Awakening The Sleeping Giant

Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders

William Tyler Grove Dr. Holly Thornton CI- 5585 Teacher Leadership and School Improvement

What is Teacher Leadership: • “Teachers who are leaders lead within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence others toward improved educational practice”(5)

Why? • “A positive culture within a school fosters teacher leadership which in turn produces positive results in student outcomes” (Anderson 1992) • When Teachers recognize that they can be leaders and accept from among the array of roles available to them, the results in schools will follow.

• Lead management – Teacher involves students • Gets input on work/conditions

– Teacher communicates expectations / models tasks • Student input continuously solicited

– Students inspect/evaluate work • Teacher listens/accepts

– Teacher acts as facilitator • Provides students with tools • Atmosphere is non-coercive • Environment is non-adversarial

• Everyone feels a sense of power/influence • Greater ownership/investment/attachment (fewer problems)

Research • Contextualized, systematic, localized, and aimed at developing changes in practice and student learning (Mills, 2003; Wallace, 2000). • Fundamental components include – (1) developing a plan for improvement – (2) implementing the plan – (3) observing and documenting its effects – (4) reflecting on effects for further planning and informed action

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What are the Dimensions of Teacher Leadership

Developmental Focus – Teachers are supported in learning new knowledge and Skills Recognition – Teachers are Respected Autonomy – Teachers are encouraged to take initiative Collegiality – Collaborate on instructional and student-related materials Participation – Teachers are involved in making decisions Open Communication – Communication is open in the school environment Positive Environment – Teachers experience general satisfaction with the work environment

What do I need to do? • Teacher Leadership School Survey – In the schools where there is shared leadership and there is no expectation of heroic leadership from one person, teaching and learning improve. – Bust those egalitarian norms which do not encourage a teacher to take leadership roles. – Teachers need to learn leadership skills in addition to becoming competent in teaching and learning skills.

Survey: Teacher Leadership

New Concepts in Education (1990’s) • Leadership based on assumptions of schools as professional learning communities and of communities as being defined by their center of shared values, beliefs, and commitments. • Principals who are engaged in real school change recognize that every teacher can be a leader in partnership with the principal and that roles of teaching, learning, and leading. – This perspective is not widespread.

• Teachers leadership depends on the

Is Teacher Leadership Possible? • YES! • It is amazing that teacher leadership is possible as they are currently structured. – Ideas • Arranging Common Planning • Systems for: – Recognition – Communication – Participation must be explicit in its design

Interesting Fact: • The United States spends less money on the school’s primary functionteaching- then any other industrialized county in the world does. (106)

How do I influence? • Teacher leaders are able to influence situations in their schools through actions they are willing to take: – Firsthand knowledge – Teacher leaders are engaged in to implement a long-term, results-oriented approach to professional development in their school. – Offer help and assistance to the large number of new teachers – Took action to influence the school principal of behalf of all the team leaders in the school. – Building trust with their peers and offering

Conclusion: Steps forward What do we need? • Schools need teacher leaders to be able to influence their colleagues • Teacher leaders can affect policy decisions, secure community resource, and work on interdisciplinary teams. • The teacher leaders personal power comes from the strength of their influencing skills.