Supporting Collective Teacher Efficacy is a Great Place to Start the Year

This summer, one of the books I read was Penny Kittle’s (@pennykittle)  latest book titled Book Love.  As mentioned in my last post “Great Summer Read to Help Create Readers in High School”, the book started to get  me thinking on the importance of student choice.  However, discussing the book over the summer with a group of teachers and administrators in our district, through Voxer, was what really helped me to process those thoughts and begin to apply Kittle’s message.  In a small way, through those discussions, we were experiencing the power of sharing with others (an important part of the readers workshop) and I really appreciated being able to have that opportunity.  Then it hit me, that this was a great example of the power of collective efficacy among educators.

Collective Teacher Efficacy was one the highest powers of influence (effect size) found in John Hattie’s most recent research.  It was second only to teacher expectations.  Hattie stated that research shows that educators who are aware of the collective power they have to make a difference in student learning can overcome challenges that students face both personally or in the home.  It is a powerful factor in learning.  This short (3 minute) video does a nice job of explaining collective teacher efficacy as it applies to Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which I believe provide  a great avenue for teachers to support and promote collective teacher efficacy in order to make a difference in student learning.  

Both  administrators (positional leaders) and  teachers (dispositional leaders), share the responsibility to be sure PLCs focus on at least one of the three main ideas of a PLC: Student Learning, Collaboration, and Results (not Intentions) when meeting.  Using a framework for PLCs will help to promote deeper conversations about student learning (the HOW and WHY of teaching) versus more shallow (WHAT are we teaching?) conversations.  These deep conversations can lead to an increase of collective teacher efficacy which in turns leads to greater student learning.  However, it is important to nurture this idea of collective efficacy in order for it to be most effective in PLCs.  

I believe reading and discussing  this short article on “Fostering Collective Teacher Efficacy” in your PLC is a good place to start the process on how best to support collective efficacy within your own setting.  The power of dispositional leadership, the importance of effective goal setting, and the impact of effective supportive leadership all can lead to  nurturing collective teacher efficacy within a school setting.  Each school district, building, and even PLC will look a little different and that is the power behind having these discussions within the PLC.  As we approach the new school year it is an ideal time to sit down with our PLC team, share the importance of nurturing collective teacher efficacy within it, and discuss how best to support this best practice within our school setting.  If we start here I believe we will feel the power and see the impact in our students’ learning as the year progresses.  Welcome back, I hope TOGETHER you all have a great start to the new school year.