Effective influence is essential to initiating and sustaining meaningful, lasting change. According to “Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change” (Grenny et al., 2013), this involves tapping into emotions before appealing to reason, collaborating to communicate clear goals, and leveraging the six sources of influence to increase the chances of success.
My Innovation Proposal for the campus focuses on implementing ePortfolios in stages. It begins with second-grade teachers acting as pioneers and role models and then expands to all third- through fifth-grade classrooms. We engage key influencers such as grade leaders, administration, and technology experts, all of whom play a crucial role in ensuring effective change.
Motivation and capacity must be addressed at three levels to ensure sustainable change: personal, by engaging people in projects aligned with their roles and desires; social, by providing the necessary resources and training; and structure, ensuring understanding of purpose and process and facilitating peer support for effective change.
Results to be achieved
The main objective is to improve students’ analytical and comprehension skills while encouraging their active participation and creativity through the use of ePortfolios, measuring the effectiveness of this objective by assessing the quality and depth of students’ critical thinking, their ability to express ideas creatively, and the level of their engagement with ePortfolios.
| Increase in analytical and comprehension skills | Active Participation and Use of ePortfolios | Increase in Creativity and Personal Expression |
| Increase in the number of students demonstrating significant improvements in analytical and comprehension skills, as assessed by pre-and post-tests over six months, by 50%. | Ensure that at least 80% of students post weekly to their ePortfolios and engage in question-and-answer interactions with peers, as assessed by weekly monitoring of ePortfolio activities. | The amount of creative work submitted to ePortfolios will increase by 30%, as assessed by monthly reviews and self-assessment surveys on student confidence and satisfaction with their creative output. |
Vital behaviors to influence to achieve change
Vital behaviors are those that, once modified, have the most significant impact on desired outcomes. Identifying these behaviors allows for focusing resources and efforts on specific areas that are critical to the success of the change, as described by Grenny et al. (2013), authors of “Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change”.
Developing Critical Analysis and Comprehension Skills
Motivating students to develop critical analysis and comprehension skills rather than relying on immediate and effortless searching for answers online. We will implement weekly ePortfolio activities where students will analyze self-selected texts, create comprehension questions about those texts, and demonstrate a 50% improvement in their analysis and comprehension skills as assessed by pre- and post-tests following implementation of the program over a six-month period.
Active Participation in the Learning Process
Motivating students to actively participate in their own learning process, creating and taking ownership of their knowledge rather than simply consuming information. We will allow students to select texts of interest, create content in their ePortfolios, such as comprehension questions and responses to questions created by their peers, ensuring at least 80% weekly posting and participation in question-and-answer activities with their peers, assessed through weekly monitoring of posting and participation.
Encourage creativity and self-expression
Encourage students to use their creativity and express their ideas without fear of making mistakes, promoting a learning environment where originality and innovation are valued. We will use ePortfolios as a platform for students to creatively develop and showcase their work, increasing the amount of creative work submitted by 30%, assessed through monthly reviews and self-assessment surveys on student confidence and satisfaction with their creative output.
Influencing strategy
The proposed strategies seek to improve specific student skills and transform the educational approach to a more collaborative, critical, and creative one, better-preparing students to face the challenges of the future by implementing a series of actions to achieve these changes
Training and awareness: Initiate training programs for teachers and administrators on effectively using ePortfolios to foster analytical and creative skills.
Curricular integration: Integrate ePortfolios as a central tool in the school curriculum, ensuring that they align with educational objectives and allow students to select and create relevant content.
Continuous monitoring and feedback: Establish a regular monitoring system to assess student progress in the desired skills, providing constant feedback to adjust implementation as necessary.
Recognition and reward: Implement incentives and recognition for students who demonstrate significant improvements in their analytical, active participation, and creativity skills through ePortfolios.
Six Sources of Influences
| Motivation | Ability | |
|---|---|---|
| P e r s o n a l | Personal Motivation: – Create excitement about the learning process by allowing students to select texts that interest them. – Allow students to create their own comprehension questions, increasing their intrinsic motivation to engage with the material. – Encourage students to set personal learning goals related to their chosen texts. – Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and progress through their ePortfolios. | Personal Ability: – Provide training on how to effectively use ePortfolios. – Provide training on how to create comprehension questions, ensuring students have the skills necessary to participate fully. – Offer workshops or tutorials on digital literacy skills necessary for creating and maintaining ePortfolios. – Ensure students have access to resources and guides on best practices for content creation within their ePortfolios. |
| S o c i a l | Social Motivation: – Encourage peer interaction by having students pose questions created by their peers. – Encourage students to answer questions created by their peers, fostering a supportive learning community. – Create group projects where students collaborate on ePortfolio entries. – Organize peer review sessions where students provide feedback on each other’s ePortfolios. | Social Ability: – Facilitate collaborative learning opportunities where students can help each other understand how to use the ePortfolio system. – Facilitate opportunities for students to develop high-quality comprehension questions together. – Set up mentoring pairs or small groups to support each other in ePortfolio development. – Host regular discussion forums or meetups for students to share tips and strategies for effective ePortfolio use. |
| S t r u c t u r a l | Structural Motivation: – Implement a reward system within the ePortfolio platform to recognize students’ efforts. – Recognize students’ creativity in developing their portfolios, thus motivating them to participate actively. – Create a showcase event where students can present their ePortfolios to the school community. – Offer incentives such as certificates, badges, or extra credit for exceptional ePortfolio work. | Structural Ability: – Ensure the availability of technological resources. – Provide ongoing technical support to remove any barriers to using the ePortfolios effectively. – Establish a helpdesk or support team specifically for ePortfolio-related issues. – Provide access to online tutorials, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides to assist students with technical challenges. |
By addressing all six sources of influence, this plan aims to create an environment where students are motivated and equipped to develop their analysis and comprehension skills through the innovative use of ePortfolios. This holistic approach will increase the likelihood of successful implementation and sustainable behavior change.
Reference: Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.