I personally think this is the toughest of all the influences to navigate and it is even tougher in education. With unions,tenure and school culture as well as contracts, the rewards are very hard to execute. I know that some districts have moved to merit pay but the research is mixed on whether this is effective or not... I would love to hear how others see the rewards being implemented in schools effectively.
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James,
Iwould agree that this is one of the toughest of all the influences particularly in education. I have seen performance based pay systems really tear a faculty group apart. I have found that there are other rewards that are more readily available to us and far more effective than money. I have used professional development/travel as one of those. Those teachers who are doing some great things in their classrooms are encouraged to attend conferences either as a participant or even as a speaker/presenter. They are sent out to talk to other schools about their programs or to present on a particularly successful program at our school.
I also see a great deal of merit in working closely with some of those teachers as they develop new programs and shifting needed resources their way at crucial times. Although they may not benefit directly from this, it does give them a feeling that what they are doing it important and valued. I love to work in groups of teachers like this as it is some of the most rewarding time I get to spend as a high school principal.
David Keane
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David,
I agree with you to some extent and we do use this kind of reward. If you google Search Suffern Middle School and Second Life, you can see where we have been pioneers with getting Second Life into our Middle School curriculum. We also have some teachers do amazing things. However, instead of getting a few early adopters, I would like to get closer to 100% technology infusion. meaning every teacher and every unit that it would make sense to put it into. I am looking at all the "influences" but am still not convinced there is an answer there yet. Thanks for your input.
James Yap
Director of Instructional Technology and Data Management
Ramapo Central School District
jyap@ramapocentral.org
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James,
I am very cautious when considering rewards or punishments. I started my career as a special education teacher and learned early that rewards/punishments can backfire.
As David said, I use professional development and release time as a type of reward. If a teacher or a team has focused on a method to increase student achievement, I want to support it through time to collaborate and celebrate.
I also believe that rewards can be very subtle and unintentional. For example, I have a small committee of teachers that work closely with me to plan and coordinate our writing practices. I am new to this school so I asked different teachers to give me suggestions of colleagues that were interested in the writing curriculum. To be honest there wasn't a great deal of thought about who would be on the committee and the teachers had the option to decline the offer.
Throughout the year the committee and I spent more and more time together and that work influenced our practice as an entire faculty.
In June another teacher approached me privately and asked what prerequisites were required to be asked to join a similar committee. This particular teacher saw the committee work as a "reward".
I'm pleased... it's a good sign that she (and hopefully others) are interested in this type of work and see it as a reward.
In summary, I think that I have rewarded particular behaviors without being purposeful. Something for me to think about...
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WOW!!!!
I just got done looking at your summer reading program. I have to say that I am very impressed. What a wonderful use of technology and what awesome student comments/conversation.
I am embarrased to say we are doing nothing even close to this in the schools I work in. I can tell you right now, we are going to start. Kuddos to you and your staff.
For those of the rest of you, you need to really look at the site.
David Keane
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That was a great site thanks for recommending it. I'll use it as "see others can do this, we need to begin moving in that direction" type of motivation. My teachers are just now beginning to explore wikis and blogs. This core group of teachers has discovered there's something else out there besides lecture and work sheets.
Gerry...Live Strong....Duke Forever...
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One of the tendencies we all face is to spend a lot of time with the low performers on our staff, because ... frankly they need help. However, I've made a commitment to invest in my top performers and the average performing staff who show evidence of wanting to get better. Highly effective teachers appreciate the attention and effort I make to acknowledge their great work and spur them on to more learning. Buckingham's book First, Break all the Rules gives some rationale for this focus.
As for merit pay, if we can go back the "Blow up the System" metaphor, I think it has lots of merit (pun intended) when it comes to pay. I love this post by Science Goddess on the comparison of teachers to athletes and actors. Cliff Notes version: Tom Brady would not be happy as a teacher!
