Teacher as a leader

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TEACHER LEADER


DR ABOWABA J. IDOWU KINGS


Teacher Leader
Leadership assumes a staff or group of people you work with - not students in a classroom. The model just did not fit.
I believe a teacher leader is not about teaching the students how to achieve their vision; rather it is about fostering learning, for everyone. A teacher leader help people throughout the organization develop systematic understandings. Applied more broadly, fostering learning can be encouraged in many types of situations and with many different groups -- staff, students, faculty, colleagues, alumni, library users and members of the public.
I also believe that one of the major role of teacher leader is to foster learning empower their team members, their students, their colleagues. Therefore one of as a leader one of my main challenges is to how I can enable or empower people as a commitment to strengthen them by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support.
Some of the attributes of a leader is to let others make important decisions. Give team members control over their day to day workflow. Let them decide what to do at some particular time, for instance before school resumes and after school closes. Be sure team members have appropriate training and education for the work he/she expect them to do. Building their skills will build their competence. Give staff important tasks - tasks that will make a difference in and to the services offered by your library. To feel valued, employees need to feel they have a stake in the outcome. An organization that fosters learning enables its employees to transcend daily affairs. A thank you to one library staff member is really a thank you to the entire library staff team!
So as a teacher leader I can apply these same lessons in the classroom or in other teaching or mentoring situations. I can strengthen students and foster their learning by giving some of the power traditionally held by the teacher away. I can add interactive components to my classroom. Create opportunities for students to choose a paper or a final for their last project; what time to take a break. Help students develop competence by helping them learn the skills and techniques that will make them successful. Assign important work to students - not just make-work. Have a purpose for all I ask them to do. And, most importantly, I have to give feedback often so students have a roadmap for success.


Characteristics of a Good Teacher Leader

As a teacher leader I am convinced that there are good reasons to foster learning, and as a result of these I need some skills and attributes to strengthen my team/students and enable them to act.
Credibility: A leader cannot possibly foster a learning environment unless the leader is a life-long learner. A demonstrated commitment by the leader to learning new software, constantly changing search engine interfaces, or new or remodeled legal research tools can go a long way toward creating the credibility needed to foster learning by others. Leader teachers need the credibility that comes with the willingness to change and grow by staying current in their field.
Great communication skills: Communication is the glue that can hold the fabric of the organization together. Recognizing that information needs to be shared and finding ways to share individual knowledge and expertise are crucial to a successful organization.
A good listener: Leaders cannot foster a learning environment unless they listen to all the people around them. One thing is sure I cannot learn unless I listen to colleagues, to students, to attorneys, to faculty, to library users, to scholarship, to developments in my field. Therefore I have to be open to new ideas, new policies, new people and new technologies.
Collaboration: Sharing knowledge and expertise is another skill needed by the teacher leader. Not only do I need to be open to learn new things, but I must help others learn new things as well. To foster an environment where sharing and collaboration are valued is to recognize that learning is a two-way street.
Trust: Trusting my colleagues is essential for the leader teacher. Without trust, there can be no empowerment of the people in my team or workplace; no delegation of the critical tasks that give people choice and help build competence. Trust is created through mutual respect, possessing the right skill sets, and a shared commitment to the organization's objectives. When team member perform the tasks that are asked and expected of them; when they consistently handle projects, problems, and people in a timely and appropriate manner, the leader teacher can trust that the critical work of the organization is going to be done.
Risk Taking: One major skill for the teacher leader who wishes to foster learning is the confidence to take risks. Risk-taking can be dangerous business. Changing policies, spending my reserves down to zero, canceling a standard research tool, hosting court opinions as an archive can all be complex decisions to make; and ones that may well have long term, negative consequences. Learning creates change. And taking risks is one way to encourage new ideas, new services, and new consequences. For instance if I am a member of the risk-adverse population, then I might think about using studies or pilot projects as a way to try out new policies, practices, and services. I noticed that testing a theory for a short term often gives people the security of going back to the old way if the risk-taking behavior does not work.
Implementing Organizational Changes
Organizational changes are the processes that make improvements in the businesses of a particular organization or workplace.
Usually for many educators and teachers leaders organizational changes are nightmares. But, one thing I have realized is that if they are focused on the right things and build organizational culture where changes are widely accepted from organizational members the process of implementation will be easier. As a teacher leader I will implement changes in my organization in the following ways.
1. I will implement the system to follow sources for organizational changes. One thing I know is that the most important part of the organizational change process is to know when to change something and what to change. So if know the right things that must be changed and in the right time and place then I am half way to implement successful organizational changes.
2. Make a plan for implementation of the changes. As a leader I have to plan for the process of implementation of the organizational changes presents roadmap to successful change process. This plan must answer on questions as what to change, when to change and how to change something.
3. I have to locate possible factors that will cause resistance to change
4. Implementation of the process of organizational changes. After I have finish with overcoming possible resistance I can start with the process of implementation. This will be done by going through all planned activities from step two or updated plan after implementing strategies for overcoming resistance to change.
6. Celebration of the successful implementation. I must confess that this easy and simple step of the process but most times forgotten. I believe that if the process was successful, and I celebrate the success with my team members then there will be motivation for another process which will start soon and that will be much greater.
7. Measuring the results. Measurement is one important factor in the process because it will make me see how the change process after implementation impact on overall performance. If something did not go as was planned then we will change it or include it in the next step.
8. Restart the whole process again. After a successful implementation, then we can go all over the whole process again and again until the change is permanent.

