FOUND WITHIN MICHAEL FULLAN’S STRATOSPHERE

QUOTATIONS ON THE TOPIC OF CHANGE 

CHANGE

Quotes on the topic of 

Change knowledge- what we should do with all this information to change things presumably for the better. (p. 1)

For change connoisseurs such as myself, nirvana is how to make change easier. (p. 3)

Change will become more enjoyable when it proffers experiences that are engaging, precise, and specific; high yield (good benefit relative to effort); higher order (stretching humans in creativity, problem solving and innovation); and collaborative for individual and collectiveBenefit. (p. 3)

We are learning more about large-scale change, making it less complicated by focusing on as mall number of ambitious goals with a coherent strategy that attends in concert to half a dozen or so key factors: intrinsic motivation, capacity building, transparency of results and practice, leadership at all levels, and a positive but assertive stance or progress. (p. 4)

Once we change our stance and approach education differently, it may take only small interventions to unleash major new learning trajectories. Change and learning, in other words, become immensely more productive, easier, and comparatively inexpensive. (p. 20)

The secret to better change “is creating the conditions for a great inner work life - the conditions that foster positive emotions, strong internal motivation, and favourable perceptions of colleagues and the work itself.” - (Amabile & Kramer, The Progress Principle, p.1) (p. 21)

What matters most is progress in the work itself and paying attention to small wins and setbacks on a daily basis - this is the essence of change management. If people are involved in meaningful work, and if they feel capable, and if they are helped to make even small progress, they become more motivated and ready for the next challenge. (p. 21-22)

The biggest obstacles to change are inertia, skepticism, and indifference. (p. 62)  It is normal to fear change and to feel awkward around the simplest new thing. (p. 66)

Our change work demonstrates that great teachers and other leaders respect others before the latter have earned it (in order to begin the change process), and have impressive empathy, or understanding of others who are in their way (that’s why it is impressive). (p. 68)

REASON FOR CHANGE

Quotes on the topic of 

In education we have just about reached the end of squeezing good out of an outdated school system. The current system is too costly, too ineffective, and as any kid will tell you, deadly boring. (p. 5)

Most current students, traditional or not, do not find school engaging. Nor do their teachers, I would venture to say. This is why something has to give. (p. 25)

We are at the beginning of a powerful disruptive innovation that will grow in leaps and bounds. (p. 32)

CHANGE KNOWLEDGE 

Quotes on the topic of 

Change knowledge is about implementation, which is putting something new into practice. (p. 65)

Change knowledge enables us to more accurately assess whether a particular new thing is worthwhile or not. Making this judgement means getting inside the change. (p. 66)

With empathy and capacity building as powerful change resources, contagion makes change a reality. (p. 69)

Our change knowledge sees and uses social contagion as a prime strategy. (p. 69)

Another changer principle, which is also a design principle, involves relentlessly stripping away the non-essentials. (p. 70)

Ultimately the eight elements of change knowledge serve as the systemic glue that enables groups to learn. (p. 70)  

The role of leaders is to orchestrate the other seven elements of change knowledge. (p. 70)

Change knowledge makes a difference in your success rate...use the eight elements...as a checklist, but think of the change process as a learning proposition. Be guided by a vision, but work with others to steer it into action, validate what you are learning, and accelerate action. (p. 70)

Use change knowledge deliberately to understand obstacles and to move beyond them. (p. 70)

STRATOSPHERE

Quotes on the topic of 

Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge is fundamentally liberating. It democratizes learning so that every student earns how to learn for a lifetime of pursuing personal passion, purpose, and fulfillment. (p. 4)

The potential integration of technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge can be designed to create learning experiences that operate to produce high, natural yields in what is learned. (p. 17)

While the change is radical it will not be as hard as it may seem if we can organize technology, the new pedagogy, and change knowledge to guide the transformation. (p. 25)

Pensky also finds, as did Wagner, that collaboration or peer-to-peer learning (designed be a change agent teacher) is an enormous “free resource” dramatically aided by technology. (p. 25)

Like the new pedagogy, valuable change knowledge has an action bias - like vision, steer, accelerate; like ready-fire-aim. (p. 65)

Fortunately we know a lot about the process of change, and this knowledge is essential any time we are around technology. (p. 66)

Pedagogy and technology provide the directional vision; change knowledge helps us achieve it, learning while we go. (p. 66)

The new pedagogy flips the role of students and teachers where students are knowledge workers, learning to learn and think better, and where teachers see assessment as feedback about their impact and engage in dialogues with students about their aspirations and progress. (p. 67-68)

Our challenge is to combine the best of change knowledge with the best of technology and pedagogy. If we can do so, progress in educational transformation will accelerate dramatically because of the snergizing influence among these three forces. Pedagogy, technology and change knowledge operating in concert will become a powerhouse of learning. (p. 70-71)

TEACHER AS CHANGE AGENT

Quotes on the topic of 

Teachers are needed, but it is a new role that is required-the teacher as change agent. Robinson…four roles: recognizing, encouraging, facilitating, and stretching. (p. 25)

Learning must be palpably immersing and productive for students; teachers as change agents are responsible for helping to design that probability. Hattie found five important differences between expert teachers and average teachers. The former have high levels of knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach; can guide learning to surface and deep outcomes; can successfully monitor learning and provide feedback that assists students in progress; can attend to more attitudinal attributes of learning (such as self-efficacy and mastery motivation); and can provide defensible evidence of positive impacts of the teaching on student learning. (p. 48)

Teacher as change agent and coach; teacher as developer of individuals and teams; teacher as catalyst for increasing self-sufficient learners-in the learning organization, managers as leader and teacher as leader are one in the same. (p. 49)

The teacher as change agent is crucial, or we will get aimless multi-tasking. (p. 67)

The skills of teacher as change agent are known. John Hattie, 800 meta-studies later, concludes that “critical change agents (in order) are knowledge and skills; a plan of action; strategies to overcome setbacks; a high sense of confidence; monitoring progress; (p. 67)

Fullan, M. (2013). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge. Toronto: Pearson.

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