Values are people's cognition, understanding, judgment or choice based on certain thinking senses, that is, a kind of thinking or value orientation that people identify things and judge right and wrong. Whether it is a team or a school, only the convergence of values can align in vision, action and moral choices, form a strong internal driving force, and achieve valuable education.
So how do you get a school's values to live up?
The importance of values for the organization is self-evident, for a school, culture is the way people do things without thinking, only by sharing the values of the organization, can we form core competitiveness, in order to form a common campus culture with consistent goals.
Many school values are "top-down", from the beginning of the establishment of the school by the management to give clear values, in the recruitment of staff, the various requirements will be clearly listed, school rules, school motto, teacher code of conduct... New people meet the requirements to enter the organization for common development.
However, for the school to achieve benign and sustainable development, it needs the "bottom-up" values, and the education partners need to jointly determine the development direction of the school and jointly build core values.
How? Schools can set aside a full day at the end of each year to hold a value conference for all faculty and staff. The process of this values conference can be as follows:
First of all, a meeting is organized by the ministry, and each teacher of the department thinks and puts forward 5 keywords to promote the development of the school this year, and explains the reasons. These keywords will be internalized into the power of teachers, and the elaboration process will guide teachers to review their educational experiences, tell educational stories, and refine campus life. Each statement is a deep reflection on a personal learning journey and mission.
After that, the level department counts all the keywords, finds the 5 words with the highest frequency, combines the work of the level department for a whole year, and further interprets it from the perspective of the collective, which includes the evaluation of the teacher's work by the level department, the recognition from the team, and the "seeing" of the teachers in the same discipline. Moreover, these must be told in the form of "stories". The process of narration weaves the teachers' visions and values for the future into the collective consciousness, and realizes the convergence of the values of individual words and collective words.
Finally, integrate a year's work in the school, produce a video, put every behind-the-scenes teacher, team, and all the large-scale activities and projects in front of the stage one by one, and release the final value vocabulary. Because it is an annual event, it will continue to change as the school grows; because it is bottom-up, everyone is invited and needed to contribute to the organization. In this way, values also have growth and adaptability, and the whole true self is accepted and empowered by a broader value.
In such an organization, there is a sense of intimacy between people who are sincere, friendly, respectful, trusting and caring. Teachers are no longer fighting alone, but are twisted into a rope.
It is not enough to extract the key vocabulary of values, this is just an idea floating in the clouds, we also need to co-create a school culture within this language framework, which requires codes of conduct to shape common educational concepts.
Schools need to clarify the code of conduct for teachers, students and employees in the main areas of work, and provide guidance for the construction of school mechanisms and the development of education and teaching work. Among them, the code of conduct is the key, from the school strategy, organizational structure, teacher-student relationship, education and teaching, management and other aspects of the teachers and students to shape the concept of education, each school code of conduct is different, but there are three same key points.
Pedagogy is relational science
As far as the teacher-student relationship is concerned, the code of conduct clearly states that in the process of teacher-student interaction, the initiative to establish the relationship lies with the teacher. How teachers open and maintain this relationship determines the quality of the relationship between teachers and students.
In the code of conduct, it is clear that love is the realm, love is the mind, and love is skill and skill. At the same time as the strict requirements, it is necessary to let students feel through artistic means that the teacher loves you and is good at using the "toolbox" and "scaffolding". The starting point of the teacher-student relationship is love, and the foothold is all kinds of acts of love.
For example, in order to let the children adapt to the new environment faster and have enough security for the school and the teacher, every morning in some schools, the principal and teacher will take the initiative to "high-five" and "hug" the children, and when there is something, they will crouch down and hold the child's hand to pass on this warmth.
For example, when the children eliminate the strangeness and change the relationship from loving to interesting and meaningful, the teachers can create their own ways of playing, touching fists, dancing, gentlemanly salutes, organizing children to form a circle during morning reading time, singing songs and reciting poems, greeting each student, or clapping, or hugging, etc.
These simple and not simple "tricks" are actually a kind of love.
Trust creates a sense of responsibility
Studies have shown that school-level trust relationships are considered the most relevant variables for learning outcomes. There is no education without trust, and every job we take on is a commitment to education.