My Roles as Teacher Leaders
Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Whether these roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school's capacity to improve. Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers.
So what are some of the leadership options available to me as a teacher?

1. Must be A Resource Provider: As a teacher leader I must help my colleagues by sharing instructional resources. These might include Web sites, instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. They might also share such professional resources as articles, books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment tools.
2. Act as an instructional Specialist: As an instructional specialist I will help my colleagues implement effective teaching strategies. This help might include ideas for differentiating instruction or planning lessons in partnership with fellow teachers. Another thing I will do as an Instructional specialist to study research-based classroom strategies; explore which instructional methodologies are appropriate for the school; and share findings with colleagues.
3. A Curriculum Specialist: As a teacher leader I have to understand that content standards, how various components of the curriculum link together and how to use the curriculum in planning instruction and assessment is essential to ensuring consistent curriculum implementation throughout my school. Curriculum specialists lead teachers to agree on standards, follow the adopted curriculum, use common pacing charts, and develop shared assessments.
4. A Classroom Supporter: as a teacher leader I have to be a classroom supporter which means I will work inside classrooms to help other teachers implement new ideas, often by demonstrating a lesson, coaching, or observing and giving feedback. A research finding shows that consultation with peers enhanced teachers' self-efficacy (teachers' belief in their own abilities and capacity to successfully solve teaching and learning problems) as they reflected on practice and grew together, and it also encouraged a bias for action (improvement through collaboration) on the part of teachers.
5. Learning Facilitator: Facilitating professional learning opportunities among staff/team members is another role for me as a teacher leader. When teachers learn with and from one another, they can focus on what most directly improves student learning. Their professional learning becomes more relevant, focused on teachers' classroom work, and aligned to fill gaps in student learning. Such communities of learning can break the norms of isolation present in many schools.
6. Mentorship: Serving as a mentor for novice teachers will be a common role for me as a teacher leader. Mentors serve as role models; acclimate new teachers to a new school; and advise new teachers about instruction, curriculum, procedure, practices, and politics. Being a mentor takes a great deal of time and expertise and makes a significant contribution to the development of a new professional.
7. School Leadership: Being a school leader means serving on a committee, such as a school improvement team; acting as a grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing the school on community or district task forces or committees. A school leader shares the vision of the school, aligns his or her professional goals with those of the school and district, and shares responsibility for the success of the school as a whole.
8. Data Coach: Although teachers have access to a great deal of data, they do not often use that data to drive classroom instruction. So as a teacher leader I can lead conversations that engage my peers in analyzing and using this information to strengthen instruction.
9. Catalyst for Change: As a teacher leader I have to also be catalysts for change, who is "never content with the status quo but rather always looking for a better way". Teachers who take on the catalyst role feel secure in their own work and have a strong commitment to continual improvement. They pose questions to generate analysis of student learning.
10. Learner: Among the most important roles I have to assume as a teacher leader is that of learner. Learners model continual improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help all students achieve.


