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     What kind of FL School are you working for?       

(A Questionnaire on the ‘micro-climate’ of an institution)


Marisa Constantinides

This is a response to many of our readers and trainees who talk about the frequent frustration befalling newly (or not so “newly”...) trained teachers finding themselves teaching in an environment where their training is not only not appreciated, but actually seen either as undesirable or as a threat. One of the key factors, the climate which prevails in an educational institution of any kind, is very often determined by the Director of Studies (in many cases in Greece, the school owner). Here is a questionnaire to make you think about the kind of environment you are working in or have created for yourself or for others - whoever you are, teacher or school owner, its aim is to make you think and, then, hopefully, act in a positive way. 
  YES NO UNSURE
  1. Are you encouraged to express your ideas, thoughts and reactions without fear of being ridiculed or criticised by others?
      
  1. Are you encouraged to reflect and learn from your mistakes?                   
     
  1. Is there open communication between you and your employer or supervisor(s) such that you feel free to express yourself?    
      
  1. Are you ideas respected even though they may differ from the ideas of others?
      
  1. Do you respect the ideas of your colleagues even though they may differ from your own?
      
  1. Is there a feeling/ an atmosphere of trust, respect and the conviction that all teachers have a sense of responsibility to their students?
      
  1. When coursebooks or other materials are inspected or selected, are you and your colleagues consulted?
      
  1. Are you encouraged to collaborate with your colleagues on certain projects or assignments?
      
  1. Is there a friendly atmosphere in the staff room amongst the teachers, or a hostile and competitive climate?
      
  1. Do you believe that teamwork may help teachers develop & enhance their creative thinking skills?
      
  1. Do you believe that teachers can work collaboratively and responsibly if they are adequately prepared/ briefed? 
      
  1. Are your efforts to do more for your students appreciated even if your solutions might not be the best ones?
      
  1. Have you been given clear guidelines as to how your performance is to be evaluated, or do you have to guess?
      
  1. Are you given enough personal attention so that you can fulfil your potential and achieve your goals with reasonable chance of success?
      
  1. Do you believe that teachers should be given frequent opportunities to express their ideas without constant negative comments and feedback on the faults in their performance?
      

Some Answers 

First, check the number of ‘No’s’ and ‘Unsure’s’ , then read the following comments on your answers below. The more ‘yes’ answers you have marked, the more this shows a friendly, collaborative school environment.

If you responded ‘no’ or ‘unsure’ to questions...

....1, 3, 4 &/or 5, you need to remember that creative behaviours in teachers are not encouraged or enhanced when they do not feel free to express themselves. Risk-taking increases in a secure atmosphere where there is trust in one’s abilities - even if their ideas are not exactly the same to those of the director or school owner. Such an environment recognizes that there are many roads to the same goal and feedback is given in a tactful and sensitive way.
....2 &/or 15: Mistakes are a natural part of learning and of the expression of ideas; instead of becoming fossilized, teachers become more adventurous if they are liberated from the fear of constant criticism.
....6 & 7: Responsibility breeds responsibility and the more one is given, the more likely they are to feel themselves accountable for decisions taken.
....8, 9, 10 & 1: Creativity and learning occur much more successfully in a collaborative environment in which there is ongoing development and teachers challenge and learn from one another.
... 12: Success is spurred on by appreciation of the effort just as much as by success itself.
... 13: Knowledge of the criteria upon which one’s performance is to be evaluated makes it easier to assess oneself and others with a view to improving one’s performance in the classroom 
...14: Although all teachers have the potential to develop their skills of teaching, it is expected that, like learners, they will have different rates of reaching different levels of success. Frustration and hesitation on the part of some can be alleviated through personal contact with a more experienced colleague or supervisor.

 


 

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