Managment issues

Question

Hello,I`ve been working for about 10 years in the Middle East  Area , And I`ve been promoted to a management position  a year ago by my employer . I`ve never held such a position before.Although I`ve done ok last year .I am a little apprehensive about my lack of experience. So, I thought I would consult board members about this. As I`m handling it through my teaching  background not as an admin work.So!Are there any online reading books , articles or any other resources that give information about managment issues, making workshops,or even cetificates, specifically, language program management ? Thanks in advance for your assistance in this matter.Masa33Egypt2009

Reefannie · Accepted Answer

Hi Masa33

There is a good one you can get online. It is called PIMSLEUR. The address is simply the name and (.com) If I put the link here it may go away. They have a number as well. I'll post it, but that may be taken off as well. You will find them through the name here, it's easy. (1-800-831-5497)

It is very affordable and will help with learning language programs, etc.

Best of luck to you!

=^^=

Reefannie · Answer

Simon & Schuster: http://www.simonsays.com/content/index.cfm?PID=523078&tab=13&wsref=3&num=182&v_ref=

Here you go!

Good luck!

Yankee · Answer

Doesn't Pimsleur focus on learning languages rather than on management?

Reefannie · Answer

Sheeze! My mistake. I should quit trying to multi-task.

How about this one? http://www.management-issues.com/books.asp

Hope this is much less confusing! I had several windows open before and was trying to answer everyone.

Beg your pardon!

K
=^^=

Masa33 · Answer

Hi reefannie ,
I saw your suggested websites , Pimsleur focus on learning rather than on management

Yankee said that too . Through the managment work the work is like solving problems or even trying to avoid invoving your team from facing teaching problems. Not just teaching a good langugae program.

Thanks for help

Masa33 · Answer

Keys to maintaining discipline and staff harmony

Continuing our series of recruiting and retaining staff, this month the focus is on dealing with problem staff. What do you do about somebody who is persistently late for work? What about the teacher who never completes paperwork on time? You need to deal with this; firstly to eliminate the problem and secondly if other teachers are aware that you aren't reacting, their performance might start to slip, too. After spending time hiring and integrating people into your team, you probably want them to stay on. They know your school and the procedures well. So, it's easier to retain them than to hire a replacement. However, you might want certain aspects of behaviour to change. The objective is to extinguish the undesirable behaviour without alienating or demotivating the member of staff. A demotivated and resentful employee can do your business harm.

Tact and diplomacy are required for dealing with the issue. This is best done in an interview with the person concerned. There are stages to follow before, after and during this interview. We'll consider them in turn.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

If you have been alerted to a problem, consider it carefully before diving in. Gather evidence and observe the problem for yourself. For example, look at class registers or records of work to be sure that the member of staff is not doing the necessary paperwork.

You may feel like you're spying and being sneaky. In fact, you're getting the facts straight. Your checks might reveal that the person is doing their work correctly. If so, all the better. If not, you're dealing with concrete facts and not hearsay, rumours or a general feeling that all is not well.

When you've got the details straight, you need to fix an appointment with the person. Explain that you want to review some aspects of performance. Depending on the severity of the problem and the rules in your school/ country, you can inform the member of staff of their right to be represented. Agree a day and time and organise a quiet room where you won't be interrupted.

You also need to check the rules, by reading contracts or other relevant documents. Rules and regulations will vary according to the labour law of the country you're working in. You might need to check up on the law; this is outside the scope of this article as I'm writing for an international audience. You also need to consider the severity of the offense. Lateness and arriving drunk for classes in a Muslim country are both issues for concern. Lateness can be dealt with by an informal conversation; drunkenness in a country that frowns upon alcohol requires more serious handling. Consider whether the issue is minor, serious or major and handle it accordingly. Then plan how you are going to deal with the interview.