Reasons to foster learning as a teacher leader
The first reason a leader should foster learning is that it will help build a sense of common purpose. Building purpose is an educational process, whether it is in an organization or in a classroom. If I want my team members or students to meet the goals of our organization or the course, they must have this sense of common purpose. Therefore, building purpose is accomplished by promoting and protecting the values of the organization and by personalizing the organization.
The second reason to foster learning is that when team members or students take charge of their own workday or classroom experience, they will improve their performance and the overall quality of the organizations' services will also improve. Most leaders want the quality of their services to be outstanding. But wanting this outcome and getting it can be two completely different things. The more learning is encouraged in your environment, the more likely outstanding service can be your byline.
A third reason for a leader to take the time to foster learning is to improve the profession. Whether you are trying to improve the skills of your staff, the legal research strategies of your students/associates/faculty/public, or working directly to increase the knowledge of your colleagues through teaching, presentations, workshops, or articles, the legal profession and the law librarianship profession will both be better for it. And when legal researchers find the information they need in less time because of a legal research guide or get the exact piece of information they need to solve a client's problem, the quality of justice improves for individuals, for our society, and for our way of life.

Conclusion
Teacher Leaders need to learn from other organizations and bring those ideas back to their own workplace or school. Visiting other schools or organizations while on vacation or business in other communities, attending workshops and other educational programs, serving as a member of an Accreditation Site Evaluation team, and asking colleagues through email or personal contact on how to handle certain situations are all easy ways to show you are open to new ideas - new ways of doing things. If you as the leader show this willingness to explore and change, your team member/staff will understand that you value and embrace new ideas. Allow yourself to be taught by others. You will be creating an environment that fosters learning, for everyone.
Recognizing and using teachable moments with staff or faculty or students is another way for leader teachers to foster learning within their own organization.
It is important to note that even if my goals are clear, they will never be accomplished without a shared set of values. Therefore as a teacher leader I must ask myself the following questions;
1. What do I value in the workplace or in the classroom? Respect? Hard work? Diversity? Curiosity? Flexibility? Humor? Excellent service?
2. How do I as the leader promote and protect these values?
3. What makes these values belong to each of my team members or each student?
Invariably one thing that encourages shared values is for me the leader to live those values which are most important. If hard work is a core value, as the leader I must be seen to work hard. Otherwise, why would anyone else bother to put in a real work week? If humor is valued in the workplace or the classroom, as a leader I need to have a sense of humor. If respect is important, then the leader must show respect to everyone. In the value-setting arena, the leader must lead by example.
Therefore I have to be sure my team members and students know the goals of my organization or classroom as well as the core values upon which those goals rest. And I have to seize and create opportunities to reinforce the sense of shared or common purpose. Inclusion is the byword. Staff newsletters, potlucks, retreats, parties, sharing successes, cross-departmental training, team projects all help create a sense of community and shared purpose. These activities can also help personalize an organization - make it a place where the values of the organization meet to achieve its aspirations.

IMPORTANT NOTE
Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, sometimes overlapping, ways. Some leadership roles are formal with designated responsibilities. Other more informal roles emerge as teachers interact with their peers. The variety of roles ensures that teachers can find ways to lead that fit their talents and interests. Regardless of the roles they assume, teacher leaders shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers.