End 12/20/2013

Catch up and end.

What did you think of the book?

Would you recommend it to others.

Question 15: Due 12/13/2013

15.  Consider change efforts in your school (KCCRS, new teacher

evaluation system, adopt a new curriculum, new state assessment),

how has this book affected your view of change and those who

encourage you to move your behaviors?   

Overall, what lessons have you learned that would help you encourage change in others?

Question 14: Due 12/6/2013

14.  Do you have a “herd” at work or home that you have to

rally? 

Is there a “free space” that you can create to bring

together the people who want to change?

Question 13: Due 12/6/2013

13.  We all imitate the behavior of others, whether it is positive

(e.g., shaking hands or waiting patiently in line) or negative

(e.g., the binge drinking of college students). 

What social behaviors in your community or workplace would you like

to see changed?   

How can you use behavior imitation to positively influence students’ behaviors.

Question 12: Due 11/22/2013

12.  Look at the examples of the Rackspace customer service

department (In Chapter 8), or how Bart Millar changed

the high school student’s behavior. 

Was there ever a situation where you attributed some problem to someone’s

“character” when you found out later it was a problem

with the environment?   

What kind of environment might have eliminated the person’s “character problem”?

Question 11: Due 11/15/2013

11.  Think back over your day. In how many ways did your

environment shape your behavior? 

Knowing that the environment shapes our behavior, how can you

consciously shape your environment so that it’s easier to

make the changes you desire? 

What Amazon 1-click-style tweaks can you create to make your goals just a little bit

easier to carry out?  

 How can you shape the classroom environment to encourage positive changes in students’ behaviors or academic skills?

Question 10: Due 11/08/2013

10.  In chapter seven, Grow Your People, the authors show

how Paul Butler motivated the population of an entire

island to protect the St. Lucia Parrot. Think about the idea

of “identity.” 

How would you describe the identity of your

neighborhood? Your students? Your kids? 

Imagine that you had to convince one of these groups to recycle more, or to

volunteer more time, or to tutor elementary-school kids.

How might you appeal to their identity as a way of motivating

their Elephants?  

 How might you convince a general education teacher to make accommodations for one of your students?

Question 9: 11/1/2013

9.  Marriage therapist Michele Weiner-Davis, a solutions

focused therapist, didn’t try to get George and Paula

(in Chapter 6) to understand the root causes of their

emotional distance from each other. She didn’t analyze

their childhood relationships with their parents. Instead,

she asked them to change one small way in which they

interacted. One morning, George gave Paula a kiss, which

launched a positive spiral of change. 

In your life, have you experienced times when a seemingly small act led

to big change? 

Have you experienced the “snowballing”aspect of change, in which one change leads to another which leads to another?

Question 8: 11/1/2013

8.  One suggestion for overcoming our natural inertia is to

shrink the change. If you want to start an exercise

program, you might start by simply getting yourself to the

gym and stretching or working out for 5 to 10 minutes.

Can you think of a way to shrink the change for something

you want to switch in your own life or with one of your

students?

Question 7: Due 10/25/2013

7.  Part of the challenge of change is that we may intellectually

decide to change – telling ourselves that eating more

healthy foods is a good thing, for example, or that limiting

our Blackberry usage is a smart idea – but we don’t

connect that change with a feeling that engages the

Elephant. 

Can you think of a way to connect a change you

would like to make in your life with a feeling that can

help to motivate the Elephant side of your brain?

Can you think of situations in life where we try to get

people to change with information, rather than with

feeling? 

To be more effective, how might we approach

those situations differently?   

How can this concept relate

to your students?

Question 6: Due 10/18/2013

6.  The authors give examples of a railroad made profitable,

a town reborn, and child abusers reformed by being as

clear as possible about how people should act. (Remember

the “1% milk” campaign.) They point out: What looks like

resistance is often a lack of clarity.  

What actions can you script to achieve a personal or professional goal?

If your change involves others, how can you “script the critical moves” for them?

Question 5: Due 10/11/2013

5.  Whenever we are trying to change something, our Riders

often become mired in TBU analysis—“True But

Useless.” 

What are the TBUs in your life? 

What does the story of Jerry Sternin and Save the Children (Chapter 2) teach

us about tackling a problem with minimal help and meager

resources? 

How did Sternin move beyond TBUs to help

reduce malnutrition in Vietnam?

Question 4: Due 10/11/2013

4.  In what situations do you experience decision paralysis

(Chapter 2)?   

Share an example where you or one of your

students might have experienced decision paralysis. 

Question 3: Due 10/4/2013

3.  Chapter 2 covers finding the “bright spots.” 

What are the bright spots in your relationship? Or in your job? 

Can you create more of those bright spots? 

Think about a problem you’re trying to overcome. What are the times when you

don’t have that problem? Those are your bright spots—

what can you learn from them?

Question 2: Due 10/4/2013

2.  How do you see the basic “personalities” of the Rider and the

Elephant play out in your own life? 

Are there experiences you’ve had where you experienced conflict between the two?

Question 1: Due 9/27/2013

1.  Most of us accept the fact that change is hard. It’s tough to lose

weight, or to be more productive at work, or to quit smoking.

Our past efforts at change may be riddled with failure. But not

all change is hard, and in fact, some big changes we look forward

to—getting married, having a baby or changing jobs. 

Can you describe some major changes in your life that you embraced without resistance,

and in fact even looked forward to? 

How did that change make

you feel?