I guess I'll kick it off: It seems to me that there is a positive feedback loop between motivation and efficacy. Motivation leads to efficacy because the more we desire to have an effect on something, the more likely it is that we will actually effect change. Likewise, when we demonstrate efficacy it encourages us and we then become more motivated in our endeavor. As a classroom teacher I saw this often with students and academic success: small successes would yield increased motivation, which in turn yielded greater success. I suppose this positive feedback loop might hold true for school reform also...
I agree. When you see the need for change, you are motivated to make that change happen. When you see a need, you fill that need. As with the activity we did in class with our partners. We made changes to our appearance because we first knew we had to (it was part of the activity) but more importantly we knew that if we changed something unique about ourselves, it would make a lasting impression to those we came in contact with.
I agree with both of you but change is a word that is often talked about but a select few are the ones that go on to implement it from the ground level. Changing policy in education is hard because people want documentation to affirm that the change is working or worthwide although that documentation might take a few years to develop. In order for motivational change to be sucessful it must begin with the administrators who teach it to the teachers through consistent staff development. They will then reinforce the idea to students who will carry it into the community in which they live.
As a building leader, how can one motivate people in the building to change in ways that are likely to lead to improved results? Thinking back on your own experiences, what were examples of instances in which a leader in your building or organization was able to motivate people to change in positive ways? Or, conversely, what were examples of instances in which a leader tried but was unable to motivate people to create positive change? What actions by the leader or circumstances of the environment supported or inhibited that motivation to change?
I think one way that school leaders can motivate others in the building is through through TRANSPARENT COLLABORATION with teachers in the change process, rather than through issuing top-down dictates for them to change. For example, sitting down with small groups of teachers and/or other administrators and genuinely engaging in the learning process together--analyzing, learning about, and addressing an area for instructional growth, for example--gives school leaders credibility among the faculty. I believe this credibility enhances faculty motivation. That said, in 7 years of teaching, I have never had an administrator "roll up his/her sleeves" and join me in a genuinely collaborative effort to learn about and change some aspect of our school. During those same 7 years, none of the top-down directives given to the faculty to change (and there have been many) seemed to gain significant traction. Coincidence? I think not.
I think that it's important for leaders to guide "followers" to realize and understand the need for change, and then, as Greg said, work with (empower) staff members to determine change that is necessary. Last school year, my school completed the year long process of creating a Title Schoolwide Conversion Plan (along w/ revising the SIP). We had to closely examine our total school data AND research best practices that we thought would be effective in meeting our goals and tackling our areas of weakness. Each team member had a hand in the plan and our principal sat alongside us. When all was said and done we had 'buy in' and lots of excitement from a majority of the staff members. I think that the team wrote in some radical changes that probably would not have been met with such agreement if presented ‘top down’.
I guess I have been lucky during my eight years of teaching. My principal has involved the faculty in decision making for the school in all aspects except for the budget. We are actively involved in the scheduling process, reading groups to discuss the issue of diversity within the school, hiring of new teachers, and making and implementing suggestions for the SIP such as freshmen experience groups to help them transition from middle school to the high school at our particular school. It was the principal not the district that allows us so much freedom. My previous comment was to state that because of him, teachers feel a part of the system and do not have that many reservations about trying something new. Reading your blogs definitely has made me realize that not everyone has it as good as I have and that the issues that you are bringing up will be ones that I must face as a future administrator.
I agree you are lucky, Marcia. I have yet to work with a principal who involved the staff in decisions for reform efforts, and I agree that such involvement has a positive relationship with motivation in carrying out the reform. What I have found particularly demoralizing is when administrators set up a staff activity where we give input but then it is ignored and never mentioned again and they go ahead and do what they wanted to begin with. You get all excited and give great feedback and never hear from it again. Pretty soon teachers get cynical and negativity abounds. One activity we did in another grad school class I took that I think might be a good idea to motivate the whole school for reform efforts is to have everyone write or describe their ideal school. What I found when we did the activity is that many of us described things that would be easy to do; they were not far-fetched. Doing and sharing such an activity might help motivate to follow through. Sharing a vision, in other words, might help. One other idea is allowing some choice in how the reform is implemented. When my students could choose, for example, which earth day project would help in their lives, they were much more engaged and motivated.
You all made some excellent points. Marcia, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones like you. I was involved in many changes, developments, programs, etc. that my school went through. Now, my school was in its first year and we had a very small staff (15) and so getting involved was more of a need than something to choose to do. I became involved heavily beause I knew my school has potential for greatness. My prinicpal invested me with a lot of leadership roles because I tool the time to invest in her vision and I believe in education. Because of my character, I was able to influence others to "buy in" to the vision and some progresses were made. I agree with Greg because in some of my past experiences, I've had adminstrators who "dictate" what needed to be done, but never got down in the "trenches" to make sure those changes were attended to. One thing about my school was that my principal wanted to involve us in so much because she wanted us to know what was going on in and around the school. Some chose not to want to know because that's how they had been "trained" to do. The stigma was "I'm a just a teacher, what could I do?" Even now, there are many changes taken place in my former school based on the need to increase test scores and improve student behavior. The new teachers are willing to try anything, but it's the veteran teachers who are not willing to cooperate. As a teacher, you don't see the "bigger picture"; you see your classroom. These teachers resist doing anything new because they felt the administrator should do it all. Wow,Right? Marica you are absolutely right in saying "change" is a word used often incorrectly. It's really a VERB and not a NOUN. As future administrators, we have to get people to see and understand the bigger picture. I believe that change does require some prior results or data that shows "changing" is for the good of the land. Fredrick Douglass said "without struggle, there is no progress". Without accepting there are going to be people who won't change right now, and realizing there are people who are ready to change now, then the progression of change becames null and void. I believe that if you continue to motivate those who see the need for change, others who are slow to move will eventually come aboard when they see a steady train moving UP the tracks; with or WITHOUT them.
Hummm. If an administrator is going to solicit the opinions of staff members (to motivate the necessary change), that administrator must be open to implementing some/all aspects of the feedback - doing so obviously requires a lot of faith and trust in the staff. Wonder what makes the administrator in Marcia’s situation open to implementing staff members’ suggestions more so than the administrator in Robin's situation and Greg's situation?! (Random thought - I saw a bumper sticker today that made me think of this class - "change is inevitable, learning from it is optional")
Leslie, I like your comment about faith and trust in staff. A leader must be open-minded, therefore, to ideas other that his or her own to motivate reform, I think. The reform needs to grow, evolve; not be imposed. As the new standards imply, the school needs to be a growing system that continually evolves toward better change--not a place where an administrator steps in and says this is how it is going to be. We are much smarter collectively than individually after all. This is one of the concerns I had about our readings for special populations today. The authors indicated that a top down firm implementation might be required to get the ICS progam going. I wasn't sure that kind of approach would be successful.
Leslie, I also agree that an administrator must trust his/her staff in order to implement changes that they have suggested but if you don't trust your staff what is the point of asking for feedback in the first place? Like Timberly, I was also involved with many changes at my school. Most of the changes were collaborative efforts that were initiated by the teachers however there were instances where we were asked for input and aftewards that input was seemingly ignored. However, now I wonder if that input was considered and rejected. I think, as teachers, it is difficult for us to see the bigger picture (the school outside of our classroom). I know I often looked at what would be best for my class/grade level and neglected to think about the impact of that decision on the rest of the school. In order for administrators to motivate their staff to change, they need to clearly communicate the reasons for change. Often directives for reform come from the top without any information regarding where these changes stem from or how a specific course of action was developed. When this happens, it is my experience that staff members are less likely to buy in.
