Above and beyond the research in our intro post, paying attention to developing collective efficacy is worth your time. Why? Efficacy transcends learning environments! Efficacy is necessary whether students are served in traditional brick-and-mortar settings, hybrid or completely online. This is one of the reasons that it is so powerful.
I know that it may sound daunting, trying to shift the beliefs of an individual or groups of teachers, but Donohoo has outlined that there are conditions that can further enable collective teacher efficacy. Enabling conditions do not necessarily cause or guarantee things to happen, rather they increase the likelihood that things will turn out as you anticipated.
Today, we are going to focus on three factors to help enable collective efficacy that are the most interrelated and relevant for your role as a school leader and the work of Hattie.
Advanced Teacher Influence
Think of this as the power of local, social persuasion. Teachers love to talk, share and have their voices heard. But there are studies that back this up as an enabling factor.
Advanced teacher influence involves teachers assuming specific leadership roles and, along with that, the power to make decisions on issues related to the school in which they work. Sherri Lewis (2009) in her findings suggested that “with more opportunity to participate in school decision-making, teams build more mastery experiences and they in turn experience social persuasion through colleagues’ feedback”. In your role as a school leader, and in order to advance teacher influence, you can work to identify areas that might be considered for school improvement and begin to increase opportunities for teachers to become more involved in purposeful and meaningful ways. By providing teachers greater autonomy and influence over important decisions you are helping to enable and build collective efficacy.
Goal Consensus
Setting measurable and suitably attainable school goals helps teachers achieve purposeful results—this is especially true when the teaching staff reaches consensus on which goals to set.
Interestingly enough, Terri Barber Kurz and Stephanie L. Knight found that consensus on school goals was a significant PREDICTOR of collective efficacy in their study which examined the relationship between the two.
Also, remember Gist’s verbal persuasion. You can help build collective efficacy by communicating a strong belief in the capacity of your team to improve the quality of teaching and learning and achieving the agreed upon goals. In a moment, we will talk more about responsive leadership, but acknowledging the accomplishments that have resulted from teachers’ teamwork and identifying and celebrating small and big wins is an example of how you can pay careful attention to progress and be a responsive leader.
Responsiveness of Leadership
In a leadership role you need to be responsive to student and teachers needs, school safety measures, your operational budget—the list could go on for what requires your awareness and dutiful attention. It is important to note, your responsiveness as a leader can enable collective efficacy, but what does this really mean and look like in your small schools?
When you model and demonstrate that it is your responsibility as a leader to help teachers carry out their professional roles efficiently and effectively, this is an example of responsive leadership. It is also a way to show that you have concern for your teachers and that you care about them.
Teaching is personal. Teaching is professional. Donohoo reminds us, school leaders need to consciously protect teachers from influences that could impact their time or focus on teaching and learning. Being responsive means securing materials, resources, and learning opportunities needed for them to be successful.
When you respond to the needs of the staff, what do you think the outcomes might be? You got it! Teachers feel supported and will develop a greater belief in their collective capacity to have an impact on student growth and achievement. Download a quick “how-to” guide for enabling collective teacher efficacy through exit tickets.
Visit the blog in the coming weeks as we dig in on our next topic – mindframes and the power of “we”.