ELT Management

 

  What am I like as a manager? What are my strengths and weaknesses? How am I perceived by staff/customers? What do I think makes a good manager? What action I need to take next to become an even better manager?

Identify goals In an earlier module we looked at the importance of carrying out a SWOT analysis and then setting SMART objectives for your LTO. The same is true for your development. Set aside time to do a SWOT analysis of yourself as a professional. Be honest and critical (though not too hard on yourself). Then start to define your next objectives.   Reflection End the day or the week by looking back and considering how you dealt with different aspects of the job. What worked well? What would do differently next time? It’s too easy to end the day and think nothing was achieved when in fact, if you take time to reflect properly, you will find out that it was.   A critical friend or mentor It’s useful to find someone you trust at a similar level of management to share in your development. Find someone who asks questions and listens. If there’s no one within the actual LTO, approach an ex-boss, a former trainer or a peer (not necessarily someone in the ELT industry).   Mana...

 Some examples of PD activities.  CPD at my LTO (x intended to mean "we've never tried it, and I don't think we will): Organising CPD sessions TIME: Decide when is the best day and time in the week so all or most people can attend. Also, try to schedule after lessons, so teachers can focus on the session and not think about their next class. CONTENT: The manager may have areas she or he wishes the staff to develop. Ask Ts if something else is more important. RUNNING THE SESSION: An outside expert? (can be motivating) One of your teachers (recognizing their special expertise). REMEMBER: Regular PD sessions are more effective than one-off events. Return to topics and allow time for reflection. You should keep a record of the session content and who participated. Encourage Ts to keep their own record and build up a CPD journal.

 

 Plan: Managers study part of the process that needs improving by collecting relevant data and documents. Then they make a plan to address any problems and make improvements. Do: Next they put their plan into action and collect data or evidence of the effect of their actions. Check: As data and evidence comes in, managers need to check whether they are achieving the objectives set out in the planning stage, Act: take action as a result of plan, do, and check.  Plan-Do-Check-Act is a continuous cycle in which you are always aiming to improve quality and go above and beyond customer expectations .

 

 1. Evaluate your team! -  Carry out a mini survey to find out what your workforce looks like now. Is it diverse? How could you make it more diverse? 2. Offer training -  Many people are unaware of the details relating to equality, diversity, and inclusion, welcome the chance to learn more. This is especially important in terms of “unconscious bias”, where we tend to favour people who are very much like ourselves. You could invite in an expert to talk to your staff. 3. Celebrate holidays -  Why not have an international calendar, based on the nationalities or cultures of your staff and students, and organise an event for different special days. You can also encourage people to bring appropriate food and music. 4. Leadership must come from the top - Make sure that initiatives to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion are taken by senior management, not only employees.  5. Anonymous feedback - Give your staff a questionnaire about various equality, diversit...

 Tips for the interviewer: Make it comfortable for the candidate. Prepare the room. Make sure it is private and that there are no interruptions – be especially careful about phones. At the start of the meeting, explain clearly how the interview will work.  Prepare your questions in advance. To make the process fair, most of the questions should be the same for each candidate. You will only use different questions when exploring the detail of their CV or experience.  Use open questions to find out as much as you can about the candidate. ‘How’ and ‘What’ questions are often best. These encourage the candidate to explain what they are like, their motives and how they approach their work. Typically, interviewers ask the candidate's job history and what they have learned from previous jobs, what their strengths are and how they deal with challenges. Additionally, ask questions about specific skills relating to previous experience . These questions may relate to specific...

 In a detailed job advertisement, it’s important to describe the job and the kind of person you are looking for.  The Job Description describes the job, ideally in one sentence, lists the main duties and responsibilities, and also describes the scope of the job: this can include the resources, equipment and budget. The Person Specification is a profile of the personal skills, knowledge, qualifications, and experiences you’ll be looking for amongst applicants.

Grievances can be complaints made by employees about two areas: about their employer’s or a colleague’s behaviour, or about the conditions of their work. Employee grievances need to be handled sensitively, and should follow a procedure which staff and management know about: Ask the teacher to put the grievance into writing.  Look into the matter, to check the facts, and to find out any background information  Report back to the teacher, to admit there is a problem, or clarify the situation, explaining what it is as it is. Then decide if any further action needs to be taken (at this point, you may offer the teacher help to solve the problem). Check with the teacher that they feel the grievance can now be considered resolved. Record in writing that it has been resolved, and/or that action has been taken to resolve it. Make sure that both you and the teacher sign this. If, however, the issue is considered not resolved, consider arranging a meeting with the director of the institu...