DURING THE INTERVIEW

Turn up on time and ensure you won't be interrupted or overheard. Start by building empathy; for example, "Our relationship is normally very good" or "We value your teaching". Explain the reason for the interview; e.g. "I noticed you were late for class twice last week". This phrase deals in facts, not personality. Contrast it with "You're always late". The first sentence is respectful of the other person and focuses on observable behaviour. It's also difficult to contest the fact that they were late twice. On the other hand, they can disagree with a statement that they're alwayslate. Try to avoid extremes such as "always" or "never" as they can become a point of contention. The objective isn't to spend time discussing how often the person is late. Your time will be better spent resolving the issue. Keep your focus on the behaviour, not the person. "I noticed you were late for class twice last week" focuses on the problem behaviour. Whereas "You don't take your classes seriously" focuses on the person and their personality.

You need to explain that there is a gap between expected behaviour and the behaviour of the individual. You can use statements such as:
Our students expect their classes to start on time. Your classes started late twice last week.
Our fee-paying company students expect written reports every two months. The company students in your class didn't receive their reports on time.
Teachers are required to attend monthly admin meetings. You were absent from the last two admin meetings.
Young learners need to be supervised all the time they're in the building for safety reasons. Last week you let your young learners leave class before their parents were here to collect them.
Teachers need to be sober and alert in class. I noticed that your breath smelt of alcohol on Wednesday.

Using such statements ensures that the employee is aware of the rule or standard. Try to get the person's agreement that your observation is correct. Getting their agreement means that they are more likely to commit to improvement, which is your ultimate goal. If they haven't agreed you can't do much to improve the situation. Your detective work before the interview will come in useful here. Again, focus your discussion on behaviour, not personality. All of the above focus on facts; so it should be easier to get their agreement that the statements are true.

Try to stay calm and objective. Be clear and concise; it is more difficult for the member of staff to disagree with your observations if they are specific. If the person's omission or mistake is carefully worded, you're more likely to get their agreement that it is true.

Any discussion should be well-structured, controlled and unemotional. Throughout, you need to be:

CLEAR: don't soften your comments to the point that they are muddled. This can lead to misunderstanding.
RECEPTIVE: listen to what the other has to say.
DIRECT (without being rude): "the last piece of work wasn't of the usual standard, what happened?" Not "this is ****!"
SPECIFIC: "The report is too long and some points are irrelevant" works better than "it's not good enough"
TIMELY: let the person know about the problem quickly so they don't continue doing the same.
HONEST: this speaks for itself

You can then move onto a discussion of the reasons. It's usually more fruitful to ask "Is there any particular reason for your absence?" or "What are the reasons for your absence from meetings?" Asking "Why were you absent?" can be interpreted as a challenge.

At this point allow the member of staff to do all (or most) of the talking. Your role here is to listen and ask for clarification. The information gleaned can often be surprising or revealing. I have had such comments as: "My off-site classes finish at 3.00 p.m. and public transport is a problem. I can't get here on time". Other explanations have included sick members of family who needed caring for which meant there was less time available for paperwork. If you've been respectful of the person, they'll feel able to open up to you. Listen carefully, check information and ask for clarification. You need to decide which factors really are outside the control of the person and which they can do something about. For example, have they considered all forms of public transport as a means of getting from off-site classes back to school? Be prepared to be wrong or to change your opinion but don't allow the person to play you on this. You need to focus on the gap between actual and expected behaviour and ways to reduce this gap. You can then move from talking about the past to talking about the future.

Try to get the person's commitment to making improvements. The issue is closing the gap between expected and actual behaviour, not about changing the person entirely. Discuss and agree solutions. You can ask the member of staff to make suggestions for improvement. Be firm about the expected outcome whilst being understanding towards the person. Let the person know what the consequences will be if the standards are not met. Reassure the person that you want them to succeed and let them know if a note is placed in their personal file.

If you decide that there are extenuating circumstances and the member of staff can be absent from a meeting (or excused from any other duties), let them know that it is exceptional and not a regular occurrence. The rest of your staff also need to be aware that this person is excused exceptionally so that resentment doesn't build up and so that they don't think they can be absent too. Be tactful and delicate when announcing this; try not to reveal information about a person's private life. A simple "Mark is excused from this month's meeting" will suffice to let others know that the absence is authorised.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Set a review date during the interview and stick to it. If you offered help, you need to follow up on this. Monitor behaviour and note improvements, or lack of them. During the review, give feedback on your observations, both positive and negative. Encourage and praise improvements. If the problem behaviour continues, you can consider further steps. Check your school's procedures for this.

