EDUC3051: School Administration & Leadership (A&L)

Teacher
Leadership

Prepared by
Dr. Aisha Al-Harthi
Dr. Yara Hilal
Dr. Waheed Hammad
This presentation is mostly based on
Katzenmeyer, M. and Moller, G. (2001)
Awakening the Sleeping Giant. Helping Teachers
Develop as Leaders. 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin.
.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more, you are a
leader.” John Quincy Adams
 What is teacher leadership?

Wasley (1991) defines teacher leadership, as ‘the ability to encourage colleagues to

change, to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily consider without the influence of the
leader’.

Katzenmeyer & Moller (2001) define teacher leaders as: “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 towards improved educational
practice”.
Teacher leadership is a process. Teacher leaders are the professionals who carry
through with this process to lead change in their schools for the benefit of all students.

They step outside their classroom doors and accept the challenges to improve their
practice through working with colleagues, school administration and professional
staff—as well as students and their families.

Here teacher leadership is primarily concerned with enhanced leadership roles and
decision-making powers for teachers without taking them out of the
classroom.(Harris, 2003)

In contrast to traditional notions of leadership, teacher leadership is characterised

by a form of collective leadership in which teachers develop expertise by working
collaboratively (Boles, Katherine and Troen, 1994)
Teacher leaders are, in the first place, expert teachers, who spend at the majority
of their time in the classroom but take on different leadership roles at different
times, following the principles of formative leadership (Ash and Persall 2000)

The purpose is to transform schools into professional learning communities

(Katzenmeyer and Moller 2001) and to empower teachers to become involved closely
in decision making within the school, thus contributing to the democratisation of
schools (Gehrke, 1991).

Teacher leaders should be able to work collaboratively with peers, observing

one another’s lessons and discussing pedagogy (Seashore-Louis, Kruse et al.
1996).
 Movie time:
More traits of teacher leaders
 Traits of teacher leaders

Experts

eXceptional Communicators

Change Agents

Inspirational Leaders

Trustworthy Colleagues

Explorers

Source: https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership by
Deb Meyer is a professor of education at Elmhurst University
 Leadership of operational
tasks:
keeping the school organised and
moving towards its goals, through roles
as Head of Department, action
researcher, member of task forces;

leadership through decision

Leadership of people making or partnership:

The three
students or other teachers: facilitator, membership of school improvement
coach, mentor, trainers, curriculum teams, membership of committees,
specialist, creating new approaches, instigator of partnerships with business,
leading study groups higher education institutions, LEA’s, and
parent-teacher associations facets of
teacher
leadership
Teacher
Leadership

(Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2001)

Functions of Teacher Leadership (Gehrke,
1991)
continuously providing
organising and
improving their curriculum
leading reviews of
own classroom development
school practice;
teaching; knowledge;

participating in the
participating in in- giving in-service
performance
school decision training to
evaluation of
making; colleagues, and
teachers.
The Ten Roles of Teacher Leaders: Think TankJ

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/ten-roles-for-teacher-leaders •

Choose two of these roles and explain how they can be

applied in Oman?
What are the obstacles?
Dimensions of the Teacher Leadership Role
 How does teacher leadership translate into tangible
tasks?
Choosing
Setting standards
textbooks and Shaping the Deciding on
for pupil
instructional curriculum; tracking;
behaviour;
materials;

Designing staff Setting promotion

Deciding school Evaluating teacher
development and retention
budgets; performance;
programmes; policies;

Selecting new Selecting new

teachers, and administrators
Movie Time: Value of Teacher Leadership
Benefits of teacher leadership

Improving
school
effectiveness

Contributing Improving
to school teacher
improvement effectiveness
 What are the factors affecting teacher Leadership?

http://restoringthevalueofteachers.weebly.com/leadership-styles-teachers-vs-principals.html
 HOW?

If schools are to become better at providing learning for

students, then they must also become better at providing
opportunities for teachers to innovate, develop and learn
together. So how school leaders provide opportunities for
teachers to participate in decisions and lead in school
development?
How can school leaders enhance teacher leadership?

School culture
and context

Roles and
Structures
relationships

. (Leithwood et al, 1999p 811-812).

 How can school leaders enhance teacher leadership?

School Culture and Context

An expectation
A schoolwide
of teamwork A strong sense
focus on Teaching
Encouragement and shared of community
learning, professionals
for taking responsibility, among teachers
inquiry, and being valued as
initiative. decision that fosters
reflective role models.
making, and professionalism.
practice.
leadership.

Resource: The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (2005). "Research Brief: What does the research tell us about Teacher
Leadership?" Washington, DC. http://www.centerforcsri.org/files/Center_RB_sept05.pdf
 How can school leaders enhance teacher leadership?

Roles and Relationships

Teacher leadership
Colleagues Teacher-leader and
High trust and work that is central
recognize and administrator- Interpersonal
positive working to the teaching and
respect teacher leader domains are relationships
relationships exist learning processes
leaders who have clearly defined, between teacher
both among teacher (as opposed to
subject-area and including their leaders and the
peers and with administrative or
instructional shared leadership principal flourish.
administrators. managerial tasks) is
expertise. responsibilities.
routinely assigned.

Resource: The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (2005). "Research Brief: What does the research tell us about Teacher
Leadership?" Washington, DC. http://www.centerforcsri.org/files/Center_RB_sept05.pdf
How can school leaders enhance teacher leadership?

Structures
How Can School Leaders Enhance Teacher Leadership?

distributing the • allowing staff to

• sharing decision
responsibility and power manage their own • taking staff opinion
making power with
for leadership widely decision making into account;
staff;
throughout the school; committees;

• ensuring effective • altering working • ensuring adequate

group problem solving • providing autonomy conditions so that staff involvement in decision
during meetings of for teachers; have collaborative making related to new
staff; planning time; initiatives in the school;

• creating opportunities
for staff development

. (Leithwood et al, 1999p 811-812).

How can school leaders enhance teacher leadership?

Encourage teachers to become leaders by:

• Helping teachers develop leadership skills.
• Creating an infrastructure to support teacher leadership (time and opportunities for professional
development).
• Overcoming conflict between leadership responsibilities
• Strengthening affiliation and belonging to their peer.
• Help teachers develop high-level skills in the areas of:
– expertise (strong pedagogical and subject knowledge),
– collaboration (working with other teachers, and
– reflection on their own practice and empowerment of themselves and others.
How can school leaders enhance teacher
leadership in Omani schools?
 Think

What barriers may stand in the way of teacher

leadership?
 BARRIERS TO TEACHER LEADERSHIP

Organizational Barriers
 Teacher Leadership Scale

Association leadership

Professional learning leadership

Assessment leadership

Instruction leadership

Community leadership

Policy leadership
 Association Leadership

Means that teacher leaders perform the

following tasks:
 Professional learning leadership
Leadership

engage in the following:

 Assessment Leadership

engage in the following:

• encompasses informing and facilitating
colleagues’ selection, design, use, and
interpretation of multiple assessments and
other related data to make informed
decisions
 Assessment Leadership

engage in the following:

• encompasses informing and facilitating
colleagues’ selection, design, use, and
interpretation of multiple assessments and
other related data to make informed
decisions
 Instructional Leadership

engage in the following:

• demonstrate excellence in instructional contexts,
share effective teaching with colleagues, and
advance the instructional skills of colleagues by
providing quality feedback and supporting
reflective practice based on student needs.
 Community Leadership

engage in the following:

 Policy Leadership

engage in the following:

• help colleagues to understand educational
policies, participate in policy-making at
some level, and advocate for the
development of students and teachers, and
for educational improvement