Essential Question: What would it take to walk into any class, at any time in your school, to observe practice, learn from your colleagues, give feedback and see your students learning in other contexts?
De-Privatising Teaching
According to Michael Fullan (2008) De-privatising teaching is one of our “biggest fights – to establish a culture in the teaching profession where it is normal and desirable for all teachers to observe and to be observed teaching. (p. 52). The ‘norm of privacy’ suggests Fullan, “has withstood decades of attempts to change it”. And in our international schools, the delicacy of our cultural context can often make it like treading on eggshells, as proud teachers guard their teaching spaces as terra firma, upon which all checks and balances must be completed before entering. But what if it was normal and desirable for all teachers to observe and be observed? What if observation and feedback from our peers happened all the time, in an iterative manner – without the need for formal processes? Indeed, in our greatest schools – it already does, and it is from those schools we can draw hope and inspiration that teaching and the outcomes of our students – is everyone’s shared best interest. So, how do we get there? And what role does the Principal play in establishing a climate in which it becomes the norm? First, let us discuss why.
Why De-Privatise Teaching?
There are a host of reasons why we must continue to break down the barriers to our colleagues’ classrooms, and they include that it:
- – Improves teaching practice through feedback
- – Builds cultures of collaboration
- – Promotes consistency and equity in student experience
- – Encourages reflective practice
- – Offers support to Early Career Teachers
- – Leads to evidence-informed innovation
- – Destigmatises being observed
- – Breaks down hierarchical structures
Improving Teaching Practice Through Feedback
Let us focus for a moment on how an ongoing culture of observation and being observed can enhance teaching practice. This may be done in a way that is linked to the school’s professional development plan or tied in to a greater overall system-wide goal to improve the outcomes for students in certain curriculum areas. Using one specific area – for example, questioning, a school can quickly build up a bank of what questions teachers are asking, to what students they are being asked and what the typical replies to those questions are. This can help to remove bias in who questions are asked to, how teachers reply, connect, extend and challenge students and ultimately set themselves the goal of being even more effective practitioners when it comes to questioning. Link it to Rowes’ (1986) research on wait time (when wait time was extended to 3+ seconds, students gave more complex answers and asked more questions themselves) and practice makes a leap forward.
I am uniquely aware that in many schools this already happens. But the point I am trying to make is that when teachers show a genuine interest in how our students interact, behave, and learn in other contexts – its power becomes transformative, as they support their colleagues, carry that learning into their own classrooms and support students’ overall learning journey – rather than adopting a mindset in which they feel they are only responsible for what goes on in their own classrooms – they aren’t. The goal of creating an interdependent culture, suddenly becomes an achievable reality.
Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction
Key idea: Effective teachers ask large numbers of questions, check for understanding, and guide practice.
Encourages guided practice through questioning, scaffolding thinking, and providing corrective feedback.
Reference: Rosenshine, B. (2012).Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know.American Educator, 36(1), pp.12-39.
How Principals De-Privatise Teaching
In her 2008 report, Teacher Professional Learning and Development, commissioned by the OECD, Helen Timperley synthesised global research and identified key characteristics of effective professional learning. Among the published findings were sustained opportunities for practice and feedback. According to Fullan (2008) International School Principals de-privatise teaching when they:
- – Declare de-privatisation the goal
- – Combine transparency
- – Support teacher leaders
- – Drive home a moral purpose
- – Create peer interaction (without micromanaging it)
Making De-Privatising the Goal
To bring about cultural change, allowing teachers the freedom and trust to walk into any class at any time – needs to be a stated objective. In interview; in meetings and importantly – communicated to parents, who will be quick to ask why other teachers are consistently in lessons that aren’t theirs. “At [stated school] we actively encourage our teaching and wider school staff to contribute to the ongoing development and greater good of our teaching practices and student outcomes. We believe that great teaching ideas come from anyone – at any level of our school” is a simple communication tool to get you started.
“At [stated school] we actively encourage our teaching and wider school staff to contribute to the ongoing development and greater good of our teaching practices and student outcomes. We believe that great teaching ideas come from anyone – at any level of our school”.
When it is openly communicated to new staff, prospective staff during the interview process and parents, that it is completely normal for teachers to observe and be observed, the hardest part of the journey has been overcome.
Forging Transparency
Allowing your school staff to be able to view, observe (and give feedback) develops a culture of transparency and, as Fullan (2011) states, creates an environment in which ‘Learning is the work’. The role of the teacher is to ensure that students learn, increasingly for the greater global good. Being transparent means there are no ‘golden’ practices that teachers hoard and that we avoid a ‘one-off’ culture in which some teachers will deliberately withhold what they feel is their ‘best lesson’ for when they are being observed. Egos go out of the window as the collective capacity of the teaching body is what matters and staff know they they are only as good as the weakest player on the team. This (positively) leads to support, mentoring, coaching, the access to and ongoing sharing of ideas and resources.
Creating Opportunities
Many staff will want to go further. Some will become hooked on instructional coaching, some will be ready and willing to share their EAL expertise. Indeed at the start of the school year – having your Head of EAL physically in a substantial number of classes will help them to create a wonderful picture of how the Department itself can best support its teaching colleagues. Teachers can observe teachers. We can observe planning too. Librarians can observe classes to see what students are reading, and how they are using English. Have your Drama teachers look at ways in which colleagues can develop students abilities to speak confidently. Lean on the talents of the PE Department to look for ways in which childrens physical capacities can be brought out in class. The opportunities that a culture of reciprocal observation creates are limitless.
Leading with Moral Purpose
Breaking down the barriers to our classrooms means that we lead with moral purpose. Our intentions are for our students and how we want to create the best all-round experience for them and in doing so recognise the talent at a school’s disposal to support its mission. Leading with ‘Mission Integrity’ as it has been referred to means that when we say that we are a school that “takes risks’ we back it up with tangible actions that support it.
In Conclusion…
The idea of being able to walk into any classroom at any time of day in our international schools is a reality in some schools, and a stated ambition in others. It is also a deep fear in some. It requires effective leadership, including (but not limited to) an ability to communicate the importance surrounding the concept; listening to the feedback it generates; and an awareness of the importance of developing equity in the experience of our students. It requires a culture in which everyone assumes ‘positive intent’ and a desire to look for the smallest changes that make the biggest difference.
What does it look like to you?
Do comment, and share with anyone who might find it useful.
The Leading Your International School Qualification – (LYIS-Q) launches this September.
References
Fullan, M. (2008). What’s Worth Fighting For in the Principalship?2nd ed. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (2011). Learning is the Work. Toronto: Pearson Canada.
Rosenshine, B. (2012).Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. American Educator, 36(1), pp.12–19.
Rowe, M.B. (1986).Wait Time: Slowing Down May Be a Way of Speeding Up!, Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), pp.43–50.https://doi.org/10.1177/002248718603700110
Timperley, H. (2008). Teacher professional learning and development. Brussels: International Academy of Education & International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), UNESCO.