Fast Llamas Run Together

Fast Llamas,

It's a new year and the energy and excitement at my campus is palpable.  There is also optimism and hope.  It is an exciting place to be right now.  I see it in teachers faces, administrator's and most importantly, our students.  

I want this energy to continue, but it takes several factors to keep it alive.  Let's dive deeper.  

A while ago, I presented this idea of 12 essential strategies to build relationships with students and create a positive shift in achievement.  

Here they are:

What is especially cool about this graphic is that is actually a mnemonic device called "clock face".  Each strategy rises in effect size (the actual effect on growth of students, .4 or higher is an effective strategy) and it is easy to remember because there is a story attached to each one.  This particular clock face was adapted from the work of Wes Kieschnick, who delivered it during Model Schools Conference. It stuck with me and I love when I see this taped to a teacher's desk as a reminder.  

So, my focus has always been student achievement and will remain so... and I believe in the Fast Llama Herd. Which I think of as a group of llamas (teachers!) all running in a herd, in the same direction, in step with one another and aligned with a belief that together the herd is stronger than one llama alone.  I made the connection to the Fast Llama Herd and Collective Teacher Efficacy a while ago, but it wasn't until this summer that I made a real shift in perspective.  

First off, what is collective teacher efficacy?  Collective teacher efficacy is the belief that teachers can more positively impact the learning of their students if they work as a team. Each word of the term is important. 

“Collective” refers to the power of groups of teachers over individual teachers. 

“Teacher” centers the expertise of classroom practitioners, rather than school leaders or outside educators. 

“Efficacy” highlights the importance of teacher beliefs to improve student outcomes.

This concept is the work of Albert Bandura, which demonstrated that teams believing in their potential led to better results.

That shift in perspective for me was the idea that we focus on building student relationships (and rightly so) but we also need to cultivate our relationships with one another.  We already do a pretty good job at fellowship within our teams.  We eat together, we celebrate each other in social ways and we know about each others families.  But, do we apply "clock face" strategies in collegiate ways in terms of our practices?  On the clock face, the last important strategy is Belief - that is collective teacher efficacy... do we really believe in each other abilities?  and if we don't, what are we doing about it?  

Let's break down the clock face, but this time, focus on teachers.

12:00 - High Expectations - have high expectations of each other... let's not wallow in mediocrity, energy is important, and when you feel slumpy, I will build you up.

11:00 - Perception - I see you as a 10 or an 11, you are a capable and impressive educator.

10:00 - Connection - I know you and your classroom.  We root for each other.

9:00 - Innovation - we work together to create the best activities and strong pedagogy.

8:00 - Practices - we work together and practice with one another.  I watch you teach, you watch me - feedback follows.

7:00 - Goals - we set audacious goals for our students and ourselves.

6:00 - Whoa, Don't Label - I won't let you use derogatory labels for your students, and you won't let me.  We speak positively about our jobs.

5:00 - Creativity - we realize that when we are taking care of each other, creativity flourishes in positive supportive environments.

4:00 - Motivation - I keep you motivated and you keep me motivated.

3:00 - Clarity - we are clear in our goals, what we want to achieve and where we want to be.  We focus on being clear with students. We set each other up for success.

2:00 - Trust - we trust one another and our abilities to teach well.  I trust you with my students and vice versa.  I also know that my inner fears are understood by you and you see me.  

1:00 - Belief - the Collective Teacher Efficacy is strong with us - Student Achievement follows suit.  

As we move through the year, let's reflect back on this time.  When our energy is high, goals are fresh and we have a renewed spirit about our jobs as educators.  We make our school whatever we want it to be, same for our classrooms, but we cannot do it alone.  We need the collective, we need fellow fast llamas to keep us going.  I am so optimistic for the new year... let's keep it going! 

Sources:

https://bit.ly/3RbHJh8