In the past, the basic function of the ministry was to upload and issue, and a large amount of work needed to be reported layer by layer, reducing efficiency and even changing the established direction. If the various departments of the school can revolve around the level department, fully authorize the level department, give middle level trust, and let the director of the department directly talk to the principal, it can improve management efficiency. At the same time, ministries at all levels can also be responsible for education and teaching management, student management, and activity development. As a curriculum research center, student growth center, and administrative service center of the service assurance department, it can provide technical support and service guarantee for the departments at different levels.
In addition, in the past, subject teachers were only responsible for classes, and only the class teacher was in charge of educating people. Therefore, it is often said that it is better to find a good school than to find a good class teacher. Subject isolation has led to isolation of learning and education, parents and schools have pinned their hopes on the class teacher, and it is reasonable that the efficiency of education and teaching is not high. So can we establish an all-round teacher-student relationship? For example, "full staff education".
The key to school education lies in how to increase the time spent with teachers and students, as long as there is a good relationship between teachers and students, it will produce good educational and teaching effects. Of course, classroom teaching also requires trust, and the teacher's trust in the child can strengthen their sense of responsibility. Teachers need to believe that the child is a person with great potential for development, and give students a little more time to think and practice. "He's a self-taught man, and he's curious about the world itself."
Teachers should believe that most children can achieve their predetermined learning goals through their own efforts, inquiry and practice. In order to fully trust children, our classroom adheres to the principle of "three noes", that is, students will not talk about what they have already learned, students will not talk about it, and students themselves can learn not to talk.
In terms of management, the school can create a new organizational structure, optimize management methods, and improve work efficiency. For example, the Curriculum Research Center, student growth center, and administrative service center are used as service guarantee departments; teachers' colleges and parents' colleges are used as supervision and consultation departments.
Trusting each partner of the school, trusting them to take responsibility for their own responsibilities, trusting that they can do their best on the road of education, education can form a synergy.
Creativity is the greatest charm of education
Design thinking is a people-oriented approach to solving complex problems, which has the ability to comprehensively deal with problems, can understand the background of problems, generate insights and solutions, rationally analyze and find the best solutions. Can we apply design thinking to education and teaching to make the same things more creative?
Under the design thinking, many school activities can achieve new breakthroughs. For example, Songshan Lake No. 2 Primary School held activities in the "June 1st Children's Day" using the "home-school crowdfunding" method, parent committee members brainstormed, designed nearly 100 kinds of interesting and meaningful activities, and then the home-school cooperation - the parent committee purchased activity materials, arranged the activity venue, the tutors organized students to participate in an orderly manner to ensure safety, and the school provided backup guarantees to create a "net red" June 1st activity.
Design thinking should also incorporate codes of conduct for teaching activities.
On the one hand, teachers should try to broaden the breadth of classroom knowledge, let children see the wider world, in the preparation of lessons, to consider the effective connection between different knowledge points, as far as possible to understand and explore the background of these knowledge; on the other hand, teachers should provide different ways, so that children through the most suitable way to learn. Teachers should give children motivation, constantly express high expectations through curriculum design, so that children can have a successful experience; encourage children to learn in as many ways as possible; and also let students fully understand the value of self-learning, from passive learning to active learning.
The code of conduct is not a vague distance, but every ordinary day under the feet, the solution concept of every problem, and the recognition of every effort. The best way to predict the future is to create it, and the meaning of the Code of Conduct is to enable values to be put into action every day.
Classroom reform has entered the deep water, teachers must be full of real emotions, real attitudes and real states to face students, take real lessons; classroom teaching is the lifeblood of school development, the effectiveness of each lesson is the long-term way of quality teaching, pre-class preparation and effective teaching in class, timely feedback after class are very important. When the classroom changes, the school changes.
Therefore, after the code of conduct shapes the concept, the education and teaching life will inevitably encounter many real problems. If values are the stars overhead, then the guide to action is the road under your feet.
The school's education action guide should be divided into dimensions and clear the corresponding content: for example, written in chronological order, starting from the day the teacher receives the student list, for the children who are connected to the kindergarten, the problems will be answered one by one, and the new and old teachers will be provided with scaffolding for taking over the class; for example, according to the class category, from pre-class preparation to teaching, from lesson preparation to tutoring, there are clear guidance methods, such as the "effective teaching" section has such a description, using classroom procedures and discipline programs to establish our classroom culture.
