Comments on: Project Based Teams

By: Shelley

Shelley — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Have to put my neck out on a limb about the compensation part. Where do we draw the line. How do you decide who is “compensated” and I was uncomfortable with the comment that teachers that are compenstated will do better. PHew that was quite a statement. I believe that teachers should be doing what they know will work to help their students succeed and I believe most teachers do. In private industry or as an administrator you are challenged daily and no one is there to pay you more. It is your job and you will do whatever you need to to succeed. I know tons of my teachers that work very very hard because they want to not because they are getting paid.
What are you doing to improve yourself. You are paying to go to graduate school and I hope there is an ounce of you that is doing it for self improvement and if that is the case am I to expect you will not do your best unless you are compensated?? You are paying us for this experience and honestly I get paid peanuts to do this class. I do it because I think it is important.

By: Kathleen Carlin

Kathleen Carlin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:37:36 +0000

I agree that the project itself should dictate the types of teams that will be needed. Those specific talents that would best fit the project should be conceived first before choosing who will be the best fit for the team. Then the team should consist of a mix of both administrators and teachers. However, I think that administrators should not be the ultimate decision-makers.
Titles aside, Teachers and management can be equally valuable with expertise coming from many different areas.
When administrators are ultimately making the final decisions, teachers will feel that they are not part of the important decision-making process. Teachers should be able to have maximum input rather than minimum input. It’s also important that teachers feel as though they are bringing more to the table, because they are ultimately the ones who will be implementing the projects everyday in their classrooms.
The focus should be on what is going to be the best outcome for ‘touching’ the students. Both teachers and administrators may have expertise that they don’t even use. Therefore, it’s important to find out what talents would best be used and which educators would best fit the project before deciding on who will be on the team.
Compensation for teachers should also be mandatory. When teachers are being compensated for their hard work, they usually will put more into the project.
I think that this would make it the best possible outcome for both administrators and teachers alike.

By: Julie D

Julie D — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:04:10 +0000

I completely agree with you in that it really makes sense to have project-based teams. I think one of the most important components of a good team is ample time and, if possible, monetary compensation. Team members need to be made to feel valued and like the task they are working on is important. Missing teaching time is not bad if the reason for missing is valid and the work being accomplished is equally valuable. The one drawback to not having static positions is that previously- established information and resources can be lost and people can end up reinventing the wheel. In my district, we used to have established subject-area leaders for each grade. These people would compile and distribute resources, and were go-to teachers with answers to questions in their area of expertise. They received a stipend and were invaluable resources, especially for new teachers. These positions were done away with, and a lot of the information/ resources were stuffed in closets or only made available to a few people. One option is to retain some fixed positions, but form project-based teams that are open to anyone.