Tag Archives: teachers

Teacher Leaders Require Unique Training

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CaptureIn our data-driven educational climate, schools are pressed to validate learning objectives. Measuring outcomes can diminish more process oriented student preparation, such as balancing self-directed learning in mixed readiness classes. Pressures of time, content, and method often leave teachers choosing between cultivating creativity and production.

Emerging teacher leaders navigate this challenge for themselves but also for their peers who need their support. In preparation for these challenges, teachers need a model of professional development that considers a range of factors including knowledge, interest, capability but also time, learning style, and modality.

The notion that children are essentially blank slates (tabula rasas) waiting to be filled with knowledge was the impetus for a pedagogical model of education in which the teacher (or state) decided what and how the child should be taught. Teacher education followed this model and mandated and prescribed training made up much of the current professional development model.

The seventies brought a new perspective on how people learn and how teaching should be provided. Andragogy recognizes the adult learners’ experiences as a central motivator for learning. Much of what is now referred to as learner-driven training was developed out of this model. However, despite the flexibility in delivery methods (on-line and in-person) little of the material is truly learner-centered and is still based on what has been determined to be necessary for teachers to master.

In the year 2000, researchers Stewart Hase and Chris Kenyon coined the term heutagogy to describe learning that is not dependent on problem solving, rather is more pro-active and nature and builds on the learner’s skills and curiosity. Learners determine their own path through reflection, interest and collaboration with others.  The process of learning becomes as important, if not more, than what is learned.  Heutagogy leads to capable, creative, self-actualized individuals with a high capacity to work well with others and respond to rapid change.

Any model however has its limitations. Heutagogy, the polarity of state directed learning, which was limited with autonomy and creativity, may have opposite limitations. If teachers are engaged in self-directed learning, the potential for isolation, a lack of social learning, and a reduction in discriminative learning via debate is also possible.

With self-directed learning, educators will still need a model that allows for interaction when and if it’s needed, to account for their constraints of time and unique interests, capabilities, and learning styles. This future hybrid model of self-directed learning has not yet been named, but labtagogy may be a start (lab= to work with, work out, hard work; ‘agogue’= a person or thing that leads or incites action).

This future platform might capitalize on experience and knowledge across many disciplines that intersect with education, and may blur the line between educator and learner, expert and novice.  Growing self-directed, self-actualized teachers will require an approach to school leadership that is less top-down and that recognizes the potential for leadership across discipline, title and position.

How ready is your school for such a direction?

 

Are You “Matronizing” Your Students?

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CaptureMy son was complaining about his teacher the other day and said “She’s always patronizing me!” I guess those vocabulary study sheets really do work. When I pressed my child further to describe his experience with his teacher, he confirmed that she often speaks to him as though he doesn’t know anything, she doesn’t give him time to figure a thing out before providing an answer and generally has a lot of advice for him about how he should be doing things.  Mind you, I was a bit glad to let the teacher take this heat for a while as these are often complaints lodged at me as well.

My first instinct was to come to the teacher’s defense while still somehow making my child feel better.  “Oh honey, she probably just wants to make sure you understand so you’ll do well in the class.  I’ll talk to her tomorrow and let her know you were upset.”

By this time my child was long gone.  He had tuned me out completely and I might as well have been talking to the fish tank.  In trying to smooth over his experience of frustration had I, in fact, “matronized” him?

The teacher and I had both missed the chance to related to my child through his own experiences, instead we were driven by our own desires to advise (in her case) or comfort (in mine).  And in these efforts, we unwittingly created distance between ourselves and my child.    Research suggests that we learn best when we feel validated and supported enough to take risks and engage in challenging activities.  We are best able to feel that support through relating to others, through feeling heard and seen.

Imagine a long pole.  At one end is patronizing behavior – behavior that puts the student down, establishes teacher as expert, student as less than.  At the other might be ‘matronizing’, behavior that enables helplessness, that coddles and prevents the child from learning to tolerate difficult feelings.  This behavior can result in the child feeling helpless or can diminish the child’s ability to take personal responsibility for his thoughts, feelings and actions.  Somewhere in the middle is behavior that acknowledges the child’s experience without solving, that says “I hear you. That’s tough.  What might you want to do about that?”

