STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE AND CONSISTENT WHOLE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
BY : JEFF EVANS
A common starting point is to conduct a whole school needs analysis , which could take the form of teacher and student surveys , lesson observation analysis or external audit / inspection findings . One major shift in recent years has been to move away from a traditional “ one size fits all ” model of whole staff training in favour of optional needs-driven menus where individual teachers or departments take part in the most relevant focused training opportunity .
Since March 2020 , most school leaders and teachers have found themselves in challenging times which require even more flexibility and hard work than a typical school year . We often speak of lateral thinking and problem-solving skills related to student personal development goals ; in recent months , the creativity and rapid adaptation seen in school teaching teams have been impressive . Let me begin this article by expressing congratulations and appreciation for the tremendous efforts of our education community .
School development is a complex and far-reaching process which must have consistent leadership and regular focused monitoring to be effective . Professional development or lesson visits are at risk of becoming an annual compliance exercise if they are not linked closely and explicitly to the school development / improvement plan targets .
Based on experience with a wide range of private schools across the UAE , Europe and the Far East – the most successful strategies for enhancing pedagogy have four common elements :
5 Clarity – in terms of purpose , context and desired outcomes
5 Relevance – to student learning , teachers ’ skill / approach and SIP goals
5 Consistency – across year groups , |
grades , |
subjects |
and |
teaching |
teams |
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5 Reflection – what works and why ? How can we adapt approaches / ideas for greater impact based on our school context or community demographic ?
“ Teacher evaluation systems are often intended to serve the purpose of providing feedback and guidance for improving professional practice . In fact , most authors identify the fundamental purposes of teacher evaluation as improving performance and documenting accountability . The performance improvement function relates to the personal growth dimension and involves helping teachers learn about , reflect on , and improve their practice .”
Iwanicki , E . F . ( 1990 ). Teacher evaluation for school improvement . In J . Millman and L . Darling-Hammond ( Eds .), The new handbook of teacher evaluation : Assessing elementary and secondary school teachers ( pp . 158 – 171 ). Newbury Park , CA : Sage .
Involving middle leaders and teachers in the planning and delivery of training workshops means that we build internal capacity . Schools who encourage and expect input from all teachers ; encourage staff to step up and learn from each other ; generate more positive attitudes and outcomes than those where teachers are viewed as passive participants . One superbly positive example was a school-wide program to evaluate classroom learning environments – teachers visited in total three classrooms in other areas of the school ( subject and age range ) to reflect on :
5 Evidence |
of |
learning |
skill |
development |
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5 Examples of student collaboration and teamwork
5 Evidence |
of |
progress / learning |
journeys |
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Each teacher left a short note for the host classroom teacher ; however , the most important and beneficial outcome was rich dialogue in staff rooms , corridors and subsequent rapid improvement . Where practice was previously weak , it leapt forward , and most colleagues took positive examples and ideas back into their own learning spaces .
Sharing best practice via peer classroom visits or “ learning hubs ” has always been beneficial . In the best examples , teachers self-select or are guided to visit specific colleagues or
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Term 2 Jan - Mar 2021 Class Time