Teacher Motivation Dialogic Workshop
Time: 1pm-4pm, March 10th Room: Magnolia
Description of Session Edit Description of Session
A. Summary
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Save the Children US (SC US) propose a dialogic workshop highlighting teacher motivation as a crucial area of focus for improving quality of education, and taking the first steps to collaboratively define, measure, and intervene to support teacher motivation in classrooms around the world. SC US, IRC, CIE, and NYU will present work they have undertaken with the objective of developing a working definition for Teacher Motivation and possible relevant indicators to measure motivation in a variety of settings. The overall goal of this workshop will be to create an operational “Teacher Motivation Working Group.”
B. Objectives:
1) To present current research on the dynamics of teacher motivation in developing countries;
2) To arrive at a common definition and a preliminary set of core indicators of teacher motivation;
3) To enlist interested individuals and organizations to form a Teacher Motivation Working Group to focus inter-organizational effort on carrying the teacher motivation research and practice agenda forward.
C. Audience:
Any individuals and organizations interested in participating in a coordinated effort to enhance the understanding of teacher motivation, its linkages with student learning outcomes, and NGO-appropriate strategies for reinforcing teacher motivation where it is lacking and undermining teacher performance and student learning.
D. Activities:
1) Presentation of Teacher Motivation Frameworks: (30 min)
The presenters will articulate their definitions and understandings of teacher motivation based on differing theoretical perspectives. Michaelowa (2002) provides a potential starting point for defining teacher motivation as the “willingness, drive or desire to engage in good teaching,” (p.5). Drawing on this definition, SC US (Jarret Guadjardo & Shirin Lutfeali) will present research that yields two major components of motivation: First, basic needs must be met before teachers can be motivated to fulfill their higher-order needs. Second, once the more extrinsic basic needs and environmental factors are met, more intrinsic factors significantly motivate teacher performance in the long run. CIE (Paul St. John Frisoli) will explicate how teacher motivation and change can be viewed from a self-efficacy perspective, where attitudes and beliefs about one’s abilities indicate one’s motivation levels (Bandura, 1986). Therefore, teacher motivation can also be determined from a “well-being” perspective, which highlights elements of well-being that contribute to or hinder teacher motivation.
2) Finding a common set of definitions for teacher motivation :(45 min)
à Activity: Reactions to the presentations; Small group activity to present other definitions of teacher definitions; and large group definition building discussions.
3) Presentations on indicators of teacher motivation: (30 min)
In the first presentation, SC US (Jarret Guadjardo & Shirin Lutfeali) will present their teacher motivation framework of analysis which include eight interconnected influential categories: Workload and Challenges (set against remaining categories); Remuneration and Incentives; Recognition and Prestige; Accountability; Career Development; Institutional Environment ; Voice; Learning Materials and Facilities. The second presentation will provide an illustration of an approach to measure factors that may impact and promote teacher motivation. IRC (Julia Frazier) and NYU (Catalina Torrente) will present preliminary analyses from an impact evaluation of an in-service teacher professional development model in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The presentation will be structured as follows: the framework within which the research is conducted, the process by which the measurement tool was developed and by preliminary findings on the association between teachers’ life and work conditions and various indicators of teacher motivation and well-being. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of promising avenues for research and practice, including the development of “Teacher Learning Circles” as a motivating strategy for professional development.
4) Drafting indicators of teacher motivation: (45 min)
à Activity: Reactions to the presentations; Small group activity to present other indicators and measures of teacher motivation; and large group teacher motivation indicators brainstorm discussions.
5) Teacher Motivation Working Group Start-Up: (30 min)
à Activities: Develop a list of important research questions to be addressed by the working group; Draft a research agenda for the coming year(s) that is coordinated among working group members; Map initiatives and research that have already been undertaken or are underway by the members; Establish mechanisms for continued communication and sharing of progress and findings between organizations
E. Presenters:
• Jarret Guajardo, Basic Education and Literacy Research Specialist, SC US
• Shirin Lutfeali, Basic Education and Literacy Senior Specialist, SC US
• Paul St. John Frisoli, Doctoral Candidate, CIE
• Julia Frazier, Education Technical Advisor, IRC
• Catalina Torrente, Doctoral Candidate, NYU |
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