One
of the most prevalent themes which has emerged in education throughout this era
is that of engagement. It is widely recognized that if we want our
students to maximize their learning, then we need to effectively engage them in
the process. This in turn creates meaningful, exciting and intense
learning experiences. All that being said, there is another component to
engagement which also has a dramatic impact on learning, and is not discussed
nearly as much. I would contend that teacher engagement is likewise
critically important to student learning and success. In fact, studies
have shown over and over again that conditions which allow teachers to be
engaged and teach at their best, are also the same factors which encouraged
students to learn at their best.
(1) The two are utterly
intertwined. Considering this, it becomes imperative that teachers are
effectively engaged in their teaching and learning. The question which
then arises is how can we ensure this? I believe there are a number of
key factors which when present and applied effectively engage and motivate
teachers.
Supportive Leadership: When
people lack autonomy and the ability to make decisions…they begin to lose
motivation and engagement. Teachers respond and are engaged when they are
valued and their professional judgement is supported. In such situations
teachers are given more autonomy with decision making by Principals who
then build upon this capacity and facilitate growth in all staff
members. (2) This is not a “top down” vision, it is more of a
collaborative team approach, all working together for the best interests of
students. There may be instances where this approach will be taken
advantage of, but in my personal experience such instances are few and far
between. Nevertheless, if this does happen, a supportive Principal will
address any such behaviour quickly and thoroughly as it will otherwise threaten
the positivity and engagment which has been built with the rest of the
staff. A supportive leader who encourages risk taking, professional
judgement and critical thinking can go a long way in building and helping to
sustain teacher engagement.
More Time: For
most teachers I know, if you asked them what they need the most to do a great
job, they would say time.
There are numerous demands made on a teacher’s time each and every
day. From planning lessons and units, meeting in professional learning
teams, marking student work, performing administrative tasks, running
extra-curricular clubs, meeting with parents and of course…teaching! The
demands really are endless. Also, since the vast majority of a teacher’s
day is spent with the children (which is their favorite part of the job I may
add), most of the other tasks have to be done during personal time. The
reality of the job is that everyday is different and the expectations are
huge. Despite the best of intentions, there just does not seem to ever be
enough time to tackle that “to do” list and not only is this challenging,
but it is frustrating and demoralizing at the same time. By providing
more time for teachers they begin to feel more valued and engaged in the
process. One way this can be accomplished is for the supportive principal
to “filter” what comes down to teacher in the way of paperwork or those ever
changing initiatives of the day. One thing I do personally is complete
these tasks for teachers. My philosophy for doing that is that it means
more time is then actually spent between teachers and students. In turn I
am able to see both become engaged to a level which is not attainable when a
teacher has to spend so much time doing “busy” paperwork.
Relationships with Students: There is little doubt that
building relationships with students is the most engaging part of the teaching
profession by far. There is an extremely strong bond which exists between
teachers and their students. This often lasts well beyond the years when
the students are in the teacher’s classroom. In fact, former students will
frequently visit many years later when they have become doctors, nurses or even
teachers themselves! To see their students develop and grow into
contributing members of society, and to realize that they played a
huge part of this, is the most powerful and motivating teacher engagement
factor which exists.
Effective
teacher engagement is critical for student success and therefore must be
nurtured and encouraged. I believe the aforementioned factors do exactly
this. Of course there are other methods to promote teacher engagement,
such as collaboration, professional development and the recognition of
accomplishments. However, these are all covered through supportive
leadership and the provision of more time. Overall these 3 top factors
cover an extensive area and if properly created will permeate into the
entire culture and climate of a school. This is what true teacher
engagement is all about.
