7 Qualities That Promote Teacher Leadership in Schools
7 Qualities That Promote Teacher Leadership in Schools
three shifts in policy and leadership culture may help move these efforts forward:
- New types of assessment are gaining ground. Several states are piloting performance-based assessments to replace standardized testing.
- Exemplars in the business community are now promoting flat organizational structures, where employees work in smaller teams and have more voice and power over how they work.
- Teachers are more networked than ever before, providing a unique opportunity to share and spread good teaching practice.
crucial decisions about curriculum, leadership roles and discipline.
While the hybrid roles that teachers play at teacher-powered schoolsmay seem like a lot of work, they give teachers the power to decide what programs, textbooks, software, etc., should or should not be used in order to make space for the community’s vision. And when teachers decide together on the vision and strategy to reach all students, they are often more invested and excited by the change they are creating from within.
Some of the best available examples of how to improve teacher quality and promote teacher leadership lie in models offered by other high-performing places, like Finland and Singapore.
Seven qualities must be in place.
- A vision and strategy for teacher leadership, “with stated goals and clear images of tasks to be done, must be in place.” Teachers must feel part of creating this vision in order to buy in.
- A supportive administration. “Principals must be willing to share power with teachers and must have the skills to cultivate them as leaders,” most educational leadership programs focus on supervising teachers, not supporting them as leaders.
- There need to be appropriate human and fiscal resources.
- Work structures that enable authentic collaboration are crucial. While more resources help on this point, there are creative ways to stretch limited dollars.
- Supportive social norms and working relationships are key to teacher leadership. “All too often, policymakers develop incentives to motivate teachers and administrators,” . “Instead, policies and programs should be in place to value teachers spreading their expertise to one another, allowing teaching to be exercised as a team sport.”
- Organizational politics must allow for blurred lines between roles. Teachers can only take on leadership roles at the expense of principals and district-level administrators. This also requires teacher unions to act more as “professional guilds” and for districts to follow the example of some for-profit businesses that are flattening bureaucracies.
- The school and system must be oriented toward risk-taking and inquiry. Just as students need hands-on applied learning rooted in inquiry, so, too, do teachers need powerful driving questions to push their work forward. “School systems must be able to interrogatethemselves about the extent to which they create opportunities for teachers to learn and lead in ways that spread teaching expertise and improve student outcomes.”
one-credit courses on digital literacy offered for the School of Education department for Educational Leadership
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EDAD 697Introduction to Educational Technology
1 credit, summer 2016
Technology forecast for education: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/01/27/4710/
Course Description
This synchronous online course will introduce school administrators to the multitude and complexity of educational technology issues. Through group discussions and exercises, the course will focus on the development of knowledge, skills and depositions to effective professional practice in educational leadership. The goal of the course is to develop knowledge and understanding of appropriate application of technology in the teaching and learning process and in the management of educational programs.
Information and experience in the course will include review of the latest trends in technology. Familiarity to acquisition of expertise will be sought in understand and use of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, as well as social media, multimedia and interactivity and how it affects school life as well as the role of the educational leader. Specific attention will be paid to the importance and ability to develop and maintain policies, which reflect the ever-changing world of technology. Auxiliary, but no less important issues such as legal issues, copyright issues, ethics and other forms of digital citizenship will be discussed.
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course the student will:
Course Objective |
Knowledge |
Skill |
Disposition |
Impact |
1. Demonstrate knowledge and the use of related technologies appropriate to the management of a school # |
o |
o |
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2. Demonstrate knowledge and the use of related technologies appropriate to the instructional program of a school # |
o |
o |
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3. Demonstrate knowledge and the use of various types of related technologies for supporting the instructional program of the school # |
o |
o |
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4. Demonstrate knowledge of planning and management procedures and policies for the appropriate use of technological resources to serve the mission of the school # |
o |
o |
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5. Demonstrate knowledge of common computer and related technological applications # |
o |
o |
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6. Identify gender & diversity issues related to technology in education |
o |
o |
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o |
7. Demonstrate knowledge of adaptive technology devices for individuals with special needs |
o |
o |
o |
o |
8. Demonstrate skill in the use of technology for materials preparation, presentations, record keeping, computation, communication, information / data collection and management, and the effective use of the Internet |
o |
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o |
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9. Demonstrate an understanding of legal issues, including copyright issues, related to educational technology |
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o |
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10. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of ethical practice in the use of technology |
o |
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o |
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11. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of administrative policies and procedures that promote appropriate utilization of technology by school personnel |
o |
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o |
o |
12. Demonstrate familiarity with appropriate professional standards related to educational leadership and technology |
o |
o |
o |
o |
13. Demonstrate an understanding of the digital age learning culture, digital citizenship in particular |
o |
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o |
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# http://ed.mnsu.edu/edleadership/docs/license_competencies/K-12_Principal_Competencies_revised_8_22_08.pdf
National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators.
