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School with Points
A pub conversation with a senior teacher
By Dr.-Ing. Walter Tritt · Inventor of the service exchange · KVD Service-Management Award 1992
A real dialogue, one evening in a pub. A teacher talks about his everyday school life - about frustration, laziness, and a system that blocks itself. And then comes the question: "Have you ever thought about points?"
The Starting Point
The Teacher: Everything they do in schools in our country is save, save, save. We are supposed to be run like a business!
The Teacher: For example, right now they have a teacher, and they offer him around. Many of the schools are looking for teachers exactly in the specialism that this colleague offers. But when it comes to asking who actually has a need, everyone goes quiet, everyone looks down, and nobody speaks up.
I: Why?
The Teacher: The school that comes forward gets him assigned, and will then never get rid of him again. The colleague has a reputation for being poor, and once you have him at your school, you will never get rid of him again.
The Problem: No Transparency About Performance
The Teacher: There are colleagues who do nothing at all. For example, they hand the children materials to read, without any further explanation. The children then understand nothing. But this does not bother these colleagues any further. When I see this and other things, I sometimes want to throw the whole mess in.
I: Hm, I have a system that would lead to an improvement in the school's performance. Something that would be good for everyone - for the students, for the teachers, for the parents, for society.
The Teacher: Here they only work with the red pencil.
I: Don't you want to hear from me, just once, how one could sustainably improve the school? It only takes two minutes.
The Idea: Points for Student Success
The Teacher: Two minutes - then go ahead and tell me.
I: In this system, every student receives an individual point value, depending on the level of difficulty for the school. A teacher then receives the corresponding point value credited to a personal points account when the student has reached the class target in their subject. This way, every student becomes important to the teacher through their individual success.
The Teacher: Then the teacher just hands out favouritism grades.
I: Of course one can introduce quality controls. Class tests can be offered anonymously to other teachers for review. Teachers can then earn additional points for carrying out this review.
"That Only Works with Money"
The Teacher: The system you are proposing only works if the points are linked to money.
I: I think this is wrong. Perhaps one day later, and then only in an indirect form. By no means at the beginning. Incentive systems are declarations of distrust towards employees. They imply that these are not motivated and do not want to work well of their own accord.
The Teacher: Then nobody does anything. The lazy ones stay lazy.
I: Well yes, but then their laziness becomes clear and transparent. And for those who successfully look after their students, this becomes transparent too.
The Hunt for Points
I: All of a sudden, every student you bring through leads to an increase in the teacher's own points account. The play instinct, the hunting instinct, the hunt for points is awakened here. The work becomes more fun again for every teacher; you aim for successes and can see them quantified.
I: Teachers are then no longer a managed cog in a bureaucratic monster - no, they can actively earn points through their commitment. And, so as not to expose anyone, you would not even need to disclose the points.
Class Teachers and Head Teachers
I: The class teacher naturally also receives points for all the children in their class who reach the class target, not only for the children in their own subject. And with that they have an interest in their fellow teachers teaching their students better. And the head teacher likewise, who participates in the success of all the students in the school.
I: Head teachers, class teachers, subject teachers then all have the same goal: to teach children successfully. The success becomes transparent and documented. From colleagues who achieve even better results, one can then observe and learn.
The Result
The Teacher: Perhaps the system works after all.
I: Of course. Teachers would develop a stronger interest in more students rather than fewer. Because more students mean more potential points. Every committed teacher would then receive approval and support from colleagues instead of the suspicion of being a swot.
I: We should be careful in general. When we hear something new like this, we are usually all quick to think about why it would not work. No - we have to think about why it works, and what we need to do so that it works. Otherwise we will never move forward.
Based on the article "Dialogue with a Senior Teacher - an Evening in the Pub" by Dr.-Ing. Walter Tritt. The concept was developed as part of the doctorate. Further publications at www.scwt.de.