As for merit pay, if we can go back the "Blow up the System" metaphor, I think it has lots of merit (pun intended) when it comes to pay. I love this post by Science Goddess on the comparison of teachers to athletes and actors. Cliff Notes version: Tom Brady would not be happy as a teacher!
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I have been absent for a couple weeks so I am hesitant to enter the conversation, but I believe that you are sharing what the authors describe as first relying on personal and social motivation before extrinsic rewards. My sense is that there was one or more "opinion leader" on your team and that this was noticed by others in the school. The "reward" for this effort may be the changes to the writing curriculum that influenced work across the school. Those on your team experienced satisfaction and pride for contributing to work that others perceived as successful and supportive of them. People want to feel satisfaction and pride in their work, powerful motivators for where and when we choose to engage. The "reward" may also have been the feedback team members received from their colleagues for their efforts. Positive feedback and a sense of appreciation can also be powerful intrinsic motivators. Others will want to become part of these efforts for these reasons.
Maybe paying them a stipend or some other extrinsic reward would result in others wanting to join an effort such as you describe, but I don't think it would result in similar behavior or sustain over time.
Mike Maryanski, Superintendent Tahoma School District
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Mike (and everyone else who might have dropped back in), thanks for rejoining us! We're glad to have your voice in the conversation!!!
Remember, anyone can post a topic for discussion. Please do so!
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Here's a post I did a while back:
http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2007/06/change_diagram__1.html
I wonder if we could somehow rethink how we work with those teachers that need help...
Remember, anyone can post a topic for discussion. Please do so!
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First Break all the Rules is a great read and for those of you who have not read it, well worth the time.
I think there are a few other points from that book that apply here as well. As Collins states in Good to Great, we need to get the right people on the bus and to go one step further, in the right seats.
I think that while spending time with your star teachers is crucial to move the organization forward, when we are spending time with the lower performers, we need to spend the time helping them hone their natural skills to make them more effective and not spend a great deal of time trying to mold them into something they will never become. (If they don't have any natural skills to build on, you had better change your tactics to encouraging them to get off your bus)
Find their inate abilities and then provide them a role in your organization that will fit with that. It sometimes means putting your content rich, strategy poor teachers with your more "desirable" courses. I am not meaning to imply that we put our worst teachers with our best kids all of the time, but let's face it, you give your most serious patients to your most skilled physicians all of the time, why not do the same in schools. We often see some of our very veteran and most effective teachers teaching the upper level courses which have the fewest number of students in them most of which really want to be there. At the same time we put our new staff or lesser teachers with the hardest to work with students (as their parents are much less likely to complain about the poor delivery). These classes tend to have much higher class sizes and fewer resources are allocated to them. Then just like most teachers, we tend to spend the least amount of time working with these individuals as it is not always a pleasant experience for us as administrators.
I agree with Buckinham. I do not spend my time watering the rocks as I know they will not grow, but I do spend some time with the struggling but viable plants as I want them to, and believe they can, also produce fruit.
I do not, however, ask a corn plant to grow in the rice patty.
David Keane
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Both Dave and Scott have given me some food for thought about the low performers. Unless they are worthy to be canned (which we all know is time consuming and difficult) I need to work on getting them in a place where there strengths can be utilized and they can become experts in those areas where they already shine.
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To add a slightly different twist to the reward/punishment conversation, I wanted to bring up kids. The entire chapter I was thinking, okay how could I use this to influence my kids to try more creative options/tools. Right now I use an option based system in my online classes. Students can do a project in MWord for a regular grade or attempt that same project using Voicethread or a blog, or other more creative tools for extra credit points. While I get a variety of kids choosing to do the extra credit, its a very low % of the total students. I know thats pretty normal in a high school setting, but I feel stuck. Even after reading the chapter I dont feel like I have a grasp of how to get these kids to turn in anything but the very basic format without just removing those lower level options.
