14. Motivation
1. develop conditions that enhance the staff’s willingness to focus on achieving educational excellence;
2. plan and encourage participation;
3. facilitate teamwork and provide intellectual stimulation and support innovation;
4. recognize and reward effective performance;
5. provide feedback, coaching, guidance, and needed resources.
Most individuals are, by nature, nature, is resistant to change, sometimes even when the change is for a good and recognized purpose. Moving outside of our comfort zone takes support, guidance, and resources. School leaders need to assist their staff when implementing new initiatives or simply continuing on the school’s existing improvement plan, which requires low-level change on a constant basis. It is important to recognize the importance of encouraging staff willingness to undertake change for the greater good. The first step is to create an atmosphere of trust, then to make the purpose and benefits of the undertaking clear. At this point, if people feel that they are part of the process, they will be more apt to embrace it. Then, as process moves forward, it is important for the leader to stay in touch with the practice of each teacher/teaching team, to give support, provide resources and coaching, and celebrate success.
When working with new teachers, the focus of the motivation is slightly different. Staff who are new to the profession generally come motivated to embrace educational innovations. For them, the techniques to use would be to support them using teams and/or mentors, coaching, and recognizing effort. Principals will also do well to guide new staff in how to keep on the pathway of progress rather than being sidetracked by naysayers. Teams of more experienced teacher benefit from including new teachers as they bring intrinsic motivation, and often already have studied the innovations that are being implemented as part of their training.
During the past couple of years, I have experienced different methods of motivating staff; one was a specific group, the other a whole staff. When I was facilitating our department Professional Learning Community (PLC), I selected a goal that fit well with both the group and district goals: increasing proficient scores on the MCA science test. From there, we examined the structure of the MCA science test sample items to see the benchmarks addressed by each, and as a team, designed and studied lessons to teach them. The key, I think, was selecting a goal that appealed to the group, making the entire team part of the process, guiding to the ultimate goal while being mindful of the fact that team members had ideas that changed our direction, but also improved both the result and process. One additional key to our success was maintaining direction with written communication between meetings.
The other situation where I experienced different methods of motivation was (and will continue to be) key is the change in our school’s master schedule to allow for a mini-period (Pilot Time) that will be used for targeted interventions, enrichment, and allowing students with band and a foreign language the chance to meet their health and physical education requirements. The school moved from a 5-period day to a 6-period day the year before I arrived and it was a huge shift for the staff, so another change so soon – 3 years later – was met with resistance. The technique that we used to introduce this new period was to fully discuss the switch within the Leadership Team, which has members from all departments within the school, and then allow this team to inform the staff about the details of Pilot Time after the concept was introduced in a staff meeting. By allowing for small group explanations, we were able to put a lot of the staff worries to rest. The change in schedule is relatively small; it is how we will be using the time that will be the biggest change. To get the staff on board with this, we generated ideas for what the time could be used for and distributed this to the staff. Then, at staff meeting, we surveyed the staff to see which mini-course they would be interested in leading, and asked for additional suggestions. This was a major turning point for the staff; most embraced the process of planning. Also important was the fact that this schedule would allow for the PLCs to meet during the school day. As we move into the next phase of implementing the schedule, it will be important to support and celebrate the process.
As I plan to implement changes in my building and bring new teachers into the profession, it is important for me to remain part leader and part cheerleader. I need to be aware of, and act on problems, staff stress, and really successful pockets within my building. I cannot be caught up in any negative vibe that is part of the process, but instead, must lend support and resources as needed to assist in re-directing the momentum in a positive direction. I need to be there for support and recognition, not to lead each step of the process. Trust, communication, and momentum are key components in motivation, but also important is having a clear goal and strong implementation team to keep the momentum up and the target in mind.
1. develop conditions that enhance the staff’s willingness to focus on achieving educational excellence;
2. plan and encourage participation;
3. facilitate teamwork and provide intellectual stimulation and support innovation;
4. recognize and reward effective performance;
5. provide feedback, coaching, guidance, and needed resources.
Most individuals are, by nature, nature, is resistant to change, sometimes even when the change is for a good and recognized purpose. Moving outside of our comfort zone takes support, guidance, and resources. School leaders need to assist their staff when implementing new initiatives or simply continuing on the school’s existing improvement plan, which requires low-level change on a constant basis. It is important to recognize the importance of encouraging staff willingness to undertake change for the greater good. The first step is to create an atmosphere of trust, then to make the purpose and benefits of the undertaking clear. At this point, if people feel that they are part of the process, they will be more apt to embrace it. Then, as process moves forward, it is important for the leader to stay in touch with the practice of each teacher/teaching team, to give support, provide resources and coaching, and celebrate success.
When working with new teachers, the focus of the motivation is slightly different. Staff who are new to the profession generally come motivated to embrace educational innovations. For them, the techniques to use would be to support them using teams and/or mentors, coaching, and recognizing effort. Principals will also do well to guide new staff in how to keep on the pathway of progress rather than being sidetracked by naysayers. Teams of more experienced teacher benefit from including new teachers as they bring intrinsic motivation, and often already have studied the innovations that are being implemented as part of their training.
During the past couple of years, I have experienced different methods of motivating staff; one was a specific group, the other a whole staff. When I was facilitating our department Professional Learning Community (PLC), I selected a goal that fit well with both the group and district goals: increasing proficient scores on the MCA science test. From there, we examined the structure of the MCA science test sample items to see the benchmarks addressed by each, and as a team, designed and studied lessons to teach them. The key, I think, was selecting a goal that appealed to the group, making the entire team part of the process, guiding to the ultimate goal while being mindful of the fact that team members had ideas that changed our direction, but also improved both the result and process. One additional key to our success was maintaining direction with written communication between meetings.
The other situation where I experienced different methods of motivation was (and will continue to be) key is the change in our school’s master schedule to allow for a mini-period (Pilot Time) that will be used for targeted interventions, enrichment, and allowing students with band and a foreign language the chance to meet their health and physical education requirements. The school moved from a 5-period day to a 6-period day the year before I arrived and it was a huge shift for the staff, so another change so soon – 3 years later – was met with resistance. The technique that we used to introduce this new period was to fully discuss the switch within the Leadership Team, which has members from all departments within the school, and then allow this team to inform the staff about the details of Pilot Time after the concept was introduced in a staff meeting. By allowing for small group explanations, we were able to put a lot of the staff worries to rest. The change in schedule is relatively small; it is how we will be using the time that will be the biggest change. To get the staff on board with this, we generated ideas for what the time could be used for and distributed this to the staff. Then, at staff meeting, we surveyed the staff to see which mini-course they would be interested in leading, and asked for additional suggestions. This was a major turning point for the staff; most embraced the process of planning. Also important was the fact that this schedule would allow for the PLCs to meet during the school day. As we move into the next phase of implementing the schedule, it will be important to support and celebrate the process.
As I plan to implement changes in my building and bring new teachers into the profession, it is important for me to remain part leader and part cheerleader. I need to be aware of, and act on problems, staff stress, and really successful pockets within my building. I cannot be caught up in any negative vibe that is part of the process, but instead, must lend support and resources as needed to assist in re-directing the momentum in a positive direction. I need to be there for support and recognition, not to lead each step of the process. Trust, communication, and momentum are key components in motivation, but also important is having a clear goal and strong implementation team to keep the momentum up and the target in mind.
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Sample PLC-PDP minutes.doc Size : 0.02 Kb Type : doc |
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Staff Pilot Time Survey responses.doc Size : 0.056 Kb Type : doc |
