How should high performing teachers be recognised?

We have some great teachers in schools, but let's face it we also have some mediocre ones. So how should teachers be 'rewarded' for excellence and what would 'excellence' look like?

Many companies have a component of their salary that is 'at risk', depending on performance. My experience with this is that it doesn't necessarily make a difference to performance and indicators are often inexact and based on linear thinking. Even companies that focus on a quadruple bottom line fdo not always identify what makes a difference. Internationally, organisations have typically bowed to CEOs by supporting large bonuses for dubious success. This has led to a breed of business executives who are greedy, self serving and sometimes dishonest. Is this the model we would want in our schools? Do we want individuals to focus on the team or on themselves? It is an interesting debate and one that I do not have an answer for.

There is no doubt however, that we need to manage talent more powerfully in order to maintain the great teacher leaders in the profession. I recently conducted a survey on twtpoll asking how great teachers should be recognised. Although the sample is small it makes for interesting reading.


People do want recognition. They do need to feel valued by the organisation and to feel that they are listened to. With an increasingly diverse workforce employers do need to be more flexible, be open to different work combinations and provide for the ongoing learning of staff. If principals, and other organisational leaders, don't get this right they may find themselves with disengaged staff or those whose performance is questionable. In difficult times it is even more important that we keep our staff growing and building their skills.

Some schools would say they need to focus on the development of the team more than the individual and I do support the need to build a strong professional learning community. As well though (not instead of), schools need to think differently about growing staff. Maybe there is more opportunity for staff to be individual contractors and being paid accordingly. Or is it time to work hard to support all teachers to be of an exceptional standard? And to suggest that some teachers might be better suited to other occupations? In my book teachers are role models who make a difference to students - either positively or negatively - and all teachers need to be competent leaders of themselves and others. Principals must provide strong professional learning opportunities, confront poor performance and develop leadership in others. Or get out of the way of the future.

Education Innovation and PLCs

Today I discovered a blog caled Education Innovation. This blog is a useful one to look at education from a different angle. The latest posting has an article called Group Flow- Characteristics of Creative and Innovative PLCs. What I particularly like about it is that it includes ideas from outside the education sector. Looking outward is an important way of continuing to develop. Check out the catalytic questions at the end of the posting.

I came across this link because I have subscribed to Google Links, so receive latest information from the web on several key ideas that are important to me. It keeps me ahead without having to do much searching!

Collaboration in Education

Next week is the NZPF Conference in Christchurch, New Zealand. Principals and other educational leaders will gather for three days to focus on Learning Leaders, Leading Learning.
I will be challenging leaders to look more widely than their own schools, their own locality and the education sector. More than ever before, educators need to be able to scan the horizon, thinking about the needs of their students for the future. Those of you who are attending this conference are invited to check out the list of websites on the right hand side of this blog for some information to keep abreast of trends.

My first keynote presentation at this conference will be on the theme of developing Powerful Professional Learning Communities. Collaboration is the way of the future and the development of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 tools are a catalyst for deep changes in society. At no time since the invention of the printing press, has there been such fundamental change. This will make education different and we need to prepare for this.

One of the examples of this change can be seen on the website of Laura, just finished 5th grade in the USA. She has a wonderful blog, which she started as a result of her learning at school. It has now developed into an ongoing discussion with the world - this student realises that learning isn't a school event - it is lifelong and it can impact on others. Check out her her blog Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference.

Another way in which collaboration is occurring, and which can be used in the development of professional learning communities, is the development of Knowledge Cafes. These are events developed to enhance dialogue and share knowledge.

I guess my provocative question is: How do you develop powerful professional learning communities that are future focused, and make use of collaborative technologies to grow synergies with others?