Moving Schools Toward the Tipping Point

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Moving Schools Toward the Tipping Point

• 5th Annual Texas Service-Learning Summer
  Institute
• Austin, Texas June 20, 2008
• Nelda Brown, National Service-Learning Partnership

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Our Moments of Opportunity

• Responding to the Silent Epidemic
  Service-Learning and the Dropout Crisis
• 2008 Presidential Election
• No Child Left Behind
• January 13, 2009

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The Urgency of Now Moving Beyond Incremental
Increases

• What will it take if we really want to make
  service-learning universal experience for all
  young people?

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Creating Your Own Tipping Point The Law of
FewThe Connector

• Connectors
• know lots of people and have an extraordinary
  knack for making friends and acquaintances and
• have the ability to span many different worlds
  and are connected to many different types of
  people.

• Famous Connectors in History Service-Learning
• Paul Revere
• Kevin Bacon
• SL Jim Toole
• Note Beware of John Wayne, Rod Steiger and The
  Problem of Insularity

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Creating Your Own Tipping Point The Law of Few
The Maven

• Mavens
• Yiddish expression meaning one who accumulates
  knowledge
• Have information on a lot of different products,
  prices, or places and know things the rest of us
  dont
• Connect us with new information and likes to
  initiate discussions and respond to requests are
  information brokers

• Famous Mavens in History Service-Learning
• Al Gore
• SL Shelley Billig

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Creating Your Own Tipping Point The Law of Few
The Salesman Saleswoman

• Salespeople
• Have the skills to persuade us when we are
  unconvinced of what we are hearing
• Often described as expressive, charismatic, and
  mesmerizing

• Famous Salespeople in History Service-Learning
• Oprah Winfrey
• SL Cathy Berger Kaye

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Discussion Question

• Reflect on the key players of Gladwells Law of
  the Few.
• Can you identify the Connectors, Mavens, and
  Salespeople in your school or community?
• Which roles/personality types best describe you?

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Simple Ways to Translate Theory Into ActionWhat
Connectors Can Do

• Expand our circle of friends by daring to engage
  new and unusual suspects.
• Come in through another door and connect to the
  other groups or issues Influentials care about.
• Expand advisory groups boards
• Start an email update list
• How the National Service-Learning Partnership can
  help
• www.nslpconnections.org
• www.servicelearningunited.org
• Access hot topic PowerPoints at
  www.slprovidersnetwork.org

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Simple Ways to Translate Theory Into ActionWhat
Mavens Can Do

• Get smart about how were organizing our
  information.
• Create a local clearinghouse of information.
• Create LOCAL fact sheets to capture data about
  impact, student participation, and program
  models.
• Provide easy start-up materials
• Utilize existing materials about how
  service-learning supports the objectives of No
  Child Left Behind. www.seanetonline.org

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Simple Ways to Translate Theory Into ActionWhat
Salespeople Can Do

• WHAT join others around the country for a week
  of special events and outreach activities to
  raise public awareness and build support for
  service-learning
• WHEN October 6-12, 2008
• WHY to build awareness by
• Kicking-off upcoming service-learning activities
  in your school or community
• Celebrating past service-learning accomplishments
• Engaging key decision-makers
• Expanding your network of supporters

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Scrambling Toward the Tipping PointThe
Stickiness Factor

• What are the characteristics of sticky messages
  that work?
• Messages that dont go in one ear and out the
  other
• Make an impact. You cant get it out of your
  head. It sticks in your memory.
• Creates a connection between the message and the
  viewer/receiver

• Simple Ways to Enhance or Engineer Stickiness
• Make relatively simple changes in the structure
  and format of materials presentations (Secret
  Garden example)
• Turn things into stories. Practical and personal
  it became memorable
• Translate into action. Make it clear how to fit
  it into their lives

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Table Work Tackling Our Toughest Challenges

• Your Assignment
• Select a reporter and a recorder.
• For each personality typeConnector, Maven, and
  Salespersonidentify 2-3 specific ways each
  personality type could be utilized in your
  school/community to address or mitigate your
  tables assigned challenge.
• Create a sticky message that responds to your
  assigned problem.
• On ONE piece of chart paper, write your
  recommendations.

• Group Topics
• Promoting service-learning in an era of TAKS
• Cultivating administrative support
• Getting other teachers involved
• Addressing the special needs of our student
  population
• Our Goal to develop a playbook or cheat sheet
  we can compile and distribute.

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For more information

• National Service-Learning Partnership at the
  Academy for Educational Development
• www.service-learningpartnership.org
• nslp_at_aed.org [phone]