Creating Awareness for Using Technology Effectively to Transform Learning

I wrote previously in a blog post about the ADKAR (“ADKAR: a model for change in business, government and our community”, Hiatt) model of change management. The first step of the model is “Awareness”. In this stage, stakeholders need to have awareness for the need for change and have the following questions answered. To illustrate the general point, I will give a brief example from our school’s project of “using technology effectively to transform learning”. Our school is in the initial phases of this project, look for project updates regularly!

1. What is the nature of the change and how does the change align with the vision for the organization?

a. How will we transform learning and how will it reflect the outcomes and indicators, skills, attitudes and behaviours contained in our curriculum?


2. Why is the change being made and what are the risks of not changing?

a. Why would we need to transform learning and what happens if we don’t?


3. How will the change impact our organization or our community?

a. How will transforming learning impact our students, teachers, paraprofessionals and community?


4. What’s in it for me (WIIFM)?

a. What are the benefits for me in my classroom?


"Awareness for change is easier to create in the presence of external and observable drivers such as market forces, financial pressure and curricular mandates. Changes that are driven internally (ex. by an individual) or by reasons that are debatable face greater challenges to building awareness". Many factors influence the process of building awareness within individuals during a change. The main obstacles to building awareness are:

1. Acceptance of awareness messages is greatly influenced by a person’s view of the current state. Those strongly invested in the current state may discredit or deny the reasons for change.
a. Teachers who believe they are successful in their classrooms may discredit or deny the need for change.


2. An individual’s cognitive style impacts how they perceive the need for change and how they solve problems. Some may already see the need for change, whereas others may be caught off-guard.

a. Each stakeholder will need to come through the awareness stage for transforming learning in their own way. Many would have preferred to have come to this stage on their own, not everyone will be convinced of the need to use technology effectively to transform learning in the same way and in the same time.


3. The credibility of the sender of awareness messages and the organization’s history with change will weigh heavily on whether or not the awareness message is believed and accepted.

a. Change leaders for transforming learning need to be passionate, knowledgeable, sincere, hard working, compassionate, problem solvers and determined. Most of all, they must gain the trust of the stakeholders. Teachers in particular have been witness to many change initiatives, many of which seem to be the “change de jour”. Stakeholders need to be convinced that redefining learning is a long-term priority and will positively change the way students learn in our classrooms.


4. The presence of misinformation or propaganda in the background conversation can stall efforts to create awareness of the need for change; in some cases, overcoming misinformation presents a major barrier for change.

a. transforming learning may be lost in a sea of other system/school priorities. Misinformation and diluting of the priority must be dealt with openly and directly at the source if possible.


Building awareness is the first and perhaps most important stage of change within an organization.

ADKAR Change Management

As you can see from my blog entries so far, I am interested in learning and writing about “educational change management”. I believe that our classrooms need to change to meet the needs of 21st century learners. The bigger idea here is how change takes place within an organization. All organizations need to understand change management to survive and to produce the best product possible. In the case of schools this arguably would translate into producing the most capable learners as the primary objective. How can we manage change to produce the most capable and excellent 21st century schools and learners?

The book “ADKAR, A Model for Change in Business, Government and the Community” outlines the ADKAR principles of change management. It has great information and I am looking forward to attending the certification seminar in August at Banff, Alberta. ADKAR is an acronym that stands for awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. I will be writing more about the change management process and also how it relates to educational change. An overview of the steps (taken directly from the book) looks like this:

1. Awareness- represents a person’s understanding of the nature of change, why the change is being made and what the risk is of not changing. Awareness also includes information about the external and internal drivers that created the need for change, as well as “what’s in it for me?”
2. Desire- represents the willingness to support and engage in a change. Desire is ultimately about personal choice, influenced by the nature of the change.
3. Knowledge- represents the information, training and education necessary to know how to change. Knowledge includes information about behaviours, processes, tools, systems, skills, job roles and techniques that are needed to implement a change.
4. Ability- represents the realization or execution of the change. Ability is turning knowledge into action. Ability is when a person or a group has the demonstrated capability to implement the change at the required performance levels.
5. Reinforcement- represents those external and internal factors that sustain a change. External reinforcements could include recognition, rewards and celebrations that are tied to a realization of a change. Internal reinforcements could be a person’s internal satisfaction with his or her achievement or other benefits derived from the change on a personal level.

Of course, there are other models of change management ("Change Leadership", Wagner and Kegan, "Transforming School Culture", Muhammud, "The Heart of Change Field Guide", Cohen). The ADKAR model is particularly interesting in it's simplicity and the research that backs it up as reported in the book and on-line. Regardless of the model, I am looking forward to being a facilitator of change in my school, my school division and all schools. I will write more about the ADKAR model of change management and my experience with it in my school and my school division. What are you doing to promote change in your classroom, your school and your division?