Section 4: Human Performance Technology (HPT)

1. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem. Don't pick a performance problem that is too difficult or abstract (e.g., making every student as advanced learners). Choose one that you believe as practical, feasible, and important, yet instruction alone is not the only solution. Examples can be accountability for one-on-one laptop, Google suite integration, improving (or reducing) completion rates of mandatory reports, etc. 

After reflecting on last school year, I noticed there were a lot of behavioral issues on my campus. Of course this can be an issue for many campuses but, after reviewing data the puzzling part was that the behavior issues were from the same individuals. These particular individuals were one's that no one wanted to teach or that teachers had already cast out from learning and excelling with the curriculum. Which made sense since those students would constantly be in the office, SAC or suspended they were missing the instruction which allowed them to perform poorer than the regular student would. Psychologically thinking, I wondered if those students were put to use for something positive then maybe their behavior and outlook would change. For instance, maybe using that student that is always so loud and disruptive in class as a noise control manager. This gives that student responsibility for the learning environment as well as accountability to control themselves.  

2. Chapter 15 presents performance support systems. Define performance support systems and explain how a performance support system might (or might not) help solve the problem you identified above. (after reading this chapter, see if this makes sense. Type and scope of performance support systems can vary. A seasonal grocery chart for check out clerks at a grocery store can be one, and students' grading system for tests at school can be another performance support system example)

As a campus you want your colleagues to be on the same page because children perform well with consistency. I would like if all my colleagues joined me in inputting this manager positions into their classrooms to help make those students who are unwanted feel wanted. The manager positions don't have to be the same for every classroom, teachers may create a position based on their classroom needs. Those students with behavior issues wont change if they feel needed/appreciated in Mr. Roy's class yet feel like an outcast in Ms. Tom's class. In order for this to take affect the student must feel responsible and accountable for something throughout the entire day.

3. Chapter 16 explains knowledge management: the way we manage information, share that information, and use it to solve organization problems. Organizations, such as schools, accumulate a great deal information/data, which must be organized in a way that we can make sense of it in order to use for making decisions. What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed, and shared to help facilitate problem solving? (examples of KM system include database, file sharing system, information repository system, people directory (that identifies their expertise or project experiences), or internal/external (virtual) communities)

In my case the information needed for the above situation was already consolidated and organized. The administrative team takes the names of these individuals as well as the instances that may have occurred and places them into the system. Within the system you are able to run reports to determine how many behavior issues have occurred as well as what students were involved in those issues. The only problem I see with that is that the teachers are not able to view that information until administrators present this to us. However, I could see the reasons why this may be restricted information for teachers.

4. Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others? 

Since I am a fairly new teacher I find myself learning a lot from trial and error. The good thing about this is that I have semester classes so whatever didn't work for that semester I can change it for the next one. My biggest issue was perhaps the discipline issues and how to handle them (hence the above suggestions). I tried it all and have taken advice from the more advanced teachers as well. I have called parents, written referrals, had parent conferences and student talks. However, nothing seemed to work quite like the manager system did. I am a strong believer of the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it" so I plan on using this system until I start to see flaws in it.