Everything is loops around and is a ring circle. I am saying this after the discussion we also had today in Dr. Reeds class. Motivation needs to exist in any sort of job, and in any sort of duty or obligation. Students need to have clear motivations that reply to the "why" they are learning in school. The community needs to understand the importance of the public education it's children are provided. The teachers need to have personal and moral motivations in order to fulfill their goals, and the administrators must have their own motivations in order to lead the general effort towards improvement. Of course there are goods and rewards that could count as the motives, but it is always beneficial to realize that what matters the most are the pneumatical aspects of what education has to offer. In conclusion, this ring circle is not to remain still, but it is every generation's obligation to contribute to it's growth.
One issue on this topic comes to mind immediately. Teachers and administrators are constantly being asked to implement changes in curricular materials, teaching methods, new programs, etc. There seems to be an effect of diminishing returns on staff motivation or at least a belief that what teachers might be asked to do next isn’t going to stick around for long. The challenge seems to be how building principals can get teachers and staff to be motivated about new reforms. In other words, a teacher might want to know what it is about this reform that is different from the rest. A proactive principal might anticipate this and think ahead before initiating reform and, in particular, get a feel for the climate and culture of a building and start a dialogue toward collaboration.
I agree...especially the veteran teachers. Many of them have an attitude of "this too shall pass." They have seen countless programs implemented and seen these same initiatives forgotten when the next push comes around. Often, they don't buy into reform because they've seen it before. This is why collaboration is so important. Use your staff as a resource. Develop plans for change together so that there is a sense of ownership regarding implementation and revision. There also needs to be an understanding that change is difficult and teachers will need support and encouragement thorought the process. Often teachers are given support at the beginning but eventually that support is withdrawn. As we saw with the activity in class, we quickly revert back to our comfort zones. As a principal, you have to acknowledge this and be a visible support for your staff.
I have worked under a total of four administrators who each had their own idea of staff motivation. Only one of them were successfull in sustaining motivation because she "practiced what she preached". If she expected us to attend nightly engagements, know all of our students' names, greet colleagues and parents and present ourselves professionally at all times she also did the same thing. The remaning aforementioned administrators often gave out orders and hardly ever showed any signs of compliance. Effective staff motivation and efficacy can be best sustained if it is modeled well by the persons who are responsible for implementing change- the administrators.
Motivation really does lead to effectiveness. I see this all the time in my students and athletes. If one of my players is motivated by the desire to earn that all important starting spot then they will work their tails off to learn the plays or the signs and do anything else it my take to get them that spot. That makes my team a better team because they are much more invested in the team since they put their own time into it. Motivation leads to effectiveness for adults as well. As an 8th grade staff we wanted to create a mini high school for our incoming students. We presented our idea to the principal and she said yes, on one condition. We had to do all the work. Create the schedules and place the students in their class. We did it because it was something we wanted. We were motivated. And now we take ownership in the idea and really want to see it succeed. It will have a positive impact on our effectiveness this school year because we want to prove to ourselves and everyone else that this was a good idea.
Lots of good stuff. Administrators have to trust their staff to create motivation, building-level vs. classroom-level perspectives, walking the walk (as opposed to just talking the talk), collective groups are smarter than individuals. I'm not necessarily agreeing with the comments, you understand, just suggesting that there is good thinking and good fodder for discussion.
So here's another question. Think about a time when an administrator attempted to implement a change initiative, and you disagreed with (and maybe even resisted) the initiative. Were you wrong? Were you right? Are all "change initiatives" inherently good things? What criteria does/could/should one use in making that decision?
Change is not always necessarily a good thing. On one hand, the word change institutes that an initiative is not working properly or needs to be improved. On the other hand, change means that a staff can be receptive to new ideas or ways of thinking. In many cases I have been right in supporting change in many instances, I have been wrong in supporting and not supporting change. No, all change initiatives are not good things, but they do expose that fact that many administrators and teachers in this country are trying to do what is best for the student. This is the major criteria for any change initiative is “students first.” Look at how the change affects the student’s life; this will let you know if the initiative is something of value and if it is something that you should keep practicing.
Reflecting on times I disagreed with a change intitiative I see times I was wrong because I was set in my ways. Other times I think I was right mainly because I saw large district top down mandates that I didn't fit well for our students. One example in the PBS policy initiative in North Carolina. Here is an old school carrot and stick approach that many districts are adopting. I think the criteria for these kinds of changes really needs to be looked at from the school level rather than the district level.
The common theme that I'm seeing in these comments is change. Change is often a word that teachers begin to dislike, and for good reasons too. As a teacher I felt that I was constantly be asked to change things. Change the way I taught writing, change the way I taught reading, change the way I did my math instruction. While change can be good, I also felt that I never really got a chance to see how the first method/technique worked before I was asked to do another! As a teacher, I always said that I wanted to be excellent at teaching my students how to write and not just "okay" at teaching them how to write in 10 of the latest trends in teaching writing. Constant change in what I was being required to do untimately led to a decrease in motivation for me personally. In the back of my mind I never wanted to get really motivated about one particular thing, because I knew I was going to have to do something different in the near future. My hope is that as a school administator I'm careful about the amount of change that I make, and that before I make changes I have done my homework on the impact the change will have on the whole school.
Leslie - I love the bumper sticker! It is true that different administrators will take upon themselves change inititives for varying reasons. My school district is very numbers oriented, and consequently I believe that the principals jump through hoops to get their numbers aligned with expectations. For these types of change issues at the school level, it has been hard to get teacher buy-in. Somehow the principals need to make it about the students and not about looking good in their capacity as a leader. I think that speaks to Martin's comment regarding diminishing returns; for those of us who have seen curriculum turn over several times, it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace change. It's not that most teachers don't care or want to provide better environments for their students, but that often times change intiatives are inconsistent, ill-directed, or poorly planned and followed through upon.
Marcia and Timberly, I too have been blessed by quality leadership. My former principal was a master instructional leader who knew how to motivate and inspire her teachers. She has a caring heart and treats her teachers like they are part of her family. The teachers were involved in the development of the school improvement plan and the professional development. This was motivating in itself because we felt like we had a say in the vision of the school. People will follow someone who listens to their concerns and values their opinion. She is a tireless worker who is constantly developing new strategies for helping all children succeed. In education, I think the key to motivating teachers and students is building strong personal relationships with them. If your teachers know that your actions and decisions are made with the best interest of the students in mind and that you will give them the necessary support to carry out the decisions, then they will be motivated to perform whatever task you may ask of them.
As I reflect back on my tenure as a teacher, my students knew that I truly cared about them because I was at athletic events, I coached basketball, I tutored at a local church on Sundays, I direct a mentoring program for African-American males, I was the master of ceremonies at pep rallies, and most of all I did everything in my power to help all my children succeed in mathematics. My kids new that I had high expectations, but I would be there before and after school to provide extra help, and I would never leave them behind in class if they didn't understand a new concept. My kids were motivated to take risks and work hard because they knew I was in their corner the whole way. I think another key to motivation is "walking the walk" instead of just talking. People will follow someone who has the courage to act when the circumstances require it. If a leader displays that he or she has the courage to do what is right for children regardless of the criticism that he or she may receive, people will follow.
