COMMON ELEMENTS IN ALL MODELS

COMMON ELEMENTS IN ALL MODELS

Darvesh Karim

Assistant Instructor

Professional Development Center, North

University Road, Konodass, Gilgit.

Ph. No: (+92) 05811-454132-4 Ext: 3017

Fax No: (+92) 05811-454135

Cell No: (+92) 03465419307

Email (Official): darveshkarim@pdcn.edu.pk

Email (Private): dk_hunzai@yahoo.com, darvesh.karim@gmail.com

Online Blogs: www.dkhunza.blogspot.com; www.scribd.com/dk_hunzai

Preparatory/Readiness phase

            This process involves the motivation of all the stakeholders for designing or selecting any school development plan. It verifies about the inputs of the planning team by asking their attitudinal approaches towards this plan. These include the willingness to accept changes, i.e. accepting the trends in educational reforms. It also clarifies about the existing situation of the school with regard to implement a plan, i.e. whether the school is not passing through some urgent kind of activities, may be exams or auditing etc. these all processes serve as boasting factors in further promotion of the plan, otherwise it can’t be further processed.

Situation Analysis

After building a planning team, and their readiness towards school developmental plan, the situation is analyzed. It informs the team about the available strengths of the school, its needs and the ways to fulfill these needs. For that tool is proposed in many models namely; the SWOT analysis. It tells about the internal and external motivating and de-motivating factors through environmental[1] analysis. It may be in the form of contextual analysis, environmental scanning (internal or external), stock analysis etc.

Vision Building

After analyzing the situation, vision is developed which aimed at filing the needs identified in situation analysis stage. Vision building seemed common in all the models. The interesting element in vision building is the involvement of all the stakeholders in the formation stage of vision which allows all the stakeholders to share their future expectations about the school. This exercise looks to address the future trends and needs of the rapid changing time.

Plan Formation

Most of the models describe about the plan formation. In some models it has been described as the “how” method, where as some models describe it as design process. It comprises of strategies to achieve the vision.

Implementation

This stage is quite visible in all the models. It illustrates about the operational process of the formulated plans to achieve the goals which are directed towards vision. It also describes about the different stages of the plan to implement. For example; which activity should be carried out at the beginning and all the subsequent activities and so on.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING ANY MODEL

Before selection of any model for School Development Plan, I propose following conditions, whether;

• The model contains all the necessary elements needed for making an effective plan, i.e. how to develop vision, how the activities are carried out & how the monitoring is done etc.
• The model is flexible enough to do necessary amendments in case of an unexpected situation and contextual needs.
• The model is complicated or simple with respect to its practical aspects, i.e. easily understandable or systematic. That model will be selected which is easy to implement and provides easy access towards its components
• The plan shows an imposition or participatory approach. That model should be selected which provides maximum participatory approaches of the stakeholders.
• The plan fulfills our purpose or not. We should select that model which best serves our purpose and objectives.
• There are many models, built on the basis of business purposes. So, while selecting any model, we should consider whether is it school driven or commercial driven.

MOST COMPREHENSIVE TOOLS

The five most comprehensive tools are as under.

1.  SWOT Analysis

            This tool allows us to see about our strengths and weaknesses by further elaborating that how can we overcome the weaknesses by using the available opportunities and to minimize the threats. It serves as a tool to determine whether we can implement any strategic planning model or not. Further it tells about the existing situation of the school by elaborating its available resources in the form of its strengths. It also creates a new window for the planners to see the alternate ways to minimize the weakness and threats.

2.  PESTE Analysis

            Political, economic, socio-cultural, technological and educational analysis commonly called as PESTE analysis serves as a tool to give the “big picture” of the environment, beyond the school boundaries and limitations. It can also work as a means to search opportunities, and to reduce the threats. This kind of analysis instrument becomes more important for the successful implementation of any school development plan (SDP). If the PESTE analysis responds in a positive way [favorable conditions for any plan], then it becomes an encouraging input in achieving the objectives of any plan. PESTE analysis allows the planners to see over all scenarios around the school environment which can support the plan or which can impede it. It also allows the planners to determine whether the plan meets the contextual needs or not.

3.  Scenario Planning(question)

            It is used as an environmental scanning tool which reflects about the internal and external situation before suggesting any school development plan. It works as a tool to describe the multiple possibilities in future by compensating the rapid changes of the future. We can say that a scenario planning is a tool which can help to see a better future.

4.  Plus Minus Interesting (PMI)

            This tool is helpful in determining whether the implementation of any SDP will improve the situation or not. It describes about the positive impacts/aspects, harmful affects and future implications of any plan. Based upon the outcomes of PMI, the plan may be recommended or rejected.

5.  Gantt Charts

            This tool is used as a monitoring tool to describe about whether the tasks are effective on schedule or not. It also allows doing some remedial actions if the activities are not effective according to planned schedule.
I have given my opinion about tools in the form of a table below.

Name of tool	Purposes	Modifications
Time Machine	Allows us to reflect about the past and can help to develop vision base upon past practices	It should focus on the future trends as well
Pretended to be dead	To develop vision by covering the positive aspects	Negative aspects should also be addressed so that we can amend the negatives
Why questioning	Describes about the purpose of any task/activity, or the direction of any task	For strategic thinkers why questions may be included with other “W” questions
Metaphors and Images	To develop thinking abilities Provides opportunity to compare with other things	May be related to real contexts
Collage	Used to see the future trends Describes about the linkages between forces, their linkages and impacts	Positive and negative both aspects should be considered, accept the trend based upon the contextual norms, customs and realities
Scenario planning	To see the multiple future possibilities due to rapid changes	Past practices should also be considered to see the future

---

[1] The environmental analysis consists of two kinds of environments, internal and external. The internal env. includes the trends inside the school [the policy,teacher education, happenings within the school] while external env. includes the trends and forces which shape the transformation of the society.