Incentives
From Theory…
Katherine:
Why do you go to work every day? What motivates you to work hard?
Pragmatists might say, “So I can have health insurance, pay my mortgage, put food on the table,” while educators may wax poetic about wanting to affect positive change in the lives of their students—”The kids… it’s for the kids….”
But once you’re comfortably established in your career, perhaps one you’ve built over the course of many years, developing deeply ingrained attitudes and habits and a certain “muscle memory” about what it means to enact your profession—what it means to “be a teacher”—how can you be convinced to change your mind, change your behavior, or consider retraining those “teacher muscles”?
The third principle of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) asks us to consider how we can provide “multiple means of engagement” for our learners, recognizing that they are motivated and incentivized by different factors. We know that in order to reach a vast diversity of learners, we should design flexible opportunities for students to engage with content (e.g. self-paced assignments; choice boards; group work; games or friendly “competitions,” reward systems; etc.)
We can’t rely solely on the fact that our students will show up to school every day ready to work hard because it’s “the right thing to do,” and that’s okay.
Thus, as we forge ahead seeking to affect complex change in education and foster equitable access and participation for all learners, including those with disabilities, the Lippitt-Knoster Model advises us to engage and motivate staff with multiple incentives to show up to school, ready to not only work hard, but perhaps work differently.
…to Practice
Michele:
Teachers and administrators must be able to see the value in the change and directly link what’s being asked of them with the vision. Herein lies the importance of having a clear vision and communicating it effectively and continuously.
Beyond this, staff must also connect the “behaviors” of change to what benefits them personally and professionally—that may be time to collaborate with colleagues, being part of something bigger than oneself, being able to see the impact of that change in students, or being part of the prestige that comes from engaging in that change successfully.
Sometimes, staff may need more than this if they don’t fully believe in the vision in the first place—it might be an extra planning period, time out of the classroom for professional development, skipping a duty period for common planning, etc.
Teachers must also believe that their hard work and dedication to the change will not be wasted on something that is fleeting. They must believe that this hard work is valued, acknowledged, and worthy of their time and talents.
Lessons Learned/Tips from the Field:
The connection between vision, skills and incentives is crucial. Teachers must feel the connection between what they are doing and what it will achieve in the vision.
Incentives are different for different people. If we come across some resistance, we may need to think about the individual people who are struggling to “buy in”—how can we incentivize those that are engaged in the resistance?
If self-determination doesn’t drive them, can you “pay” them to make it worth their while? i.e. Additional planning sessions? Relief from a professional duty? Access to professional learning that others may not have?
Dr. Katherine Vroman is an Inclusion Facilitator at NJCIE, collaborating with educators to promote full access, meaningful participation, and authentic belonging for students with disabilities in their schools and communities. Katherine earned her Ph.D. in Disability Studies from Syracuse University, endeavoring to translate inclusive values into on-the-ground practices to affect transformative, systemic change.
Mrs. Michele Gardner has been a public school special educator for almost 25 years and presently serves as the Director of Special Services for the Berkeley Heights School District. She is also a long-time adjunct faculty member at The College of New Jersey in the Department of Special Education, Language & Literacy. Mrs. Gardner was the 2020 recipient of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators Special Education Administrator of the Year Award and the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education’s Inclusion Honors Award.
Dr. Vroman and Mrs. Gardner have been working collaboratively for several years implementing change in inclusive practices in the Berkeley Heights Public Schools.