Using the Concerns-Based-Adoption-Model (CBAM)

What is a master but a master student? And if that's true, then there's a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession.

-Neil Peart

We have been asked to discuss two teachers who are at a range of different levels of concern with respect to the effective use of reference resources in their pedagogical practices. We are to involve the application of the Concerns-Based-Adoption-Model (CBAM) in supporting these teachers. Our task is to design an approach that will take each teacher onto a higher level of integration, application, and embedding of these potential resources into their practice. I have opted to discuss one teacher in detail through all the levels of CBAM.

From Taking Charge of Change by Shirley Hord, William Rutherford,
Lesley Huling-Austin, Gene Hall, 1987.

What is CBAM? The Concerns-Based Adoption Model is a process to adopt change. In this application, the change is to build the inclusion of reference resources in classroom teaching lessons. The interaction is between the 'user' (the teacher), and the 'mentor' (Teacher-Librarian or TL). This is called a collaborative linkage. There needs to be open communication so that the user's needs and concerns are expressed and supported by the mentor. Personalized intervention strategies are developed to meet the user's needs. There are seven different Stages of Concern, and six different Levels of Use. The 'user's' advancement to higher Levels of Use and Concerns is a developmental process. The process aims to continually answer the user's concerns, developing into higher concerns, and advancing the user. (Summarized from The Concerns-Based Adoption Model: A Developmental Conceptualization of the Adoption Process Within Educational Institutions, (Hall, 1974). In order to improve the the culture of teaching, the mentor needs to gather information on the content, and conduct a needs assessment relating to the lower six of the seven stages of the CBAM model. It is important to keep in mind that, "The Concerns-Based Adoption Model addresses each one of these assumptions: the individual's concerns about the innovation, the particular manner in which the innovation is delivered or implemented, and the adaptation of the innovation to the individual." (Louks-Horsley, 1996).

There are three key CBAM concepts to keep in mind:

Change is a process, not an event

Change is a highly personal experience involving developmental growth in feelings (the Stages of Concern) and skills (the Levels of Use)

Personal concerns are legitimate (Hall and Hord, 1987)

The Mr. X File

Mr. X has been teaching for six years, the first two years at a private school, and the past four years at a public school teaching a grade 4/5 combined class. Mr. X enjoys teaching and has a wealth of knowledge about local history, mathematics, and art. Mr. X is well liked by students but is somewhat unorganized. It is difficult to find supplies, student work, and prepared lessons in the classroom. Student assignments tend to be printed booklets from the internet, Teacher Pay Teachers, or online videos without follow up activities, rather than planned teaching units correlating to the BC Curriculum. Reference materials have not been used in the classroom lessons to date. Evaluations of students learning tend to be quizzes based on facts from the printed booklets, rather than assessments that reflect deeper student understanding of the topic. Parents have started to complain that their children are, 'sick of photocopied booklets,' and Mr. X has been challenged by the school principal to provide a planned unit of instruction for Social Studies.

Messy Classroom Image from We Are Teachers

The CBAM Action Plan for Mr. X

1. Consultation and Reinforcement

Our CBAM journey begins with a consultation with Mr. X. He is open to improving his teaching and willing to try using reference resources in collaboration with the Teacher-Librarian (TL). We discuss where he is currently at in using reference resources in his teaching by going over the Stages of Concern CBAM rubric (below). We agree that Mr. X is at Stage 1:Informational Stage and willing to move forward towards Stage 2: Personal and Stage 3: Management. The TL records his responses on the rubric so we can come back later to reflect on it. The TL provides encouragement by highlighting his personal knowledge of Canadian Government, and current events. We discuss the value of using current, accurate print and digital reference resources in his teaching. He expresses that the subject of Canadian Government is very broad with too much information for him to cover, and he is overwhelmed about where to start.

Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Rubric Teacher: Mr. X Date: March 2024 Meeting: Consultation

Expressions of Concern Stages of awareness

Stage of Concern in using Reference Resources	Expression of Concern	Teacher Response/examples
6. Refocusing	I have some ideas about using reference resources that would work even better	N/A
5. Collaboration	How can I relate what I am doing with reference resources to what others are doing?	N/A
4.Consequence	How is my use of reference resources affecting learners? How can I refine using reference resources to have more impact?	N/A
3. Management	I seem to be spending all my time getting materials ready	Mr. X says that he feels he already spends all his time finding online materials, he may as well use the time to prepare something more meaningful for his students
2. Personal	How will using reference resources affect me?	Mr. X asks if using reference resources will take more or less time in his planning. He predicts that his students will develop research skills from using reference resources in their learning rather than answering questions in booklets.
1.Informational	I would like to know more about using reference resources	Mr. X expresses he would like to use reference resources in teaching the Grade 5 Social Studies Big Idea: Canadian institutions and government reflect the challenge of our regional diversity. He would like to know more about print and digital resources that can be used in Inquiry Based Learning for teaching.
0.Awareness	I am not concerned about using reference resources	The school principal has encouraged Mr. X to collaborate with the TL to plan inquiry based lessons within a teaching unit, rather than print lessons from the internet

Adapted from Hord, S.M., Rutherford, William L., Huling-Austin, Leslie and Hall, G.E. (1987).

2. Training

Our next steps include increasing his knowledge of print reference resources in our school library learning commons and community publications, as well as age appropriate digital resources. We look up and pull books about Canadian Government, democracy and Indigenous Governance in our school Follett catalogue.

We use search our District of North Vancouver Municipal Website, Squamish Nation Website, the BC Legislature Website and the House of Commons Federal Website. Both the BC Legislature and the House of Commons Websites have Teacher Resources for both elementary school and secondary school students. There are well developed lessons and units, as well as free teaching kits that can be ordered.

The TL suggests he register for Student Vote so his class can run a student election to coincide with the upcoming provincial election the next fall. The TL also sends him the links to CIVIX which has great elementary school level videos on Canadian Government and democracy. There are many lesson plans about governance on both the Student Vote and CIVIX websites. We print a NVSD Unit Planner from our NVSD portal, and the TL provides him with some information on Concept Based Learning, and Inquiry Based Learning. We discuss some ideas for a provocation to start the unit with his students and some culminating projects to showcase student learning. We both agree to familiarize ourselves with the websites and books and meet again the following week with ideas for lessons, unit planning and assessment.

The following week we meet and map out a Grade 5 Social Studies Unit focussed on using reference resources in teaching the Big Idea: 'Canadian institutions and government reflect the challenge of our regional diversity.' (from BC's Student Curriculum). Mr. X selects a provocation to start the unit. He decides to use a picture book The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, and Pedro Markun. He then plans to do a KWL with his class, with increased encouragement to generate student questions. He will use student questions to lead the class in their inquiry into learning more about Canadian Government.

The District of North Vancouver municipal website provides easy to read portals into all the roles and responsibilities of the mayor, councillors, and school board trustees. Mr. X and the TL create a handout for students to record their learning while exploring the District on North Vancouver website. Following a class discussion, Mr. X contacts their assigned school board trustee to set up a school visit. Mr. X and the TL facilitate class discussions that lead to student actions. Students contact their Mayor and Council with their expressed concerns.

Both the BC Legislature and the Federal House of Commons websites have virtual tours. The TL and Mr. X plan some questions and inquiry activities using the BC Legislature website. As part of the lesson they contact their MLA, and MP to set up school visits. Mr. X plans the Federal House of Commons inquiry on his own and the TL reviews the lesson with him. As the lessons progress, Mr. X continues to record new student questions on the KWL chart. Both Mr. X and the TL work together to provide feedback on using the reference resources, "What worked well? What would you do differently next time? What was the greatest learning for students? What were the unintended learnings? What mattered most to students? Are we meeting curricular goals?"

The TL suggests some activities from Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison that work well with researching using reference resources. Mr. X and the TL plan lessons using a 3-2-1 Bridge as a follow up from reading about our current Governor General, and a CSI (Colour, Symbol, Image) to reflect on Metis governance, focussing on Louis Riel. Mr. X and the TL plan a Jig Saw activity using the print reference resources in the library. Each small group of students is given a print reference book about governance and learns about one type of government style that they will present to the whole class. The topics are: monarchy, theocracy, dictatorship, democracy, anarchy, and First People's Governance (both hereditary and elected). As the lessons are being planned, the TL and Mr. X are discussing other ways the strategies and reference resources could be used.

