Blog
Creating a “New Normal”: Unpacking Lessons About Change During a Pandemic
Now that we are weeks into a global pandemic, the entire planet has been thrust into unprecedented waters and is frantically trying to adjust to current circumstances. While we are also in the process of figuring out a new path forward, it has become so clear how polycentricity is thriving as our system transforms to accommodate new ways of living, learning, teaching and working. While many are anxious for “things to go back to normal” (as quickly as possible), I am left wondering how we might instead pause and use this moment to interrogate the “normalcy” we left behind with a more critical eye, investigate the ways in which change is already transforming our systems, and find ways to harness this change for good in launching us into deeper transformation for the future.
Change is Hard?
The challenge of this work isn’t to train teachers and leaders in these instructional practices; but rather to change minds and do so at scale. In order to support educators in transforming learning, our team has needed to learn from a broad range of research on the complexity and difficulty of managing change. A few key insights have emerged that are increasingly shaping our work; I share now in the hopes that it can impact your work in support of transformation.