http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-administrators
Demonstrate familiarity with appropriate professional standards related to educational leadership and technology
http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2015/ProfessionalStandardsforEducationalLeaders2015forNPBEAFINAL.pdf
Resources On Line
IMS Technology blog: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/
Twitter: #edtech ; #edtechchat ; #edtechUK; @Edtech_K12
Facebook: #edtech ; #edleadership
Pinterest #edtech; #edleadership ; #edtechleadership
Agency for Instructional Technology http://www.ait.net
Center for Technology and Teacher Education http://www.teacherlink.org
Center for Children and Technology http://www.edc.org/CCT/
T.H.E. Journal (Technology Horizons in Education Online Journal) http://www.thejournal.com
Cybertimes Navigator (New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/navigator
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) http://cnets.iste.org/
Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA) http://cnets.iste.org/tssa
ISTE curriculum and Content Area Standards http://Cnets.iste.org/currstands/
Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology (PT3) http://www.pt3.org
Assistive Technology information: http://www.abilityhub.com http://www.enablemart.com
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EDAD ??? Technology and Curriculum Design
1 credit, Summer 2016
Course Description
This course seeks hands-on experience in integration of educational technology into the classroom. Students will learn to select opportunities for application [or not] of technology in education. The course will provide a hands-on experience for educational leaders to understand the application of technology in the curriculum process. Topics of consideration include instructional design, media and formats, devices, telecommunications and social interactivity. The course will provide an opportunity to apply technology knowledge and experience in hands-on exercises for curriculum management as well as monitoring student achievement progress. Further discussions and practical approach will include modern, effective and efficient ways of communications among parents, students, faculty and administration. The course offered in synchronous online mode and F2F mode.
Objectives/Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course the student will:
- Understand the impact of technology on the teaching and learning process.
- Understand the principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and National Educational Standards for Students (NETS*S) and their application in the curriculum process.
- Research and assess the opportunities for technology to be integrated in the classroom.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and
Performance Indicators for Teachers
https://www.kent.edu/sites/default/files/file/ISTEstandards.pdf
EDAD ??? Technology as an Integral Part of Successful Educational Leadership
1 credit, Summer 2016
Course Description
Course Description
This class will support teacher leaders and school administrators in reviewing and systematizing the fast aspects of modern electronic technologies. Based on a foundational better understanding of how technologies work, future educational leaders will develop skills and practice the application of ideas, tactics and methods for better integration of technologies in the teaching and learning process as well as the creation of better policies and procedures.
The course is designed to bring research and analytical skills and build structure in the process of resolving technology issues, which educational leaders face in modern schools, including hardware and software problems, networks and computers, curriculum and teaching and learning methods.
The course will offer discussions as well as practical solutions such as social media (e.g. Twitter) for professional development, online tools for teacher evaluation, online tools for collaboration and creativity, immediate and future trends, which already impact education and educational leadership.
The course offered in synchronous online mode and F2F mode.
Objectives/Outcomes
- Students will be able to identify and update sources for information to keep current their technology knowledge
- Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of technology leadership standards.
- Student will demonstrate an understanding of how to create, promote, and sustain a dynamic, digital – age learning culture that provides a rigorous, relevant, and engaging education for all students.
- Students will demonstrate understanding of how to promote an environment of professional learning and innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning through the infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of how to provide digital – age leadership and management to continuously improve the organization through the effective use of information and technology resources.
- Students will understand and apply knowledge of how to model and facilitate understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of technology as integral part of facilities and resource management
- Students will be able to describe and use budget planning and management procedures related to educational computing and technology.
- Students will be able to describe and maintain current information involving facilities planning issues related to computers and related technologies.
- Students will be able to design and develop policies and procedures concerning staffing, scheduling, and security for managing computers/technology in a variety of instructional and administrative school
Doctoral Cohorts and Research using Social Media
Explore social media sites to find out what is the most pertinent “talk” in your scientific community. What are the latest trends and discussions, topics of research and interests. Most prominent social media sites, such as
LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/
Twitter, https://twitter.com/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/
Instagram, http://instagram.com/
use hashtags.
LinkedIn has “professional groups.”
