No
school day is ever really “problem-free”. The principal might suddenly be
confronted with an upsurge in thieving, or the pupils are bullying one another
in cyberspace. One day the teacher realises that his pupils have “switched off”
in their attitude towards school: test marks are plummeting and there are
discipline problems in the classroom.
Quality
management has the so-called Pareto principle to deal effectively and swiftly
with problems.
The principle is named
after a 19th-century Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who devised the “80:20
principle”. It is based on the premise that “20% of the causes produce 80% of
the results”.
The principle is named
after a 19th-century Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who devised the “80:20
principle”. It is based on the premise that “20% of the causes produce 80% of
the results”.
Think
of the rowdy classroom. Most of the pupils are well behaved and it is a small
group of between 10% and 30% which causes the chaos. Deal with that minority
and almost all your behaviour problems in the classroom are solved.
Five
simple steps for using the 80:20 or Pareto principle are:
Identify
the problem
Describe
what is wrong or needs improvement. In a maths teacher’s class, for example,
the pupils’ marks are steadily dropping. The teacher states the problem thus:
the maths marks are declining with each test.
Collect
information on possible causes
What
are the causes of the problem? It is important to ask those who are involved,
or part of the problem, to offer reasons. There could be a brainstorming
session or circle time during which everyone is encouraged to offer
suggestions. In the example of the maths teacher, she gives every pupil a piece
of paper. Each is asked to write down what he or she thinks the reasons are for
the steady decline in marks.
Analyse
the main causes of the problem
When
people are asked to supply reasons, a flood of answers could follow. An
interesting aspect of most answers is how many of them are fairly similar. The
pupils’ responses can be grouped around a few main ideas. The different causes
could be put on a sheet. Every time a particular cause is mentioned, a tick can
be placed alongside it. A few causes will start to get most of the ticks. Main
causes thus come to the surface.
The
maths teacher notes that two reasons are mentioned by nearly all the pupils.
Maths tests are done in either the first or second week of term, which means
there is little time for revision work. Also, a section of work that had been
done in term one was poorly understood. Subsequent tests have relied on a good
grasp of that section.
Focus
on solving the main causes
Once
the main causes are known, decide what has to be done. Are other staff members
needed? Should outsiders be called in? Is there a need for a change in class or
school management policy? Be a good listener. Keep the focus on just the few
main causes.
The
maths teacher is able to deal speedily with the causes. School management
decides that no maths tests in future are to be done until the third or fourth
week of term. Revision work can then be done in the first fortnight. The
teacher revises the difficult section of work that was done in term one.
Evaluate
and monitor the results
Once
the plans have been carried out, it is time to evaluate their success. Often
there is a need to tweak plans as one carries them out. Once the main causes
have been dealt with, attention can be given to the less frequently mentioned
causes.
Problems
can resurface. Do not be complacent because of initial success. Monitor the
situation. Should it occur again, you already have a good sense of possible
solutions.
Our
maths pupils have had huge improvements in their test results, thanks to the
teacher’s interventions and their hard work. The overall class average improves
every term.
The
80:20 principle is a quality management one used in organisations, but it
applies in our daily lives too. Deal with the few main causes of a problem
first and you will see that the problem almost disappears.
Richard Hayward does leadership and management
programmes on behalf of the South African Quality Institute. For more details,
please speak to Vanessa on 012 349 5006 or email her at vanessa@saqi.co.za. Alternatively,
call Richard on 011 888 3262 or email him
on rpdhayward@yahoo.com. Poor schools are sponsored.
Creating
a pleasant school
Learners
in a well-maintained school tend to be more motivated to work hard.
International research has shown that in good environments, children behave
well and bullying incidents go down. Teachers are also motivated to give more
of their time to the school.
Seven
areas make a school attractive:
- Reception
area: Visitors are able to sit in comfortable chairs while they wait for
staff to help them. Magazines are available. The area has interesting
displays of the learners’ work.
- Corridors:
Boring, long corridors are turned into places where stimulating education
happens. The learners’ achievements are displayed. Walls are painted in a
range of colours.
- Classrooms:
Create a pleasant, stimulating learning and teaching environment. Desks
don’t have to be in straight rows. A practical challenge in many South
African classrooms is space. If possible, have quiet reading areas and
spaces for group activities. Make sure that posters are age-suitable. No
posters should be turning yellow with age!
Many classrooms have
white walls. Break out into a range of rainbow colours! Franke Mahnke gives
these guidelines for wall colours:
Young learners need a warm, bright colour scheme to go with, “their natural extroverted nature.”
Young learners need a warm, bright colour scheme to go with, “their natural extroverted nature.”
High school learners
need cool colours to help them to concentrate.
Libraries could have pale or light green walls in order to create an effect that, “enhances quietness and concentration.” Teachers need comfortable classrooms too, make it as homely as possible.
Libraries could have pale or light green walls in order to create an effect that, “enhances quietness and concentration.” Teachers need comfortable classrooms too, make it as homely as possible.
- Staffroom:
The staffroom is a place of refuge and peace. Have comfortable
furnishings. Ensure that tea, coffee and iced water are available. If it
is possible, put the staff notice board and pigeonholes outside the room?
Create a room that helps to take teachers minds off teaching during.
- Toilets:
Clean toilets reflect the level of respect shown towards the physical
environment. Learners and staff can design toilets that are attractive and
bright. Everyone has a part to maintain cleanliness and be a ‘watchdog’ to
report any instance of graffiti appearing on walls.
- Gardens:
Plant flower beds. Put benches in the gardens and rule out any sport
activities in such areas.
- Play
and sports grounds: Many schools have too-small playgrounds. One
suggestion is to have different break times for different grades. Also,
have separate areas of the playground reserved for different learner
groups.
Everyone
in a quality school has a part to play in maintaining a quality physical
environment—the principal, parents, teachers and learnes all have skills which
can be of benefit. They can help in the gardens, do electrical repairs, paint
classrooms and repair broken furniture.
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