“Leaders become great not because of their power but, because
of their ability to empower others “ - John Maxwell
Leadership is
the ability to develop a vision that motivates others to move with a passion
toward a common goal. A leader tends to have a huge influence on the thoughts and
motivation of people. He/she has the capacity to develop confidence in the
followers and lead them to achieve the organisational goal. Teacher leadership
is the vital element of any successful educational institution. “A teacher
leader is any teacher who teaches well and assumes additional responsibilities
to improve the overall learning experience at school”-
Teacher leadership is the process by which teachers, individually or
collectively, influence their colleagues and other members of the school
communities to improve teaching and learning practices with the aim of
increased student learning and achievement. Such team leadership work involves
three develolopmental areas: - individual development, collaboration or team
development, and organizational development. Teacher leaders are facilitators
within the school and can be an important element in spreading and
strengthening school reform and improvement. Tasks performed by teacher leaders
include monitoring improvement efforts, selecting curriculum, and participating
in administrative meetings. In addition, they often are called upon to
participate in peer coaching, engage parent and community participation, and
review research in their time away from the classroom. Typically, these leaders
are teachers who have significant teaching experience, are known to be
excellent educators, and are respected by their peers. They are learning and
achievement oriented and willing to take risks and assume responsibility. These
teachers use a variety of informal and formal channels to exert leadership,
including acting as department heads, mentors etc..
ROLE OF TEACHER LEADERS
Teacher leaders serve in two fundamental types of roles: formal and
informal.
Formal
teacher leaders
Plays roles as department Heads or instructional coach etc. These
individuals typically apply for their positions and are chosen through a
selection process. Formal teacher
leaders play vital roles in most schools. In many cases, these teacher leaders
manage curriculum projects, facilitate teacher study groups, provide workshops,
and order materials. They may also evaluate other teachers.
Informal
teacher leaders
Instead of being selected, they
take the initiative to address a problem or institute a new program. They have
no positional authority; their influence stems from the respect they command
from their colleagues through their expertise and practice.
1. Within the Department
or Team
Leadership at this level can take many forms. Or they may invite their colleagues to
examine the reasons for student underperformance. In many different ways,
teacher leaders mobilize the efforts of their closest colleagues to enhance the
school's program for the benefit of students.
2.
Across the School
Some of the most powerful opportunities for teacher
leadership relate to areas that have enormous influence on the daily lives of
students across the school, such as the master schedule, grading policy, or
student programs. For example, many students experience the most memorable
activities of their school careers through participating in the school play,
being on the debate team, or taking an advanced class that enables them to
engage deeply with academic content. Ensuring that students have full access to
such opportunities involves a collective effort, requiring discussion and
consideration of alternatives. This is the work of leadership.
3.
Beyond the School
Teacher leaders
contribute beyond their own school when they participate in a district wide
teacher evaluation committee or curriculum team, make a presentation at a
district, state or national conference, or speak at a school board meeting as
the voice of teachers in the community. Again, these teachers are doing more
than teaching their own students; they are influencing the larger education
environment in their communities.
Whether they are selected for a formal leadership role or spontaneously
assume an informal role, effective teacher leaders exhibit important skills,
values, and dispositions. Teacher leaders call others to action and energize
them with the aim of improving teaching and learning. It is individual commitment, but above all it
is collective mobilization.1 A
hallmark of leadership, therefore, is the ability to collaborate with others.
Teacher leaders must enlist colleagues to support their vision, convince others of the importance of what
they are proposing and the feasibility of their general plan for improvement.
They must be respected for their own instructional skills.
QUALITIES OR SKILL OF TEACHER LEADER
A number of values and dispositions make certain individuals ideally
suited for teacher leadership. Effective teacher leaders are open-minded and
respectful of others' views. They display optimism and enthusiasm, confidence
and decisiveness. They persevere and do not permit setbacks to derail an
important initiative they are pursuing. On the other hand, they are flexible
and willing to try a different approach if the first effort runs into
roadblocks.
Many attributes of good teacher leaders are fundamentally the same as
the attributes of good teachers:
Open-mindedness,
flexibility, confidence, and expertise in their fields. Despite these
similarities, however, working with colleagues is profoundly different from
working with students, and the skills that teachers learn in their preparation
programs do not necessarily prepare them to extend their leadership beyond
their own classrooms. To assume a leadership role, they may need expertise in
curriculum planning, assessment design, data analysis, and the like. They may
also need to develop the abilities to listen actively, facilitate meetings,
keep a group discussion on track, decide on a course of action, and monitor
progress. These skills are not typically taught in teacher preparation
programs. Teacher leaders are not just thinking about themselves, but how their
efforts will produce successes for all of those who are a part of their
profession. A leader cannot have all traits at one time. But a few of them
helps in achieving effective results.
- Being approachable - The teacher leader should be patient and
non-threatening when asked for guidance.
- Positive personality - You feel comfortable working with teacher
leader because he is always
reassuring.
- Vision and foresight- A
leader cannot maintain influence unless he exhibits that he is forward
looking. He has to visualize situations and thereby has to frame logical
programmes.
- Excellent communication skills - This includes listening thoroughly and
providing constructive feedback. Innovative teacher leaders often have
creative solutions to learning obstacles.
- Curiosity - Leaders are learners. They wonder about every aspect of their
charge. They find out what they need to know in order to pursue their
goals.
- Risk - Effective leaders take calculated risks when necessary to
achieve their objectives. If a mistake is made, the effective leader will
learn from the mistake and use it as an opportunity to explore other
avenues.
- Dedication - The effective leader is dedicated to his or her charge, and will
work assiduously on behalf of those following. The leader gives himself or
herself entirely to the task when it is necessary.
- Coaching skills - The teacher leader must serve as a coach to motivate and drive
change.
- Data-analysis and research capabilities - Student performance data and updated research
on effective learning should be communicated to all teachers. Data-driven
decision making should guide improvement strategies.
- Listening - Leaders Listen! This is the most important attribute of all, listen
to your followers.
·
Delegate and Shares – The teacher
leader delegate works to engage and create learning experiences, pay attentions
to and respect other’s needs, especially those who seems neglected
- A friend, philosopher and guide- A
leader must possess the three dimensional traits in him. He can be a
friend by sharing the feelings, opinions and desires with the colleagues.
He can be a philosopher by utilizing his intelligence and experience and
thereby guiding them when time requires. He can be a guide by supervising
and communicating with them. At times he can also play the role of a
counsellor by counselling and a problem-solving approach. He can listen to
the problems and try to solve them.
- Sense of responsibility- Responsibility
and accountability towards an individual’s work is very important to bring
a sense of influence. A leader must have a sense of responsibility towards
organizational goals because only then he can get maximum of capabilities
exploited in a real sense. For this, he has to motivate himself and arouse
and urge to give best of his abilities. Only then he can motivate the
subordinates to the best.
- Self-confidence and will-power- Confidence
in himself is important to earn the confidence of the subordinates. He
should be trustworthy and should handle the situations with full will
power.
Recipe for being
a Leader
•
Take control of your life
•
Assume responsibility for who you are
•
Convey a positive and dynamic attitude in everything you do
•
Accept blame: learn from your own mistakes as well as those of
others. Take blame for everything that
happens in your unit
•
Give credit wherever it is due
•
Be compassionate when you review your team members' progress or lack
thereof
•
Think great thoughts. Small
thinking is why companies go broke
•
Turn disasters into opportunities. Turn every obstacle into a personal
triumph
•
Determine your "real" goals then strive to achieve them
•
When you want to tell someone something important, do it personally
•
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty doing what you ask others to
do.
Democratic age demands
democratic leadership in educational institutions. A democratic educational
leader should recognize the dignity and worth of the teachers and needs of the
pupil. He will provide opportunity to generate leadership skill in teachers as
well as students .He offers a lot of opportunity for growth and development.
The art of Educational Leadership can be acquired through a
lot of experience. He should be leader in the true sense of the word; only then
he can be success in his post.
