o
learn least when: the activity is ill structured, no principles
are taught, ...
o
Pedagogical activities: Provide models, background
information, ...
4. Pragmatists
o
learn best when: they can apply new information to a real
world problem, etc.
o
learn least when: "everything is theory", the isn't an
immediate benefit, etc.
o
Pedagogical activities: Case studies, discussion, problem
solving
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4.10.2 Myers-Briggs (MBTI)
According to Felder (1996), this model classifies students
according to their preferences on scales derived from
psychologist Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. Students
may be:
1. Extraverts (try things out, focus on the outer world of people)
or introverts (think things through, focus on the inner world
of ideas);
2. Sensors (practical, detail-oriented, focus on facts and
procedures) or intuitors (imaginative, concept-oriented,
focus on meanings and possibilities);
3. Thinkers (skeptical, tend to make decisions based on logic
and rules) or feelers (appreciative, tend to make decisions
based on personal and humanistic considerations);
4. Judgers (set and follow agendas, seek closure even with
incomplete data) or perceivers (adapt to changing
circumstances, resist closure to obtain more data).
The MBTI type preferences can be combined to form 16 different
learning style types. For example, one student may be an ESTJ
(extravert, sensor, thinker, perceiver) and another may be an
INFJ (introvert, intuitor, feeler, judger).
Myer-Briggs types do have similar practical implications for
education to the Honey-Mumford approach.
Sources :
Mcleod, S. A. (2010). Simply Psychology; , from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html
http://www.lifecircles-
inc.com/Learningtheories/constructivism/kolb.html
http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/kolb_learning.
htm http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Learning_style
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4.11 CHANGE MANAGEMENT
"Change occurs when one becomes what one is, not when one
tries to become what one is not." * Arnold R. Beisser
The Transition Curve
The three stages of transition are shown in a Transition Curve
and whilst this curve is over simplified, it is a useful tool for
understanding the sorts of issues people might be facing during a
change.
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Here are some points to bear in mind when assessing where
people are on the transition curve.
Some people repeat sections of the curve to best handle
transition (there's no right or wrong sequence).
People will exhibit different emotions depending upon the
nature and number of changes occurring to them at the same
time and their 'emotional intelligence'. This is normal.
Realising where you and the people around you are on the
curve will help you initiate appropriate actions and respond
effectively.
Teams may travel the curve together but individuals will
arrive at 'beginnings' at their own personal rate.
It's OK to be slow so long as you're moving and not stuck
somewhere.
It's OK to be slow so long as you're planning on arriving
sometime.
It's OK to be fast so long as you're tolerant and supportive of
slower travellers.
It's OK to be fast so long as you honestly acknowledge your
own 'endings'.
1. Understanding Endings
In the 'Endings' stage, staff may want to deny the existence of the
initiative and other related change events. Their denial can move
them to fear and uncertainty about the future. This diminishes
their level of activity and readiness to deal with the accelerating
pace of change as the process starts to impact on the
organization.
Staff may acutely feel the loss of the familiarity and security they
felt in the organization before this and other changes occurred.
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They are likely to be trying to reconcile or accept the fact that
things will now be different from the way they have been. They
will be trying to accept that they will have to let go of their
current sense of identity in the organization.
Follow this link for a checklist of actions to consider in the
Endings Zone
Checklist for Managing Endings
Have I studied the change carefully and
Y/N
identified who is likely to lose what including
what I myself am likely to lose?
Do I understand the subjective realities of these
Y/N
losses to the people who experience them, even
when they seem like over-reaction to me?
Have I acknowledged these losses with
Y/N
sympathy?
Have I permitted people to grieve and publicly
Y/N
expressed my own sense of loss?
Have I found ways to compensate people for
Y/N
their losses?
Am I giving people accurate information and
Y/N
doing it again and again?
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Have I defined clearly what is over and what
Y/N
isn't?
Have I found ways to 'mark the ending'?
Y/N
Am I being careful not to denigrate the past but,
Y/N
when possible, to find ways to honour it?
Have I made a plan for giving people a piece of
Y/N
the past to take with them?
Have I made it clear how the ending we are
Y/N
making is necessary to protect the continuity of
the organization or conditions on which the
organization depends?
Is the ending we are making big enough to get
Y/N
the job done in one step?
2. Understanding the Neutral Zone
The Neutral Zone or exploration stage is the time between the
current and the desired state. Staff will be attempting to orient
themselves to the new requirements and behaviours. During this
time, they will be confused about the future and will feel
overloaded with competing demands.
This can have a negative impact on activities. Because things can
be chaotic at this stage, staff may question the status quo or the
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accepted way of doing things. It is important to note that with
encouragement this stage can be a time of exploration that is
ripe with creative opportunity.
Follow this link for a checklist of actions to consider in the
Neutral Zone.