From Who's In Charge? By Alexander Cox

As the unit progresses, both the TL and Mr. X alternate teaching together, while continuing to meet and reflect on planning and lessons. Mr. X decides on his own to try a Tug of War activity from Making Thinking Visble. As the class gathers knowledge about taxation, 'left and right,' various political parties, debates, how bills become laws, the role of the speaker, and the governor general, students are asked to choose a topic of their interest to report on. Students can choose to present their research as a brochure, poster, board game, digital slideshow, or formal written report.

Both the TL and Mr. X help develop an assessment rubric to assess student research and presentations before the assignment is given to students so they know the expectations. The TL and Mr. X facilitate the research process by helping students locate both print and digital reference resources that are suitable and meet their informational needs. Mr. X continues to teach direct lessons in the classroom on how to use a table of contents, index, and how to create a bibliography. He provides individual feedback to students as they work on their assignment. Both the TL and Mr. X reflect on what works well, and how to improve the lessons. Mr. X and the TL assess the student research and presentations of student learning together. During this process the TL answers Mr. X's new questions and addresses his new concerns. All of this prepares Mr. X for moving forward in his teaching using his new skills on his own.

3. Developing Supportive Organizational Arrangements

Having gone through a mentored collaboration together, Mr. X and the TL once again reflect using the Levels of Using Reference Resources Rubric (below) to measure growth, and areas to work on. The responses are recorded to document progression through the levels as the mentoring continues over a period of several years.

Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Rubric Teacher: Mr. X Date: May 2024 Meeting: Reflection

Levels of Using Reference Resources Teacher Behavioural Levels

Levels of Use	Behavioural Indicators of Level by teacher	Teacher Response/examples
VI. Renewal	is seeking more effective alternatives to the established use of reference resources	N/A
V. Integration	is making deliberate efforts to coordinate with others in using reference resources	Mr. X is planning on collaborating with colleagues in Social Studies next year
IVb. Refinement	is making changes and has an established pattern of using reference resources	Mr. X is making changes by including the Inquiry Process in teaching Social Studies and is changing his process in teaching Science. He searches out suitable resources and plans lessons so that students can use the resources to gather the needed information. Mr. X adapts the use of reference resources to increase the learning benefits for his students. Mr. X discusses the short and long term goals and benefits of his improved teaching practice. He plans to collaborate with other colleagues in teaching Social Studies the next year.
IVa. Routine	is making few or no changes and has established pattern of use	Mr. X is making efforts to change and create new patterns of using reference resources and inquiry
III. Mechanical	is making changes to better organize using reference resources	Mr. X and the TL are reflecting on lessons to improve how effectively the reference resources are being utilized by students
II. Preparation	is planning to use reference resources	Mr. X has already started gathering print and digital resources and is developing lessons
I.Orientation	is taking the initiative to learn more about using reference resources	Mr. X has taken on using reference resources in the next Science and Social Studies units. He has started the process on his own and consulted with the TL for clarification
0.Non-Use	is taking no interest or action in using reference resources	N/A

Adapted from Hord, S.M., Rutherford, William L., Huling-Austin, Leslie and Hall, G.E. (1987).

After conferencing, the TL and Mr. X agree that he is now at the 4b (IV b) Level: Refinement of the CBAM rubric. Mr. X adapts his use of reference resources to increase the learning benefits for his students. Mr. X discusses the short and long term goals and benefits of his improved teaching practice. He plans to collaborate with other colleagues in teaching Social Studies the next year. He agrees to continue to meet with the TL to discuss new resources, goal setting for Mr. X and his students, and scheduling of collaboration with the TL in the library learning commons, as well as with other teachers.

The TL will continue to touch base with Mr. X the following year to reflect with him on his incorporation of using reference resources in teaching Social Studies and Science, as well as his collaboration with other teachers. When Mr. X agrees that his own efforts in using reference resources for inquiry in coordination with colleagues has measurable benefits he will have reached Level V: Integration. At this point he will be encouraged by the TL to begin exploring alternatives to the reference resources that have been used in the past, and to consider newer digital resources and to try new technologies available to students in schools. Most importantly, the TL will be there to support Mr. X and help answer his questions and concerns as he progresses through the Levels of Use, as he incorporates these resources into his teaching.

