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I had a great idea for a coordinate geometry unit plan for Pure Math 10. It was to be inquiry based, hands-on, exploratory and collaborative. It would incorporate elements of science and social studies. It was project based—students would write journals, build models and engage in debate.
As it turned out, I never wrote the lessons and never taught that unit with those strategies. My current lessons were good and efficiently delivered the curricular outcomes. I couldn’t justify devoting much more class time to coordinate geometry, and I didn’t have the
out-of-class time to develop a new unit. After all, I had nine other units in that course and seven other courses to mind.
This is just one of the number of stories of my career when I was unable to teach the way I aspired to. It turns out that I’m not alone.
The Canadian Education Association (CEA) and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) have released Teaching the Way We Aspire to Teach: Now and in the Future. The study includes a survey of 4,715 teachers from across Canada. While 40 per cent of respondents said they frequently had the opportunity to teach the way they aspired to, nearly half (49 per cent) said they could do so only occasionally. The numbers were significantly lower for teachers in their first 14 years of teaching.
Teachers cited support and value as professionals, small classes, adequate resources, collaboration among teachers, and greater flexibility in the classroom as the five most important things that help them teach the way they aspire to teach.
The teachers also spoke about time. The study reported that teachers’ “lack of time was a frequently cited barrier to realize their instructional aspirations—time to plan, to prepare lessons, to collaborate and to simply teach.”
The numbers say a lot, but it’s the stories featured in the second part of the research study that are particularly powerful. Stories are important; they help us make sense of the world. Stories are personal and emotional; they stick with us long after we forget bits and pieces of data and statistics. Stories can’t be refuted and disputed like statistics, because they’re a retelling of one person’s perspective.
CEA followed up the survey with 12 focus groups comprising about 200 teachers across Canada. In these settings, teachers told their personal stories about how their teaching practice differs from their aspirations. One poignant comment came from an Alberta teacher. Although it was not published in CEA’s report, it will be included in the ATA’s forthcoming Alberta Voices: Teachers’ Aspirations for the Future of Teaching. Focus group participants were encouraged to imagine their ideal teaching circumstances; one respondent said,
In the teaching to which I aspire, I have absolute support with respect to time, resources, equipment and curricular support. There is time for curricular adaptation and implementation. There is a healthy balance between instruction and facilitation. … There will be risk-taking in learning, and planning and spontaneity in classroom activities. There are opportunities to address current issues that relate to curriculum, initiated by students or teacher. I will feel satisfied and confident without excessive pressure to finish on time or devoting my family time to marking.
What’s your story? Teachers are natural storytellers. Storytelling is a fundamental part of our character, our education and our history. We need to tell our stories about how we aspire to teach and the barriers that inhibit us from doing so. We need to share our stories with our colleagues, with parents, with our families and our friends. Removing the barriers will benefit students and, ultimately, society.
Teaching the Way We Aspire to Teach: Now and in the Future can be downloaded from the CTF website (www.ctf-fce.ca). A document featuring narratives of Alberta teachers will be available through the ATA website in November.
I welcome your comments—contact me at jonathan.teghtmeyer@ata.ab.ca.
