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Professional Leadership. Course EDUC8813 Professional Leadership A definition, model and self appraisal tool for professional leadership designed for principals. Duncan Millward, Alysha Thompson, Christine McLean, Peter Engelbrecht and Rob Padgett. What is Professional Leadership?.
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Professional Leadership Course EDUC8813 Professional Leadership A definition, model and self appraisal tool for professional leadership designed for principals Duncan Millward, Alysha Thompson, Christine McLean, Peter Engelbrecht and Rob Padgett
What is Professional Leadership? • Defining leadership is a complex task • Bush (2003) highlights that “there is no agreed definition of the concept of leadership” (p. 5).
Our Definition of Professional Leadership • Professional leaders foster learning, student achievement and teacher development, lead towards a shared vision and undertake a continual process of review.
The Role of the Professional Leader • Professional leaders perform two roles which co-exist: • Control the operation of the profession - a management function; • Create a vision which promotes development and change - a leadership function.
Aims of a Professional Leader • Achieve the highest standards for all students, through programmes which enable them to realise their full potential as individuals and develop the values needed to become quality members of New Zealand’s society. • Lead teachers towards new practices and new developments. They must lead by example, reward and foster excellence, facilitate collaborative relationships and discussion within the profession and respond to pedagogical change.
Vision • Provides a sense of purpose • Incorporates values and culture • Reliant on strong relationships, forging a shared understanding and working towards a common goal • Influence, external/internal • Context dependent • Bush (2003) suggests “vision is increasingly regarded as an essential component of effective leadership” (p. 6).
Pedagogy • The methods used to deliver curriculum • Aim to raise student achievement • Enhancing professional knowledge • Integration of current ‘good’ practice and theory to raise student achievement • Incorporated into professional development and life long learners • Fitzgerald, Gunter and Eaton (2006) see teachers as those who “lead in productive and pedagogic ways are in effect, not teacher-leaders but leaders of learning” (p. 40).
Values and Beliefs • Guiding principals underpinning who we are • Behaviours aimed at developing the whole student • Building a school culture • Sergiovanni (1984) states “culture serves as a compass setting to steer people in a common direction” (p. 4).
Student Achievement and Development • Core business of teaching and learning • Data collection and analysis to implement and plan an effective programme providing opportunities for all students to achieve their potential • Links to professional development and reflection • Fitzgerald, Gunter, Eaton (2006) conclude “there can be little doubt that core imperative of educational leadership is student learning and student achievement” (p. 39).
Professional Development • Continual cycle of improvement • Feedback to promote growth • Recognition of excellence within school staff to provide models of best practice • Principals need to identify needs and provide opportunities for staff advancement • Fitzgerald, Gunter and Eaton (2006) refer to teacher learning being at the heart of the creation of learning communities.
Role Modelling • Modelling high standards and expectations for all teachers and students • Leading by example • Essential for leaders actions to match their words – walk the talk • School vision should be modelled in practice and interaction throughout the school community Southworth (2004).
Relationships • Sharing of knowledge and resources. • Effective collaboration is reliant on a supportive environment where relationships are fostered. • Collaboration – team members, community, collaborative values, participation in decision making, ownership and purpose. (links back to the vision). • Dependent on reciprocal trust • Harris (2005) states “leadership may be identified by a number of core leadership activities, one of which is the building relationships with the school community” (p.80).
Reflection and Review • Opportunities for teachers to think critically • Providing feedback • Links to professional growth • Recognition of excellence • Identifies areas of strength and weakness • Use of appraisal tools for self evaluation and measured against the professional standards • Blasé & Blasé (2000) identify a major theme being “the importance of talking with teachers to promote reflection” (p. 133).
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Nelson Mandela
References Blasé, J. & Blasé, J. (2000). Effective instructional leadership: Teachers’ perspectives on how principals promote teaching and learning in schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 38(2), 130-141. Bush, T. (2003). Theories of educational leadership and management (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications. Fitzgerald, T. & Gunter, H. with Eaton, J. (2006). The missing link?: Middle leadership in schools in New Zealand and England. New Zealand Journal of Educational Leadership, 21(1), 29-43. Harris, A. (2005). Leading from the chalk-face: An overview of school leadership. Leadership, 1(1), 73-87. Sergiovanni, T. J. (1984). Leadership and excellence in schooling. Educational Leadership, February, 4-13. Southworth, G. (2004). Primary school leadership in context: leading small, medium and large sized schools. London: RoutledgeFalmer.