To use classroom experiences, direct instruction might be at the patronizing end of the continuum.  Teacher and students are handed down information which is not to be questioned or altered.  The script, the worksheet, and therefore, the teacher are ‘right’, and by default, any student not meeting the expectations is wrong.  At the other end of the spectrum one might argue that invented spelling and participation trophies send the message that the student is always ‘right’, that there is little need for self-evaluation and improvement. Neither end empowers the student to become more aware of his own strengths and areas for growth.

So do you ‘matronize’ your students?  If you say yes to 3 or more of these questions, you might be compromising a closer relationship with your students and providing them less of a chance to become independent, capable learners.

  1. I never let a student know if I am displeased with their work.
  2. I make certain every student gets a sticker or a star every day. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel left out.
  3. I am quick to redirect a student’s frustration or anger.
  4. I am uncomfortable if a student expresses sadness during class.
  5. When a student says “I’m stupid”, I’m quick to say ‘No you’re not!’.

Key to quiz answers:

  1. Children can learn to make changes to study habits and behavior when a teacher is clear about what is acceptable and what is not, especially when the criticism is not directed at the student’s character or sense of self.
  2. Universal approval may make students feel better in the short run, but can make it difficult for the student to understand where they need to improve. Approval appears to be subjective and based on the teacher’s grace, perhaps outside of the student’s ability to obtain.
  3. Frustration and anger are often indicators that a student has reached an area for growth. When taught to tolerate frustration, a student can learn to push through difficulties and master new skills.
  4. Sadness is another emotion that students must learn to tolerate. If they are too quickly soothed or redirected, each new disappointment can feel just as difficult to bear.
  5. Honoring a child’s experience can help them to gain more perspective. When a child says “I’m stupid”, offering “Something feels difficult to you right now and you’re feeling bad about yourself for struggling with it” allows the student to notice their thought patterns and consider alternatives.

Cookie Cutter Education Can Take its Toll on Job Satisfaction

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Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do

and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. —General George S. Patton

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Scripted curricula, manualized education plans with uniform outcomes and detailed discipline/ classroom management guidelines may be making schools more uniform, but what do they cost in terms of teacher health and children’s learning?

The latest federal schools and staffing survey reveals that teachers are continuing to feel they have less professional autonomy in every area from teaching strategies and amount of homework given to discipline. The loss is felt most by veteran teachers, those with ten years of experience or more. Sadly, a recent Gallup poll showed nearly 70 percent of teachers surveyed reported feeling disengaged from their work.  When teachers no longer feel connected to their work, they find it difficult to bring energy to the classroom and are less available for caring positive relationships with their students.  The emotional connection between teacher and student is one of the core elements of the learning process, one that cannot be prescribed in a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model.

To be fair, there may be such a thing as too much autonomy.  Not everyone works well with little direction.  When not managed well, an autonomous workplace can be seen as disorganized and chaotic and newer, less experienced teachers, often placed in high-needs areas, may struggle without greater administrative oversite.  Too much control and teachers burn out, too little and they can feel isolated and unsupported.

Students are expected to learn critical thinking and decision making skills, in essence generating their own critical independent thinking skills.  This can only be accomplished in an environment that embraces autonomy and creativity and allows for learning through trial and error.  When the school culture prohibits teachers from collaboration and innovation, when decisions are made top-down and void of input from teachers, students are robbed of the chance to see leadership in action.  Students need teachers who are enthusiastic about their craft and models for how to embody a love of knowledge and to create their own fulfilling work.

Teachers interact with the students of their schools on a daily basis. They know what works and what doesn’t.  Schools wishing to empower greater teacher autonomy can start by finding ways to include teachers in decisions concerning hiring and firing; learning materials; discipline; scheduling, budgets and salaries. Teachers can help encourage a more teacher-led approach by welcoming opportunities to collaborate, mentor and learn from one another.  In the end, it will be the students who reap the rewards as their teachers remain excited and committed to their passion for the profession.

