I joke that if principals want to be leaders-by-adjective, like an Instructional Leader or a Learning Leader or an Overwhelmed Leader (wait, scratch that last one!), the most impactful leader-by-adjective title would be a “Collective Efficacy Leader”. This is a nod to John Hattie’s original research that was highlighted in his 2008 book Visible Learning, where we learned that one of the most powerful things we can put into place in schools is the collective belief that when teachers work together, they can better impact student achievement. I have good news, my friends—some things don’t change.
John Hattie has updated his research on the effect size of factors related to home, instruction and schools and their impact on student achievement in his new book, Visible Learning: The Sequel.. The book is fabulous and is full of what to do and what not to do in schools. And, the research on teachers’ collective efficacy is consistent. With an effect size of 1.34, effective teacher teams have the power to accelerate student learning more than just about any other practice.
The research on teachers’ collective efficacy is consistent. With an effect size of 1.34, effective teacher teams have the power to accelerate student learning more than just about any other practice.
-As evidenced in Visible Learning: The Sequel by John Hattie (2023)
In the book, Hattie talks about the nuances of collective efficacy among teachers. We so often mistake shared planning time or meeting frequently as collective efficacy. However, the reality is that the necessary vulnerable, transparent and trusting relationships are often not established among the teachers on the team. Additionally, the focus on pedagogy and evidence of student learning is frequently not present during the meetings. I have the honor to travel the country and coach PLC teams and school leaders from coast to coast, and I have witnessed this trend firsthand. Leaders and teachers have great intention to capitalize on collective efficacy but what is missing is the shared understanding of what collective efficacy really is and how to achieve it.
As I talk with leaders and teachers, one of the most discouraging things in schools right now is that we want to fix everything all at once. This results in not doing anything very well and feeling guilty about it. As Dr. Douglas Reeves teaches us, we are much better off focusing our efforts on a few initiatives to ensure a deep level of implementation. If we want to put all of our initiative eggs into just a few baskets this school year, let’s put them into the Teachers’ Collective Efficacy basket. Here are three basic things to think about as you are creating a school environment of interdependency:
- Establish trusting relationships within the teams. One of the best ways to start a conversation about effective teaming is to watch this oldie-but-goodie video from the late Rick DuFour. Rick was a pioneer in the idea of teachers’ collective efficacy with his phenomenal PLC work. After you watch the video, lead the team to reflect individually on what they need from their team in order to do their best work. Then, support them in sharing what they need with each other. Record the list of what they need to refer back to as the team establishes norms (behaviors expected from every team member during the meetings) for their team meetings.
- Create a shared definition of Teachers’ Collective Efficacy. John Hattie uses the terms “pedagogically productive inquiry” in his new book (Visible Learning: The Sequel p. 228). Talk through what that means as a whole staff.
- What does it look like during team meetings?
- What does it look like when your students are struggling with a concept and another teacher’s students are mastering it? And, vice versa?
- What systems might we create together to support the focus on instruction and evidence of student learning?
- How can we carry the focus on pedagogy throughout the school year, even when we get busy with field trips, holiday events, P/T conferences, report cards, state testing, etc.?
- How will the four PLC questions around learning, assessment, enrichment and support help us stay focused on “pedagogically productive inquiry”?
- Schedule the team meetings and provide a coach. We have to create time for team meetings to occur and hold that time sacred. Options include shared planning time, early release or late start days, after school meetings, getting rotating substitute teachers, etc. There are logistical issues to consider that are unique to every district, but (sorry to be blunt here) all scheduling efforts will fail if team meetings are not prioritized above all else. And then, after we have the team meeting time scheduled as firm as tungsten, we have to scaffold support so the time is used to collaborate on evidence of student learning and instruction. Just like with implementing any new thing, this is a process and teacher teams will greatly benefit from having a dedicated coach to support them during their meetings. The coach can facilitate the meetings at first and then can gradually release the facilitation of the meetings to teachers on the team and be more of a guide-on-the-side as the culture of teacher collective efficacy becomes interwoven into the fabric of the school.
I am gifted with a unique perspective on schools, instruction, and learning because I work with so many different educators across the county. I believe more than ever that supporting teachers in the type of teaming described here and throughout the work of Hattie, Reeves, DuFour and many others is where our focus needs to be. This is not only because of the impact this collective work can have on student achievement, it is also because of the job satisfaction it creates for teachers. This is EXACTLY the work they went into education for—they want to have a profound impact on student learning and they know that dissecting percentages on a standardized state assessment does not help them improve instructional practices tomorrow for their students. After they understand the process, they cherish the time together to look at what their students can do and what their next steps are. They love sharing effective instructional strategies that work for the students in their school. Creating a culture of teachers’ collective efficacy is a win/win and is so worthy of our dedicated focus.
Serendipity in Education 