TEACHER

EMPOWERMENT
 The galloping technology has made each day
of our life different from the previous day.
 The changes we have witnessed in the last
decade were beyond the wildest dreams a
quarter century ago. Common Videos\Sixth Sense.mp4

 These changes have dramatically

transformed our ways of thinking, our
perceptions and aspirations.
 It is important to understand what we can
control and what we cannot in a dynamic
world in which we don’t know what is
going to happen tomorrow, let alone in
a year.
Why teacher empowerment matters
Teaching has historically been a profession
which granted practitioners some
degree of autonomy in their classrooms,
but larger institutional decisions affecting
their work were still controlled by
administrators and policymakers.

Everything from hiring, budgeting,

scheduling, textbook and technology
selections to professional development
and curriculum is often in the hands of
others.
Empowering teachers as leaders is seen as a way
 to put teachers at the center of the reform
movement,
 to keep good teachers in education,
 to entice new teachers into the profession,
and
 to reverse a general trend toward treating
them as employees who do specific tasks
planned in detail by other people.
By introducing these new paradigms, the
teaching profession will become a truly
rewarding experience.
 What is empowerment?

Empowerment has been defined as a process

whereby teachers develop the competence to
take charge of their own growth and resolve
their own problems.

Empowered individuals believe they have the

skills and knowledge to act on a situation and
improve it.

Empowered schools are organizations that

create opportunities for competence to be
developed and displayed.
 Dimensions of Teacher Empowerment
Six dimensions of teacher empowerment are –

decision-making,
teacher impact,
teacher status,
autonomy,
opportunities for professional development,
and
teacher self-efficacy.
 1. Decision making
A key element in empowerment is providing
teachers with a significant, genuine role in school
decision-making.
Teachers have increased control over their
work environment when their opinions influence
the outcome of the decision-making process.
Teachers are less willing to participate in
decision-making if they perceive that their
opinions are not taken in to consideration by the
principal when the final decision is made.
 2. Teacher impact
The attribute of impact refers to teachers’ perceptions
that they have an effect and influence on school life .

Teachers’ self-esteem and confidence grow when

they feel they are doing something worthwhile and are
recognized for their accomplishments.

Teachers in good schools advanced in the practice of

teaching by receiving respect from parents and
community members.

Teacher impact is one of the characteristics of

transformational teacher-leaders.
 3. Teacher’s status
This attribute of empowerment refers to the sense of
esteem, respect, and admiration showered by students,
parents, community members, peers, and superiors to the
profession of teaching. The Simple Truths of Appreciation by Barbara A. Glanz.mp4
Many times these teacher-leaders have proven
themselves competent in decision-making. Therefore,
faculty members are more likely to accept changes
suggested by teacher-leaders than they would from
others.

As a result of their contributions to the school, lead

teachers receive recognition from the administration for
their efforts enhancing their status among faculty
members.
 4. Autonomy
Autonomy is the dimension of teacher empowerment
that refers to teachers’ beliefs that they can control
certain aspects of their work life such as scheduling,
curriculum, textbooks, and instructional planning.

The foundation for autonomy is the sense of freedom

to make certain decisions and the confidence to express
opinions while also learning from and engaging with
others in learning .

Autonomy is fostered when school environments

support risk taking and experimentation by teachers.

They also tend to experience greater satisfaction in the

workplace as autonomy increases
 5.Professional growth

Professional growth refers to teachers’ perception that

the school in which they work provides them with
opportunities to grow and develop professionally, to
learn continuously, and to expand one’s own skills
through the work life of the school.

This enhanced knowledge and skills make them

confident of taking part in decision making.
 6. Self- Efficacy
Self-efficacy refers to teachers’ perceptions that they
have the skills and ability to help students learn, are
competent in building effective programs for students,
and can effect changes in student learning.

Self-efficacy develops as individuals acquire self-

knowledge and the belief that they are personally
competent and have mastered skills necessary to affect
desired outcomes.
 To develop empowered teachers the following steps
are helpful.

 There are three areas where the school Principals will

have to work on the teachers for empowerment.
 Knowledge,
 Skills and
 Attitude

 Periodic training and exposure to improve their

knowledge and skills.
 Nurture their talents and push them into leadership
positions slowly and gradually till they are confident of
taking independent decisions.
 Attitudes are not formed overnight.

 Any thing done regularly over a period of time becomes a

habit and habit continued becomes an attitude.

 Empowerment should become a habit.

 Covey defined a habit as "the intersection of knowledge,

skill, and desire".

 Knowledge is the what to do and the why.

 Skill is the how to do. Common Videos\Abbott And Costello 13 X 7 is 28.flv

 Desire is the motivation, the want to do.

 In order to develop a habit, all three have to be

incorporated.
Thank you