I think the way you motivate the community to support new programs or iniatives is by speaking at churches or other gatherings. In order to motivate, you have to sell your vision. If the community understands that you have their childrens' best interest in mind, then they will believe in you and provide their support. In all my dealings with the parents in my community, I have found this to be the case. Meeting the parents on the their turf is crucial.
Ryan,you make some very salient points. I have never held an executive position at a school, but as a teacher who has,over the past 18 years, collaborated with young people between the ages of 18and six months,AND as a parent of two young children, "walking the walk" of any new philosophy is a key catalyst for change. Most recently, with my work with infants and toddlers, I know that a typically developing child from about 24-36 months possesses the cognitive and socio-emotional development to notice a discrepency when a leader (in this case a parent or caregiver) verbally enforces something that is not reflected in her actions. Although a very young child cannot articulate this discrepency, the ideas and values the parent wishes to support are, in many ways, invalidated.
The child wonders, why is this person I look up to saying one thing but doing something else? When this occurs, children feel confused, frustrated, and even devalued.
Adults are no different.
A school community (including students, teachers, community resources, etc) can only be motivated for change if they are in a secure and safe environment facilitated by executives who do more than pay lip service. I believe that inherent to positive motivation is the willingness to take risks. School executives must reflect that willingness in their thoughts, words and actions to establish, as stated in the new standards for school executives, the mutual trust required for their school community to do the same.
Jennifer, I agree with your comments that change just for the sake of change can be destructive. If the strategies and instructional methods that you use on a daily basis are working, then you should be allowed to continue making progress. The strategies that work for one teacher might not work for another. Ultimately, our goal as administrators and teachers is to help children develop into successful members of our society. As administrators, we must be careful to make sure that the changes we initiate are not going to hurt what is already working. People will buy into change if they can see that it will truly benefit them. The reasons behind the iniative must be clear and supported by data. You have to prove that the change will benefit the students, the performance of the school, and ultimately the community. Whenever a change is made you must think about the implications it will have in the school and the community. My former high school is implementing a new standardized dress code this year. This is a drastic change for our students, teachers, and community. However, the students, teachers, and community had input through committees on the colors and type of clothing for the dress code. Their input is a major reason why it has been so well received. Due to the prevalence of gang activity, social cliques, and inappropriate dress by girls and boys, everyone agreed that it was time to make a change. Change is good when it is data driven, includes input from a variety of stakeholders, and the sole purpose is to help children.
Ryan, I am so glad that the dress code change was supported by input by all the stakeholders, which I feel is another important point. If administrators are to perceive their site through the lens of community, then it stands to reason that all community members be invited to participate as equal share holders in the site decision making process. This is not to say that change should occur haphazardly. As stated in earlier entries, the shareholders may agree that change is not warrented if it does not prove to be in the best interest of the school community, namely faculty and students.
I admit I need convincing myself before I am willing to change. I am sure I was one of those veteran teachers Timberly mentions so affectionatey! But not all of us are close minded, and we have lots of experience to share if it is solicited. I will be more skeptical of ICS than many of you probably, for example, because I was sitting in this school of ed 30 years ago as a young teacher when Mainstreaming was the name for the same type of reform. Well, on the surface it sounds the same, so I will want to hear lots more before I am won over. I need to be appealed to through reason to get on board; the initiative has to make sense with everything else I have learned about teaching and learning. I don't just accept an initiative because a principal says do it. So think about teachers like me when you start a reform project and take some time to win the oldie goldies over first so they will go with you and not against you. In fact you might approach them first; they may have already lived through that reform and know how it might be improved this time!
Robin I agree, I think many of the veteran teachers you speak of are one of our biggest untapped resources that we do not use affectively. The biggest thing I see is a large separation between the teacher and administrator. The teacher needs to feel like they are part of the team not just lucky to be there. To be honest, correct me if I am wrong, veteran teachers sometimes intimidate administrators. Therefore, many initiatives are shoved down teacher’s throats without consultation. Nothing that upsets a staff more than when you make a decision together to do one thing and your administrator does something opposite.
Ryan, I couldn't agree with you more in regards to showing your students, parents, staff that you really care. It is not enough for a teacher, or administrator, just to do what is "required". We need to go above and beyond the call of duty to show our dedication to education. I experienced this over the past 2 years in a very personal way. One of my ELL students was diagnosed with Leukemia in October of 2006. Up until that point, I had not established a relationship with my ELL community. However, as I started visiting my student in the hospital, arranging for meals to be delivered to her family, and making regular trips to her house, my world changed. Not only did I gain respect and understanding for the ELL community but I also gained the respect of many parents, students and other teachers. My demonstration of love for this student and her family immediately increased the respect that others had for me. While this was never my intention, I think that it served as a great example to the people I work with. Initially I got comments such as "You know you don't really have to do all that." and, "Don't get to attached to this one student." However, after a few months those comments changed to "Thank you for caring so much about the kids we work with." and "I think what you are doing is great." Through this experience I feel very strongly that our call as educators is to go above and beyond. We have the awesome responsibility of teaching and guiding the next generation. While this is not an easy task I think we can get ahead by showing these kids that we truly care for them and we truly want what is best for them.
So, Robin, let me ask the question - how do we go about winning over the "oldie goldies" as you tenderly coined the veteran teachers? I think that often times the motivation to do things differently is greatly diminished as a teacher spends more years in the classroom trying many different things. By the time they have worked as a teacher for 15+(?) years, it seems that many of them have figured out just what works for them. How can we transpose their personal efficacy to be more whole-school driven?
In Chicago, I worked with a staff that had 76% veteran teachers at my school. What I experienced there was a resentment towards newer teachers wanting to do things differently, and often times it revolved around the idea of having to do more work - creating new things, and not just making copies of the same lessons they had used the years before. One teacher told me that her students had been learning about science just fine with her "big book of knowledge" approach, and she was angry that I would want to do anything but what the team had done with her science unit for years. We ended up splitting the team in half, and two of us created a mystery for the students to solve, and two teachers made copies and had students bind the "big book of knowledge." After reviewing the data, it was obvious that student motivation & efficacy, as well as concept learning, had improved greatly. The next year, we split the team again, as the veterans did not want any part of the new unit.
Perhaps an administrator should have gotten involved? What do you think?
I'll be the first to tell you I don't like change. But over the past few years I have come to realize that change isn't always a bad thing. I still need lots of convincing, lots of proof or lots of reasons why the change needs to happen to buy into it though. Like others I think it is important to have all the stakeholders involved in the change process. That way everyone has a say and they can take ownership of the change. In my experiences the feeling of ownership really decreases the level of resistance.
Let's face it. Change can be unnerving. It gets people out of their comfort zones. Administrators are hard pressed to get full support for change initiative if the stakeholders aren't convinced it's in their best interest. And, I agree, most people (myself included) need some proof that it is. I think that support is earned by effective administrators, not an entitlement. Feelings of entitlement beget lack of respect from one's colleagues--not exactly a practical way to build support for a new idea.
