Empowering Educators: Leading with Love
September 17, 2024
Start Here
September 17, 2024
Ruhama Welcher and Suzanne Sackstein, Ph.D.
The results of multiple research studies across a variety of contexts have found that the only factor that is consistently and significantly related to educational outcomes is teacher quality (see for example Hanushek and Rivkin, 2006; Hattie, 2008). A large-scale and high-profile study by McKinsey concluded that ‘the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers’ (Barber et al, 2007, pp.13). This is why we founded the Teacher Training Academy (TTA) in South Africa with the help of a generous funding grant from the LA Pincus Fund for Jewish Education. We identified the need to provide in-service training for Judaic studies teachers and rebbeim, giving them an opportunity to enhance their skills, whether they had been previously trained or had never received formal training before. Our goal was to raise the level of knowledge, skills, and understanding in Judaic studies lessons, by providing teachers with professional training in pedagogy and practice. We also intended to increase students’ engagement and enjoyment with Judaic studies and raise the profile of Judaic studies classes in the eyes of students and parents who sometimes perceive them to be managed less professionally than secular studies.
The Teacher Training Academy year-long training program was comprised of workshops, reflective assignments, and lesson observations. The interactive workshops covered key areas such as lesson planning, differentiated instruction, behavior management, active learning, effective questioning, and assessment. However, research shows that teachers tend to have trouble adapting pedagogical models to context, and professional development opportunities can have little impact on teaching practice unless it can be ensured that teachers are able to apply the new knowledge (Barber et al, 2007, Baumfield et al, 2005, Higgins et al, 2007).
As such, each training workshop was followed by two components: first, an assignment that required teachers to practically apply the workshop content and reflect on their experience in doing so, and second, classroom observation by a TTA mentor. Over the course of the training program, each teacher was observed between 12-20 times (depending on their training needs) and given specific feedback on their strengths and areas for development.
The observations were a key component of the program. Our previous experiences in teacher-training had demonstrated that workshop content is rarely implemented. However, the classroom observations compelled teachers to implement what they had learned in a supportive environment, to the extent that the new practices became routine. Furthermore, post-observation feedback and discussion sessions enabled individualized support and mentoring, focusing on ways in which teachers could adapt the pedagogical approaches for their specific students, subjects, and teaching styles. Most importantly, the observations provided a safe and structured environment for self-reflection, which is an essential element of teacher growth.
During each post-observation feedback session, the first question posed by the TTA mentor required the teacher to reflect on the lesson in specific ways. Self-reflection is crucial because although a mentor can provide feedback and coaching that can help a teacher improve their practice, the teacher eventually graduates from the mentor and no longer receives this feedback. If the teacher can learn to self-reflect and self-evaluate on the success of a lesson, asking themselves what worked, how, and why – and what could be done differently next time – they become their own mentors and continue to drive self-improvement throughout their entire career.
Additional important components of the program included the completion of lesson plan forms by the teachers prior to the observations, and the completion of structured observation schedules by the TTA mentor during the observations. Requiring teachers to complete a formal lesson plan form underscored the significance of the observation and ensured that teachers prepared properly and attempted to implement workshop content. Moreover, teachers were tasked with identifying two to three key focus areas for development during each observation, with an expectation to demonstrate progress in these areas, thereby taking control of their own progress. The structured observation form completed by the TTA mentor during the observation made success criteria explicit to the teachers, while also providing a mechanism for tracking progress and trajectories.
The program was initially very successful; feedback from the teachers suggested that they had increased their appreciation of the importance of lesson planning and assessment, that they were using a greater variety of teaching methods, and that they had shifted to more active learning pedagogies. The post-workshop reflective assignments and lesson observations also allowed us to assess teachers’ understanding and application of the workshop material and evaluate their progress. Comparison of these assignments and observation records over time provided evidence of teachers’ progress and enhanced professional practice, indicating that they were becoming more competent in both their teaching skills, and their capacity for self-reflection over the course of the program. Notably, the teachers themselves identified that they now appreciate the ongoing potential for improvement in their teaching style and the need for continuous professional growth and development.
