IMPROVING teaching Effectiveness

I am contemplating TRYING to measure teaching effectiveness in our Ward, as well as implementing a continuous improvement program. Before anyone shuts down, please listen to it first….

Teaching represents the vast majority of what we do, so it makes sense to measure it. We measure tithing, TR holding, priesthood advancements, baptisms, temple attendance, sacrament meeting attendance, why not measure teaching effectiveness? TSMonson said “when performance is measured, performance improves”. One reason people don’t come to church is they are nor fulfilled by the experience…

One reason I accepted an appointment to the Teachers Council in our Ward was because I feel there is a strong need for improvement in the teaching experience. In a way, I am facilitating the council blind because all I have are the suggestions from the Ward Council about what to address in the TC, and that was all shooting from the hip.

I would like to talk to the teachers first about their feelings about helping me design a way of assessing where we are strong and where we might improve in our teaching effectiveness in our Ward as a whole. I expect there will be some resistance in volunteer, non-graded, gospel teaching contexts as well, but am not sure what that would be — perhaps the “I’m doing this for free so don’t treat me like an employee”. Or maybe even people who have a sense of duty and just want to teach and go home without trying to improve…I get that; if anyone on earth gets that, I do.

So, I would approach this as way the council can help design something that is good for the Ward and good for teachers. Something that will last and have an impact long after they are released from their callings…To describe it as a way of improving ourselves and moving closer to a Zion-like existence. Explain the benefits of improvement. Don’t say I think it’s bad, just that we need to measure for a whole variety of reasons.

I was going to propose a survey into which they give input, and which draws on the principles in the Teaching the Savior’s Way. This survey could be administered anywhere on this continuum:

a) A survey administered by the teacher in their class, with only the results known to the teacher. There is no identifying the teacher on the survey….Only voluntary sharing in Teacher’s Council if the teacher wants, on only those parts they want. The teacher basically gets the feedback for self-improvement and the results never bubble up to the Teachers Council Facilitator or the ward leaders. There is no required self-improvement plan, although one is encouraged.

b) Same as (a) but the teachers are asked to come up with self-Improvement plans they share at the Teacher’s Council.

c) A survey administered as in a) but the results are aggregated at all or some one of these levels

i) the teacher level (in which case the survey identifies the teacher, with their permission)

ii) the youth or adult level

iii) youth SS, adult SS, YW/Aaronic Priesthood, RS/MelchPriesthood level

iii) the ward level (least effective as everything will likely regress toward the mean).

I can start by doing my own survey in Teachers Council to show I too am willing to participate in such a process.

I realize I have left out the primary. I am not a primary guy. I’d rather start with the adult and youth and see how it goes.

After I get the Teachers in the Teacher’s Council on board, I would then present it to the Ward Council, perhaps working through the Ward SS Presidency.

I think a bottom up approach is best, as the reaction of the teachers is the riskiest step. If we can get buy-in there, we are respecting their roles as volunteers and ensuring whatever we recommend is something the teachers will embrace.

I think this will also help convince the leaders above to accept the idea.

Thoughts on this? If you adopt the perspective of a teacher of youth or adults in our church, what kind of measurement and self-improvement plan would be palatable to you, if any? Recognize I am NOT about to treat the teachers like employees, but I want a method that is kind, supportive and appreciative. I want it to also respect their role as volunteers.

Comments welcome.