TEACHER LEADERSHIP

Course: Leadership and Management of Educational Institutions

Presented to: Dr. Ahmad Bilal
Presented by: Khurram Rafi
Ph.D Scholar
Roll No. 18026101-002
Date 24-05-2018
 Teacher Leadership
The concepts of leading and teaching are so intertwined that
every leader is a teacher, and every teacher is a leader. The art of
leading students is one of the greatest challenges faced by today's
teacher. The process is intensified in a prison setting where the
environment for blending leadership practices is complex (Hand
& Penuel, 2013).
 Teacher Leadership (Cont’d)
• Teacher leaders lead within and beyond the classroom; identify
with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and
leaders; influence others toward improved educational practice;
and accept responsibility for achieving the outcomes of their
leadership (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2001).
 Teacher Leadership (Cont’d)
“Teacher leadership is the process by which teachers,
individually or collectively, influence their colleagues, principals,
and other members of the school communities to improve
teaching and learning practices with the aim of increased student
learning and achievement.” (York-Barr & Duke, 2004)
 Teacher Leadership (Cont’d)
Lovett (2018) argue, engaging in leadership work whether or not
they or others recognise this as a form of leadership. In this way,
spheres of influence are reciprocated as teachers share their
expertise and, at the same time, learn from the insights offered by
their colleagues. This type of leadership is referred to as teacher
leadership.
 TEACHER LEADERSHIP IS:
• A way of organizing learning.
• A way of understanding the connections between knowledge and
practice.
• A way of combining the explicit and tacit ways of knowing.
• A way of learning the skills, abilities and capacities for developing and
nurturing community among peers.
• A way of negotiating the tensions between privacy and a new view of
community (Lieberman, 2013).
 Teacher Leadership Situated in Other Conceptions of
Leadership
Teacher leadership is reasonably situated within four conceptions of
leadership that are inclusive of formal and informal leaders:
1. Participative leadership,
2. Leadership as an organizational quality,
3. Distributed leadership,
4. Parallel leadership.
The emergence of teacher leadership would seem to be more likely when
these forms of leadership are present in the surrounding context of
practice (York-Barr & Duke, 2004)
 Teacher Leadership and Distributed Leadership
• Distributed leadership theory advocates that schools ‘decentre’ the
leader. It reflects the view that every person in one way or another can
demonstrate leadership .
• Teacher Leadership emphasis upon collective action, empowerment
and shared agency are reflected in distributed leadership theory.
Teacher leadership is centrally and exclusively concerned with the idea
that all organizational members can lead and that leadership is a form
of agency that can be distributed or shared (Gronn, 2000).
 Who Are Teacher Leaders?
Teacher leaders are both teachers and leaders. Teacher leaders are or have
been teachers with significant teaching experience, are known to be
excellent teachers, and are respected by their peers.
• Demonstrated high levels of instructional expertise,
• Collaboration
• Reflection
• A sense of empowerment,
• Competent
• Credible
 Who Are Teacher Leaders? (Cont’d)
• Collaborative
• Model effective practice.
• Mentor new and struggling teachers.
• Conduct professional development activities.
• Raise the level of collaboration in schools.
• Lead school improvement efforts.
• Advocate for the needs of students.
• Have strong teaching, organization, and interpersonal skills
• Role model
 Qualities of teacher leaders as teachers
• Significant experience in their • Innovative
teaching fields • Seekers of challenge and growth,
• Excellent teaching skills • Take risks
• Extensive knowledge of teaching • Lifelong learners,
and learning, curriculum, and
content area
• Clearly developed personal
philosophy of education
• Creative
 Qualities of teacher leaders as teachers (Cont’d)
• Enthusiasm for teaching
• Assume individual responsibility for actions
• Respected and valued by colleagues
• Viewed as competent
• Sensitivity and receptivity to the thoughts and feelings of others
• Cognitive and affective flexibility
• Hard-working,
• Able to manage workload,
• Strong administrative and organizational Skills
 Qualities of teacher leaders as Leaders
• Build trust and rapport with
colleagues • Including good listening skills
• Establish solid relationships • Handle conflict
• Work collaboratively • Can negotiate and mediate
• Influence school culture through
relationships
• Supportive of colleagues
• Promote growth among colleagues
• Effective in communicating
 Qualities of teacher leaders as Leaders (Cont’d)
• Ability to deal with process
• Effective group processing skills
• Ability to assess, interpret and prioritize department and teacher
needs and concerns
• Solid understanding of organizational diagnosis and of the “big
picture” issues in an organization
• Can envision broader impact of decisions made by
administrators and teachers
 Role of Teacher Leaders
Katzenmeyer and Moller (2001) described three main facets:
• leadership of students or other teachers: facilitator, coach,
mentor, trainer, curriculum specialist, creating new approaches,
leading study groups;
• leadership of operational tasks: keeping the school organized
and moving towards its goals, through roles such as head of
department, action researcher, member of task forces;
 Role of Teacher Leaders (Cont’d)
• leadership through decision-making or
partnership: membership of school improvement
teams, membership of committees; instigator of
partnerships with business, higher education
institutions, LEAs, and parent–teacher associations.
