1 TEACHER RENEWAL Virginia Richardson University of Michigan

2 THREE ‘RE-S’ USED IN EDUCATIONAL CHANGE  REFORM  REPAIR  RENEWAL

3 TEACHER RENEWAL WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?  ORGANIZED EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES  PERSONAL EFFORTS/EVENTS  ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE  OTHER FACTORS

4 ORGANIZED EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES  Induction Programs  Professional Development

5 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT  Extend & deepen subject matter knowledge for teaching  extend and refine repertoires in curriculum, instruction, and assessment  strengthen skills & dispositions to study & improve their own teaching  expand responsibilities & develop leadership skills, including mentoring of pre-service and induction years teachers (Sharon Feiman-Nemser, 2001) (Sharon Feiman-Nemser, 2001)

6 CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE SD PRACTICES  School-Wide: The reform should involve everyone in the school to develop school culture of improvement, and adjust to the specific context.  Long-term with follow-up.  Agreement among participants on goals/vision  A supportive administration (Richardson, 2003) (Richardson, 2003)

7 EFFECTIVE SD, CONT.  Adequate funds for materials, outside speakers, substitute teachers, etc.  Buy-in from participants.  Encouragement of collegiality: Learning Communities and Dialogue within group.  A focus on subject matter content rather than generic teaching methods.  Acknowledgement of participants’ existing beliefs and practices.  Involvement of an outside facilitator/staff developer.

8 EXAMPLE OF ‘RENEWAL’ SD In this renewal program, the focus is on deepening the teacher’s integrity, peacefulness, and capacity for wonder, mystery, and community. In this renewal program, the focus is on deepening the teacher’s integrity, peacefulness, and capacity for wonder, mystery, and community. Teachers learn to lead more reflective and connected lives and to sustain life-giving attitudes toward other people. Making use of poetry, wisdom, literature arts, media and reflection,--retreat content is organized around seasonal themes—helping teachers see that the teaching vocation offers opportunities for entering deeply into the cycle of renewal. Teachers learn to lead more reflective and connected lives and to sustain life-giving attitudes toward other people. Making use of poetry, wisdom, literature arts, media and reflection,--retreat content is organized around seasonal themes—helping teachers see that the teaching vocation offers opportunities for entering deeply into the cycle of renewal. (Imagine Chicago, ) (Imagine Chicago, )

9 PERSONAL EFFORTS/EVENTS  SABBATICAL LEAVE

10 INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES OF SABBATICAL PROGRAM STUDY  Improvements in confidence, refreshment and self-esteem were reported in 87% of sabbaticals  64% reported increased motivation  Raised skills and knowledge were claimed by 87%  83% of participating teachers reported changes in their own practice. (Downing, et al., 2004) (Downing, et al., 2004)

11 INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOMES  In 83%, there were reports of the school developing as a professional learning community  Attitudes of other staff members towards teachers who had taken sabbaticals were often enhanced  A range of other institutional outcomes, including improved school relationships with parents or the wider community, were reported  56% of the reported institutional outcomes suggested that the sabbatical had resulted in actual change in practice within the wider school staff.

12 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE  Burnout  Morale  Efficacy

13 ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AFFECTING BURNOUT AND MORALE  Principal Leadership  Teacher autonomy  School Resources  Community

14 OTHER CHANGES  E.G., Curriculum Change  Placement of Student Teacher in classroom  Physical Change in School

15SUMMARY  Renewal is a personal and individual process in which the individual begins to see a way of approaching the work in a successful and perhaps joyful way  Renewal is probably good for teachers in many different ways  Because it is a personal and individual process, it is difficult to consider a method that would help to renew, for example, all or even most of the teachers in a school—and, in fact, whether all teachers would need such a program

16 MOST IMPORTANTLY  School officials should consider renewal in their thinking about working with teachers toward change. They should think about it in two ways: what issues are leading teachers away from renewal and toward low morale, low efficacy and burnout; and how can processes for renewal be set in place?

17 THREE ‘RE-S’ USED IN EDUCATIONAL CHANGE  REFORM  REPAIR  RENEWAL