"How to effect change without making trouble?"
Rocking the boat
Reading: Meyerson, D. E. (2008). Rocking the boat: How to effect change without making trouble. Harvard Business Press.
In Rocking The Boat, Debra Meyerson described how members of organization can effect change without making trouble in different styles or ways. She named it tempered radicals which divided into 5 degree of continuum from resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self”; turning personal threats into opportunities; broadening the impact through negotiation; leveraging small wins; and organizing collective actions.
One thing in common, tempered radicals wanted transformation in making the working environment to be diverse, adaptive, family friendly, and socially responsible workplaces not through revolution, but a balance between conformity and rebellion. Tempered radicals moves through the 5 spectrum however I believe in s back and forth based on challenges. Sometimes overlapping for example, resisting quietly and staying true to one’s self, can be working on negotiation on the side. While others turning person threats into opportunities and at the same time being quiet.
I see myself as tempered radical who resist quietly and staying true to myself because of the my cultural background of being female raised into male dominated culture. My comfort level is do my task within the framework of the department, although in practice, I added something that I believe. For example In the school, we are applying standard-based grading, where in students are not graded by doing homework but only provided with feedback. Summative assessment can be taken multiple times until mastery is achieved, and all GFA scores can be changed when students demonstration of achieving the mastery. In paper, it is great, we want student to focus on achieving the mastery of both skills and content. High school students think homework is not grade so why do it? Students with good study skills do the homework as part of their habit. However, in math and science, doing practice work is part of the norm to be be better in developing problem solving skills. I believe in the importance of homework practice specially for both math and science classes that I am teaching. I go along with school grading policy, however, I added a homework quizzes when I assign homework to enforce practice work.
When my school is changing from traditional math and science department into STEM department, I felt the lost of colleagues who been teaching math only and science only. Teaching one discipline became an endangered careers. I turned the threat into opportunity by voluntary search for STEM professional development in search of What STEM would look like in the classroom or find STEM curriculum that high schools have used supported by a research study.
What is missing in the author’s framework? I was expecting more focus on high school setting. So what I can add on her book is high school insight based on my experience. The challenges that I have in my school right now, first the transition of traditional into STEM Curriculum, which means adopting into Integrated Math I, II, III and Integrated Science using BSCS Inquiry Based Level I, II, III. Our curriculum is in the transition phase, but the changes in CPS course description catalog is behind, we are doing integrated science but we cannot put that title, but STEM I, STEM II, and STEM III. There are things that are beyond the teacher’s control like changing your course name to reflect what you are teaching, however, the transformation in the classroom can be consider leveraging a small win. I would like to focus on something within my control. Rocking the boat provided examples how to effect change without trouble.The big question is where are the visionaries with vocal chords? Gone without a trace?
Reading: Meyerson, D. E. (2008). Rocking the boat: How to effect change without making trouble. Harvard Business Press.
In Rocking The Boat, Debra Meyerson described how members of organization can effect change without making trouble in different styles or ways. She named it tempered radicals which divided into 5 degree of continuum from resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self”; turning personal threats into opportunities; broadening the impact through negotiation; leveraging small wins; and organizing collective actions.
One thing in common, tempered radicals wanted transformation in making the working environment to be diverse, adaptive, family friendly, and socially responsible workplaces not through revolution, but a balance between conformity and rebellion. Tempered radicals moves through the 5 spectrum however I believe in s back and forth based on challenges. Sometimes overlapping for example, resisting quietly and staying true to one’s self, can be working on negotiation on the side. While others turning person threats into opportunities and at the same time being quiet.
I see myself as tempered radical who resist quietly and staying true to myself because of the my cultural background of being female raised into male dominated culture. My comfort level is do my task within the framework of the department, although in practice, I added something that I believe. For example In the school, we are applying standard-based grading, where in students are not graded by doing homework but only provided with feedback. Summative assessment can be taken multiple times until mastery is achieved, and all GFA scores can be changed when students demonstration of achieving the mastery. In paper, it is great, we want student to focus on achieving the mastery of both skills and content. High school students think homework is not grade so why do it? Students with good study skills do the homework as part of their habit. However, in math and science, doing practice work is part of the norm to be be better in developing problem solving skills. I believe in the importance of homework practice specially for both math and science classes that I am teaching. I go along with school grading policy, however, I added a homework quizzes when I assign homework to enforce practice work.
When my school is changing from traditional math and science department into STEM department, I felt the lost of colleagues who been teaching math only and science only. Teaching one discipline became an endangered careers. I turned the threat into opportunity by voluntary search for STEM professional development in search of What STEM would look like in the classroom or find STEM curriculum that high schools have used supported by a research study.
What is missing in the author’s framework? I was expecting more focus on high school setting. So what I can add on her book is high school insight based on my experience. The challenges that I have in my school right now, first the transition of traditional into STEM Curriculum, which means adopting into Integrated Math I, II, III and Integrated Science using BSCS Inquiry Based Level I, II, III. Our curriculum is in the transition phase, but the changes in CPS course description catalog is behind, we are doing integrated science but we cannot put that title, but STEM I, STEM II, and STEM III. There are things that are beyond the teacher’s control like changing your course name to reflect what you are teaching, however, the transformation in the classroom can be consider leveraging a small win. I would like to focus on something within my control. Rocking the boat provided examples how to effect change without trouble.The big question is where are the visionaries with vocal chords? Gone without a trace?