 Role of Teacher Leaders (Cont’d)
Furthermore, (Harrison & Killion, 2007) described roles of teacher
leaders
1. Resource Provider
2. Instructional Specialist
3. Curriculum Specialist
4. Classroom Supporter
5. Learning Facilitator
 Role of Teacher Leaders (Cont’d)
6. Mentor
7. School Leader
8. Data Coach
9. Catalyst for Change
10. Learner
11. shape the culture of their schools,
12. improve student learning,
13. influence practice among their peers.
 Discrete dimensions of teacher leadership role
Muijs and Harris (2003) describes seven dimensions of teacher leadership role
from the literature.
1. The translation of the principles of school improvement into the practices of
individual classrooms.
2. Participative leadership where all teachers feel part of the change or
development and have a sense of ownership
3. The mediating role.
4. Forging close relationships with individual teachers through which mutual
learning takes place.
5. Undertaking action research
6. Instigating peer classroom observation
7. Contributing to the establishment of a collaborative culture in the school
 Developing Teacher Leadership
• Be set aside for teachers to meet to plan and discuss issues such as
curriculum matters, developing school-wide plans, leading study
groups, organizing visits to other schools, collaborating with HEIs, and
collaborating with colleagues
• Being freed up for teacher leadership tasks
• Give more time to collaborate with one another
• Rich and diverse opportunities for continuous professional
Development
• Improvement of teachers’ self-confidence to act as leaders in their
schools
• Mentoring, Observation, Peer coaching and Mutual reflection
 Teachers who lead
• Become inquirers into their own practice
• Provide leadership through their example of becoming lifelong learners
• Take risks by expanding their own comfort zones.
• Inspire their peers through a continual struggle to improve their
practice
• Work hard expanding their own knowledge base.
• Organize novice and veteran teachers into communities of support
• Care about the content and character of colleagueship as well as the
content of the curriculum
 Teachers who lead (Cont’d)
• Understand that learning the culture is a critical part of leadership
• Go public with their understandings of students; strategies for student
learning
and the organization of curriculum.
• Pursue working with their peers despite sometimes negative responses.
• Lead in different ways - both formally
and informally (Lieberman, 2013).
 Why Focus on Teacher Leadership?
• Benefits of employee participation;
• Expertise about teaching and learning;
• Acknowledgment, opportunities, and rewards for accomplished
teachers;
• Benefits to students (York-Barr & Duke, 2004).
 Why Teacher Leadership?
Harris and Alambert (2003) and Holden (2002) describe that we may
adopt the teacher leadership in our school to;
1. Operate the school as a professional learning community
2. Strong and measurable improvements in students’ learning
3. Building professional skills
4. Building capacity to keep the school progressing
5. Sustainable improvement in school and classroom
6. Improvement in students engagement with school
 Why Teacher Leadership? (Cont’d)
7. Outweighs principal leadership effects
8. Enhances teachers’ self-esteem and work satisfaction
9. Higher level of teacher performance and motivation
10. Improved confidence of teachers in their own abilities
11. Collaboration between teachers
12. Transforming schools as organizations
13. Helping to diminish teacher alienation
14. Improving the life chances of students in disadvantaged schools
15. Involvement in decision-making
 Why Teacher Leadership? (Cont’d)
16. Decreases in teacher absenteeism
17. Encouraging the introduction of reform
18. Mitigate the negative effects of frequent headteacher change in a
restructuring school
19. Cultivates a largely untapped resource for change and
improvement in schools
20. Keeps good teachers in the classroom
21. Benefits students
22. Frees principals from unrealistic expectations
 Barriers in developing Teacher Leadership
Egalitarian values among teachers may militate against any teacher
presenting her/himself as a ‘leader
• Being ostracized by their colleagues
• Loss of connectedness to peers when engaging in teacher leadership
• Hesitant, but not hostile
• Top-down management structures in schools
• Fear and uncertainty
 Barriers in developing Teacher Leadership
(Cont’d)
• Selection of roles
• Lack of trust between staff
• Credibility with teacher colleagues
• Delineation of responsibilities between teachers and administrators
• Finding the right structure
 References
• Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007). Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders. Educational Leadership,
65(1).
• Gronn, P. (2000). Distributed Properties: A New Architecture for Leadership. Educational
Management & Administration, 28(3), 317-381.
• Lieberman, A. (2013). Teacher Leadership: What do we know so far? Educational Leadership.
• Lovett, S. (2018). Advocacy for Teacher Leadership. University of Canterbury Christchurch
New Zealand: Springer International Publishing AG.
• York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What Do We Know About Teacher Leadership? Findings
From Two Decades of Scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255-316.
• Holden, G. (2002). Towards a Learning Community: The Role of Teacher-Led Development in
School Improvement. Paper presented at the the CELSI British Council Leadership in Learning
Conference, London.
• Katzenmeyer, M., & Moller, G. (2001). Teacher Leadership: The "New" Foundations of
Teacher Education. jstor, 408, 3-21.
• Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2003). Teacher Leadership—Improvement through Empowerment?
Educational Management & Administration, 31(4), 437–448.