I just spent the majority of the morning making what felt like my 100th edit to a chapter I am contributing for a book that is being published this Spring and was therefore not going to post anything this week. However, I think a little OCD kicked in and I wanted to at least post a small reflection of the week.
There have been some great conversations taking place in the curriculum office in which dialog bordered on arguments fueled by the passion to help kids learn that we all possess. This week was no different as we continue to work on finding ways to create a system that promotes high expectations with support while providing the latitude teachers need to make professional judgments based on student needs. I was reminded of the importance of this combination of expectations, support, and latitude when editing this portion of my chapter this morning:
School leaders must understand “the fundamental purpose of school is to ensure all students learn at high levels” (DuFour & Fullan, 2013, p.14), and that “the single most important influence on student learning is the quality of teaching” (McNulty & Besser, 2011, p.44). Once the importance of the “roots” is understood by all, the goal for school leaders, administrators and teachers, comes down to creating a culture to support teachers. However, administrators can not build and sustain such a culture on their own.
In order to communicate the importance of teacher leadership, “rather than talking about leadership as pertaining to any one person, we need to recognize that leadership is a process of a set of functions that may be performed by many of a team’s members” (Levi, 2014, p.184). Therefore, a culture of learning for all, students and adults, with a focus on democratic values must be emphasized. At the 2015, Model Schools Conference, Bill Daggett stated multiple times that “Culture Trumps Strategy.” A greenhouse culture such as this, promotes leadership as being “dispositional” rather than “positional” and communicates the vital role teacher leadership plays in a successful school district. Dufour (2013) states:
Sustaining systematic improvement...relies less on the brilliance of a charismatic leader and more on the task of creating dispersed, widely shared leadership that supports an organizational system and culture that enable people throughout the organization to succeed at what they are being asked to do (p.64).
When teachers serve in a leadership role, a culture of sharing and respect for the ideas of all group members is encouraged and expected. “Success only happens if team members are willing to share their knowledge and learn from each other” (Levi, 2014, p.252). This willingness to share is a form of collegial-reflective inquiry and is brought about by the creation of a culture that reflects shared learning. “Leaders must create environments in which individuals expect to have their personal ideas and practices subjected to the scrutiny of their colleagues” (McNulty et.al, 2011, p.59).
One of the best ways to nurture shared leadership is to provide time to develop trust and collaboration through PLCs. PLCs align with wise curriculum judgments, supporting a greenhouse culture. PLCs provide the opportunity for the teachers to examine their teaching practices in a safe and trusting environment. These discussions have the potential to become hard discussions as teachers might disagree on a particular pedagogical approach. If given the time to build trust, this can also be productive because “dissonance helps to move PLCs in a positive direction” (Henderson & Gornik, 2007, p.208).
Hopefully I am allowed to post that :), they are still my thoughts, so I think I’m good. The point being is that this week I was reminded of the importance of trust, the value of teacher leadership, and the power of collective efficacy yet again. These are topics that I have mentioned before in this blog, but they are worth repeating because they must happen everyday. I honestly believe that we are missing the boat if we don’t use PLCs (continuous and embedded professional development) as the main platform to work together to help all of our students grow as learners. I am encouraged as I see this happening more and more across our district including amongst the administrative team. I believe it is the best way to shift the culture of schools from a curriculum transfer model to one which prepares our students for life. It may seem like a long journey, but I would encourage each little step as we make our way closer to this ideal destination.
References
Daggett, W. (2015, June). Model Schools Conference Session 18- Culture Trumps
Strategy [Lecture Notes & Powerpoint]. Retrieved from
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (2005). On common ground: The power of
professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
DuFour, R. & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work.
Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Henderson, J. & Gornik, R. (2007). Transformative curriculum leadership.
Pearson Education, Inc, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Levi, D. (2014). Group dynamics for teams (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
McNulty, B. & Besser, L. (2011). Leaders make it happen. Englewood, CO: Leadership
and Learning Center.
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