Finally, don't be afraid or nervous of handling such issues. This is one aspect of the role of management. Be confident and don't apologise for the discussion. Make any punishment fit the crime, don't be over-zealous in your desire for perfection! Be hard on the issues but fair on the person.

Source

Masa33 · Answer

Induction Guidelines for Your New Staff

The importance of welcoming and integrating new teachers for efficient school management

The last two articles have looked at selecting and recruiting new teachers. The view taken was that if you get your recruitment procedure right from the start, you're more likely to get teachers who fit the needs of your school and clients; and teachers who are more likely to commit to your school in the long term. The longer teachers stay, the easier the day-to-day running of the school becomes and the less often you need to recruit. This ultimately saves you money. Following in the same vein of getting the right teacher in the right job and getting them to stay, this article looks at what induction can contribute.

Induction comprises welcoming and integrating a new member of staff and is part of those vital first impressions. You might well ask why bother with induction. After all, you could just throw your teachers in at the deep end and see if they sink or swim. This would give you more time to deal with other matters and would give teachers a taste of things to come. This might even work for experienced teachers, for teachers who know your country and town well and for teachers who know your school's style and priorities. How many of those have you recruited? If you have recruited from abroad, or if you have taken on less-experienced teachers (even post-CELTA, teachers can be anxious about a new job), they will benefit from some sort of introduction to your school. This doesn't mean training them, it does mean going through how your school functions. Even experienced teachers will benefit from this input.

Concern at this stage is to give an introduction to the school and its particular features, not to the work of teaching itself. You want the newcomer to be an effective member of staff as quickly as possible. You should never take it for granted that a teacher will take up a new post easily and smoothly.

Consider, too, the fact that there is an existing unity in the school which is solid and well-formed. New members need to fit into this. So you need to cultivate the feeling that the new members of staff fit in and feel they belong.

We'll look at how to do this and how to minimise the time you spend with new teachers. The intended outcome is getting your new staff to fit in and feel like staying around.

AIMS OF INDUCTION

to have the new employee(s) efficient as soon as possible
to encourage the new employee to become committed to the organisation
to reduce the likelihood of staff leaving quickly
to familiarise the new employee with the job
to quickly dispel the feeling of being out of place - teachers are professionals and want to be accepted by other professionals
to familiarise them with rules, customs and procedures

You don't need to have a programme organised on military lines. It's important to have an induction programme that is coherent with your usual working practices. It should fit the characteristics of the school and the organisational context. It will also depend on the size of the school and the number of people arriving.

WHAT TO COVER

Structure of the school
- Structure re management, admin staff, levels of classes
Roles
- Roles of management
- People who are there to help (formally and informally)
- Introduction to the principal
Job
- Breakdown of what the job consists of and specific duties
Language input
- If the teacher is new to the country, (s)he'll benefit from knowing some basics: buying food, asking for directions, etc.
Functional
- Show the newcomer around the building, give a map of the area.
Contractual
- There may be a contract to sign, bank details to take, work permit to organise, etc.
Social gathering
- Meal/night out together

On the first day, it's a good idea to cover, at least, the following:

Organisational jargon
Practical info - food, breaks, toilets, building layout etc.
People info - who's who
Health and safety info - emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first aid kit - not nice but essential!

The priority from the new employees' point of view will be to familiarise themselves with the immediate requirements of the job they are about to perform

HANDBOOK

You might choose to produce a handbook. If so, its layout and form is important. You should present the various strong points of the school. The layout should reflect your school's identity: is your school young, dynamic and open to change? or is your school well-established as a leader? The handbook should represent who you are. This is an exercise in internal marketing and communication.

