Thursday, June 17, 2010
565 Week 5
What a difference a week makes! My group was so much more successful this week in our simulation. Personally, it was hard for me to move at a slower pace. It paid off because our group made decisions together which allowed us to actually make progress and move across the game board. Even though it was just a simulation I feel like I definitely will remember how key communication and preparation were to advancement. Too many times initiatives are simply pushed forward by administration without any communication or preparation. Many times we see these initiatives fail and I think this is due to people trying to move quickly rather than taking the time to research and look at different options. I look forward to taking a lot of these skills with me to my school and hopefully helping things change more successfully.
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Melissa,
ReplyDeleteMy group also found more success in years two and three of the simulation. It is interesting to see how slow the process moves when you are the planner. Many of the ideas that you think are easily accepted turn out to be dead ends. It is not until you really slow down and really think about communication that anything gets accomplished. We also found that communication and preparation were keys to success. It was not until we talked with are chosen players and then talked again that we were able to move forward. The obvious application from the simulation is what you discussed in your post. Planning must include a fair amount of communication to make sure that all involved know what is going on. Can we ever communicate too much? Seemingly too much communication is exactly what is needed to see proposals move forward in our districts. Finding the patience to see change happen would be another area that needs to be found in order for the originators of change to be successful.
And when you fail, you waste more time then when you invest it upfront. Good lesson learned!
ReplyDeleteHi, Melissa-
ReplyDeleteYour comment about top-down decision making and lack of preparation really hit home with me. As teachers, we spend a great deal of time and effort ensuring that our students are prepared to do what we are about to ask them to do. I wonder why this doesn't always follow through from those who ask things of us.
The key idea being team building and buy-in was the highlight of the simulation for me. I think, too, that this simulation gave me experience that I will remember and better apply when I take what I know back to school.
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