Checklist for Managing the Neutral Zone
Have I done my best to normalise the neutral
Y/N
zone by explaining it is an uncomfortable time
which, with careful attention, can be turned to
everyone's advantage?
Have I redefined it by choosing a new and more
Y/N
affirmative metaphor with which to describe it?
Have I reinforced that metaphor with training
Y/N
programmes, policy changes, and financial
rewards for people to keep doing their jobs
during the neutral zone
Am I protecting people adequately from further
Y/N
changes?
If I can't protect them, am I clustering those
Y/N
changes meaningfully?
Have I created the temporary policies and
Y/N
procedures that we need to get us through the
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neutral zone?
Have I set short-range goals and checkpoints?
Y/N
Have I set realistic output objectives?
Y/N
Have I found what special training programs we
Y/N
need to deal successfully with the neutral zone?
Have I found ways to keep people feeling that
Y/N
they still belong to the organisation and are
valued by our part of it? And have I taken care
that perks and other forms of 'privilege' are not
undermining the solidarity of the group?
Do I have a means of gathering feedback during
Y/N
the time in the neutral zone?
Are my people willing to experiment and take
Y/N
risks in intelligently conceived ventures - or are
we punishing all failures?
Have I stepped back and taken stock of how
Y/N
things are being done in my part of the
organisation? (This is worth doing both for its
own sake and as a visible model for others
similar behaviour)
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Have I provided others with opportunities to do
Y/N
the same thing? Have I provided them with the
resources - facilitators, survey instruments and
so on - that will help them do that?
Have I seen to it that people build their skills in
Y/N
creative thinking and innovation?
Have I encouraged experiment and seen to it
Y/N
that people are not punished for failing in
intelligent efforts that did not pan out?
Have I set an example by brainstorming many
Y/N
answers to my old problems - the ones that
people say you just have to live with? Am I
encouraging others to do the same?
Am I regularly checking to see that I am not
Y/N
pushing for certainty and closure where it
would be more conducive to creativity to live a
little longer with - uncertainty and questions?
Am I using my time in the neutral zone as an
Y/N
opportunity to replace old systems with
integrated systems?
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3. Understanding New Beginnings
The New Beginnings stage of the Transition Curve is that time
when people are ready to commit to the new direction and the
change. They feel secure in the new organization and are ready
to function as a significant contributor. This typically occurs as
the initiative starts to achieve some of its desired goals.
Checklist for Managing New Beginnings
Am I distinguishing in my own mind and in my
Y/N
expectations of others, between the start, which
can happen on a planned schedule, and the
beginning, which will not?
Do I accept the fact that people are going to be
Y/N
ambivalent towards the beginning I am trying to
bring about?
Have I taken care of the ending(s) and the
Y/N
neutral zone, or am I trying to make a beginning
happen before it possibly can?
Have I clarified and communicated the purpose
Y/N
of (the idea behind) the change?
Have I created an effective picture of the change
Y/N
and found ways to communicate it effectively?
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Have I created a plan for bringing people
Y/N
through the three phases of transition - and
distinguished it in my own mind from the
change management?
Have I helped people to discover as soon as
Y/N
possible the part that they will play in the new
system - or how the new system will affect the
part they play within the organisation?
Have I ensured that everyone has a part to play
Y/N
in the transition management process and that
they understand that part?
Have I checked to see that policies, procedures
Y/N
and priorities are consistent with the new
beginning I am trying to make so that
inconsistencies are not sending a mixed
message?
Am I watching my own actions carefully to be
Y/N
sure that I am effectively modelling the
attitudes and behaviours I am asking others to
develop?
Have I found ways, financial and non financial,
Y/N
to reward people for becoming the new people I
am calling upon them to become?
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Have I built into my plans some occasions for
Y/N
quick success to help people rebuild their self-
confidence and to build the image of the
transition as successful?
Have I found ways to symbolise the new
Y/N
identity - organisational and personal - that is
emerging from this period of transition?
Have I given people a piece of the transition to
Y/N
keep as a reminder of the difficult and
rewarding journey we all took together?
Emotional Responses
'It can be a bit scary... I think managers should come clean on
it and say it will be a bit scary and if they don't and say 'Oh no
it will be fine' there will be people who will be sitting there
and thinking 'Oh no they are saying it should be fine and I am
scared to death so there must be something wrong with me'
and there will be managers who are scared too.'
Head of Support Department, Pre '92 University.
'I thought it sounded exciting but was also filled with horror
at the thought of it becoming part of my working life. I had so
many questions about how it would work and not do me out of
a job.'
Hair & Beauty Therapy Tutor, FE College, on implementation
of a VLE
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In a transition there are emotional responses to the losses that
people experience because of the changes. This is normal but
often these responses are taken by others as signs that the
change is being resisted. Those leading change need to recognise
these emotions in others and themselves, and develop ways to
manage their own emotions and assist others to manage theirs.
