Continuous Professional Teacher Development: Understanding the Psychological Barriers

1. Continuous Professional Teacher Development: Understanding the Psychological Barriers Presentation to Bridge Teacher Development Focus Group 28 October 2015

2. The Nature of Psychological Barriers • There are laws of psychology in the human dimension which • need to be understood; they are ‘there’ and unchanging. • 2) There are different kinds of psychological barriers. • Different psychological barriers have different significance • and meaning. • Psychological barriers relevant to Continuous Professional • Teacher Development (CPTD) include: • Inherent, natural psychological barriers. • ‘Created’ psychological barriers. • Psychological barriers associated with online learning • and sharing.

3. WTTaking One Step Back: Why Concern Yourself with CPTD? The Global Context: the Bigger Picture • Globally, • we are living today in a global village (an inter-connected world). • Globally and locally, • there is constant change in the world, e.g. the march of technology; • this impacts on most countries and on most people. • Professionally, • change affects the way in which most professionals operate. • The need to keep pace with change: • Risk: • Professionals who do not keep abreast of change will fall behind, • and may over time lose their professionalism.

4. Some Keys to Psychological Success • Correct pace of change: • -needs to be a comfortable pace for the group of teachers concerned; • - the correct pace is likely to differ from one group to another. • Incorrect pace of change: • - will result in psychological barriers to CPTD. • Therefore, • need to be sensitive to the psychological needs of each group of teachers. • For change to be psychologically acceptable, there are certain • conditions: • The change must make sense and add value. • Not change simply for the sake of change. • Guiding principle: retain intrinsic value - some things have • timeless value.

5. Natural Psychological Barriers Inherent, natural psychological barriers: • There is in fact only one inherent barrier: • Most of us do not welcome personal change! • Because it … • upsets our equilibrium (our routine; sense of comfort), • means a personal learning curve, • requires time and effort.

6. Dealing with the Natural Psychological Barrier • Effective management of this barrier requires simultaneous “push” • and “pull” factors. • The psychological “push” factor needs to be: • benign • gentle • firm (no compromise). • For many other professions the “push” factor is in operation, and • for them it means: • That continuous professional development (CPD) is compulsory. • That professionals must obtain a set number of CPD points per year • to retain their professional registration.

7. The “pull” factors: • Guiding Principles: • CPTD is most likely to draw participants in when: • It is based on the identified needs (not the assumed needs) of participants. • It embraces a ‘whole person’ philosophy within a holistic approach • to lifelong professional development. • 3) Delivery systems are as diverse and flexible as possible. • 4) Training is consistently of high quality, relevant and user-friendly. • CPTD includes opportunities to see other colleagues and to network with them,e.g. CoP’s.

8. ‘Created’ Psychological Barriers • Case study: • Thandi’s experience as a teacher at her school. • Psychological impact on Thandi: • Shock, trauma, disappointment, disillusionment. • Loss of trust. • Loss of confidence in the system. • Decision to be self-reliant, not to rely on the system any longer. • New psychological barriers: • Withdrawal. • Avoidance – heart no longer in her work; only going through the motions; • no desire to contribute or to learn. • Desire to escape from this system (this school). • These barriers will generalize to everything that the • school does, including CPTD.

9. Created Psychological Barriers: • The Role of the Organisational System (the school): • Looking back at a young teacher’s experience of teacher development in two different school settings: • Private setting: • weekly sessions set up in the timetable • day long workshop at the beginning of the term • sharing and reflection with the rest of staff once a term • conference and workshop attendance • larger staff • departmental meetings • degree of competitiveness. • Public setting: • initial mentoring for the first year • initial workshop about the school’s culture • whole staff workshop once a term • development and progress largely seen as personal aspiration, • rather than school culture • departmental meetings and NAPTOSA meetings • smaller staff with more communication • timetable and financial constraints.

10. Influence of the Organisational System (the school) on individuals: • Willing participation in personal (teacher) development, with fewest psychological barriers, is most likely to occur when: • The philosophy and values of an organisation (the school) are growth orientated. • The organisation (the school): • supports the essential dignity and worth of every employee; • provides opportunities for personal growth in conjunction with organisational goals; • is even-handed in its treatment and judgement of employees; • uncompromisingly adheres to an agreed code of conduct; • is open-minded and flexible in its thinking; • sees all employees as inter-connected and naturally • dependent, each contributing to the final output • by working as a team;

11. has a long term focus, shows concern for the consequences • of their actions into the future; • reflects kindness towards others – e.g. towards communities that are • linked with the school, or surrounding communities; • follows through on attaining their goals, irrespective of difficulties or obstacles. • On the other hand (at the other end of the spectrum) the highest number of created psychological barriers are most likely to occur when: • The organisation (the school): • does not think that employee feelings have any relevance in the work environment; • lacks mercy and kindness – is therefore cruel, impersonal, cold, • unconcerned with the needs of employees as human beings, • lacks warmth and geniality;

12. displays dishonesty and faithlessness, and makes wrongful and biased judgements; • is concerned with immediate reward without regard for long-term consequences; • the school’s members can be deceptive, critical, shallow, manipulated and inconsistent in following a code of conduct; • employees are separate from one another, each acting for themselves, irrespective of the efforts of others; • discourages questioning and innovation, enforces one right way of doing things, punishesbehaviour outside the norm; • demonstrates disesteem and contempt for employees; • is uncivil and discourteous towards others; • shirks work and follows through only insofar as forced to do so; exerts no effort independent of external controls.

13. From an organisational perspective, most schools are likely to lie somewhere along this continuum ... - some nearer to one pole - others nearer to the opposite pole - others at some point along this spectrum. The nature of the created psychological barriers will depend in each instance on the nature of the positive and/or negative experiences within a particular school. ----------oooOooo---------- It is also possible that certain psychological barriers are not individual barriers, but rather group psychological barriers, i.e. barriers arising from membership of a particular group. Key to finding solutions: Know exactly what you are dealing with.

14. Psychological Barriers to Online Learning and Sharing • The Individual-Online Interface: • For some, IT platforms create a new and separate category of • psychological barriers. • If there are any pre-existing psychological barriers, these will be • carried forward and added to barriers specific to the IT platform. • How come new psychological barriers? • For some, IT is unfamiliar territory: • – therefore, you are dealing with the unknown; • - emotions: feeling silly. • The ‘hassle’ factor: IT platforms create their own set of demands, and • learning IT skills is time-consuming: • - therefore, feelings of harassment and resentment.

15. IT and online options may arouse old uncertainties, • - therefore, dealing with unfinished business from the past. • On their own, psychological barriers to IT platforms are usually shallow barriers that can be overcome with relative ease. • Some ways of minimizing psychological barriers specific to online learning and sharing: • Make the ITplatforms as easy-to-use and user-friendly as possible. • Provide clear step-by-step guidelines (‘Guidelines for dummies’ – use humour). • Reward successful IT efforts immediately: • e.g. make it possible for a user to print a CPTD certificate • immediately after the successful completion of a task. • 4) Learn from other professions that have successful IT strategies.

16. In Closing: The inherent, natural psychological barrier … - is relatively easy to overcome; - but, it is essential that this barrier is overcome at the outset. 2) Created psychological barriers … - are deep-seated and complex barriers, unique in every case; - require full understanding in order to be resolved; - unless resolved, these barriers become ‘psychological baggage’. 3) Psychological barriers specific to IT and online platforms … - unless complicated by additional barriers, these are usually not serious psychological barriers; - it should be possible often to overcome these barriers by employing tried and tested principles and strategies.