As I relfect upon a time an administrator implemented change, I think about the implementation of a whole languge program. The teachers at my school were all accumstomed to using an "old school" phonics program in which the wall cards were faded and were not relevant to our studdnts' everyday lives. Some teachers began to think of ways to fund paying for the workbooks that needed to go with the program and were really afraid to try the whole langugage program. Had the administrator communicated the need for an updated langugage arts program with input from the teachrs about the selection of the series that would be replacing it, the situation would have gone over much smoother. Although administrators are the leaders of a school, in order for change to go over smoothly all stakeholders must take apart in some aspect of the decision making,
I apologize as I am still reading all your comments, but I did want to include my early thoughts based on the articles.
With the beginning of the new school year, Staff Development’s focus has been on a “Learning Focus” approach to teaching. Though we have been told this is not new and will not change anytime soon because corporations are asking schools to produce better-qualified individuals. These qualified individuals will be better able to communicate and partner with others in the workforce than ever before. The Learning Focus approach matches the model in the Framework article with teachers becoming better facilitators of the students learning instead of dictators. The foundation of curriculum, assessments, and learning environments are still there, but the outcome (rainbow) is what is expected from the students of the 21st Century approach to bring into the workforce. Subsequently, our lesson plans have changed to match with activators, more hands-on/partner activities (pair-share), and summaries/reflections. Though administration is excited about the cooperation with corporations, there are still those that still grumble at the thought of listening to 2 days of more “how to teach our students” instead of receiving a duty-free lunch. I am fortunate to be a part of a school that needs these approaches in order to assist our students in becoming more understanding of individual differences. Our school has to work together and is consistently discussing our positive behavior program as a team.
I agree Jennifer, Ryan, (and others), Change for the sake of change, lacks the fundamentals of the reasons of change. Change, and the motivation that brings it needs to be clear for everyone. There is something else I would like to pay my attention to. Five years ago, at the age of 20, I left my hair grow long. This is by 95% typical for every Cypriot guy. The reason was this. Our public schools were following a state rule of uniform. Students were wearing a uniform, and in mid and high school, there were the rules of: Girls: No make up or extreme hair colors for girls, no short skirts etc. Boys: Short hair, shaved Gray trousers / skirts, white shirts tagged in. Blue sweaters and black shoes. Very often, protests for the abolishment of the uniform were made by the students. Personally, I shared the opinion that the uniform was practical. I didn’t have to think of what I was going to wear in the morning. I would just get up, wear my uniform and off to school. It was also a way of maintaining a fair balance among the students who could afford expensive brands and the ones whose parents couldn’t afford them. Some students believed that it was an oppression of their character and a limitation of the diversity. They were also right if you think of it that way. After the school graduation, men would go to the army, and therefore continue being forced to have short hair and being shaved. Therefore, after the two year military service, all boys would release this oppression by letting their hair and beard grow. (until realizing that it was stupid and cut it couple or three years later). Nowadays, the school uniform has changed and became more modernized. It’s denim jeans (plain) and white t shirts (plain), and now no suspensions are given for “hair” issues. The administrator of the school was also seen as the “guard” of hair length, which made the role of the administrator look, idiotic to the eyes of the students. Issues of reform vary from place to place and from one context to another. For example, it is still appointed in the everyday curricula to start the day with the Morning Prayer, when the population of classes has changed and religious diversity exists in the classroom. It seems that some places are in more need of reform than others.
You asked in your earlier comment about how could we motivate those in our buildings? My belief is if administration takes ownership then hopefully the trickle-down effect will occur. If those over us are waiting as Christian pointed out, “this too shall pass” then nothing will be changed. Additionally, I have seen moral in the schools goes down because of additional strains of new programs being placed on schools. However, if the program is something that we all can be excited about, then we are eager to put it into motion. As a member of a Title I school, anything that involves technology for our students we rally together to use it “before we loose it”. SmartBoards are now in every classroom and seeing the smiles on the faces of our students are well worth the hours it took/takes to keep abreast on it. Even more impressive is to see our principal use it at staff meetings. J
Though I am not a “veteran” teacher, if there is no ownership from the top, there will be no ownership from the bottom and you won’t see it in the classroom unless it is time for observations.
Great questions that make me think more about the issue and how we talk about it.
For myself, I just need to be reasoned with. The key word is "with" not "at." A sharing, a dialogue, a listening on both ends. Evidence will help the reasoning be convincing, as will experience, stories, etc.
My motivation to try "new" things never diminishes. The point I was making with the mainstreaming example is that sometimes the new trends really aren't new; we have tried similar things before. We know what happened but no one is listening so we can avoid the problems we had last time. It is just assumed we are old and stuck in our ways and don't care instead.
Also, I hear several people saying that veteran teachers do what works for "them." It is not working for them if it is not working for the kids, right? If it isn't resulting in learning, how can it be working for them? So I am confused whether you are asking how to get veteran teachers to share their really good knowledge they already have that works for the kids, or if you are saying they are set in ways that don't really work for kids but are so habituated they don't want to change.
With respect to the former, just ask. I don't know too many teachers who don't love to share what they have already learned. I guess it is key that you ask with a genuine intention of listening, of course.
No doubt a good bit of the latter takes place with us as well. I've experienced having developed several great units over 15 years that are rich and varied only to have my district say, Guess what? We threw all those old novels you teach out and have all these new ones that are so relevant to kids today. What a waste. Those units were priceless and error free after so much experience with them. That is not to say we shouldn't add new books. But throw out everything? That shows little respect for lots of work and the people who did it.
Thanks, all, for the comments and questions. Great reading!
Thanks for giving to words to some of the issues, feelings I have experienced re: dress codes. Saying the students thought of the administrator as "idiotic" because he was the "guard of hair length" is priceless! My principal spent untold hours with students and parents regarding dress codes and to me it seemed such a waste of her time. Not that I don't see how it can happen and that some kind of limits need to be set. I too would be all for uniforms knowing what kind of disruption and time is spent on clothing in school--especially middle and high schoolers (but has anyone read "Stop Dressing your Sixth Grader like a Skank?"--great book that indicates the problem is in elementary too). This is the kind of issue that shouldn't take an administrator's time or a teacher's time and yet does. Does anyone have the answer?
I really like what Robin said about the assumptions made of veteran teachers - "old and stuck in [their] ways". You know and I know one very important key to veterans of the field is that they would not have stuck around for all of those years if they did not genuinely love kids and want to make education better. Administrators who show a lack of respect by asking them to "throw out" all of thier old stuff will often meet with resistance to change or follow them. Instead, perhaps, we can ask them to use all of that great material to adapt it to newer materials; teach us how to meet the objectives that were so effective in their units. This can help them to realize how much their experience is valued.
In the U.S. we really do not treat our elderly very well, and it is a cultural point that we need to think about as we callously disregard all of the "old ways" of teaching. California made that mistake when they introduced the concept of whole language - they tossed out the baby with the bath water, and here we are, almost 40 years later, desperately trying to reincorporate some of those teaching strategies that did have a place in teaching kids to read, like phonics. Honor and respect are values that must be shown to our 'old & wise' predecessors!
I also don't believe that we treat our children very well in this country either. It seems that our school system is stuck in its ways and does not want to change and that is not helping any of us. The system is not supposed to work only for the educators.... it is supposed to work for those needing to be educated and this adjust for those not being educated. If administrators are not able or willing to motivate their teachers... why are the teachers going to attempt to motivate those students who are in most need?
