Teacher Leadership: Learning, Teaching and Leading
Experiences of Teachers and School Administration
Summary
What connects three concepts - a good teacher, a great teacher, and a teacher leader? How does the school administration perceive the link between teacher leadership and learning co-creation? What roles and functions of the teacher does the school administration see in implementing shared and distributed leadership? How is teacher leadership implemented through educational interactions with students in the classroom environment? How teacher leadership and creativity are interrelated? How learning co-creation through teacher and student educational interactions in a classroom is connected to teacher leadership?
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the editors
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Foreword
- Content
- Introduction
- 1. Theoretical Considerations
- 1.1. Learning and co-creation at school and in a classroom (Lina Kaminskienė)
- 1.2. Learning as multilayered process in a classroom (Vaida Jurgilė)
- 1.3. Good, great and leading teachers (Roman Balandiuk and Vilma Žydžiūnaitė)
- 2. Empirical Considerations
- 2.1. Relationship between the learning co-creation and teacher leadership: Attitudes of school administration (Vilma Žydžiūnaitė, Vaida Jurgilė, and Lina Kaminskienė)
- 2.2. Shared and distributed leadership at the school: Experiences of deputy school directors (Monika Šimkutė and Vilma Žydžiūnaitė)
- 2.3. Teacher leadership through the learning interactions with students in the lesson (Agnė Daučianskaitė and Vilma Žydžiūnaitė)
- 2.4. Learning to learn as a context and outcome of teacher leadership at school (Vilma Žydžiūnaitė, Lina Kaminskienė, Vaida Jurgilė, and Edita Jezukevičienė)
- 2.5. Teacher leadership as a component in a structure of creative teacher (Valentinas Butanavičius, Vilma Žydžiūnaitė, Vaida Jurgilė, and Lina Kaminskienė)
- 2.6. Teacher and student educational interactions in a classroom through learning co-creation (Lina Kaminskienė, Monika Šimkutė, Vaida Jurgilė, and Vilma Žydžiūnaitė)
- Series Index
Introduction
Research topicality
The concept of "teacher leadership" was recognized as an important field of study in the 1980s and since then, articles and books have been written on the subject (Bond, 2015). Yet the potential of teacher leadership has not been “actualized” (Crowther, 2009).
The phrase “I am just a teacher” is often the response when teachers are queried about their leadership roles (Helterbran, 2010, p. 2). Research on teacher leadership mostly is focused on three directions: shared goals, the empowerment of all teachers to become leaders at various times, and a stronger drive for improvement (Lowery-Moore, 2016). Definitions of teacher leadership highlight the difference from traditional individual leadership (Harris & Muijs, 2002): causing change; working collaboratively; providing curriculum development knowledge, giving in-service training to colleagues and acting as mentor, curriculum specialist or coach; organizing and leading reviews of school practice; instigating peer classroom observation; undertaking action research; participating in in-school decision making, as members of school improvement teams, or on joint committees with outside agencies.
Teachers are the greatest influence on students’ academic success yet seldom lead the reform efforts and they do not see themselves as leaders of adults or of the profession (Lambert et al., 2007). Teachers are the essential to students’ academic success and only through their recognition of their personal leadership capabilities teachers can have maximum impact on student learning achievements (Gabriel, 2005).
Here are some reasons teachers may not choose leadership roles. Teachers experience that the school administration do not want to share leadership and they feel the lack of recognition for their efforts when they take on informal leadership activities (Barth, 2007). The lack of time and the personal values of teachers who want to make a difference in the classroom working with students are among reasons for teachers not seeking leadership responsibilities. The current interest in teacher leadership shows the need for teachers feel to influence education outside the classroom, without leaving it (Brenneman, 2015).
Definitions of teacher leadership include both formal and informal roles. Nevertheless, the proposed definitions by researchers are complex, but ←11 | 12→researchers agree that teacher leader has the potential and capacity to improve the school environment, and make an impact on teaching profession mostly through improving teaching and learning (Lowery-Moore et al., 2016). But regarding the school improvement, this message is still questionable as teachers do not see themselves in this direction as teachers see their leadership as part of teaching profession which means that concepts of leadership and professionalism within the role of a teacher are not in balance. Here the primary focus of teachers is on the professional side and the professional agency, not leadership (Nappi, 2014; Brenneman, 2015).