As these efforts by Mr. X develop, the TL can encourage him to re-evaluate the quality of the reference resources, and strive to achieve an increased impact on student learning with direct teaching of research process skills, and critical thinking activities. Mr. X can be encouraged and supported by the TL to share his CBAM journey with other teachers, encouraging and eventually mentoring others in using reference resources in Inquiry Based Learning. When these things are in place, Mr. X will have reached Level VI: Renewal.

Tidy Classroom Image from Getty Images

The Concerns-based Adoption Model describes how people develop as they learn about a new 'innovation,' in this case using reference resources in classroom teaching. "Actually, the CBAM is a complex, multi-part system, of which the 'Stages of Concern' is one part." (Hord & Hall, 1987). The lower three stages are focused on the self, the middle stage is focused on mastering the new task, and the upper stages of concern are focussed on the results and their effect on students. (summarized from Hord & Hall, 1987). The power of mentoring is critical for the participant, in this case Mr. X, to succeed when he is independently implementing his own learning.

Image from Leading Through Change By FLENJ on X

As a new Teacher-Librarian I feel like I am part of an informal CBAM process myself. As I began my courses to become a TL I was gathering information and trying to apply library concepts in my classroom. In my new role as a TL in a library I have had several self directed 'crash courses' in using Follett, library accounting, selection, and deselection, while planning lessons for grades kindergarten to grade seven. Collaborating with teachers for primary literacy support, in planning and teaching research and report writing, and planning and teaching Science and Social Studies has kept me very busy. I have also started a Grade 6/7 book club that runs once a week at lunch and I supervise an 'open library' at recess and lunch three days a week.

I am so grateful that I am part of a network of experienced TLs who have warmly welcomed me. We have a TL online chat where anyone can share information, questions and feedback. We also have monthly meetings where I always arrive early to ask others questions. "How can I master all the skills and fit it all in?" (Hall, 1974). This is a question I am constantly asking myself. Luckily, I have TL masters to mentor me in our, collaborative linkage. "Is there anything else that is better?" (Hall, 1974 ).

Works Cited

Canadian School Libraries (CSL). Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success. Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial CC BY-NC license 2023.CSL_Foundations-Frameworks_FINAL_Nov2023.pdf (canadianschoollibraries.ca)

Hall, G.E. & Hord, S.M., (1987). Change in schools: Facilitating the process. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Hall, Gene (1974). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model: A Developmental Conceptualization of the Adoption Process Within Educational Institutions. Texas Univ., Austin. Research and Development Center for Teacher Education.

Hord, S. M., Rutherford, William L., Huling-Austin, Leslie and Hall, G. E. (1987) with additional modifications by Noel LeJeune.

Marris, P. (1975). Loss and change. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday.

Peart, Neil. Brainy Quotes.com. Accessed March 1, 2024

Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. (2011). Making Thinking Visible. Hoboken, New Jersey: Jossey-Bass.

Rodrigues, Andre, Ribeiro, Larissa, Desgualdo, Paula, Karkun, Pedro. (2020). The President of the Jungle. New York, Nancy Paulsen Books and imprint of Penguin Random House.

Susan Loucks-Horsley, " Professional Development for Science Education: A Critical and Immediate Challenge". National Standards & the Science Curriculum, edited by Rodger Bybee of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1996.Microsoft Word - CBAM.doc (wsu.edu)

Terada, Youki. A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration, Edutopia. May 4, 2020. SAMR: A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration | Edutopia

Webliography

Student Vote

Curriculum | Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum (gov.bc.ca)

Home - CIVIX Canada

Harnessing the Power of KWL Charts in Education | Lucidchart Blog

What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning? | Edutopia

Make Inquiry Simple in Your Classroom - Madly Learning

Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and Digital Learning - YouTube

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Home | District of North Vancouver (dnv.org)

WELCOME to the LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY of BRITISH COLUMBIA

Welcome to the House of Commons of Canada - House of Commons of Canada (ourcommons.ca)

Home - Squamish Nation