Im pretty sure I need to refocus my reward system, like the book suggests, to target the students personal and social motivators first. The hard part in online teaching is to actually make personal connections on deep enough levels to be an influencer. Still strategizing on that one too :)
Do you have a reward system in place that effectively motivates students to try new things without just making those new things mandatory?
Im pretty sure I need to refocus my reward system, like the book suggests, to target the students personal and social motivators first. The hard part in online teaching is to actually make personal connections on deep enough levels to be an influencer. Still strategizing on that one too :)
Do you have a reward system in place that effectively motivates students to try new things without just making those new things mandatory?
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Before looking at creating any new rewards/punishment/incentive program. I think it is worth taking a long look at the existing system, especially the unintential rewards. What rewards to teachers get for doing a great job? What reward do teachers get for doing a lousy job? I had one colleague once tell me about how great teaching was because he could leave work by 2:30 every day and had the whole summer off. To me, he had the worst possible motivation for being a teacher. However I may felt about his motivation, it was genuine and any incentive system for him had to take those types of motivations into effect. At the same time, I had colleagues who spent nearly every waking moment focused on their classrooms and their students. Administrators saw their motivation to help students and "rewarded" them with more and more responsibility. As a result, many eventually burned out.
Rewards and incentives need to be tailored to the individuals we are trying to motivate.
Rewards and incentives need to be tailored to the individuals we are trying to motivate.
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Kim-
Can't agree with you more on "unintentional" rewards. I cringe when another tells me they can't wait to have summer off. Yes, summer is to recharge...but part of that recharge should be spent on new learning. I know there are problems with the merit pay system, but what is the incentive for a teacher to participate in summer development. Are we rewarding people for not doing PD in the summer and acquiring new skills to make them more effective in the classroom simply by not requiring it or making it part of a teacher's mission?
I saw you had a blog and checked it out. I was fascinated by your drawings summarizing Diffusion of Innovations and Influencers. What a great way to organize the ideas of each work.
Mark
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Teachers who go the extra mile for their students are noticed but you're right they are noticed and usually given more responsibility while the others drift from summer to summer. Accountability can be a big equalizer, make everyone do the work to a high level and don't accept less. The good to great ones always achieve to that level but the others have to reach for it too. If they can't, you help them learn, if they won't, you recommend alternative career paths.
Gerry...Live Strong....Duke Forever...
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Mark -
I agree summer-time PD should be part of a teacher's mission, but any incentive system should also encourage teachers to make conections between their summer activities and their classrooms.
Also, thanks for taking a look at my blog and my mind maps. I'd love to see how other people are organizing the ideas that they've been reading.
I agree summer-time PD should be part of a teacher's mission, but any incentive system should also encourage teachers to make conections between their summer activities and their classrooms.
Also, thanks for taking a look at my blog and my mind maps. I'd love to see how other people are organizing the ideas that they've been reading.
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As a High School Bio teacher, I have not looked as tools that way. I focus on content and the best way to deliver it. I avoid paper or hand in folders, but wikis, blogs, and the like. When they demonstrate knowledge on say... cells... they have requirements through a cell portfolio that allows reflection and distribution of their learning. I have a requirement of powerful, meaningful, engaging communication (something along that line) in the rubric that can be achieved through powerpoint, a simple wiki page, voicethread, etc. Flashy does not mean engaging in these assignments. If they are stellar writers, their wiki page is engaging, etc. Students try new media and learn where they excel. We practice a variety of tools in smaller assignments in order to provide an introduction. Not really a reward, and I guess it is mandatory, but students find their own success.
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What is considered professional development needs to be overhauled. Many would argue that reading blogs, study groups, independent study is not effective (someone will always find the easy route through) but so is mandatory pd sessions where teachers bring work with them and nod their head from time to time. Broaden the opportunities and sources for professional development - can teachers be made to do this on their summers? As in the best AP classes where they have required summer reading before school starts, should not teachers?
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