42 comments:
Hi Dr. Bruce
I guess I'll kick it off:
It seems to me that there is a positive feedback loop between motivation and efficacy. Motivation leads to efficacy because the more we desire to have an effect on something, the more likely it is that we will actually effect change. Likewise, when we demonstrate efficacy it encourages us and we then become more motivated in our endeavor. As a classroom teacher I saw this often with students and academic success: small successes would yield increased motivation, which in turn yielded greater success. I suppose this positive feedback loop might hold true for school reform also...
-greg
I agree. When you see the need for change, you are motivated to make that change happen. When you see a need, you fill that need. As with the activity we did in class with our partners. We made changes to our appearance because we first knew we had to (it was part of the activity) but more importantly we knew that if we changed something unique about ourselves, it would make a lasting impression to those we came in contact with.
I agree with both of you but change is a word that is often talked about but a select few are the ones that go on to implement it from the ground level. Changing policy in education is hard because people want documentation to affirm that the change is working or worthwide although that documentation might take a few years to develop. In order for motivational change to be sucessful it must begin with the administrators who teach it to the teachers through consistent staff development. They will then reinforce the idea to students who will carry it into the community in which they live.
As a building leader, how can one motivate people in the building to change in ways that are likely to lead to improved results? Thinking back on your own experiences, what were examples of instances in which a leader in your building or organization was able to motivate people to change in positive ways? Or, conversely, what were examples of instances in which a leader tried but was unable to motivate people to create positive change? What actions by the leader or circumstances of the environment supported or inhibited that motivation to change?
Re Dr. Graham's comment:
I think one way that school leaders can motivate others in the building is through through TRANSPARENT COLLABORATION with teachers in the change process, rather than through issuing top-down dictates for them to change. For example, sitting down with small groups of teachers and/or other administrators and genuinely engaging in the learning process together--analyzing, learning about, and addressing an area for instructional growth, for example--gives school leaders credibility among the faculty. I believe this credibility enhances faculty motivation. That said, in 7 years of teaching, I have never had an administrator "roll up his/her sleeves" and join me in a genuinely collaborative effort to learn about and change some aspect of our school. During those same 7 years, none of the top-down directives given to the faculty to change (and there have been many) seemed to gain significant traction. Coincidence? I think not.
I think that it's important for leaders to guide "followers" to realize and understand the need for change, and then, as Greg said, work with (empower) staff members to determine change that is necessary. Last school year, my school completed the year long process of creating a Title Schoolwide Conversion Plan (along w/ revising the SIP). We had to closely examine our total school data AND research best practices that we thought would be effective in meeting our goals and tackling our areas of weakness. Each team member had a hand in the plan and our principal sat alongside us. When all was said and done we had 'buy in' and lots of excitement from a majority of the staff members. I think that the team wrote in some radical changes that probably would not have been met with such agreement if presented ‘top down’.
I guess I have been lucky during my eight years of teaching. My principal has involved the faculty in decision making for the school in all aspects except for the budget. We are actively involved in the scheduling process, reading groups to discuss the issue of diversity within the school, hiring of new teachers, and making and implementing suggestions for the SIP such as freshmen experience groups to help them transition from middle school to the high school at our particular school. It was the principal not the district that allows us so much freedom. My previous comment was to state that because of him, teachers feel a part of the system and do not have that many reservations about trying something new. Reading your blogs definitely has made me realize that not everyone has it as good as I have and that the issues that you are bringing up will be ones that I must face as a future administrator.
Hello, cohort and professors,
I agree you are lucky, Marcia. I have yet to work with a principal who involved the staff in decisions for reform efforts, and I agree that such involvement has a positive relationship with motivation in carrying out the reform. What I have found particularly demoralizing is when administrators set up a staff activity where we give input but then it is ignored and never mentioned again and they go ahead and do what they wanted to begin with. You get all excited and give great feedback and never hear from it again. Pretty soon teachers get cynical and negativity abounds. One activity we did in another grad school class I took that I think might be a good idea to motivate the whole school for reform efforts is to have everyone write or describe their ideal school. What I found when we did the activity is that many of us described things that would be easy to do; they were not far-fetched. Doing and sharing such an activity might help motivate to follow through. Sharing a vision, in other words, might help. One other idea is allowing some choice in how the reform is implemented. When my students could choose, for example, which earth day project would help in their lives, they were much more engaged and motivated.
You all made some excellent points. Marcia, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones like you. I was involved in many changes, developments, programs, etc. that my school went through. Now, my school was in its first year and we had a very small staff (15) and so getting involved was more of a need than something to choose to do. I became involved heavily beause I knew my school has potential for greatness. My prinicpal invested me with a lot of leadership roles because I tool the time to invest in her vision and I believe in education. Because of my character, I was able to influence others to "buy in" to the vision and some progresses were made. I agree with Greg because in some of my past experiences, I've had adminstrators who "dictate" what needed to be done, but never got down in the "trenches" to make sure those changes were attended to. One thing about my school was that my principal wanted to involve us in so much because she wanted us to know what was going on in and around the school. Some chose not to want to know because that's how they had been "trained" to do. The stigma was "I'm a just a teacher, what could I do?" Even now, there are many changes taken place in my former school based on the need to increase test scores and improve student behavior. The new teachers are willing to try anything, but it's the veteran teachers who are not willing to cooperate. As a teacher, you don't see the "bigger picture"; you see your classroom. These teachers resist doing anything new because they felt the administrator should do it all. Wow,Right? Marica you are absolutely right in saying "change" is a word used often incorrectly. It's really a VERB and not a NOUN. As future administrators, we have to get people to see and understand the bigger picture. I believe that change does require some prior results or data that shows "changing" is for the good of the land. Fredrick Douglass said "without struggle, there is no progress". Without accepting there are going to be people who won't change right now, and realizing there are people who are ready to change now, then the progression of change becames null and void. I believe that if you continue to motivate those who see the need for change, others who are slow to move will eventually come aboard when they see a steady train moving UP the tracks; with or WITHOUT them.
Hummm. If an administrator is going to solicit the opinions of staff members (to motivate the necessary change), that administrator must be open to implementing some/all aspects of the feedback - doing so obviously requires a lot of faith and trust in the staff. Wonder what makes the administrator in Marcia’s situation open to implementing staff members’ suggestions more so than the administrator in Robin's situation and Greg's situation?!
(Random thought - I saw a bumper sticker today that made me think of this class - "change is inevitable, learning from it is optional")
Leslie, I like your comment about faith and trust in staff. A leader must be open-minded, therefore, to ideas other that his or her own to motivate reform, I think. The reform needs to grow, evolve; not be imposed. As the new standards imply, the school needs to be a growing system that continually evolves toward better change--not a place where an administrator steps in and says this is how it is going to be. We are much smarter collectively than individually after all.
This is one of the concerns I had about our readings for special populations today. The authors indicated that a top down firm implementation might be required to get the ICS progam going. I wasn't sure that kind of approach would be successful.
Leslie, I also agree that an administrator must trust his/her staff in order to implement changes that they have suggested but if you don't trust your staff what is the point of asking for feedback in the first place? Like Timberly, I was also involved with many changes at my school. Most of the changes were collaborative efforts that were initiated by the teachers however there were instances where we were asked for input and aftewards that input was seemingly ignored. However, now I wonder if that input was considered and rejected. I think, as teachers, it is difficult for us to see the bigger picture (the school outside of our classroom). I know I often looked at what would be best for my class/grade level and neglected to think about the impact of that decision on the rest of the school. In order for administrators to motivate their staff to change, they need to clearly communicate the reasons for change. Often directives for reform come from the top without any information regarding where these changes stem from or how a specific course of action was developed. When this happens, it is my experience that staff members are less likely to buy in.
