Interrogating the Phenomenon of Teaching Out of Field

“Teaching is a complex activity. The activity’s complexity is further heightened when teachers find themselves teaching out-of-field. (Hobbs & Torner, 2019). The teaching profession continues to evolve. The days of the teacher focusing on three basic skills taught in schools: reading, writing and arithmetic (the "R's" refer to, "Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic") are behind us. There is a widely held view that the underperformance of the education system is rooted in an outdated educational philosophy that supports a teacher-centered pedagogy. Students of the 21st century are now encouraged to pursue skills and career paths in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM.), as well as the successor Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and this clearly requires a more student-centered approach. As educators our primary task is one of preparing our students to take their rightful places in the global community. As a result the demands being placed on the teacher has evolved over the years and has become more multifaceted. Regrettably, the remuneration of teachers has not kept pace with the economic realities of the times. The evaluation of the teacher has also changed over the years. It is fair to say that many teachers do not trust the appraisal process. There is still too much room for subjectivity. Unfortunately, the appraisal process has become weaponized and appraisals at times are used as a punitive measure which oftentimes is counterproductive. In addition, there is a prevailing ideology that is rooted in the belief that the Jamaican education system encourages the weaponization of various elements, such as the appointment of senior teachers. Unquestionably, some principals tend to use this to divide and command blind loyalty among the teaching staff. Teacher appraisal whether announced in advance or conducted without notice has become an annual ritual in most schools. Undoubtedly, classroom instruction has scope for improvement. However, we must be cognizant too that the evaluation of teachers must be done in concert with new and emerging theories of classroom teaching and learning. The principals and those who lead should be both transformational and instructional leaders. Sadly, this is woefully lacking in a significant number of our educational institutions. It is unfair for principals to demand from their teachers that which they themselves have not modeled. In short, instructional improvement initiatives should be conducted by the principalship. Change Through Partnership. The changes we all hope for in the education system will only be achieved through partnership amidst a culture of mutual respect. Teachers need to become more involved in planning and monitoring of their own evaluations. The days of royal edits concerning evaluations are behind us and correctly so; as a result teachers are moving away from the one judge, one jury approach to evaluation and appraisals. The input of the teacher must be acknowledged for effective and purposeful evaluation. Sadly, in institutions where this consultative approach is not done the students will ultimately suffer. Teachers must be encouraged to exercise their academic freedom. The concept of academic freedom is based on the idea that the free exchange of ideas on campus is essential to good education. Academic freedom means that both faculty members and students can engage in intellectual discourse without fear of censorship or retaliation by the powers that be. The Importance of Pre-Conferencing . Having a pre-conference with a teacher creates an agreement on what to observe. Having done the pre-conferencing it is important that a post-conference takes place in order to provide the teacher with feedback. It appears at times that there is a disconnect between teacher appraisal and the overall health of the education system. The National Education Inspectorate (NEI) 2019 report revealed that Jamaican schools have scored improvements across all eight indicators when compared to the baseline performance established in 2015. Yet, school leadership continues to be a major area of concern in the education system. Observing and supervising teachers do not mean catching teachers off-guard. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has provided a number of best practices in the areas of teacher supervision and evaluation. Among these are: The principals or their designate must hold preconference sessions with teachers prior to scheduled classroom observations. The preconference enables teachers to describe special circumstances that might affect the observation, such as having an overcrowded class, an excess of non-readers in a class, as well as assess plans for the upcoming lesson. At this time, principals must review with the teacher the observation forms to be used for the evaluation. Effective teaching and learning is grounded in a principle of consensus building. Principals must be present in the classroom for the entire lesson to legitimately use the observation for a formal evaluation. This means principals cannot miss the beginning or the end of a lesson. Principals may still make casual and unannounced visits to classrooms, but they may not use such observations for evaluation purposes. Principals must share with a teacher everything recorded during an observation. Teachers may challenge or clarify an evaluation by attaching their own written report to the principal's document. In most cases, a teacher's signature on an evaluation report indicates only that the teacher has read and received a copy of the report; it does not mean that a teacher agrees with the evaluation.

Mental Health and Educators. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our understanding of the world as we previously knew it. The strong measures of social distancing and lockdown that have been applied since the beginning of the pandemic have led to significant changes in social relationships, which, for many people, have created feelings of isolation and loneliness (Smith and Lim, 2020). The isolation and social distancing for so many of us have negatively impacted our state of mental wellness. Teachers have accumulated psychological symptoms since the beginning of the pandemic. During the lockdown teachers had to introduce online teaching. As a result of the reopening of schools many educators have expressed great concern for the new unprecedented teaching situation. While some research has been conducted on mental health, less research has been conducted with public school teachers and even less has assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is safe to say that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of teachers has been challenging to say the least. Teachers reported a greater prevalence of anxiety symptoms than did those in other professions. Additionally, remote teachers reported significantly higher levels of distress than did those teaching in person. In this post COVID-19 dispensation many teachers continue to struggle with their mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, data from the World Health Organization states that only 46% of countries pay for psychological, social and spiritual care including bereavement support and this is problematic and needs to be urgently addressed. Out-Of-Field Teaching . Teacher appraisal is here to stay. Teacher evaluation and appraisal should be used as diagnostic instruments to help scaffold the teacher in areas such as the curriculum, teaching style, classroom management and student outcome. Teachers are foremost human beings; the superior principalship will show some genuine concern for the welfare of his/her teachers. Principalships that avoid pre-conferencing could be cited for unethical behaviour. There is also the sore issue of Out- of- field teaching. Requiring teachers to teach classes for which they have not been trained is likely to harm the teacher and his/her students as well as the education process. Very few stakeholders have recognized this problem, largely because of an absence of specific data. Out-of-field teaching occurs when a teacher is assigned to teach a subject without specific training in that subject area. Unfortunately, few have spoken about this issue due to its ubiquity. The practice is also unprincipled concerning those who continue to facilitate this practice. Highly qualified teachers may actually become highly unqualified if they are assigned to teach subjects for which they have little training or education. Out- of-field teachers should be concerned about the negative impact their teaching might have on student learning, such as lower achievement scores. The fact is, Out of field teachers are not fully competent given that they were not trained in the methodology and the peculiarities of the subject they are assigned to teach. Out-of-field teachers are usually overstretched and stressed. Sadly, little attention has been given to the effects of out-of-field teaching on the teacher’s well-being as well as on student attainment and participation. Without a doubt the issue of out of field teaching will only worsen in years to come as the low remuneration of teachers will continue to contribute to the exodus of teachers from the profession. It would be useful to hear from the Jamaica Teaching Council concerning this matter especially as it relates to the pending licensing of teachers. Regrettably, at times these decisions taken by principals have the blessings of those in higher positions. To continue along this pathway is to render a disservice to the nation’s children. At the end of the day, the students’ well-being and their education should be the priority of the education system. Out-of-field teaching may have detrimental consequences on teaching and learning. Some studies have found that it negatively influences teachers’ self-esteem, confidence and relationships within the school community (du Plessis et al., 2014). Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #teacherappraisal #preconferencing #schoolleadership #outoffieldteaching