Shortly after our session began, Dr. Hooper asked us to give a short “elevator speech” designed to provide others with a glimpse of the nature and work of the PLC groups we are leading in our schools and departments. As each of us shared our thoughts, one recurring theme emerged – time. Most students stated finding the time to meet with their PLC was difficult. Some said their PLCs were frequently cancelled. Others indicated they wanted to ensure the PLCs they were leading made the most of teachers’ time. A few shared their creative scheduling tips. As we progressed through the day, we learned that a strong learning organization has effective instructional leaders who develop school and teacher schedules that maximize instructional time and provide educators with job-embedded collaborative professional learning opportunities. Even though administrators are faced with competing initiatives, priorities and the day-to-day demands involved in teaching and leading schools, leaders should make professional learning communities a priority. Vescio’s (2006) review of the literature indicates when teachers participate in learning communities: (1) Student achievement scores improve over time as a result of the focus on student learning; (2) Teaching practice is impacted positively; and (3) Teaching and school culture improve because teachers become more collaborative and empowered. Learning communities can encompass multiple learning levels ranging from a classroom community of learners, to teachers, to parents, multiple schools, and district-level departments. Dr. Hooper shared an effective practice of a school administrator who formed a learning community with his cafeteria workers.
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...nvironment for our PLC that inspires and motivates the teachers. To do that I am reminded of Dr. Bullard’s statements during our August seminar when he emphasized that we are all responsible for what we bring to the group and what we contribute to the culture. Thus, I need to make sure I show up energetic, enthusiastic and motivate teachers through meaningful work of the PLC. I am also going to carefully review the Professional Learning Community (PLC) Indicators and Implications for Stakeholders work that we started in our cohort. By being intentional about what an effective PLC looks like in action from the student, teacher and administrator perspectives, I will be more intentional about how I lead the group. My goal is to move us away from the random refinements and improvements and closer to the synergistic side of the continuum of organizational learning.
Chappuis, S., J. C. (2009, February). Supporting Teacher Learning Teams. Educational Leadership: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development , pp. 56-60.
Ways that I would recognize staff members is by organizing events such as Teacher Appreciation Day or by reaching out with social media. By organizing Teacher Appreciation Day, the staff members of Cal High would be rewarded with awards that represent the appreciation the student body has towards them and for all the work that they have done. Students could make cards or posters throughout their classrooms and could have their peers sign them by writing thank you notes or expressions of appreciation. Students that highly value their teachers could also recognize them by rewarding them with class parties or small gatherings that are dedicated to appreciating
During my time in the Intermediate Leadership Course (ILE) there have been many topics covered. Each of these topics were geared toward increasing our effectiveness as leaders. Many of the concepts were known, but not practice, while some were unknown. This experience has given me the insights and tools to improve in multiple ways as a leader. In the next three to five years I will take the steps necessary to utilize what I have learned and apply these concepts to be a better leader, peer, and subordinate.
This paper explores the factors involved in success in the teaching field regardless of the environment. The information is based on the interview of current teacher Jane Satrom and her experience with a variety of adversities as a long time educator such as attending professional learning community (PLC) and department planning period (DPP) meetings. Her responses to various questions are compared to written advice for success in the college textbook Peak Performance: Success in College and Beyond in order to verify which skills and strategies are necessary in order to succeed. Major themes discussed are self-control, motivation, time management, and goal setting as used to succeed in the classroom. There are varying perspectives in the definition
We can all agree, educators and future educators alike, that teaching students is so much more than just presenting information to them. There is more to learning than only speaking. We’ve all had those teachers who were brilliant in their subject area, but not brilliant in making the students know the information. These are not true teachers; they are only smart. They teach in one way only, and doesn’t believe in individualized instruction, even though we all know that “low-income students and students of color tend to feel less “connected” to their schools than affluent and Anglo students, and that older students feel less connected than younger ones” (Schaps). As a future educator, sometimes I fear that I will become like one of these teachers, and I want to make sure that each of my students enjoy coming in class to learn, and is able to apply what they’ve learned to their unique lives. So for this inquiry project, I’ve decided to focus on classroom community. I believe that every great teacher establishes this concept in his/her classroom; without this concept, learning cannot happen. In this paper, I will define classroom community, discuss different ways to implement it in every classroom, and show the results of making an effort to keep it in your classroom.