Hello everyone,
Everything is loops around and is a ring circle. I am saying this after the discussion we also had today in Dr. Reeds class. Motivation needs to exist in any sort of job, and in any sort of duty or obligation. Students need to have clear motivations that reply to the "why" they are learning in school. The community needs to understand the importance of the public education it's children are provided. The teachers need to have personal and moral motivations in order to fulfill their goals, and the administrators must have their own motivations in order to lead the general effort towards improvement. Of course there are goods and rewards that could count as the motives, but it is always beneficial to realize that what matters the most are the pneumatical aspects of what education has to offer. In conclusion, this ring circle is not to remain still, but it is every generation's obligation to contribute to it's growth.
One issue on this topic comes to mind immediately. Teachers and administrators are constantly being asked to implement changes in curricular materials, teaching methods, new programs, etc. There seems to be an effect of diminishing returns on staff motivation or at least a belief that what teachers might be asked to do next isn’t going to stick around for long. The challenge seems to be how building principals can get teachers and staff to be motivated about new reforms. In other words, a teacher might want to know what it is about this reform that is different from the rest. A proactive principal might anticipate this and think ahead before initiating reform and, in particular, get a feel for the climate and culture of a building and start a dialogue toward collaboration.
I agree...especially the veteran teachers. Many of them have an attitude of "this too shall pass." They have seen countless programs implemented and seen these same initiatives forgotten when the next push comes around. Often, they don't buy into reform because they've seen it before. This is why collaboration is so important. Use your staff as a resource. Develop plans for change together so that there is a sense of ownership regarding implementation and revision. There also needs to be an understanding that change is difficult and teachers will need support and encouragement thorought the process. Often teachers are given support at the beginning but eventually that support is withdrawn. As we saw with the activity in class, we quickly revert back to our comfort zones. As a principal, you have to acknowledge this and be a visible support for your staff.
I have worked under a total of four administrators who each had their own idea of staff motivation. Only one of them were successfull in sustaining motivation because she "practiced what she preached". If she expected us to attend nightly engagements, know all of our students' names, greet colleagues and parents and present ourselves professionally at all times she also did the same thing. The remaning aforementioned administrators often gave out orders and hardly ever showed any signs of compliance. Effective staff motivation and efficacy can be best sustained if it is modeled well by the persons who are responsible for implementing change- the administrators.
Motivation really does lead to effectiveness. I see this all the time in my students and athletes. If one of my players is motivated by the desire to earn that all important starting spot then they will work their tails off to learn the plays or the signs and do anything else it my take to get them that spot. That makes my team a better team because they are much more invested in the team since they put their own time into it. Motivation leads to effectiveness for adults as well. As an 8th grade staff we wanted to create a mini high school for our incoming students. We presented our idea to the principal and she said yes, on one condition. We had to do all the work. Create the schedules and place the students in their class. We did it because it was something we wanted. We were motivated. And now we take ownership in the idea and really want to see it succeed. It will have a positive impact on our effectiveness this school year because we want to prove to ourselves and everyone else that this was a good idea.
Lots of good stuff. Administrators have to trust their staff to create motivation, building-level vs. classroom-level perspectives, walking the walk (as opposed to just talking the talk), collective groups are smarter than individuals. I'm not necessarily agreeing with the comments, you understand, just suggesting that there is good thinking and good fodder for discussion.
So here's another question. Think about a time when an administrator attempted to implement a change initiative, and you disagreed with (and maybe even resisted) the initiative. Were you wrong? Were you right? Are all "change initiatives" inherently good things? What criteria does/could/should one use in making that decision?
Change is not always necessarily a good thing. On one hand, the word change institutes that an initiative is not working properly or needs to be improved. On the other hand, change means that a staff can be receptive to new ideas or ways of thinking. In many cases I have been right in supporting change in many instances, I have been wrong in supporting and not supporting change. No, all change initiatives are not good things, but they do expose that fact that many administrators and teachers in this country are trying to do what is best for the student. This is the major criteria for any change initiative is “students first.” Look at how the change affects the student’s life; this will let you know if the initiative is something of value and if it is something that you should keep practicing.
Reflecting on times I disagreed with a change intitiative I see times I was wrong because I was set in my ways. Other times I think I was right mainly because I saw large district top down mandates that I didn't fit well for our students. One example in the PBS policy initiative in North Carolina. Here is an old school carrot and stick approach that many districts are adopting. I think the criteria for these kinds of changes really needs to be looked at from the school level rather than the district level.
The common theme that I'm seeing in these comments is change. Change is often a word that teachers begin to dislike, and for good reasons too. As a teacher I felt that I was constantly be asked to change things. Change the way I taught writing, change the way I taught reading, change the way I did my math instruction. While change can be good, I also felt that I never really got a chance to see how the first method/technique worked before I was asked to do another! As a teacher, I always said that I wanted to be excellent at teaching my students how to write and not just "okay" at teaching them how to write in 10 of the latest trends in teaching writing. Constant change in what I was being required to do untimately led to a decrease in motivation for me personally. In the back of my mind I never wanted to get really motivated about one particular thing, because I knew I was going to have to do something different in the near future. My hope is that as a school administator I'm careful about the amount of change that I make, and that before I make changes I have done my homework on the impact the change will have on the whole school.
Leslie - I love the bumper sticker! It is true that different administrators will take upon themselves change inititives for varying reasons. My school district is very numbers oriented, and consequently I believe that the principals jump through hoops to get their numbers aligned with expectations. For these types of change issues at the school level, it has been hard to get teacher buy-in. Somehow the principals need to make it about the students and not about looking good in their capacity as a leader. I think that speaks to Martin's comment regarding diminishing returns; for those of us who have seen curriculum turn over several times, it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace change. It's not that most teachers don't care or want to provide better environments for their students, but that often times change intiatives are inconsistent, ill-directed, or poorly planned and followed through upon.
SharonG was formerly listed as "world leaders project" on my blogger from a class project- sorry for the confusion!
Marcia and Timberly, I too have been blessed by quality leadership. My former principal was a master instructional leader who knew how to motivate and inspire her teachers. She has a caring heart and treats her teachers like they are part of her family. The teachers were involved in the development of the school improvement plan and the professional development. This was motivating in itself because we felt like we had a say in the vision of the school. People will follow someone who listens to their concerns and values their opinion. She is a tireless worker who is constantly developing new strategies for helping all children succeed. In education, I think the key to motivating teachers and students is building strong personal relationships with them. If your teachers know that your actions and decisions are made with the best interest of the students in mind and that you will give them the necessary support to carry out the decisions, then they will be motivated to perform whatever task you may ask of them.
As I reflect back on my tenure as a teacher, my students knew that I truly cared about them because I was at athletic events, I coached basketball, I tutored at a local church on Sundays, I direct a mentoring program for African-American males, I was the master of ceremonies at pep rallies, and most of all I did everything in my power to help all my children succeed in mathematics. My kids new that I had high expectations, but I would be there before and after school to provide extra help, and I would never leave them behind in class if they didn't understand a new concept. My kids were motivated to take risks and work hard because they knew I was in their corner the whole way. I think another key to motivation is "walking the walk" instead of just talking. People will follow someone who has the courage to act when the circumstances require it. If a leader displays that he or she has the courage to do what is right for children regardless of the criticism that he or she may receive, people will follow.