Identify your hashtag strategy similarly to your keyword strategy when searching peer-reviewed articles
E.g., if your interest is #principalship, you can seek channels and conversations by using it as a hashtag
Search and subscribe to LinkedIn “Interests/Groups” and lurk or actively participate in the conversations.
Consider start and maintenance of your own blog with your daily reflections on your research progress
E.g., LinkedIn can be very much used as a blog, although you can subscribe for a free one such as Edublog
p. 141. Chapter 8 “Using Social Media in Research.”
Bell, J. (1999). Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers in education and social science (3rd ed.). Buckingham [England] ; Philadelphia: Open University Press. (Available on Google and at SCSU Library through ILL)
Crowdsourcing, social networking. Consider the following questions:
- What are your goals?
- Who do you want to reach?
- Why do you want to reach them?
- Which digital tool or platform will be most effective in enabling you to reach your goals?
- If you already spend time each day using social media for personal reasons, how much time are you able to set aside each day to use social media for research?
- at what time of day will you engage in social media? (time differences, if you are communicating globally)
the value of social media: Community, Content, Conversations.
Davis III, C.H.F., Deil-Amen, R., Rios-Aguilar, C., & González Canché, M.S. Social media and higher education: A literature review and research directions. Report printed by the University of Arizona and Claremont Graduate University. Accessed January 27, 2015 http://works.bepress.com/hfdavis/2/
The Myths of Technology Series – “Technology equals engagement”
http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/10418
Compliance – Do this because I told you.
Engagement – Do this because you are excited.
Empowerment – Do this because you have the power to do something meaningful for yourself.
So if we want to get to this idea of “empowering” our students, we are not going to have to be the “sage on the stage” or the “guide at the side”, but “architects of meaningful learning opportunities”. Understanding our students, their interests, abilities, and strengths, will help us better design learning that gets them to, as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes, a state of “flow“.
Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity
Do student evaluations measure teaching effectiveness?Manager’s Choice
Mauricio Vasquez, Ph.D.Assistant Professor in MISTop Contributor
Higher Education institutions use course evaluations for a variety of purposes. They factor in retention analysis for adjuncts, tenure approval or rejection for full-time professors, even in salary bonuses and raises. But, are the results of course evaluations an objective measure of high quality scholarship in the classroom?
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A Quick Start Guide to Participating in Twitter Chats
http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_tom_murray/quick_start_guide_twitter_chats
This past week, I had the privilege of introducing US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, as a guest moderator for #edtechchat, an educational Twitter chat that I founded with four members of my personal learning network (PLN). Over the course of 60 minutes, almost 2,000 people from around the world, shared about 10,000 tweets in response to the Secretary’s six questions related to being a Connected Educator. Secretary Duncan (@arneduncan) and his Office of Educational Technology (@officeofedtech) deemed October “Connected Educator’s Month” for the second straight year. To close #ce13, Secretary Duncan used the #edtechchat forum to engage in conversation with educators from all over the world.
In reflecting on the chat, many people asked how to get started, and how to possibly follow such a quick flow of information. For one, 10,000 tweets in an hour is by no means typical; but then again, neither is the opportunity to interact with the US Secretary of Education. Although this particular chat with the Secretary may be an extreme example of what possibilities can arise when connecting with others online, each week there are over 160 chats that occur. Virtually all topics are covered in some fashion. Whether you’re a 4th grade teacher (#4thchat) in Maryland (#mdedchat), a principal (#cpchat) in Arkansas (#arkedchat), a new teacher (#ntchat) in Rhode Island (#edchatri), or a parent (#ptchat) connecting on a Saturday (#satchat), there’s something for you.
This Quick Start Guide to Participating in Twitter Chats was created as part of the Digital Learning Transition MOOC (#dltmooc), an online “Massive Open Online Course”, developed by The Alliance for Education (@All4Ed) and the Friday Institute (@FridayInstitute) as part of Project 24 (@all4edproject24). Feel free to download and share the Quick Start resource to help educators get started.
Furthermore, the Official Chat List was created by Chad Evans (@cevans5095) and me (@thomascmurray), with help from our good friend Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1). This resource (shortcut: bit.ly/officialchatlist) is a comprehensive list of the educational Twitter chats that take place each week.
Start small. Choose a chat that peaks your interest. Lurk, listen, and learn. When you’re ready, jump in head first. Grow your PLN and get connected through a Twitter chat this week! Your students will benefit.
– See more at: http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_tom_murray/quick_start_guide_twitter_chats#sthash.W1DPfmY1.dpuf