How to Get Your Teachers to Buy-Into and Engage in Professional Development
If classroom walls could speak, school leaders would probably hear a collective groan coming from teacher classrooms minutes before they rush to mandatory Professional Development. But why is it that this happens far too often? We all know that teachers have too much on their plates, but school leaders should not dismiss teachers' reluctance towards PD to be because they are too busy to care. When teachers believe that spending time toward an initiative that supports their efforts in the classroom and helps them meet their students’ needs, the majority willingly give that time.
To shift reluctance to buy-in, it is essential to clearly communicate the value of your PD in ways that speak to the needs and values of your faculty.
The following efforts will support you in identifying the key information to communicate and the ways to enlist teacher buy-in:
1. Connect the learning with the current needs/interests of your faculty:
Following the advice in our previous communications to Foster a Culture of Trust and Hear Every Voice will help you make the most important step in selecting and developing meaningful Professional Developments that your faculty will buy-into early and engage in whole-heartedly. When you know what your teachers are struggling with and the areas in which they want to stretch themselves, you can use this information to find the best learning experiences to support them in doing so. If you have a particular learning that you need to do with faculty, regardless of their needs or interests, you can also preview that learning with a focused attention on the needs and interests of your faculty and identify the ways in which the learning supports faculty needs. As you review the learning, ask yourself:
How does the training impact the current conditions of your teachers’ experiences
How will this learning improve their experiences in the classroom?
How does this learning solve some of the challenges that my faculty talk to me about
How will it support student success?
As you take time to connect the learning with the specific needs and interests of your faculty you will be able to communicate this value to your faculty in ways that authentically piques their interest and establishes early buy-in for active engagement.
2. Be Transparent:
Ask yourself whether this learning initiative will make your faculty's jobs more difficult. If the answer is yes and you still need to have your teachers take on the initiative, be transparent (Hear Every Voice) and acknowledge that it is going to be difficult. Then, explain the value that the initiative holds for them and why it is worth the extra work. Be willing to offer support as they take on the challenge and give recognition for their dedication and efforts so that they know that you see them and appreciate what they are doing for the sake of their growth and student success.
3. Advocate for your Teachers:
There are times when district mandates require school leaders to implement Professional Development and Instructional Practices that are going to be a challenge for faculty and that are not easy to see value in. Hopefully, these cases are few and far between, but in the case that you cannot explain the value of the initiative to your faculty and the initiative is going to require extra effort on teachers’ parts, ask yourself as a leader, “what can I do to mitigate the impact that this is having on teachers?” and “how can I use my role to lessen the impact on my faculty?”. By actively advocating for your teachers, you will be using your leadership to positively impact your faculty and students — and you will show your faculty that you truly see their perspective and care about their experiences (Foster a Culture of Trust). This advocacy may positively alter the direction of the district initiative and, at least, it will allow your faculty to see that they aren’t blindly being asked to do something that they do not believe in. Your advocacy creates a culture of a unified team rather than a culture of perceived disconnect. Within this culture, teachers are more willing to endure challenging initiatives and move forward with a sense of optimism and hope for the future.
In reality, one of the main reasons teachers become teachers is because they value learning. PDs should — and can — be a time of eager engagement and enthusiasm for learning and growing. Imagine the impact on your school if teachers came to PDs with the expectation that it was going to be time well spent and with enthusiasm for the learning? Imagine the teacher satisfaction and student growth that would result from this? Go ahead, try it and listen to the voices coming from within your classrooms’ walls right before your next PD. What do you think they will be saying to you then?
Stay tuned for our upcoming blogs on Team building and Meaningful Engagement to maximize the impact of teacher enthusiasm and buy-in that will take your PDs to the next level!