I think the way you motivate the community to support new programs or iniatives is by speaking at churches or other gatherings. In order to motivate, you have to sell your vision. If the community understands that you have their childrens' best interest in mind, then they will believe in you and provide their support. In all my dealings with the parents in my community, I have found this to be the case. Meeting the parents on the their turf is crucial.
Ryan,you make some very salient points. I have never held an executive position at a school, but as a teacher who has,over the past 18 years, collaborated with young people between the ages of 18and six months,AND as a parent of two young children, "walking the walk" of any new philosophy is a key catalyst for change. Most recently, with my work with infants and toddlers, I know that a typically developing child from about 24-36 months possesses the cognitive and socio-emotional development to notice a discrepency when a leader (in this case a parent or caregiver) verbally enforces something that is not reflected in her actions. Although a very young child cannot articulate this discrepency, the ideas and values the parent wishes to support are, in many ways, invalidated.
The child wonders, why is this person I look up to saying one thing but doing something else?
When this occurs, children feel confused, frustrated, and even devalued.
Adults are no different.
A school community (including students, teachers, community resources, etc) can only be motivated for change if they are in a secure and safe environment facilitated by executives who do more than pay lip service. I believe that inherent to positive motivation is the willingness to take risks. School executives must reflect that willingness in their thoughts, words and actions
to establish, as stated in the new standards for school executives, the mutual trust required for their school community to do the same.
Jennifer, I agree with your comments that change just for the sake of change can be destructive. If the strategies and instructional methods that you use on a daily basis are working, then you should be allowed to continue making progress. The strategies that work for one teacher might not work for another. Ultimately, our goal as administrators and teachers is to help children develop into successful members of our society. As administrators, we must be careful to make sure that the changes we initiate are not going to hurt what is already working. People will buy into change if they can see that it will truly benefit them. The reasons behind the iniative must be clear and supported by data. You have to prove that the change will benefit the students, the performance of the school, and ultimately the community. Whenever a change is made you must think about the implications it will have in the school and the community. My former high school is implementing a new standardized dress code this year. This is a drastic change for our students, teachers, and community. However, the students, teachers, and community had input through committees on the colors and type of clothing for the dress code. Their input is a major reason why it has been so well received. Due to the prevalence of gang activity, social cliques, and inappropriate dress by girls and boys, everyone agreed that it was time to make a change. Change is good when it is data driven, includes input from a variety of stakeholders, and the sole purpose is to help children.
Ryan, I am so glad that the dress code change was supported by input by all the stakeholders, which I feel is another important point. If administrators are to perceive their site through the lens of community, then it stands to reason that all community members be invited to participate as equal share holders in the site decision making process. This is not to say that change should occur haphazardly. As stated in earlier entries, the shareholders may agree that change is not warrented if it does not prove to be in the best interest of the school community, namely faculty and students.
I admit I need convincing myself before I am willing to change. I am sure I was one of those veteran teachers Timberly mentions so affectionatey! But not all of us are close minded, and we have lots of experience to share if it is solicited. I will be more skeptical of ICS than many of you probably, for example, because I was sitting in this school of ed 30 years ago as a young teacher when Mainstreaming was the name for the same type of reform. Well, on the surface it sounds the same, so I will want to hear lots more before I am won over. I need to be appealed to through reason to get on board; the initiative has to make sense with everything else I have learned about teaching and learning. I don't just accept an initiative because a principal says do it. So think about teachers like me when you start a reform project and take some time to win the oldie goldies over first so they will go with you and not against you. In fact you might approach them first; they may have already lived through that reform and know how it might be improved this time!
Robin I agree, I think many of the veteran teachers you speak of are one of our biggest untapped resources that we do not use affectively. The biggest thing I see is a large separation between the teacher and administrator. The teacher needs to feel like they are part of the team not just lucky to be there. To be honest, correct me if I am wrong, veteran teachers sometimes intimidate administrators. Therefore, many initiatives are shoved down teacher’s throats without consultation. Nothing that upsets a staff more than when you make a decision together to do one thing and your administrator does something opposite.
Ryan, I couldn't agree with you more in regards to showing your students, parents, staff that you really care. It is not enough for a teacher, or administrator, just to do what is "required". We need to go above and beyond the call of duty to show our dedication to education. I experienced this over the past 2 years in a very personal way. One of my ELL students was diagnosed with Leukemia in October of 2006. Up until that point, I had not established a relationship with my ELL community. However, as I started visiting my student in the hospital, arranging for meals to be delivered to her family, and making regular trips to her house, my world changed. Not only did I gain respect and understanding for the ELL community but I also gained the respect of many parents, students and other teachers. My demonstration of love for this student and her family immediately increased the respect that others had for me. While this was never my intention, I think that it served as a great example to the people I work with. Initially I got comments such as "You know you don't really have to do all that." and, "Don't get to attached to this one student." However, after a few months those comments changed to "Thank you for caring so much about the kids we work with." and "I think what you are doing is great." Through this experience I feel very strongly that our call as educators is to go above and beyond. We have the awesome responsibility of teaching and guiding the next generation. While this is not an easy task I think we can get ahead by showing these kids that we truly care for them and we truly want what is best for them.
So, Robin, let me ask the question - how do we go about winning over the "oldie goldies" as you tenderly coined the veteran teachers? I think that often times the motivation to do things differently is greatly diminished as a teacher spends more years in the classroom trying many different things. By the time they have worked as a teacher for 15+(?) years, it seems that many of them have figured out just what works for them. How can we transpose their personal efficacy to be more whole-school driven?
In Chicago, I worked with a staff that had 76% veteran teachers at my school. What I experienced there was a resentment towards newer teachers wanting to do things differently, and often times it revolved around the idea of having to do more work - creating new things, and not just making copies of the same lessons they had used the years before. One teacher told me that her students had been learning about science just fine with her "big book of knowledge" approach, and she was angry that I would want to do anything but what the team had done with her science unit for years. We ended up splitting the team in half, and two of us created a mystery for the students to solve, and two teachers made copies and had students bind the "big book of knowledge." After reviewing the data, it was obvious that student motivation & efficacy, as well as concept learning, had improved greatly. The next year, we split the team again, as the veterans did not want any part of the new unit.
Perhaps an administrator should have gotten involved? What do you think?
I'll be the first to tell you I don't like change. But over the past few years I have come to realize that change isn't always a bad thing. I still need lots of convincing, lots of proof or lots of reasons why the change needs to happen to buy into it though. Like others I think it is important to have all the stakeholders involved in the change process. That way everyone has a say and they can take ownership of the change. In my experiences the feeling of ownership really decreases the level of resistance.
Let's face it. Change can be unnerving. It gets people out of their comfort zones. Administrators are hard pressed to get full support for change initiative if the stakeholders aren't convinced it's in their best interest. And, I agree, most people (myself included) need some proof that it is. I think that support is earned by effective administrators, not an entitlement. Feelings of entitlement beget lack of respect from one's colleagues--not exactly a practical way to build support for a new idea.
