Assignment 5 CET765
Sandy Nightingale
Major Points about TQM in Education
by the Experts
As I read over the Koalaty Kid and American
Society for Quality websites, as well as the question and answers by the
experts in TQM, one point that seemed to be brought up repeatedly was the fact
that TQM can be implemented in educational settings, but its success depends on
the commitment of the school/district to keep the effort alive. It takes energy, effort, and a strong belief
to keep TQM alive. Schools need to keep
in mind that TQM isn’t just another “add on”, but a way to manage instruction
and learning and a process that enables teachers, students, and administrators
to demonstrate growth toward school/district/state/national goals. The key to longevity, according to the
experts, is in having the process prove its own merits and show that it is good
for the kids. Also, when new personnel
are hired, an effort should be made to find people that either know about TQM
or are willing to learn. New teachers
need to be orientated to TQM through mentoring or staff development for the
process to continue to succeed. To
prevent moving backwards, two sources come into play, success of TQM and
constancy of purpose from the leadership.
Another point that the experts seem to
agree upon is that change takes time and is often met with resistance. Teachers don’t like to let go of their “pet”
projects and try something new, but as educators, we need to learn to how to
let go and align. Some experts predict 8
years for an organization to achieve world class status, but some results can
be seen immediately. Often we try to
make a quick fix for a problem, only to find that we didn’t fix the problem at
all. TQM is a step by step process that
studies a problem that has been identified and tries to find the root
cause. This leads to working toward a
solution that will solve the problem.
The process takes time, but the results speak for themselves.
The experts seem to agree that the tools
and techniques used by the teachers and students in TQM can help them reach the
goals of No Child Left Behind. TQM helps children become self-managers
of their educational progress. Project
based learning, collaboration, cooperative learning, etc, are all enhanced by
the integration of TQM tools and techniques.
Also, TQM is to be used not only for some students, but for all
students. It is the process of
continuous improvement focused on each individual student setting individual
goals and class goals for improvement.
Although TQM is meant to take place in all
departments of an educational facility, it is the consensus of the experts that
one of the best places to start using it is in the classroom. The classroom is full of processes that lend
themselves toward the TQM tools. Flow
charts can be used to learn processes, as well as brainstorming and
prioritizing ideas. Consensograms can be
used to measure learning. Fact sheets
can be given to students at the beginning of the term, with weekly tests given
over random questions taken from the fact sheets. Class charts showing the results can be made and
posted. Students are empowered by the
philosophy of TQM. They become better
problem solvers because they are routinely involved in goal-setting and
decision making processes. Through TQM,
students sustain enthusiasm for learning, behave responsibly, feel proud of
their achievements, and strive to meet high standards. Any superintendent/principal will sit up and
take notice when increased student achievement takes place. By starting in the classroom, posting results
where others can see and letting them know that TQM is responsible for the
positive changes they have witnessed, others will want to join the band wagon
and learn more about TQM.