However, over time we recognized the need to refine our model for several reasons. Firstly, training individual teachers failed to influence the wider school culture, and teachers found it challenging to implement new practices such as sharing learning outcomes in isolation from their colleagues. Moreover, teachers expressed frustration with their school principals’ lack of engagement and support for their professional development, despite the significant personal time and financial investment the teachers had made in their training. This was largely attributed to principals’ limited awareness of teachers’ professional growth as they rarely (if ever) conducted classroom observations. Finally, we wanted to make the program more accessible to teachers and schools by making it more affordable.
As such, we developed a new school-based program that actively engaged the principals in the training process with the aim of empowering them to foster a culture of continuous professional development in their schools. We thus aspired to initiate a process that would continue long after the program’s conclusion. The new model included the same curriculum and triple blend of workshops, assignments, and observations. However, instead of a cohort consisting of individual teachers from several schools, the training was conducted at the school site and included the school principal and/or head of Judaic studies. Each school selected between six to ten teachers to participate, who attended training workshops together with the school principal. The workshops were followed by two lesson observations (per workshop, not per teacher,) which were conducted by both the TTA mentor and the principal/head of Judaic Studies. This new framework enabled schools to train up to ten teachers for less than the cost of training two teachers under the original program. It also made it easier for teachers to implement new initiatives proposed in the training; initiatives such as behaviour management policies can be significantly more effective when supported by other teachers and when introduced as part of a school wide cultural shift.
The decision to involve school principals in the workshops and observations was multifaceted. Firstly, we recognized that school principals needed to be familiar with the content of a workshop to effectively support teachers in its implementation. Moreover, we realized that due to numerous demands on the average school principal’s schedule, they were observing teachers’ lessons far less frequently than ideal, and when they did observe they were not necessarily able to identify the priorities for coaching. By observing lessons and providing feedback alongside the TTA mentor, principals gained the necessary framework, language, and appreciation for the value of teacher observations. This process was designed to empower school leaders with the tools to continue the mentoring and training process initiated by the TTA.
The program successfully enhanced teacher practice at both individual and school-culture levels. Principals reported notable changes in teacher practice such as the increased use of starter and plenary activities, improved differentiation tools, inclusion of learning outcomes in plan books, and the adoption of more effective assessment methods. Principals were also encouraged by the enthusiasm shown by teachers in implementing the workshop content. For example, one principal reflected, “From the first training I had teachers sending me worksheets they had created already. Was incredible to see.”
The impact of the program on school culture was evident in the formal and informal discussion in staffrooms. For instance, one teacher noted that
“the points are discussed at length in our staff room. [Teachers] often bounce off each other (to determine) the best way to make them applicable to a Gemara shiur.”
Some principals reported school-wide changes that took place based on workshop content, describing, for example, that “…exit cards are becoming a culture within the school, across “all grades.” Also, that “Lesson observations/pop-ins and Google Classroom posts show that teachers are frequently using learning outcomes, starter, and plenary activities, and many teachers have included more critical thinking activities. Tools like mini white boards are now used often. I have also noted an improvement in the quality and variety of our assessments.”
However, there were some limitations with this new model. Conducting only two observations per teacher did not allow the TTA mentor to develop a comprehensive understanding of each teacher’s individual strengths and areas for development. Consequently, this approach was not as effective in driving teacher improvement when compared to the original model that provided individual teacher training. Nevertheless, the goal of this training program was to provide school principals with the structure and tools for observing lessons and mentoring teachers, with the aim of empowering them to train teachers themselves and enhancing their understanding of the need for ongoing evaluation and support of teachers.
