leading in a time of change the highs and lows of being a new leader
TRANSCRIPT
Leading in a Time of ChangeThe highs and lows of being a new leader
WANTEDA miracle worker who can do more with less, pacify rival groups, endure chronic second-guessing, tolerate low levels of support, process large volumes of paper and work double shifts (75 nights a year out). He or she will have carte blanche to innovate, but cannot spend much money, preplace any personnel or upset any constituency (R. Evans, Education Week, 12 April 1995)
Key Components Leading diverse teams:
collaboration and delegation
Membership in other teams: challenging the status quo and supporting whole school change
Implementing a new syllabus: a planned approach
21stC fluencies: focus on student engagement and improvement
Who are you?
About Me… My Journey, so far English Coordinator, Xavier College,
Llandilo
Year Coordinator for 10 Years
2014 Leader of Learning, Xavier College
What the “experts” say “change is all around us. The need for individuals and
organisations to engage in continuous adaptation, enhancement and innovation is on going.” (Scott, G., Change Matters, 1999, Allen & Unwin, p.xi)
“The forces of change are already making themselves felt within countless classrooms…” (Hargreaves, A., “Rethinking Educational Change” in Fullan, M. The Challenge of School Change, p. 11)
“ the goal then is to get into the habit of experiencing and thinking about educational change processes as an overlapping series of dynamically complex phenomena” (Fullan, M. “The Complexity of the Change Process” in Fullan, M. The Challenge of School Change, p. 28)
What Alyssa says: Change is inevitable. We deal with
change everyday. As leaders it is part of our job to manage the impact of change on the people and systems we lead.
Change creates resistance. This is inevitable. It’s how we deal with it that matters.
Leading diverse teams: collaboration and delegation
High expectations: high support Present a clear vision of your educational
philosophy and what you want to achieve based on the data.
Lead by example. Maintain pedagogical discussions based on
student learning improvement. Know the strengths of the members of your
team and play to them. Work together. Don’t be afraid to delegate
MY KEY LEARNINGS
ONE: Play to your Strengths Mine: • Building relationship• Vision/Creativity• Curriculum
o Yours?
TWO: Be A Leader of People
We lead people. Although our business is teaching children and student improvement, our first port of call is developing quality teachers.
Geoff Masters, Teaching and Learning School Improvement Framework http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/C2E-Teach-and-learn-no-crop.pdf
No. 5 An Expert Teaching Team
THREE: A Listener be Listen… Listen… Listen…
Discern
Act
FOUR: Give a Voice To your team
The power of collaboration, and combined experience and practice
Consolidate the professional talents of your team: Play to their strengths
Link to Karen’s Address
FIVE: Hold Fast Own your space
Know your goal
To thy own self be true
Be proactive
Compromise
SIX: Be a Learner Emulate the qualities and practices you
want to see in your teachers and students
Find ways to continually develop yourself: make the time.
Leadership Qualities
What qualities do you admire in your leader(s)?
What would you emulate?
What qualities do you dislike or find aberrant to good leadership?
We learn from challenges than success
My story…
Being a Member of the Middle Management Team
Collaboration and support
Speak up – part of your role is to challenge the status quo, where applicable
When challenging an existing practice always offer an alternative
Approaches to Implementing the New Syllabus
Spend time with your team exploring the document.
Use this as an opportunity to evaluate existing practices and programmes
Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Delegate. Share the programming load.
Focus on improving student learning
Start backwards
A focus on Student
Improvement
21st Century Fluencies
21st Century Fluencies “Today, it's essential that all of our students
have a wide range of skills beyond those that were needed in the 20th century, a range that includes the skills needed to function within a rapidly changing society. These skills are not about technological prowess. The essential 21st Century Fluencies are not about hardware, they are about headware! Critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, innovation, and so much more.”
Lee Crockett, http://fluency21.com/fluencies.html
Take-Outs: tips To thine own self be true.
Have a vision - know where you want to go and own it!
Walk your talk.
It’s okay to cry.