Change is Ubiquitous

elinwaring; bridgetalepore

12 Change is Ubiquitous

Change is Ubiquitous

Chapter overview

Change is a big part of life, but our students may struggle with it, especially as college is the first time they are tackling change without adults leading the way. They may react to change by running away from it, by fighting, or by freezing. When overwhelmed by the many changes in colleges, students may stop attending classes, attend but not complete work, or become difficult to work with (and oh so many other signs too). Helping students to understand how they typically react to change vs how they want to react to change can be helpful to them in their first semester and beyond.

Reframing change to be a growth opportunity is an important part of this chapter and should be kept in mind with any discussion.

The chapter begins by asking students to consider how they want to change the world. Our students have a strong drive, typically, to create a beter world for themselves and those they care for. Having those changes in mind can help students see why change is so valuable. The chapter then moves to talking about change and why people may not take the opportunities to change, followed by information about fear. Students tend to report fear of failure as their biggest fear, and this might be worth discussing in class, along with their typical way of handling change. The chapter continues with how people manage change and the types of changes that they may encounter. It ends with a brief section on the types of thinking that can help with change.

Linked Lesson/Activity:

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you will:

Think about the changes you want to see in your life and world
Identify how you typically react to change
Consider how you could react to change in a health way

Questions to use for discussions, assignments, and reflections

How do you typically handle change?

Are you likely to fight, flee, or freeze when you have a situation you are not comfortable with?

Think about a paper:

Think about an exam:

Think about a presentation:

How would you rather meet these challenges?

Do you resist change? What type do you embrace? What do you resist?

What changes are you looking forward to in college?

How do you experience: (what does it feel like, what situations do you typically feel these)

Stress
Overwhelm
Anxiety

Possible assignments and activities

Have students describe how they have reacted to changes (give examples)
Present a scenario of a fictional student and ask the class to meet in groups to talk about how the student could react to change
Ask students to create a change management plan, with steps they will take when they encounter new or confusing situations, have them include what changes typically overwhelm them

Notes

As you work with the chapter, be sure to frame change as a good thing- and reinforce that its ok to fear change or failure, but that they are here to build the future they want (and change is needed for that). You might find that students want to talk about their fears- or may not be willing at all.

OldLearning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

Consider the changes in your life over the past few years
Assess how you handle change
Learn new techniques to manage challenges and stress
Consider your mindset and the mindset you’d like to build while in college (and beyond)

As late adolescents and young adults the statement that “change is ubiquitous” is more true for them than for many groups. They are dealing with many transitions, increased responsibility and more freedom. College is also a change to change how they think of themselves. Maybe someone will discover they are a writer. Or that they thought they were no good at math, but actually with the right setting they love it. Maybe they come in thinking that they want to be a nurse, but over time discover that they want to start their own businesses. Or want to go to a Ph.D. program or law school. Part of what we can do in the first semester is to be open to possibility.

This is also why the fact that this is a liberal arts course matters. I tell students that the reason you don’t declare a major until your fourth semester is so you can explore, even if you are positive you know what you want.