As a school leader who is considering investing in a learning management system, you’ve probably put some thought into how you can get your teachers and staff to support a change. After all, teacher buy-in is an important part of the success of any school initiative but particularly when it comes to something like an LMS.
The Center for Teaching Quality, an organization that works to improve education, suggests these 3 tips to increase teacher buy-in for your next school-wide initiative. Here’s how you can use those tips to gain support for a new LMS:
- Focus on changes that teachers think are important. This one sounds like a bit of a no-brainer, but teachers will be more likely to support changes that they think are making an important difference in their schools and/or classrooms. So, make sure you’re including teachers in every step of your decision-making process when choosing an LMS. Make sure you are looking at what problems your teachers need solved and which features will help them the most in their daily lives. Listen to their feedback and take their wishes into consideration – they will become strong supporters of your initiatives if you show that you are working to help them. Are they struggling to get updates to parents in an efficient way? Highlight the powerful parent communication aspect of the LMS you’re considering. Attendance taking too much time? Show them how an LMS like Twine can streamline that process, saving them precious minutes each class period.
- Choose a timeline that can truly be accomplished. Teachers will buy into changes that are realistic and achievable. Your teachers will likely have concerns about learning new software and the time and effort it will take to do so. Make sure they understand the onboarding process, the amount of time required of them, and the time and energy they’ll save once your system is in place. If they can see how a little investment upfront will help them down the road, they will be more likely to be behind the change. As a side note, make sure you consider the support your LMS provider will give to training and assisting teachers during implementation and beyond – this support can make all the difference for your teachers.
- Make sure you’re committed to your changes. There are few things more frustrating than putting time and energy into a new software, only for it to be changed again in a few months’ time. Time is precious for teachers and so it is important that they know it is not going to waste. Something like a tech rollout can sometimes take a little while for everyone to adapt, especially for teachers who may not be as tech savvy as others. Reassure your teachers that this new software is not going anywhere anytime soon, and that their efforts to learn and use it will not be in vain. Plus, take advantage of the training and support offered by your LMS provider and show by example that you and, by extension, the school are committed to making this system work.
At Twine, we are excited about helping schools, passionate about transforming learning and focused on improving student achievement. We are proud to provide technology solutions that help schools achieve their goals. Want to know more about what type of school management software might work for your school? Please download your checklist.