As I relfect upon a time an administrator implemented change, I think about the implementation of a whole languge program. The teachers at my school were all accumstomed to using an "old school" phonics program in which the wall cards were faded and were not relevant to our studdnts' everyday lives. Some teachers began to think of ways to fund paying for the workbooks that needed to go with the program and were really afraid to try the whole langugage program. Had the administrator communicated the need for an updated langugage arts program with input from the teachrs about the selection of the series that would be replacing it, the situation would have gone over much smoother. Although administrators are the leaders of a school, in order for change to go over smoothly all stakeholders must take apart in some aspect of the decision making,
I apologize as I am still reading all your comments, but I did want to include my early thoughts based on the articles.
With the beginning of the new school year, Staff Development’s focus has been on a “Learning Focus” approach to teaching. Though we have been told this is not new and will not change anytime soon because corporations are asking schools to produce better-qualified individuals. These qualified individuals will be better able to communicate and partner with others in the workforce than ever before.
The Learning Focus approach matches the model in the Framework article with teachers becoming better facilitators of the students learning instead of dictators. The foundation of curriculum, assessments, and learning environments are still there, but the outcome (rainbow) is what is expected from the students of the 21st Century approach to bring into the workforce. Subsequently, our lesson plans have changed to match with activators, more hands-on/partner activities (pair-share), and summaries/reflections.
Though administration is excited about the cooperation with corporations, there are still those that still grumble at the thought of listening to 2 days of more “how to teach our students” instead of receiving a duty-free lunch.
I am fortunate to be a part of a school that needs these approaches in order to assist our students in becoming more understanding of individual differences. Our school has to work together and is consistently discussing our positive behavior program as a team.
I agree Jennifer, Ryan, (and others),
Change for the sake of change, lacks the fundamentals of the reasons of change. Change, and the motivation that brings it needs to be clear for everyone.
There is something else I would like to pay my attention to. Five years ago, at the age of 20, I left my hair grow long. This is by 95% typical for every Cypriot guy. The reason was this. Our public schools were following a state rule of uniform. Students were wearing a uniform, and in mid and high school, there were the rules of:
Girls: No make up or extreme hair colors for girls, no short skirts etc.
Boys: Short hair, shaved
Gray trousers / skirts, white shirts tagged in. Blue sweaters and black shoes.
Very often, protests for the abolishment of the uniform were made by the students. Personally, I shared the opinion that the uniform was practical. I didn’t have to think of what I was going to wear in the morning. I would just get up, wear my uniform and off to school. It was also a way of maintaining a fair balance among the students who could afford expensive brands and the ones whose parents couldn’t afford them. Some students believed that it was an oppression of their character and a limitation of the diversity. They were also right if you think of it that way.
After the school graduation, men would go to the army, and therefore continue being forced to have short hair and being shaved. Therefore, after the two year military service, all boys would release this oppression by letting their hair and beard grow. (until realizing that it was stupid and cut it couple or three years later).
Nowadays, the school uniform has changed and became more modernized. It’s denim jeans (plain) and white t shirts (plain), and now no suspensions are given for “hair” issues. The administrator of the school was also seen as the “guard” of hair length, which made the role of the administrator look, idiotic to the eyes of the students.
Issues of reform vary from place to place and from one context to another. For example, it is still appointed in the everyday curricula to start the day with the Morning Prayer, when the population of classes has changed and religious diversity exists in the classroom. It seems that some places are in more need of reform than others.
Parry,
You asked in your earlier comment about how could we motivate those in our buildings? My belief is if administration takes ownership then hopefully the trickle-down effect will occur. If those over us are waiting as Christian pointed out, “this too shall pass” then nothing will be changed. Additionally, I have seen moral in the schools goes down because of additional strains of new programs being placed on schools.
However, if the program is something that we all can be excited about, then we are eager to put it into motion. As a member of a Title I school, anything that involves technology for our students we rally together to use it “before we loose it”. SmartBoards are now in every classroom and seeing the smiles on the faces of our students are well worth the hours it took/takes to keep abreast on it. Even more impressive is to see our principal use it at staff meetings. J
Though I am not a “veteran” teacher, if there is no ownership from the top, there will be no ownership from the bottom and you won’t see it in the classroom unless it is time for observations.
Sharon,
Great questions that make me think more about the issue and how we talk about it.
For myself, I just need to be reasoned with. The key word is "with" not "at." A sharing, a dialogue, a listening on both ends. Evidence will help the reasoning be convincing, as will experience, stories, etc.
My motivation to try "new" things never diminishes. The point I was making with the mainstreaming example is that sometimes the new trends really aren't new; we have tried similar things before. We know what happened but no one is listening so we can avoid the problems we had last time. It is just assumed we are old and stuck in our ways and don't care instead.
Also, I hear several people saying that veteran teachers do what works for "them." It is not working for them if it is not working for the kids, right? If it isn't resulting in learning, how can it be working for them? So I am confused whether you are asking how to get veteran teachers to share their really good knowledge they already have that works for the kids, or if you are saying they are set in ways that don't really work for kids but are so habituated they don't want to change.
With respect to the former, just ask. I don't know too many teachers who don't love to share what they have already learned. I guess it is key that you ask with a genuine intention of listening, of course.
No doubt a good bit of the latter takes place with us as well. I've experienced having developed several great units over 15 years that are rich and varied only to have my district say, Guess what? We threw all those old novels you teach out and have all these new ones that are so relevant to kids today. What a waste. Those units were priceless and error free after so much experience with them. That is not to say we shouldn't add new books. But throw out everything? That shows little respect for lots of work and the people who did it.
Thanks, all, for the comments and questions. Great reading!
Marios,
Thanks for giving to words to some of the issues, feelings I have experienced re: dress codes. Saying the students thought of the administrator as "idiotic" because he was the "guard of hair length" is priceless! My principal spent untold hours with students and parents regarding dress codes and to me it seemed such a waste of her time. Not that I don't see how it can happen and that some kind of limits need to be set. I too would be all for uniforms knowing what kind of disruption and time is spent on clothing in school--especially middle and high schoolers (but has anyone read "Stop Dressing your Sixth Grader like a Skank?"--great book that indicates the problem is in elementary too). This is the kind of issue that shouldn't take an administrator's time or a teacher's time and yet does. Does anyone have the answer?
I really like what Robin said about the assumptions made of veteran teachers - "old and stuck in [their] ways". You know and I know one very important key to veterans of the field is that they would not have stuck around for all of those years if they did not genuinely love kids and want to make education better. Administrators who show a lack of respect by asking them to "throw out" all of thier old stuff will often meet with resistance to change or follow them. Instead, perhaps, we can ask them to use all of that great material to adapt it to newer materials; teach us how to meet the objectives that were so effective in their units. This can help them to realize how much their experience is valued.
In the U.S. we really do not treat our elderly very well, and it is a cultural point that we need to think about as we callously disregard all of the "old ways" of teaching. California made that mistake when they introduced the concept of whole language - they tossed out the baby with the bath water, and here we are, almost 40 years later, desperately trying to reincorporate some of those teaching strategies that did have a place in teaching kids to read, like phonics. Honor and respect are values that must be shown to our 'old & wise' predecessors!
I also don't believe that we treat our children very well in this country either. It seems that our school system is stuck in its ways and does not want to change and that is not helping any of us. The system is not supposed to work only for the educators.... it is supposed to work for those needing to be educated and this adjust for those not being educated. If administrators are not able or willing to motivate their teachers... why are the teachers going to attempt to motivate those students who are in most need?
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