by W. Gary Martin, MTEP 2.0 change agent and principal investigator
In the September newsletter, Dana Franz and Marilyn Strutchens wrote about how to "Capture continuous program improvement efforts through PDSA cycles." They stated, "PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) Cycles are an integral part of transforming our programs. Across the MTEP 2.0 teams, the PDSA cycles are varied and highlight all the types of improvement work that occurs across the teams." In addition, they offered a detailed example of a PDSA cycle undertaken by the Central Alabama MTEP team.
Since that time, we have heard calls for more, more, more! In the coming months, we will be doing several things to address this need:
- We will compile a variety of PDSA cycles for teams to look at, which may spur their thinking about new ways of approaching old problems.
- We will compile a list of PDSA cycles teams have recently completed to allow discovery of others who are doing related work.
- We will feature detailed descriptions of additional PDSA cycles that teams of completed, to spur your discussion of how improvement science can support the work you are doing.
Your team can be a part of the discussion. Write up one of your team’s PDSA cycles for the newsletter! While this may not be the Journal for Research on Mathematics Education, it can be considered a national publication. In the meantime, keep reflecting on how your team is using PDSA cycles and how they can accelerate your improvement efforts.
To Our Colleagues in Southern California
Our hearts go out to those of you who have been impacted by the wildfires in Southern California. Here is a list of trusted charities supporting Southern California wildfire relief. Please give as you are able.