Inquiry Presentation Slides

 Mine and Annabelle's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YT2NdzoXTvz89di05C6VNhGdLDYp5HTWdqCpSjICMpQ/edit?usp=sharing

Exit Slip: Nov 20th

 Q: How have you connected to the real world of teaching and learning?

 I've spoken to my school advisors about the topic briefly, and their advice boiled down to: don't work so hard. Some daily tasks to achieving this would be to avoid taking work home by doing grading during work blocks or tests. Actively scheduling more work/study blocks for the students to catch up on outstanding work. Both of my school advisors also have young children so they leave as soon as the bell rings.

 I plan to also talk to some other teachers in my life that I know. 

What is the activity you have planned for the class? 

Annabelle and I have planned some physical activity for our presentation as it aligns with physiological benefits of exercise. We're leaning towards some kind of dance to get the class moving.

Exit Slip: November 13th

Annabelle and I have finalized our annotated bibliography. We then decided on the topics we want to cover in our presentation and linked the sources to the topics. This is what we will be covering:

• What is burnout?

• Source 1, 5, 13

• How to know if you’re experiencing burnout?

• Friedman Burnout Scale?

• Regular Check-ins

• Support self outside work

• How to plan/make a schedule to find/make time for yourself

• Source 9

• Ways to support self (e.g. exercise, hobbies, seeing friends)

• Source 2, 3: exercise

• Source 4: hobbies

• Source 10: general self-care

• Boundaries with work 

• Source 8

• Support self at work

• Tools to balance workload

• Source 6, 7, 11, 12, 14

Some questions I want to ask teachers I know are:

Have you had feelings of burnout before? How did you know? 

If so, what strategies helped you or do you think would help? 

Annotated Bibliography

 This is the annotated bibliography Annabelle and I will be using for our inquiry project about teacher burnout.

Annotated bibliography

1. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397

1. This article defines burnout and the [job-based] situational factors. It provides a comprehensive review of this field of research and the field of psychology. Although it was published in 2001, the content remains accurate for the purposes of our inquiry on burnout. 

2. Mahindru, A., Patil, P., & Agrawal, V. (2023). Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus, 15(1), e33475. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33475

1. This article provides a review of the importance of physical activity for improved mental health, including the impacts on sleep. 

3. Fong Yan, A., Nicholson, L. L., Ward, R. E., Hiller, C. E., Dovey, K., Parker, H. M., Low, L. F., Moyle, G., & Chan, C. (2024). The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 54(5), 1179–1205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01990-2

1. This article compares dance with other forms of physical activity and studies the impact on overall well-being of the self. Dance is a workout and a fun activity that is just as effective as other forms of exercise in terms of benefits to the mind and body!

4. Pressman, S. D., Matthews, K. A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Scheier, M., Baum, A., & Schulz, R. (2009). Association of enjoyable leisure activities with psychological and physical well-being. Psychosomatic medicine, 71(7), 725–732. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978

1. This article presents the positive association between hobbies (leisure activities) and overall well-being. This will be useful when discussing the importance of hobbies in one's life, looking beyond social media and television.

5. Saloviita, T., & Pakarinen, E. (2021). Teacher burnout explained: Teacher-, student-, and organisation-level variables. Teaching and Teacher Education, 97(97), 103221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103221

1. Investigates teacher burnout among large sample of Finnish primary school teachers, and confirms the reliability of the Friedman Burnout Scale. This scale can allow us to quantitatively measure levels of perceived burnout.

6. Hashem, R., Ali, N., Zein, F. E., Fidalgo, P., & Khurma, O. A. (2024). AI to the rescue: Exploring the Potential of ChatGPT as a Teacher Ally for Workload Relief and Burnout Prevention. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 19(23), 023–023. https://doi.org/10.58459/rptel.2024.19023

1. Explores the potential of ChatGPT as a teacher ally to alleviate excessive workload and prevent burnout among secondary teachers. Findings suggest that AI tools can significantly streamline planning processes.

7. Pyhältö, K., Pietarinen, J., Haverinen, K., Tikkanen, L., & Soini, T. (2020). Teacher burnout profiles and proactive strategies. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-020-00465-6

1. The article explores teacher burnout profiles and how the use of proactive coping strategies relates to different levels of burnout risk among Finnish comprehensive school teachers. The study ultimately recommends that proactive strategies could be the key to preventing teacher burnout.

8. amstaffpmpersonality. (2021). What work/life boundaries have you created for yourself? [Online forum post and comments]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/u75mq9/what_worklife_boundaries_have_you_created_for/?captcha=1

1. This post and comments in the Reddit forum r/teachers presents ideas for creating and maintaining professional boundaries. In discussion forums like this, we can learn practical ways to prevent burnout from people in the profession with experience.

9. Todoist. (2024). Time Blocking — Your Complete Guide to More Focused Work. Todoist. https://www.todoist.com/productivity-methods/time-blocking

1. This article provides an overview of the concept of time blocking and gives practical advice on how to implement it. Time blocking is typically used for productivity but it can also be used for scheduling time for creative outlets and hobbies. 

10. Harris, D. (2021). Self-Compassion Ain’t Always Soft | Kristin Neff [Audio podcast]. 10% Happier with Dan Harris.

1. In this podcast, a leading researcher in self-compassion, Kristin Neff, shares how self-compassion is not a soft approach to selfcare. She gives advice on how to implement this in your life to stand up for yourself, and your boundaries. 