Our school compiles the "Classroom Management Toolbox" and "Teaching Management Toolbox", which carefully analyzes management methods and teaching methods, involves all aspects of school life, and solves the problems of new teachers lacking class experience and old teachers lacking innovative methods.
The Classroom Management Toolbox defines rules and procedures. For example, the procedure for turning in homework and examination papers clearly states: "If your students sit in vertical and horizontal rows, it is better to have students pass the work to the side of the classroom in a horizontal row, rather than to the front of the classroom in a vertical row." Next, the toolbox lists the programs:
1. Start with the students at the far end of each row and have them place their workbooks on the adjacent table.
2. The next students put their homework books away and pass them on sequentially. Do not have students hand in hand to hand the workbook so that the paper does not scratch their fingers.
3. When students pass the homework book one by one, supervise the entire process, make adjustments or corrections if necessary, and find the right time to praise the students.
4. It is best to go to the side of the classroom to supervise, so that you can see the whole process of handing over the homework book.
5. If students sit around instead of sitting in rows, it's up to you to collect your work, or ask one student to take back all of their workbooks.
In addition, the classroom is a moisturizing classroom that easily builds a relationship of trust between teachers, students and students, teaching time is not occupied by trivialities, and students can enter the learning state as soon as possible under the guidance of the classroom procedure. By emphasizing listening in the classroom norms and cultivating the ability to listen, the speech performance in the classroom will become rich. In the guide, schools can clarify these requirements to teachers:
1. Teach classroom procedures to students and implement discipline programs.
2. Let students know what to learn in this lesson and know the results.
3. Create a listening-centered classroom where mutual learning is heard and visible.
4. Measure each student by different measures and tolerate the differences of students.
5. Do not interrupt classroom teaching at will.
6. Create "active, cooperative, reflective" classroom learning under the guidance of teachers.
7. Ringing the bell means that the class is announced immediately, and it is strictly forbidden to drag the class.
After the program is clarified, through the order of explanation, drill, and reinforcement, it becomes an established ability of students, and the level is clear to do everything in learning life.
The Instructional Management Toolbox provides a way of thinking. For example, in the 8 triggers of "flow", in order for a student to enter the "flow" state, there must be internal motivation, not so much that someone wants to do something, but that he must do something. This internal motivation is driven by the interest in the task itself, and is the student's own strength, not driven by external pressure or rewards. The following 8 triggers put students into a state of high concentration, making it easier for them to enter a state of "flow."
Trigger 1: Rapport
Trigger 2: Ability
Trigger 3: Curiosity
Trigger 4: Imagine
Trigger 5: Correlation
Trigger 6: Challenge
Trigger 7: Select
Trigger 8: Fun
Each trigger should have a detailed explanation and give examples of "how you can do it", with detailed methods in the examples. For example, the "rapport" factor, the instructor can make index cards, including: What are your hobbies or interests? List your favorite TV shows, movies, books, songs (three of each)? Say three things you're best at? What are your favorite careers? What have you learned so far that has excited and fascinated you? What do you hope to learn in this subject? The method is specific and detailed.
It should be reminded that the action guide needs to set its sights on the "classroom" and put "every teacher in every lesson with full spirit and patiently guide each child's studies." Each student has a positive learning state, high-quality completion of learning tasks, goodwill to help peers, and careful answers to peer consultation learning questions" as the goal, put forward the teacher to "what kind of classroom to pursue" and specific teaching action guidelines two parts.
In addition, the action guide should also put forward the requirements of "brewing success with success and giving students more opportunities for success", for students with spare energy to accelerate and add meals, for students who do not have enough learning ability to provide one-on-one counseling, home and school work together, guide students to learn to ask for help, good at asking for help. When children learn the ability to acquire knowledge on the Internet, in the experience of parents, in the communication of classmates and in consultation with teachers, then the world will become their teaching material.
The core of culture is values, and other levels of culture: institutional layer, behavior layer, material layer, are all developed under the support of values. Sun Tzu said, "He who desires the same thing up and down wins." "To create a campus culture based on core values, with consistent educational and teaching behaviors and similar professional attitudes, this school is an organization with core cultural cores." At the same time, the process of implementing values into a democratic and open code of conduct and activity guide will promote the further development of the school.
Author | Sun Daoming, Peng Xinxin