As an educational leader today, it’s all too easy to get caught in the era of overwhelm.
And if you’re working to advance teaching and learning across your school, in this era, it’s tough to know where to put your full focus to make that happen.
It might be one of the reasons we might be inundated with discussions of “teaching strategies” now.
But as I’ve mentioned before, I rarely talk about teaching strategies anymore.
That’s because in the era of overwhelm, without those teaching and learning strategies connected to a structure, it can just add to everyone’s mental load and cause more chasing.
So, you might be wondering – William, what should we be talking about if we’re working to advance teaching and learning in the era of overwhelm???
Here are three things I invite you to build, embed and strengthen.
1: A TEACHING AND LEARNING MISSION
The right kind of teaching and learning mission will keep everyone focused. In fact, I’ve seen the right mission help people reflect deeply on each teaching and learning choice they are making.
2: A TEACHING AND LEARNING SYSTEM
The right kind of system is simple but powerful and can help empower teachers and school leaders to optimise everything they do. In fact, once that system is in place, when new information comes to your school (and it will), you can easily and seamlessly bring that into the system. Rather than being overwhelmed, it will help you create a culture of continuous improvement.
3: A COMMON LANGUAGE
The kind of common language I’m talking about is the kind that gets to the crux of a school’s thinking around high-quality teaching and learning. In fact, the right kind of language helps everyone consider their craft. For example, having a common language with shared definitions of things like student engagement helps create stability and shared language for the school.
The era of overwhelm is here and here to stay. But with the right structure around your school, district or network, you can ease collective stress and boost teaching and learning impact.
For good.