11. Rankin, J. G. (2023). First aid for teacher burnout: How you can find peace and success (2nd ed.). Routledge.

1. Each chapter explores a different common cause for burnout and provides strategies and tips. Chapter coverage includes fighting low morale, diminishing stress, streamlining grading, reducing workload, leveraging collaboration, using technology to your advantage, managing classroom behaviour, and more.

12. TEDx Talks. (2024, Oct. 11). Preventing Teacher Burnout | Geraldine Hogan | TEDxMiramar [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvldQl_jm6I

1. This video talks about the importance of recognizing the signs of teacher burnout and encourages educators to seek help or pursue a career change.

13. Griffiths, C. (2025). Teacher Burnout from a Complex Systems Perspective. Springer Nature.

1. The chapters of this book investigate various contributors, consequences, context, and coping strategies related to teacher burnout. Key themes include: crucial role of personal coping strategies, and the general finding that teacher burnout is a pervasive global issue.

14. O’Donohue, M. (2023, Jan. 1st) How to Avoid Teacher Burnout - 4 Essential Tips [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCA8fZNL2fM

1. O’Donohue talks about 4 tips on how new teachers can reduce their workload. Namely: asking for help, not reinventing the wheel, keeping an open mind, and taking care of oneself.

Inquiry Update #1

Annabelle and I will be researching teacher burnout. This will include strategies both in and outside of the classroom on how to improve exhaustion levels. A central goal will be to provide low barrier to entry strategies for our peers to take with them for their extended practicums.

 

 Some keywords I used for my lit review ("teacher" and "burnout" ) and ("prevent" or "strategies" or "understanding") through the UBC library. I also searched on YouTube for "teacher burnout".

 

Here are some sources that I want to look into:

Ted talk on preventing teacher burnout https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvldQl_jm6I&pp=ygUPdGVhY2hlciBidXJub3V0

Teacher Burnout from a Complex Systems Perspective https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-031-85024-0.pdf

Teacher burnout explained: Teacher-, student-, and organisation-level variables (Research paper) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X20314128

First Aid for Teacher Burnout (book) https://www.taylorfrancis.com/reader/download/20ab2635-8eed-4435-8e1c-cbc0e6888b3e/book/pdf?context=ubx - I suspect this source will be particularly helpful. 

Warning signs of teacher burnout and what to do about it (youtube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG5hc-yVDxw&pp=ygUPdGVhY2hlciBidXJub3V0

How to avoid teacher burnout (youtube video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCA8fZNL2fM&pp=ygUPdGVhY2hlciBidXJub3V0

Teacher burnout profiles and proactive strategies (journal article) https://www.jstor.org/stable/48707377?seq=1

 Do Demographic Characteristics Make a Difference to Burnout among Hong Kong Secondary School Teachers? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-004-8033-z

AI to the rescue: Exploring the potential of ChatGPT as a teacher ally for workload relief and Burnout prevention https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Othman-Abu-Khurma/publication/374024140_AI_to_the_rescue_Exploring_the_potential_of_ChatGPT_as_a_teacher_ally_for_workload_relief_and_burnout_prevention/links/650a94da82f01628f032ebb7/AI-to-the-rescue-Exploring-the-potential-of-ChatGPT-as-a-teacher-ally-for-workload-relief-and-burnout-prevention.pdf

 

Entrance Slip: Inquiry Topic

 Topic: Establishing Boundaries for Sustainable Teaching Practice

Concept A	Concept B	Concept C
Boundary setting	Sustainable work habits	Self-compassion and acceptance

I’ve always been the type of person to throw myself completely into new endeavours, often giving my full energy and attention to doing things well. While this has helped me grow quickly in many areas, it has also led to a recurring pattern of burnout,  typically within a year of starting something new. As I enter the teaching profession, I’m becoming aware that this same tendency could make it difficult to maintain a healthy balance between my personal life and professional responsibilities. Teaching, by nature, demands deep emotional and intellectual investment, but I want to learn how to sustain that investment over time. This is why I’m drawn to exploring how early-career teachers can set boundaries and develop sustainable routines that allow them to “turn off” work at the end of the day while still feeling effective and fulfilled in the classroom. 

Entrance Slip: What's the point of grades?

From my “student bird” perspective, I actually liked percentage grades. I appreciated the precision, it felt objective and measurable. But looking back, I can see how meaningless that precision really was. The difference between a 90 and a 92 doesn’t reflect a meaningful difference in understanding, yet it can cause a lot of stress for students chasing university cutoffs. One of my professors once said that the difference of a few percentage points often just comes down to opinion, and that really stuck with me.

From my “teacher bird” perspective, I find myself agreeing with Sarte and Hughes’ point that grades often serve the system more than the student. In their article, they draw on Ryan and Deci’s idea that grades act as extrinsic motivators, which can actually take away from a student’s intrinsic motivation to learn. I’ve seen how easily students start focusing on “how many marks is this worth?” instead of what they’re actually learning.

That’s why I like BC’s new proficiency scale, Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending. It gives students a clearer picture of where they are in their learning journey without reducing everything to a number. It’s hard to attach a precise percentage to understanding. A 75% sounds fine on paper, but it doesn’t tell a student what to work on or how to grow.

Grades can give structure and accountability, but they can also create pressure and competition. The challenge, as Sarte and Hughes suggest, is to shift our focus from grading to learning, to use feedback as a tool for growth rather than a judgment of worth.