Autonomy & Accountability
What is autonomy?
Autonomy is the capacity to make informed decisions and to act out of your well-considered values and interests. According to self-determination theory, it is one of the three needs necessary for optimal functioning, together with relatedness and competence, that leads to personal wellbeing. Skilled teachers are continually learning and growing themselves and can be inspiring role models to their students. When teachers model autonomy well, they facilitate a foundational understanding for their students of self-motivation and mental wellbeing.
Autonomy includes:
Voice – teachers have a say in what they do
Equality – within a hierarchical educational institution, all staff, students, and parents are nevertheless seen as of equal value; one meets the other as who they are rather than what they represent *
Choice – teachers know that their choices matter, even in the presence of the non-negotiables in the educational institution
Reflection – space for teachers to think and come up with solutions
Dialogue – the art of thinking together (**William Isaacs), and finding new paths through conversation
What is accountability?
Accountability is the capacity to justify actions or decisions.
Jim Knight, Senior Partner, Instructional Coaching Group, says this:
‘When educators are accountable, their professional learning has an unmistakable impact on student learning. In this way, educators are accountable to the (educational) process and especially accountable to children, parents, other stakeholders, and the profession of teaching.’
Balancing autonomy and accountability
Teaching professionals are knowledge workers who think for a living, says Thomas Davenport in his book Thinking for a Living. Ideally, therefore, they are firstly autonomous beings, with a well-developed sense of self and purpose. Secondly, they are accountable; responsible for justifying their actions or decisions in the hierarchical structure within which they work.
When teachers feel they are held accountable but not respected as professionals, they experience a loss of autonomy. This detracts from the sense of self and purpose created through their own professional education, experience, and expertise. This can result in stress, demotivation, and reduced wellbeing, which can then also affect the students.
Teacher wellbeing is foundational to the educational environment since teacher expertise and wellbeing profoundly impacts the lives of those around them. It is therefore vital for teachers and those with whom they interact to understand the reality of the situation in which they are working. This can be achieved by reflection, formal and informal conversation, gathering data, and analysing student outcomes. Strengths can be acknowledged and new goals can be set and worked towards, using a solution-focused approach. This is most effective when supported by peer coaching or one-on-one coaching with an external coach.
References
Knight, J. (2013) Learning Forward Keynote: Autonomy, Accountability, and Professional Learning. https://instructionalcoaching.com/autonomy-accountability-professional-learning/
http://www.ifamilystudy.eu/what-is-autonomy-and-why-does-it-matter/
https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf
*Buber, M. I and Thou (2016) http://www.maximusveritas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/iandthou.pdf
**Isaacs, W. (1999) Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together. New York: Doubleday
Davenport, T. (2005) Thinking for a Living. Harvard Business Review Press