I am working on a committee with the National Science Education LEADERSHIP Association (www.nsela.org). We are putting together resources for science leaders to access through the NSTA Learning Center. My area to work on is becoming a change agent in science education. How do we influence change with people/districts who do not want to change practice? Can anyone recommend any resources that we can review to add to our list? Articles, books, etc. Thanks ahead of time!
We've used a lot of Carol Dweck's mindset work as well as video clips and information from "A Private Universe" to help people see the need for change.
I created a very large Leadership in Science Education collection, which I have attached to this thread. I think the first step would be the creation of professional learning communities (PLC) - to gain internal support for the change. There are several articles and book chapters within this collection specific to PLCs. There are several other, hopefully helpful, resources available within the collection too. Gaining teacher "buy-in" is key to moving any change forward. Good luck!
I would say in response to the question "How do we influence change with people/districts who do not want to change practice?" that you can lead by example. If you are changing, and your students are increasing their knowledge, which results in increased interest and increased performance, sooner or later others will buy into what you are doing because the results will speak for themselves.
Thanks, Cori. Two great resources I'll revisit with my change agent lens!
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