Suggested areas to include:

Welcome letter
Brief history of the school
Organigram
Staff names and positions, areas of responsibility
Working conditions, times etc
Details of holidays, sick leave etc
Staff appraisal system (if you have one)
Details of any trial period
Trade union representation
Equal opportunities

This welcome file or staff induction manual will benefit newcomers as it is a readily available body of knowledge. Details will vary from school to school and many feel nothing complicated is needed.

HOW

You can consider various ways of organising your induction period. For example:

presentations to the group of newcomers
a meeting including a question and answer session
visit of the school
observations of lessons to get a feel for the image you portray

You could also think about making the induction interactive. Teachers can go on a treasure hunt with a list of questions to answer and things to find. Some examples are:

Where are the attendance sheets kept?
Who do you speak to if you need a new board pen? What other functions does this person have?
Where are the upper-intermediate listening materials kept?

You can also give them a plan of the building with just office numbers, for example. They go around and fill in the names and functions of people. To do this, they'll need to introduce themselves and they'll have the opportunity to get to know their new colleagues. It's best to check beforehand whether colleagues will have the time for interruptions. If someone is likely to be too busy, it's best to include the details for that person on the building plan and introduce them formally later.

An interactive induction is more memorable for your new teachers. Think about how you teach and apply the same rules to induction. This way of going about it also frees you up to do other things.

WHO

You could delegate induction to an experienced teacher(s) to allow for some professional development and motivation. This can work if the school year is slow to start and you have some teachers who are down on teaching hours.

Another option you could consider is mentoring. An experienced teacher is designated to be on hand for questions and queries. This helps to motivate the current member of staff and helps the newcomer settle in. A mentoring system needs careful thought and planning, led by the management team. The chosen teacher should be clear about his/her role in the process.

FOLLOW-UP

It's a good idea to programme regular check-ins to help you identify any problems and solve them in a timely manner. This also allows the newcomer a chance to raise any questions. You could schedule meetings one month and then two months after the start date to ask how things are going.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Remember the newcomers know about teaching and are with you to fulfil a new post in a new school. Don't talk down to them.

Remember emotions about this time: they may be feeling nervous about the new job and/or country. This could lead to uncertainties about the decision made to take the job. So you want the first weeks to be as positive as possible without being false.

Different people adjust to new environments at different speeds, just like students who learn at different speeds. Don't underestimate the time taken for someone to settle in. Someone who appears comfortable initially may have delayed shock when it all becomes real. Be ready for it.

Remember the new teachers have expectations of you and the school. Think about their expectations and needs - of course, this should be realistic and may need modifying!

Problems often show up at the beginning but people don't pay attention to them. They think it will just go away. The more attention you pay to problems that arise, the better it is.

Successful integration depends on the time spent explaining the post and the systems used in your school. It's also an exercise in team-building.

I'd like to end by saying that induction is an essential phase in the success of a quality recruitment process. A selected candidate, even with a good knowledge of what the job entails, will need induction to ensure maximum effectiveness as quickly as possible in the school. The induction process can also serve as the starting point for the training and development of staff.

The tools and training made available to newcomers from the moment they arrive allow them to position themselves to integrate. This makes it easier to evaluate their performance and abilities from the start. You should be looking closely at performance throughout this time. Trial periods exist for a reason and should be used to their full.

There is no fix-all recipe that will work for everybody. According to age, situation, profile and personality each teacher will have different needs and expectations.

Source

Yankee · Answer

Hi Masa

It seems you've managed to find just what you were looking for. However, when posting someone else's text, you should include information about the source.

I believe I've located the source of the information in both of your last two posts, and I've added a link to that source at the end of each of those posts. If those links are not correct, please let me know what the correct source is.

Thanks.

Masa33 · Answer

Hi Yankee,
I didn`t see those links you added , so I can`t say if they are right or not , any way I got those articles from www.tefl.net
but no more ones . This is just what i want . I`m still searching her and there . it seems that it is not an easy target.

Yankee · Answer

Hi Masa

"Management" is a very general word, and thus a huge topic to research, but it seems you are on the right track with your own research.
I found the texts you posted at englishclub.com. Maybe some of the other articles posted there will also be interesting for you:
http://www.englishclub.com/esl-admin/index.htm

Managment issues

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