Time for a change in focus. Over the past six weeks, we have discussed job-embedded professional development. With great attention towards conceptualizing the idea that leadership occurs throughout the day and in all capacities, my students became frustrated today with the fact that although they are in Teacher Leadership, there appears to be no recognition by the school, administration, even the program, that the participants are ACTUALLY leaders. It’s not that any of the students in the course need a pat on the back or a sign on their door designating them as teacher leaders. However, they feel as if they lack validation for taking on the responsibility and expectations of being leaders within the partnership and at their own sites. With this overwhelming feeling of agreement amongst the cohort, I, along with my esteemed colleague, have decided to put forth a suggestion for inquiry, which will hopefully uncover much of this concern across the partnership.
The focus is now on the role of the teacher leader in the partnership. WIthout disclosing the inquiry topic - in order to protect the validity of the data collection - we will now look at ourselves (collectively) to better understand how we can become a greater voice in our program. Ironically, our topic of coursework this week focused on the adult learner and appealing to their needs in order to be effective in leadership. Obviously, the students took these readings to heart as they personalized their learning and attempted to draw connections between the literature and their own experiences. We will move our thinking forward as we dig deeper into the needs of the adult learner. I am excited for our next class as we will be developing a detailed rationale for our inquiry work.
The focus is now on the role of the teacher leader in the partnership. WIthout disclosing the inquiry topic - in order to protect the validity of the data collection - we will now look at ourselves (collectively) to better understand how we can become a greater voice in our program. Ironically, our topic of coursework this week focused on the adult learner and appealing to their needs in order to be effective in leadership. Obviously, the students took these readings to heart as they personalized their learning and attempted to draw connections between the literature and their own experiences. We will move our thinking forward as we dig deeper into the needs of the adult learner. I am excited for our next class as we will be developing a detailed rationale for our inquiry work.