go of the old
- 2. Middlethe Neutral Zone (NZ)/no mans land
- 3. New Beginningthrough the wilderness to
commitment
39Step 1Beginningletting go of the old
- Identify whos losing what
- Accept/acknowledge grieving process
- Define what is over, what isnt
- Mark the endings
- Respect the past
- Connect endings to continuity with what really
matters
40Step 2MiddleNeutral Zone (NZ) No Mans Land
- Nowhere, between 2 somewheres
- Time of ambiguity
- Perception of anchorlessness
- Anxiety rises, motivation falls, fatigue stress
abound, weaknesses reemerge, confusion
polarization occur - Time for creativity
41The Neutral Zone (NZ)
- Its not so much that
- We are afraid of change
- Or so in love with the old ways,
- But its that place in between
- That we fear
42The Neutral Zone (NZ)Its like between
trapezes, Its Linus when his blanketis in the
dryer.Theres nothing to hold on to.
Marilyn Ferguson, American Futurist
43Step 3New Beginningthrough the wilderness to
commitment
- Unload old baggage
- Visualize the new cheese
- Demonstrate concrete new cheese work/initiatives
- Celebrate early successes
44The Work of School Counselor(Compounded
Complexity)
- Self Help
- Beginnings
- NZ
- New Beginnings
- Help Others
- Beginnings
- NZ
- New Beginnings
45If your role is about . . .
- LEADERSHIP
- ADVOCACY
- COLLABORATION AND TEAMING
- SYSTEMIC CHANGE
46The real methodology for system changebegins
and endswith ongoing,authenticconversations
about theimportant questions.
--Tony Wagner
47What are the important conversations.and
important questions school counselors should put
on the table in small schools?