Compliance vs. engagement… so what does that mean? I
actually think of these terms in similar ways as I do about cooperation vs.
collaboration. Sure, compliance is agreement but is that all we want from our
work with teachers? Is that all they want when working with their
students?
I don’t think so… I think instructional coaches want to
engage the teachers with whom they work in productive, analytical, and
thought-provoking conversations that yield changes in practice. I think they
want more than teachers who just cooperate; I think they want to work with
teachers in ways that promote questioning, quiet disruption, and inquiry.
The coaches that I’ve met want to ensure that their work
with teachers is relevant, tied to practice, demanding, and at the same time,
culturally sensitive, differentiated according to need, and creates a culture
of learning for all students. They want to take ownership and be the architects
of their own learning; they want to help build their students’ capacity as
learners as well.
So, is that compliance or is that engagement? How do I help
teachers move from compliance to engagement so that their students can move
from simple obedience to premediated, purposeful learning? How do coaches
navigate their coaching roles when they are forced to use a checklist and be
the “enforcer” or compliance “police”?
I think compliance means that the group goes along with the “flavor
of the day” and hope that “this, too, shall pass.” I think engagement means
that each stakeholder has an integral part in creating a shared understanding,
learning, and support system because the collective and individual
responsibilities are recognized.
What do you think?
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