Early on in my career as a teacher I learned the value of professional growth for myself. This took the form of professional development that I gained from conferences I attended and grants I was awarded. I also knew that I could share what I learned with others within my school and presenting at conferences. As an educational technology leader I use the knowledge and skills gained from my university classes in providing professional develop...
One of the topics in organizational development today is leadership. Leadership is what individuals do to mobilize other people in organizations and communities. According to Kouzes & Posner, there are five practices and ten commitments of exemplary leadership. The five practices of exemplary leadership include: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. In the Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner found similar patterns and actions of leadership that created the essentials to achieve success. Utilizing the research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, I have created a leadership plan that would apply to the Admission Department at Texas Wesleyan University.
The event I will be pulling from is from an era where I believe everyone tries to find themselves before experiencing college: high school. In high school, I was a part of the student council/government organization as the student body president. With that title came responsibilities created not only by myself, but also from my sponsors and the faculty. From my experience of leading a large number of members during my term, there are supplemental concepts from lecture that I believed served a main purpose in what made our group work so well together during the most high pressure situations in running a major organization that represented key school activities
Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current practices, brainstorm solutions, and obtain help and advice from others in a supportive growth-oriented environment over an extended period of time (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008; Nelson, 2009; Scher & O'Reilly, 2009; Bolam, McMahon, Stoll, Thomas, & Wallace, 2005). The theory of change guiding PLCs holds that by providing teachers with targeted support from within the school community, as oppose to hiring additional outside experts, professional developments can become for efficient. Implementation of effective PLCs requires intentional effort, school-wide and possibly district-wide restructuring of teacher schedules, and additional resources. For schools considering implementing PLCs, it is important to understand the logic of action and the benefits of PLCs as it relates to teacher improvement and increased student achievement.
been in band for three years in middle school, high school band was a whole new world full of
He will be there for you when you have problems with your family and spouse, because he wants employees to be focused when they are working and not thinking about family problems.
Building Leadership Capacity in Schools by Linda Lambert touched on a number of key ideas. Lambert provided examples from different schools, principals, and her experiences on obtaining and sustaining leadership capacity while developing her character. Lambert points out that to build leadership capacity in schools there should be participation by parents, students, and staff. Also these are the same characteristic as to becoming a great character in society. In this paper I will talk about the staff and there level of participation. Lambert points out that conversation with individuals about their roles as a leader should take place as individuals take on the task of leadership and character development. One key element in the text was the level of participation and degree of skillfulness for leadership capacity while trying to discover your character. Another element in the text that I found key was to break the dependency relationships on staff and the principal. As we work toward building leadership capacity and charcter, it will take time and time is a big factor on building leadership capacity because there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that we would like to do without strategically planning leadership meetings.
Principal Pettis has to come to the realization that it is not possible to “have all the competence, all the time, and all the information needed at any one time to get the job done.” (Sergiovanni, 2015, p. 12). She will have to empower and cultivate leadership skills in teacher-leaders to give her an equitable perspective on the needs of her school. In this way, learning is ongoing for all, making the important connection between leadership and learning that is so powerful in successful schools. With these few changes, the heartbeat of the school is
In developing my own educational leadership model (MELM) I began with establishing what I believe the goal of education should be, since leaders by definition are leading people towards something. The goal of education is to effectively teach students the essential skills and knowledge they will need to establish a productive, positive, self-sufficient life where they can be active members of their communities. An effective leader, while working towards this goal will need to consider the present conditions and demands of the environment they are a part of. In the field of education, both internal and external factors are of crucial importance when developing a plan to lead for success. However, one must note the variables in education are different than those the business sector face, for example; student performance, ability and cultural differences; availability/condition of supplies and materials; goal; educator’s capability, views and attitudes; conditionality of economic support; openness/hostility of influencing communities; state or government performance mandates. A leader who knows where they (students, school, district, community) are now, can approach goals more clearly and develop more effective strategies to arrive at them.
Education is a very important aspect in the life of a child. The level of success a student has in the classroom is greatly influenced by their teachers. Students, as well as their parents, depend on the teachers to guide them through their education. But who guides a teacher to perform successfully in the classroom? Principals and teachers play an important role in schools. A good relationship among school leaders and teachers is necessary and play an important role in making improvements in the school. Leadership refers to the “process in which one person successfully exerts influence over others to reach desired objectives”. (Okoji, 2015) Good leadership involves honesty, vision, confidence and commitment. It is the ability to inspire a