Although the direct impact on teachers’ professional development was limited, the focus shifted towards involving principals in encouraging their teachers’ professional growth and helping them understand the importance of professional development. The goal was for the training to have a meaningful and lasting impact on teachers through the support and training they would subsequently receive from their principals. In this regard= the program was highly successful.
Perhaps most importantly, principals developed a heightened awareness of the importance of lesson observations and teacher mentoring, incorporating these practices into their regular routines. They also improved their ability to provide constructive feedback to teachers following observations, as evidenced by the following examples of principal feedback and reflections:
“Feedback is more effective where the teacher notices the strengths and the weaknesses themselves.”
“Lesson observation feedback is effective when the following three aims are achieved to some degree: The teacher feels valued and her strengths validated, the teacher gains greater self-perception or insight into her own effectiveness, and there is movement toward attainable improvement.”
“Effective feedback would be feedback that can be heard and appreciated by the teacher. In other words, the feedback must be accurate about what you observed but given in such a way that it builds the teacher to want to improve and not give up.”
“Feedback should be done face to face, in person, and based on a rubric.”
“I found the technique of asking the teachers for their feedback first very useful.”
These self-reflections by principals were consistent with our evidence of improvements in both the quality and style of their feedback. By the program’s conclusion, the principals were encouraging the teachers to self-reflect, and were gently coaching their teachers in implementing small, incremental, yet significant changes after each observation.
Conclusion: Implications for Teacher Training
We gleaned several valuable insights about teacher training from both our individual teacher training and school-based training models.
Firstly, we learnt that in-service teacher training is essential and effective. We saw changes in teacher classroom practice, teacher motivation to change, and teachers’ ability to self-reflect over the duration of the training.
Secondly, we found that teachers feel more supported and inclined to implement training when it is undertaken as part of a broader, school-wide initiative. Implementing new initiatives can be isolating and frustrating unless there is support from colleagues and peers.
Thirdly, training is more effective when principals are engaged and supportive of the training. When teacher training must be outsourced, principals have to actively find ways to get involved with both the content and process. This may include engaging with teachers in discussion about their training, making time to observe teachers and give them feedback, and providing opportunities for teachers to share their training experiences with other staff members.
Finally, training cannot just focus on increasing teachers’ capacity but must also include accountability; workshops are not sufficient in driving change, and it is the accountability of observations and individual mentoring and feedback that has the most significant impact on perpetuating change in teachers’ practice.
References
Barber, M., Mourshed, M. (2007) ‘How the World’s Best Education Systems Come Out on Top’, London and New York, McKinsey
Baumfield, V.M, Butterworth, M., Edwards, G. (2005) ‘The Impact of the Implementation of Thinking Skills Programmes and Approaches on Teachers’, Research Evidence in Education Library, London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London
Hanushek, E.A., Rivkin, S.G., 2006. Chapter 18 Teacher Quality, in: Handbook of the Economics of Education. Elsevier B.V, pp. 1051–1078. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1574-0692(06)02018-6
Hattie, J., 2008. Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Taylor & Francis Group, London, UNITED KINGDOM.
Higgins, S., Baumfield, V., Hall, E. (2007) ‘Learning Skills and the Development of Learning Capabilities’, Research Evidence in Education Library, London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London
Ruhama Welcher has been working in Jewish education for over 20 years in the UK, USA, and South Africa, and is currently the director of the Office of Education for the Chief Rabbi of South Africa. Ruhama has Qualified Teacher’s Status from the UK and an MA from the University of Warwick (UK) in Educational Leadership and Innovation. She is currently completing her Ph. D. in Education and International Development at University College London.
Suzanne Sackstein, Ph. D., is a senior lecturer at Wits University and has been involved in higher education for the last 26 years. She has a master’s degree in education with a specific focus on mobile technology in an educational context and assessment and a PhD from the University of Pretoria in which she focused on understanding the socio-economic and contextual factors related to teachers’ technology integration within secondary education in South Africa.