Module 1 Teacher Leadership by Jodee

What is your general definition of teacher leadership?

School improvement depends more than ever on the active involvement of teacher leaders. School administrators can't do it all. Teacher leadership is all about mobilizing people to commitment to putting their energy into actions designed to improve things. It is individual commitment, but above all it is collective mobilization. Teacher leaders must enlist colleagues to support their vision, build consensus among diverse groups of educators, and convince others of the importance of what they are proposing and the feasibility of their general plan for improvement. They should be able to promote their skills, understand the evidence and recognize the need to focus on those aspects of the school's program that will yield important gains in student learning. Regardless of the roles they assume, teacher leaders shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers.

What examples of teacher leadership have you observed or experienced?

I am an assistant professor at Pierpont. Our school of health careers have leadership roles that are formal with designated responsibilities. This in the way of committees and  chairs for curriculum, retention, and other categories beneficial to our school. We also have more informal roles emerge as we interact with each other. The variety of roles ensures that we can find ways to lead that fit our talents and interests. I had the opportunity to attend last year’s Great Teachers Seminar in Parkersburg WV .It was the best 3 day experience to promote teaching leadership. I have had the opportunity to use and share some of the skills picked up there.

How is leadership for meaningful technology integration different from other kinds of leadership?

 I don’t believe any setting is more “advanced” than another. Every topic has its own requirements and calls on its own particular skills required for teacher leadership that are not part of the preparation program for most teachers. If teacher leaders are to emerge and make their full contribution, they need opportunities to learn the necessary skills of curriculum planning, instructional improvement, assessment design, collaboration, and facilitation.

From your perspective, what are the benefits and the challenges of teacher leadership for technology (for teachers, for students, for schools, for the profession)?

The benefits for all would be the contribution of leadership, to learn the necessary skills of curriculum planning, instructional improvement, assessment design, collaboration, and facilitation. These skills can be learned through school-level professional development, of course, but they may also build these skills through districtwide or university-based courses and seminars, such as The Great Teachers Seminar.  Whatever the source, the opportunities must be available and sufficiently convenient for teachers to take advantage of them, therein lies the challenge. Some other challenges include  obtaining technology, overcoming administrative resistance, coping with the complexity of setting up and grading collaborative projects

 In Conclusion

In the most successful schools, teachers supported by administrators take initiative to improve schoolwide policies and programs, teaching and learning, and communication