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Terry FreedmanManaging Change: Engaging The Teachers
I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the management of change, as I am giving a couple of presentations on the subject next week. I've been looking in particular at how whole schools can be moved in a new direction, and have identified several key factors which are essential for success.
One of those factors, or conglomeration of factors to be more accurate, is teacher engagement. If teachers don't want to get involved, the change won't happen. Or it may happen in a way that ticks the boxes, but not much more than that. So how do you engage teachers?
I could write a book on that (and books have been written on it), but what it all comes down to is really quite simple: if the (proposed) change helps the teachers to achieve their aims better, they'll adopt it. As long as they can see that to be the case, of course.
Get smartOne way in which to achieve that is to make sure that the technology is used in a relevant way, and not merely for its own sake. I saw some great examples of relevant use yesterday, when I visited Scargill Junior School in the London Borough of Havering. Interactive Whiteboards, Visualisers and a variety of handheld devices were being used in numeracy and literacy classes, and we also saw or were told about other inspiring examples in subjects like science and PE.
What especially impressed me (among many things which impressed me), was that much thought had gone into how each device and application might be used in a number of contexts, or act as a stimulus. For example, Nintendo Dogs led to a unit of work in which the children study the use of working dogs throughout history.
This kind of curriculum planning works. I saw it in every school I visited in the London Borough of Newham's multimedia project, involving seven schools, which I helped to set up.
Teachers are, on the whole, pragmatists, and dedicated to their work. Give them compelling reasons to adopt new technology and new approaches, and they will do so.
Thanks to Dave Smith of Havering for setting up the visit, and to Amanda (Headteacher) and Karen (ICT subject leader) for a most inspiring morning. Scargill was a winner at the 2008 Handheld Learning Conference: see this article for details.
For more information about how games and handheld learning devices are being used in education, see the forthcoming special edition of Computers in Classrooms, the free ezine.
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Reader Comments (6)
Teachers, in common with many people, tend to be resistant to change unless they feel in control of it or that it is beneficial to them (and their work).
Teacher engagement needs to be managed carefully because the natural resistance to change may lead to anything new simply being absorbed or incorporated into existing practices or models.
There is a risk with ed tech, for example, that the technology is simply used to re-inforce current practice rather than transform that practice.
There is a risk that if we prioritise relevancy too highly then the change may be lost. The relevancy needs to be associated with new ways of working rather than with current ways of working. Otherwise, again, we risk reinforcing old ways and habits but simply make them look new with flashy tech.
In essence I feel the practical approaches to teacher engagement need to be aligned to a more strategic approach and reasoning for any change.
But when you say teacher engagement may not be that easy, I thihjnk if it is dealt with in a strategic way, it should be. Not simple, perhaps, but definitely easy!
I also agree with the comment by Doug, when he talks about needing technology to transform current teaching practice. Kids today are so exposed to technology that it has changed the way they learn. It is harder for them to sit still for long periods, and since technology is somewhat responsible for that, it only makes sense that technology is used to teach (and reach) these modern students. And your point on teacher engagement cannot be overdone, it is the critical piece to this. So many ideas in education are forced on teachers, without giving them the proper training and assistance. They are usually left out of the decision-making process as well. Since teachers are the ones implementing technology in classrooms, they need to be part of the process from start to finish.
the profile can in fact be self reinforcing- eg cutting edge teachers want to work in cutting edge schools, and some schools haven't yet entered the 20th century let alone the 21st....