 

Families Don’t Accept the Way the Cookie Crumbles When it Comes to Teacher Cuts

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12144919_816902248421035_5366000602956885724_nA recent protest in Seattle called attention to the increasing trend of viewing teachers as expendable resources that can be cut any time the budget gets tight.  The Half-Baked Bake Sale was a tounge-in-cheek way to point out the absurdity of expecting to fund basic education through car washes and bake sales. Treats like Bum Deal Brownies and Chopping Block Chocolate Chip Cookies were priced at 0.5 FTE.  Cupcakes were sold at $18 a piece, the equivalent of one hour of an instructional aide.

While the situation is bad in Washington State (currently the state is paying $100,000.00 a day in court fines for failing to adequately fund basic education needs), teacher cuts, cramped classrooms and limited resources plague districts around the country. These cuts have devastating effects on children and the community.  As parent Shawna Murphy, one of the bake sale organizers, said, “Teachers are children’s lifeline and path out of poverty”.

Teachers suffer at a personal level in this climate as well. Fellow bake sale organizer Carolyn Leith points out that ‘the humanity of our teachers and their students is stripped away’ when funding decisions favor bottom line, test result-driven funding decisions.  When teachers feel their self-worth devalued, when they internalize the belief that they are replaceable resources, it is difficult to form the kinds of relationships with children that research shows is necessary to connect with children and inspire them to learn.

The tendency, when resources are scarce, is to isolate and protect one’s self.  Teachers stay in their classrooms, ‘just do their jobs’ and hope to stay off the radars for the next wave of cuts.  When teachers lose the human connection to their work, they are at risk of burnout, depression and stress related illnesses. Increased absences and complaints, a lack of enthusiasm at work and a resistance to sharing and collaborating might be signs that you or a colleague is approaching dangerous levels of stress at work.

Parents know that their children’s well-being depends on the health of their teachers.  Well teachers teach well.  The Seattle protest highlights the need for teachers and parents to join together to demand that teachers be recognized as more than deliverers of content but as creators of connections between children and their world. Please visit our website here to learn more about how maintain wholeness in a system that is becoming increasingly fractured.

A final note about Seattle’s bake sale.  Parents raised a grand total of $329 which they split among three high-needs schools and a Special Education PTA. The proposed cuts are still being made.

 

 

How to Make Happy Parents

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CaptureTrying to make parents happy is impossible.  Making happy parents, however, is something different.  When your goal is no longer trying to meet every need of every parent in every moment, you can focus your energy on building rewarding relationships with families.  The happier parents are, in general, the more invested they will be in what you’re doing, the more supportive they’ll be with your efforts and the less disruptive they will be to your day.

Our latest course “Making Happy Parents”, offers ten steps to build better relationships with the families of the children you teach so disgruntled parents don’t sap your energy.  Here are a few tips to get you started:

Stay Organized: A chief complaint of parents is the feeling that they are not getting correct information in a timely manner about assignments, school events and classroom activities.  Sometimes this is beyond your control but the more you can do to keep parents updated with detailed and correct information the fewer emails and calls you will have to deal with the answer questions and the more prepared your students are likely to be.

The Feedback Sandwich: You may remember this from your own reviews.  When talking to a parent about his or her child, try ‘sandwiching’ constructive feedback between encouraging comments about the child’s strengths. Parents are more likely to consider criticism if they are aware that you are also noticing what the child is accomplishing.  “Felicia is so enthusiastic about the books we read in class.  I’m noticing that she doesn’t always complete the book reports I assign, but her love of reading is exciting.”

Be Clear About Your Expectations: Tell parents what you expect of them and their children early and often.  If you are relying on a handout that was sent home the first week of school to inform parents about your grading, homework and attendance policies, there’s a good chance you’ll be repeating yourself a great deal throughout the year.  Review your expectations with students regularly and consider reminder notes, emails or update events throughout the year to inform families before there’s a problem.  Parents are likely to be more supportive when they feel informed and prepared.

For more steps towards happier parents, log in to our course “Making Parents Happy”.