1. Get Clear

Like I said before, the planning phase is easier for me because the excitement of change and possibility are fresh and new. I love that my team and I can dream about goals and possibilities and then set to work using 4DX to execute those goals and steps. It is crucial in this stage to set very clear goals and measures so that everyone knows exactly what is expected of them. The Wildly Important Goal (WIG) and lead measures should be created by the whole team because this helps each member of the team feel a sense of ownership to implementing and achieving the WIG. 

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                                                                         My WIG is for every 8th grade core class to implement at least 2 authentic                                                                           learning projects by the end of the 2023 school year. One of the most                                                                                   important lessons I learned from Influencer (2013) is that your peer group                                                                             is one of the most powerful influences on behavior, which is why I changed                                                                           my pilot team to the 8th grade core teachers and not other social studies                                                                             teachers like I previously planned for in my Influencer strategy. My 8th                                                                                   grade team spends the whole day together in the hallways, at lunch, at our team meetings, and I believe these relationships will help create a powerful team that can successfully meet the WIG. The lead measures then are created based on the 2 major challenges to breaking through the whirlwind of everyday tasks: time and resources. The teachers will commit to spending 1 hour per week on their authentic, project based unit and can then share what they have created or learned in a team google drive. The PBL (project-based learning) team is also made up of instructional coaches, technology teachers and administrators who will support the teachers by providing resources and fall-forward feedback during implementation.

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2. Launch

Launching a new innovation project amidst the whirlwind of a new school

year can be daunting and almost certainly will be challenging, but the

authors of 4DX provide a couple of keys to a successful launch, and the

one that resonates most with me is to “identify your Models, Not Yets, and

Nevers (McChesney et al., 2012, Loc 2617)”. The Models are the people

who will accept their role in the lead measures with enthusiasm. The Not

Yets will try to change their behavior and accept their roles but will be

critical and become discouraged more quickly. The Nevers are the people who have no intention of participating or changing their behavior for the sake of the WIG. 

 

I foresee the launch period being difficult for the team because the whirlwind is so overwhelming at the beginning of a school year. It will take some time before the scoreboard can reflect progress towards the WIG, and one of the most powerful influences of showcasing completed student work and testimonials will not be available for several more weeks. The key is to stay focused and determined as a leader as well as continuing to incorporate elements from my Influencer strategy that specifically target personal motivation/ability and the physical environment to support teachers in the process. 

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3. Adoption

                                                                             Change takes time and unfortunately, the 4DX model is not a magical                                                                                   wave of a wand that claims any different. However, if the team is focused                                                                               on the lead measures and the process, the scoreboard will start to                                                                                         reflect a positive growth and success. The weekly team meetings are                                                                                     essential during this whole process because it allows each team                                                                                             member to contribute to the scoreboard and plan for what they can                                                                                     accomplish in the coming week. It is also a crucial opportunity to make                                                                                 adjustments if needed and dedicate time to training and providing extra information for the Not Yets and The Nevers. 

 

The Adoption phase for our 8th grade WIG will consist mostly of researching resources, planning and creating materials for the authentic learning project. The scoreboard showing planning hours and resources shared will be an important tool to promote friendly competition and wagers between the different core subjects. The weekly meetings will give teachers a chance to discuss specifically what they have shared in the team google drive, which will give other team members ideas and resources to use in their own project. 

 

4. Optimization

This is one of the most exciting stages of change because the team starts to feel

success and enthusiastically takes ownership of the WIG. The lead and lag measures

are moving in a positive direction, and team members are coming up with creative

solutions and ideas to continue moving the team towards the WIG. 

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There is nothing teachers love more than bragging about their students. The

optimization stage will finally include finished products across the different core

classes, and teachers will be able to showcase student learning through their work

and testimonials. The WIG scoreboard will finally be moving towards completion,

but more importantly, teachers will have planned, created and implemented their

first authentic learning project. Those experiences and reflections will be shared with

the team at weekly meetings, and all of that knowledge can be applied when the

team starts to plan and create their second authentic learning project. 

 

5. Habits

                                                                   Once the WIG has been achieved, celebrate your team’s success! Reflect                                                                             on the growth and process of how it was achieved, but please don’t stop                                                                             there and go back to your old ways. The 4DX strategy must be applied to a                                                                         new WIG, and this strategy of creating a WIG and lead measures along with                                                                         an engaging scoreboard and weekly meetings should now be the standard                                                                         structure for your organization. 

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Successfully completing 2 authentic learning projects for each core class in 8th grade will be an enormous accomplishment for the PBL team. The teachers and students should be celebrated for the time and effort that was invested into this WIG. However, the unique thing about teaching and authentic learning is that it’s never truly perfect or finished. The teachers involved will have made plenty of mistakes, and they will have the opportunity to reflect and gather student feedback in order to improve upon these projects for future classes. My hope is that the 8th grade teachers will feel confident after implementing 2 authentic learning projects and that they will then advocate and recruit teachers from the other middle school grades to join the PBL team. This practice of allowing students to deeply engage with their learning through authentic learning experiences will start to spread across all grades and will positively impact the learning process for every student in the building. Teachers will be more comfortable taking risks and engaging with the next Wildly Important Goal because they have seen and felt the excitement when working as a team to affect positive change.