However, our monograph shows that the phenomenon of teacher leadership remains very relevant in education and especially when it comes to classroom and school. Therefore, this scientific multilayered text focuses on teacher leadership through the adjacent phenomena that go hand in hand with it, which have been mentioned in scientific sources for several decades:
1.a teacher-student learning co-creation that is a reflection of balanced teacher leadership;
2.learning, because teacher leadership is implemented through the improvement of teaching and learning;
3.the characteristics of the concepts of "good teacher" and "great teacher," as they are linked to or even identified with teacher leadership;
4.the connection between the learning community and the teacher’s leadership as seen through the eyes of the school administration;
5.shared and distributed leadership within the school based on the experience of the administration;
6.teacher leadership implemented through educational interactions with students in the classroom;
7.learning to learn, which is the context and outcome of teacher leadership in schools;
8.teacher leadership as a component of teacher creativity, changing attitudes toward the relationship between teacher creativity and leadership;
9.the interactions between teacher and student education in the classroom, implementing learning co-creation as a context and outcome of teacher leadership.
Research problem and research questions
Teacher leadership is increasingly viewed as an essential part of effective school leadership, as one person cannot work alone to make the changes needed to meet ←12 | 13→ever-changing school and schooling, and students’ learning and school community needs (Timperley, 2005). Teacher leadership as an organizational approach to leadership is based on the concept of distributed leadership, which focuses on the socially constructed and mostly educational interactions between leaders, followers, and their situation (Harris, 2013). A distributed model of leadership facilitates the interplay of leadership from the school administration as formal leader with others (mostly, teachers) who can provide meaningful knowledge or influence on a particular situation.
Teacher leadership includes the work at school in different levels with students, colleagues, and school administration, and work that is focused on instructional, professional, and school development (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Teacher leaders are in a unique position to use their practical knowledge in combination with their collegial relationships with fellow teachers. This allows teacher leaders to change teaching and learning, educational beliefs and environments, pedagogical tools and other components that are inseparable from the curriculum (Margolis & Huggins, 2012).
Teacher leaders are those who “lead within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence other toward improved educational practice” (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009, p. 6). The primary function of teacher leadership is shifting to instructional leadership, in which teacher leaders use their teaching to support fellow teachers’ learning, enhancing their ability to obtain knowledge in practice and knowledge of practice (Margolis & Huggins, 2012). Through their leadership role, teacher leaders can grow in organizational knowledge, instructional practices through teaching and learning, engagement in school community life, reflective thinking by providing and receiving feedback multidirectionally with the focus on students, fellow teachers, school administration, students’ families, and school community (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Teachers who assume leadership roles are more likely to remain in the profession and facilitate the spread of effective teaching practices (Taylor et al., 2010). Teachers perceive themselves as leaders through continuous research and learning, sharing their teaching practice with fellow teachers, and fostering cooperative relationships in school culture (Margolis & Deuel, 2009).
Teacher leadership can flourish in supportive cultural contexts where trust is present, school structures promote teacher dialogue and reflection, and supportive atmosphere is exhibited (Muijs & Harris, 2006).
School administration plays a key role in creating the conditions and enhancing the development of teacher leaders (Taylor et al., 2011). In school cultures that tend not to value teacher knowledge, teachers are hesitant to view ←13 | 14→themselves as leaders (Wells, 2012). Challenges to teacher leadership also include norms of isolation and individualism, changed relationships between teacher leaders and other teachers, role ambiguity, inadequate time for collaboration, inadequate communication among stakeholders, and lack of incentives (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Frequent changes in leadership and multiple not related and fragmented initiatives contribute to a lack of clear role for teacher leaders (Margolis & Huggins, 2012).
Details
- Pages
- 320
- Year
- 2022
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783631885673
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783631885680
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9783631885666
- DOI
- 10.3726/b20001
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2022 (August)
- Published
- Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2022. 320 pp., 8 fig. b/w, 59 tables.
