The Pressure of Running Running Running Towards Continuous Innovation - The Power of Professional Learning Communities (1 of 2 self-selected entries)

From the early days of being a teacher, many Canadians were taught that to be a lifelong learner is a necessary attribute in the field of education. Truly, it is, and the fact that this blog (connected to a Masters course I am taking) exists at all, is a testament to the idea that I believe that. 

However, I think that some schools need to start asking themselves the question: How much is too much? 

While lifelong learning is essential for educators, schools must balance the introduction of new initiatives with an opportunity for reflection and mastery. 

I think sometimes schools (administration and school boards) also need to slam on the breaks when it comes to how many new things teachers are expected to see, experience, process, use, and reflect on at one given time. If we want quality outcomes, we need quality time and sufficient energy to reflect upon what we already do, and to build a foundation brick by brick, so that teachers can truly excel in certain areas, rather than feel that they are falling short in many. In Falkenberg's article, "Teaching as a Contemplative Practice" the author argues for the fact that teachers need time to be contemplative and reflective both in their own lives and in their teaching. They need to know and understand the reasoning behind why they do, what they do, and when teachers and schools are expected to flit from one initiative or innovation to the next without the time to process any of it, it does our teachers and students a disservice.

It is rare in my years of teaching in international schools that I haven't felt myself on a hamster wheel of having new approaches thrown at me in quick succession. 

Innovative approaches can also vary as to what tools require mastery in order to do them justice. Many teachers are also constantly challenged to learn and process a breadth of new educational technology. While it is important to remain aware of new and innovative approaches, I am wondering when we will stop to consider if what we are already doing is effective AND if it is not effective, then have the time and space to talk with peers and research, in order to then use our research and combined experience, to figure out what is the next best step.

With 13 years of international school teaching under my belt I can never say that I have been in a Professional Learning Community where myself and my colleagues took a deep dive into our practices in a particular area to examine what was working, and what was not from a critical / research based perspective. Numerous articles and books exist which outline the advantages of critical / research based professional learning communities, which includes (but is not limited to) the resources listed in the sources below.

This is a call to action to schools to consider: 
  • What do you want the future of your schools to look like? 
  • How can you best support your teachers to achieve that? 
  • As reflection is considered an essential part of any inquiry cycle, how can you best support your teachers in having the time and space to reflect? 
  • How can you support teachers in feeling fulfilled and in not burning out? 
  • How much is too much to load onto teachers, considering that teachers are human beings who do have lives outside of the school and who require energy and cognitive power for things occurring outside of school? 

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Acknowledgements: 

Within this discussion I would also like to point out that international schools require students paying a tuition in order to operate, so I would like to acknowledge that in many cases there may be added pressures to teachers in these schools to increasingly offer new and novel learning experiences, in order to keep up with competitiveness. 


Sources

Brodie, K. (2013). The power of professional learning communities. Education as Change, 17(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/16823206.2013.773929

DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.). (2005). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (1st ed.). Solution Tree.

Falkenberg, T. (2012). Teaching as contemplative professional practice. Paideusis, 20(2), 25-35.

Perry, E. (n.d.). Professional learning communities: A guide for educators. BetterUp. https://www.betterup.com/blog/professional-learning-communities

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