opening lines of communication
Working on ME single module | Darin M. Bicknell | October 31st, 2001
I want to get some ideas on what to do to get lines of communication open again in the English Enrichment Program at my school between teachers. It seems we have an impasse between teachers on how they go about preparing for lesson. The communication problems occur when teachers hand off their work from one teacher to the next so as to continue the teaching thread from a prescribed syllabus.
A typical 8 week EEP course this term would be as follows:
Module Length Teacher
1 2 Weeks ( Timothy )
2 2 Weeks (Sharon)
3 2 Weeks (Shelly)
4 2 Weeks (Sharon)
Unfortunately due to scheduling and timetable concerns we cannot get one person to teach through the entire 8 weeks so we have to have teachers alternate through the entire 8 week course. At the start, a schedule was created and teachers were made aware that they would be expected to share lesson plans and materials so that the next teacher could prepare the next module. This was to be done in a peer group fashion where teachers meet and discuss the direction for the next module as well as how that it relates to set syllabus. The syllabus although created for an Ontario ESL classroom has to be adapted for use in our School located in Singapore. The syllabus provides ample amounts of resources that are available to the entire EEP staff.
My question is this what ways or means as coordinator of a program would you adopt to smooth these transitional phases?
The current events in the program have led to a break down in communication. There are currently two camps divided along "ideological" lines on the amount of work that is required to produce a 2-week Module. One group of teachers feel they do a lot more than group two. They have made detailed notes, lesson plans and work on preparation far longer than the other group and feel when they receive notes and lesson plans that there is not enough material from which they can adequately prepare their next module. The second group is well organized and takes far less time to prepare. They are able to work from the existing syllabus and get their prep done in a much shorter time as they work much more economically and produce far less detailed lesson plans. They feel when the submit information and lesson plans that the other teacher expects too much. If they are receiving work that the much of the information is not relevant or too detailed that they simple put it aside and do their own thing to avoid what they feel is a waste of their time.
The conflict or communication problem comes when both sides question the amount or level of preparation of the "opposition". Can these two groups co-exist without the coordinator laying out a minimum or maximum for the amount of preparation that is required by each teacher? Should the coordinator assign classes in a way where the people from one group do not work with the other? Can teachers simply ignore these concerns and do their job and maintain communication despite this chasm? We have a situation now where some staff are no longer communicating in the staff room or sharing ideas for the final assessment of students or simply letting one group do the work so as to avoid conflict. What should have been done to reduce this problem? What can be done now to resolve it? What would you do in this situation take a side ...and let me know what you think.
Sometimes I wonder how anything ever gets through to students when teachers can't communicate effectively with one another no matter the ideological gap.
Darin M Bicknell
Re: Working on ME single module | Jerry Talandis Jr. | October 31st, 2001
Very tough dilemma you have there! There seems to be a lot of emotion involved in the situation. Some teachers are angry with others, it seems. I don't know about the characters of those involved, and I don't know what you've tried or not so far to deal with the situation. Some ideas:
• Have you had a simple session to "clear the air?" Seems that people need to deal with their anger and resents first. One way of doing that is to do a "healing circle" exercise. You all sit in a circle and pass around some object. Whoever holds the object has the floor, and the others must pay full attention and not interrupt. People say what they have to say. Keep going around until everyone has had his or her say. Hopefully, frustrations can get released and the common ground that unites you all can be revealed.
• That brings me to another point: all the teachers are professionals, and it is their job to be servants of their students. There is not only one way of teaching them, so as long as everyone has the student's best interests at heart, there should be tolerance and respect for another's views and approaches. Perhaps a vocalization by all involved of the common ground that unites all of you needs to be made. What is it that you do there at the school? Is it to serve the students, or your agenda? I think a discussion along these lines can be initiated. Focus on what brings you all together. Identify your common ground, and try to appreciate how each teacher contributes to that in his or her own unique way. As a manager, you have to keep that vision clear and strong and then channel each teacher's efforts toward that.
Good luck! This is just off the top of my head ...basically, you have to find ways of increasing communication. If you can get everyone communicating and really listening to each other, everything should sort out. If people are too angry to communicate, then you have to work to bring that anger up and out. Try to find out what is the real cause of it. Perhaps a couple of people are not getting along, spoiling the environment for all, or something. Usually, if people can "name" what is bothering them, tensions decrease.
Let us know how it goes!
Jerry
Reply to Darin | Francesca | October 31st, 2001
Darin, I agree with Jerry regarding your managerial dilemma. I would have a meeting with all the teachers involved so that they can express and discuss their views. I would also emphasis that all the teachers are in the same situation, i.e. teaching the same course, emphasizing what they have in common rather than how they are different. I don't see how you can impose how much or little time a teacher spends preparing a class. Obviously a certain amount of preparation will improve the class, but, on the other hand, a great deal of preparation doesn't necessarily equal a better lesson as so many things happen on the spur of the moment. Get things out in the open, it is the only way to get beyond them, and ...Good luck!
Francesca
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