Unmanaged, these responses may undermine the changes and
have personal consequences.
This process has been likened, psychologically, to the grieving
process.
'I think you can follow it back if you want to bereavement and
all sorts of things like that. Saying that you cannot move
through bereavement and become creative at the other end
till you have got hold of what the loss means’
Head of Support Department, Pre '92 University.
Everyone deals with such major changes in their own way but
we can identify a number of stages that staff might go through.
Shock and Denial
Distrust
Anger and Guilt
Depression, Anxiety and Stress
Regret
For a discussion of each of the stages together with some typical
views from those who have experienced such a process follow
the link to Emotional Responses to Change and Transition.
Each of the stages in the process needs to be recognised and
responded to accordingly. For example, it's no good expecting
grudging acceptance when staff are still in shock. You are more
likely to get anger and no argument, no matter how reasonable
to you, is likely to win staff around.
For those, managing the change, the challenge is to get staff
through from shock to grudging acceptance in as fast a time as
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possible whilst minimising stress and limiting the effect on other
areas of the organisation.
The Change Curve, or transition curve, helps us to understand
the emotions that people may go through when changing
This page explains the change curve which is one of the change
management tools that would be on every change management
checklist. It is a change management model that is essential in
understanding how to be in control when going through the
change management process.
What's in it for me to understand the transition curve?
Why should I bother?
The change curve above illustrates typical emotions and
reactions when people are going through transition.
Knowing that the emotions involved are temporary and
"normal" will prevent you:
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* from becoming swamped by them or
* from being stuck in negative emotions or
* from being overcome by fear or
* from becoming a victim.
It will empower you to be proactive and take control so that you
can experience the change process positively with a sense of
achievement and enhanced self esteem.
Ok, so what is the change curve? Let's go through it stage by
stage.
Each specific situation, and each person involved, may vary
somewhat from this, of course, depending on the scale of the
change they are facing and the stakes involved.
The change curve model above shows how you may react when
involved in managing personal change that you may not have
created, may not agree with, think you have (and may have)
something to lose, and feel that you can’t do anything about it -
that is, you are not in control of the change management process.
Typically, as shown on the change curve, the first reactions
involve the red negative emotions (on the left hand side of the
curve) as you feel to be a victim.
You may initially feel shock and be overwhelmed, depending on
the significance and scale of the changes.
This may be followed by denial, a refusal to accept or even
recognise that change is happening.
This may be followed by blame, sometimes of others or of self.
All the while, the change is not going away - it keeps on coming,
like the tide coming in, you can’t stop it.
This may cause confusion or resistance and sabotage, especially
if there is significant uncertainty.
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As these emotions unfold, you may (or may not) suffer a
deterioration of performance, including your relationships with
others or a decline in your self-esteem.
Typically, what then happens is that, as the change is still
coming, you may come to accept the fact and let go of your
negative emotions.
If so, you will have reached the bottom of the transition curve
and will then begin the process of moving up the right hand side
of the curve (with the green positive emotions).
You may, for example, begin to explore options in dealing with
the change or options that the change itself creates.
This will often be followed by testing out new behaviours in
the changed situation, searching for meaning and how to make it
work.
As experience with the new situation builds, you may move into
problem solving and decision making mode - now contributing to
the changes and, maybe, beginning to experience the benefits of
change management.
Finally, you integrate and internalise the changes into new
habits.
At this point, your behaviour (and performance) is at a higher
level than when the change management process began.
In other words, the change curve shows a typical situation
where the outcome is success (ie the change has been
implemented and you have developed as a result).
Whilst going through the change experience may have been
uncomfortable (especially in the first stages), this positive
outcome is likely to boost your personal development self
confidence, self help and determination
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How long will it take?
Depending on the significance of the change, it could take hours
or days or weeks or months or years or, maybe, you might get
stuck somewhere on the curve and never reach integration.
In addition, how people have encountered change is important.
If change is being done TO them, their emotions are likely to run
higher and be more negative than if change is being done BY
them.
A key learning point is that the very same people who have been
proactive in extending their property, investing in the latest hi-fi
or high definition home cinema, acquiring the most up-to-date
mobile ‘phone or computer, setting up their own website,
holidaying in exotic places with very different cultures and food,
trading in their car for the latest model every two years etc. -
those very same people can, and do, go through the change curve
when change is done TO them (rather than BY them).
So, two key points:
1. the change curve above summarises typical reactions when
you have change thrust or forced upon you
2. however, when change is owned and initiated by you it is a
different kettle of fish (e.g. you will avoid the negative red
emotions shown on the change curve and enjoy the green
emotions and a great sense of achievement).
Therefore, the best way to manage change is to help create it.
This is undoubtedly the best change management model of all.
How do I use the change curve?
Firstly, use it to understand that negative emotions during
change are "normal" and, most of the time, are transient (i.e.
they will pass).
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