Teachers are isolated from other teachers by profession and by geography. Professionally, a teacher works with students in a classroom all day. Traditionally, teachers are alone in the classroom however some configurations use team teaching. The majority of teachers are alone with the student to teacher ratio getting higher, teachers need more help.
In the past, a teacher could go to a department in his/her school for support and collaboration. These departments are disappearing because of budget and time issues and rarely meet.
Geographically, a teacher is separated from other teachers and knowledge by schools and regions. Bringing teachers together to share knowledge and build a community is very costly due to travel and geographical restrictions.
Teachers can also share knowledge outside their network through the traditional chain of command however this method is slow and inefficient. For knowledge to flow from one teacher to another teacher in another school, the information must pass from the teacher in school A, to the principal in school A, to the principal in school B and finally to the teacher in school B.
We call this lack of direct connection a “structural hole” in the professional network of teachers. When a structural hole exists, there are great gains to be made through implementing mentoring programs, conducting in-person networking events, and using technology to share and collaborate through professional online networking. All three of these methods are very useful and have their benefits and limitations.
Structural holes must be filled in the teaching profession because teachers are burning out and leaving the profession. There is increased demands and pressure on teachers and decreased support. By connecting teachers directly, the full power of a educator community can be leveraged. This will reduce the barriers to instruction and can lead to a more effective and efficient teacher with the tools for success.
I like what you said about mentoring programs. Teachers feel isolated in their profession and are now using the internet for advice from other educators with more experience. I myself use blogs and forums for feedback from other teachers. The "structural holes" in the field of education are an issue of national importance.
ReplyDeletePresidential candidates Obama and McCain have both stressed the need to reform the education system in the US. In particular, Obama has also addressed the issue of teachers in need of mentoring from colleagues with more experience.
I look forward to reading more from you.