2.3 - Workload issues


Anxiety and resistance to ESR is often because it is seen as a lot of extra work. However, this can be reduced to a minimum when self-evaluation is already a way of life in the school.

 

The excerpts below suggest a range of different strategies that schools have used to reduce workload. As you watch these you might like to consider (or discuss)

Good idea? We are doing that already We could do that in the future We would not do that because

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluating workload as a prelude to reducing it

Measures to relieve teachers' pressureMeasures to relieve teachers' pressure (QuickTime)

Ms Chan Ying, Brenda, Teacher, HKTA Yuen Yuen Institute No. 3 Secondary School
"In this year, the school has adopted measures to reduce our workload..."

 

Pressure on teachers' workloadPressure on teachers' workload (QuickTime)

Mr Lee Sai Kee, Principal, HKTA Yuen Yuen Institute No. 3 Secondary School
"When teachers all share the same goal, and wish the school to make progress, it inevitably brings about increased workload..."

 

Reducing non-teaching duties

Reducing teachers' workloadReducing teachers' workload (QuickTime)

Ms Chan Ching wah, Senior Teacher, Pui Kiu Primary School
"Our school has scheduled collaborative lesson planning in the timetable as far as possible, and capacity enhancement grants are used to employ a number of resource teachers, who help with non-teaching tasks or administrative tasks such as decorating the notice boards and preparing notes to parents..."

 

Recruiting additional staff

Reducing teachers' workloadReducing teachers' workload (QuickTime)

Ms Yun Fung King, Vice-principal, PLK Fung Ching Memorial Primary School
"There is a lot of work for teachers to do..."

 

Using teaching assistants strategically

Reducing teachers' workloadReducing teachers' workload (QuickTime)

Mr Lin Man Sheung, Principal, Pui Kiu Primary School
"The school will try every means to solicit external resources to reduce teachers' non-teaching duties, such as using the school capacity enhancement grant to employ teaching assistants to render help to teachers in such duties as roll-call, recess duty, data collection, display board decoration, and preparing of props and teaching aids, etc..."

 

Minimising paperwork

Workload of SSE/ESRWorkload of SSE/ESR (QuickTime)

Ms Li Yin Ping, Teacher, Tai Po Old Market Public School (Plover Cove)
"Talking about workload, the biggest worry of teachers is not knowing what to do..."

 

International views

Managing workloadManaging workload (QuickTime)

Gillian Wilson, Middle Manager, Auchinleck Academy, Ayrshire, Scotland
"I also feel that evaluation is very important for me as a teacher to manage my workload. Obviously I've got a lot I need to squeeze into the time that I've got and so when evaluate and I can strategically plan what I want to achieve in the next session..."