Project Management, Productivity, and Prioritization: Your Secret Teacher Retention Toolkit

Outline

Introduction (5 minutes)
-Highlight the importance of teacher retention and its link to productivity and well-being
-Briefly outline the session's objectives and agenda

The Challenges of Productivity in Teaching (10 minutes)
-Discuss the unique constraints and challenges teachers face in managing their time and workload
--Constant interruptions and context switching
--Emotional labor and stress
--Lack of dedicated planning and collaboration time
--Structure of the teaching day

-Introduce key principles from productivity science and project management that can help address these challenges
--Time blocking and task batching
--Prioritization frameworks (e.g., Eisenhower Matrix, MoSCoW method)
--Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban)

Strategies for Supporting Efficiency and Effectiveness (15 minutes)
- Share a range of strategies and tools for improving productivity in the classroom
--Streamlining lesson planning and grading processes
--Leveraging technology for automation and collaboration
--Encouraging teacher boundary-setting

Creating personalized action plans (15 minutes)
-Guide attendees through a structured process for creating personalized support plans
-Assessing current pain points and areas for improvement
-Setting realistic goals and milestones
-Encourage attendees to collaborate and provide peer feedback

Implementing Change at the Local Level (5 minutes)
-Discuss strategies for building buy-in and momentum for productivity initiatives
-Designing feedback and accountability mechanisms
-Provide resources for further learning and support

Q&A and Closing (5 minutes)
-Open the floor for attendee questions and discussion
-Summarize key takeaways and share action items

Supporting research

Books:
-"Deep Work" by Cal Newport
-"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown

Research Papers:
-Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2014). Can professional environments in schools promote teacher development? Explaining heterogeneity in returns to teaching experience. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(4), 476-500.
-Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2018). Job demands and job resources as predictors of teacher motivation and well-being. Social Psychology of Education, 21(5), 1251-1275.
-Klusmann, U., Richter, D., & Lüdtke, O. (2016). Teachers' emotional exhaustion is negatively related to students' achievement: Evidence from a large-scale assessment study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(8), 1193-1203.

Articles:
-"Why Teacher Wellbeing Matters and What Schools Can Do to Support It" by Brooke Mabry (EdSurge)
-"Agile in Education: Tips and Tricks for Applying Scrum in Your Classroom" by John Miller (Atlassian Blog)
-"The Science of Productivity: A Proven Way to Get More Done (in Less Time)" by James Clear (JamesClear.com)