Teaching Over the Centuries
The clock is ticking and now it is 2023. Humanity no matter in what country or part of the world you have lived in has been influenced by teaching. When we look at our informal and formal teaching practices and today we can see much has changed. Viewing the current existing educational models there are many who hold on tightly to the traditional programs and methods hoping to see a revival and return to their value. In the past years we have seen the critics begin to question the viability of the current school outcomes or what outcomes should we be measuring? As research on schools shows decreasing enrollments, schools having financial crisis, poor graduation rates, high student dropout rates and tuition cost exceeding the ability for graduates to pay off their student loans has put schools on a pathway of failure to continue operating on their current path. Reflecting on how centuries have passed and teaching with learning will continue. Society is dependent on an organized civilization through appropriate education. The level of societal existence depends on how well we understand the needs and providing the solutions to our communities. By looking at history we can see how education adapted to the current needs. Our pendulum of service through education has varied from simple training to advanced programs requiring higher degrees of learning. Today, we face similar challenges. Our problem seems to be the clarity of what is needed to be provided by our schools reverting back to how schools adapt to the needs of today. Your duty as a school is to complete an imperative study to command the best possible programs and outcomes in your school. Our job in today is to focus on a value proposition and not to hold on to the past. If we forecast that success will increase in the future, we must plan now for future needs, and we will have future growth.
This makes perfect sense. The only problem is that it doesn’t work! It never has worked. But why? For starters, like predicting the weather (which I have also noticed it may not be that easy to do), predicting performance requires predicting the outcomes of dozens of variables. To make matters worse, the importance of each variable also changes, depending on circumstances, that are also changing constantly.
So, what do we do? The two key words that answer this question are, “discipline & process”? First, you simply cannot allow yourself to produce a strategy that relies solely on your traditional practice of measurement. This is not to imply that analysis, intelligence and forecasting are of no value. However, you must rely on other factors when deciding on a course of action. Do you develop a “decision matrix” that helps drive an effective, disciplined decision; one that will focus, first & foremost on protecting your student success margins.
Second, you must have a process in place to actively manage. School operations cannot be managed passively. Managing school operations risk is much like fire prevention! If you wait until your building is fully engulfed in flames to consider putting in that smoke alarm and buying some extinguishers, its already too late and all that is left is dealing with the very-expensive damage that has already occurred. Creating a performance program can be a proven, effective process for managing your risk. As a school leader you can receive more information by scheduling meeting of your teachers and ask the question, “What should we be measuring?”
Steps you need to consider:
- Expert Analysis based upon current success and potential improvement
- Teacher training online and on campus
- institute student and faculty mentor program
- Improved student customer service
- Improve Student Satisfaction Survey
- Faculty performance outcomes with student success, attendance, and retention as realistic goals
- Use technology for in-service training
- Compliance preparation
- Curriculum Improvement
- Instructional Design
- Classroom organization
- Teaching Special Needs Students
- Understanding Learning Styles
- Implemented improved student advising program
- Appropriate manuals for schools
- Conference calls for progress reports and coaching
- Analyze student and faculty data
- Design a user-friendly reporting system for faculty and administration
You can help to improve school outcomes. Your measures of success in the future are strongly leading to outcome measurements.
Just a few ways to learn: alternative intelligence, whiteboard, smart board, PowerPoint, video, large group, small group, lecture, online, streaming, visually, auditory, tactile, experiential, field trips, reading, laboratory, correspondence and which one is best for you?
Contact: Gary R.Carlson Ed.D. at:
email: gary@gcarlson-inc.com
Text: 317-258-3401 (Gary R Carlson)
Pride and Prejudice in America 