When we speak of dimensions in education, we are talking about a learning-centered framework that educators can use to build instructional processes and modes of operation that best serve students and the community.
The following seven dimensions help educators and school owners to create ways in which students can easily become engaged, help faculty to be empowered to be involved in the required teaching methods, and help the community to understand the role that the school plays in the local area as well as in the global marketplace. Both school head and investors in education should be aware of and help to build the framework for these seven dimensions in education.
If you would like to reach teaching excellence, you need to have a clear goal in mind of what you ultimately wish to achieve.
Along with that, write a mission statement that aligns with the school’s leaders and sponsors and disseminate it to the entire school community, so everyone understands it and supports it. In the mission statement, outline your school’s unique vision. Your vision should be unique, reflect your school’s culture, and explain the role you would like your school to play in the immediate area and in society in general.
Understand the business of education is unlike other businesses.
Returns on investment are slower than other investment classes. Invest for the long run, not for the short term. Moreover, consider that the business of education offers intangible returns, such as returns on emotion and societal returns.
The school plays an integral role in giving back to society and supporting future societal endeavors through the next generation of talented individuals.
Seek and implement best in class standards in education; for example, EHL. Create processes that use these best in class standards to ensure they are being implemented uniformly across the board. However, remember that there is not one size fits all when it comes to education.
Curriculum flexibility is a core necessity in best of class standards.
Flexibility and adaptability to different learning styles and different teaching goals should be the order of the day, within the constraints of the best-in-class standards that you’ve already put into place.
This is where you need to create your school’s unique methodologies. For instance, in a learning environment dedicated to hospitality, you might consider having a tea tasting course if your school operates in Asia. In general, build from the standards, but then decide what is the best for your school to adapt to local cultural nuances.
Allow faculty and staff to participate in creating the vision, defining the learning and administrative processes, such as proposing school regulations.
Make sure each person knows their input is valued and that they understand how important it is for them to contribute to the school’s vision.
Facilitate team cooperation and circumvent existing cultural divides between faculty and staff by implementing team building exercises that promote interpersonal interactions to foster cohesion.
Communicate with your teachers that the future is teachers as facilitators. Have teachers adequately trained (i.e., QLF linked), with a particular focus on developing teachers' questioning and listening skills.
Ensure that teachers are instructed in how to engage with students from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Teachers should also learn how to constructively challenge students and how to be comfortable being challenged by students in return.
Define excellence and be sure that faculty and staff understand the “excellent” goal.
Remember that your definition of excellence should be from the perspective of students, parents, and employers. Measure excellence by setting KPIs to track such benchmarks as employability, alumni success and more. Set in place a continual improvement process that includes detailed action plans and periodic reviews.
Consider enrolling in a network of best in class schools; for instance, an EHL Certified network.
Invest in periodic external audits of your school. Work with certified, objective third-party auditors who are privy to your school’s internal objectives so that they can help you to measure progress and identify areas for improvement.
Publish positive results in regular newsletters that are sent to faculty and staff, as well as to the community at large.
These seven dimensions provide a viable framework upon which your school, faculty, and owners can build a lasting legacy in the community and beyond. Research has shown that adhering to a framework for education is a sound way to ensure that all faculty and staff understand how to perform excellently in their various job roles. Teaching and learning involve complex systems that are made more manageable when a sensible framework is built with these seven dimensions put into place.