Critical Thinking, Teachers And Individuals

Teacher leaders

A teacher leader(s) is an individual teacher or a group of teachers who can influence their fellow teachers, the principal and other members of the communities of the school so as to improve learning and teaching practices. The aim of teacher leaders is the increase of student learning as well their achievement. Teacher leaders are therefore facilitators within the school and are important elements when it comes to the spread and strengthening of reforms and improvements in schools. The definition of teacher leadership gives it value as well as making it realistic and an accelerated process of progress towards development of leaders in the community (WETA Washington DC, 2013).

Individual capabilities

There are various individual capabilities that enable a person to be a good leader in an organization. Team leadership ability is one of the capabilities I possess as a teacher. This means that I can drive students and my colleagues towards the achievement of better student and institutional performance. I am also charismatic this means that my students and colleagues will be drawn to me naturally. Therefore I will serve as mentor and will be a role model to the students and colleagues drawn to me. As a charismatic leader I can also be a facilitator of change within the institution. This is because teacher leaders are seen to be catalysts of change and are never satisfied with their status quo hence will be in search of better ways of doing things (Harrison & Killion, 2007 Hence as a charismatic leader any change proposed will be taken in by the people in the organization.

Leadership principles

There are various leadership principles that a teacher leader can apply. Therefore as a teacher leader I can draw onto some of these principles like transformational leadership. This will ensure that focus is on teamwork and school improvements that are comprehensive. Therefore I will propose changes that will lead to positive changes into the institution. Communication is another principle of leadership. As a leader I will ensure that I have good listening skills that will ensure effective communication.I will also ensure that I am god at expressing myself so that any misunderstandings can be avoided. Communication skills are a very important principle when it comes to leadership since it facilitates effective interactions.

Delegation is another important principle of leadership as it ensures that other people get instructions from the leader. This means that as a teacher leader I will give instructions to students that they will follow will delegate to them what they should do. Through this I will act as a facilitator of learning ( Harrison, & Killion, 2007).Problem solving is another principle that ensures that as a leader any disputes that might arise within or outside the classroom will be solved effectively.

Changes to be implemented

There are different types of changes that people need to implement to enable them adapt to the situations. For instance, if someone truly want to understand something, it is necessary for that person to try and change it first. During the period of changes in organization, most attention is focused on the organization itself in terms of the structure, policies and procedures. However, for this to be successful, it is advisable for everyone to be committed in that, their interests and competencies should be effective and aligned with the vision and culture of the organization. In this scenario, teachers’ leaders should make sure they determine the type of change which is necessary to help them adapt to the needs of organization (Sorrells & Patterson, 2008). Therefore the teacher leaders should implement the change of improving the teaching and learning practices. The research on teacher/school leadership has help me to understand that, when teaching and learning practices are improved, the students learning and achievements will also be increased.

Implementation of changesEducational leaders need to understand the deep mystical of implementing change. Changes in an organization may involve a targeted audience. Most people become so much worried when faced with change because they really don’t know how those changes may affect them now or in the near future. Implementation of change is different from managing of change in that, it is very easy to implement a change, but hard to manage the implemented change. Managing change is one of the most difficult tasks for educational leader and it is a must that the teachers have to clearly understand the change process to help them in leading and managing the change effectively. The educational leaders must learn ways of overcoming the barriers as well as coping with the chaos that exists naturally during the time of change (Sorrells & Patterson, 2008).

References

Harrison, C. & Killion, J. (2007).Ten roles for teacher leaders. retrieved march 21,2013 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspxSorrells, S., & Patterson, S. (2008). Types of Change. The Linked Business Models. Retrieved March 21, 2013, from http://www.westbrookstevens.com/Types_of_Change.htmWETA,Washington DC.(2013).What does research tell us about teacher leadership? Retrieved March 21, 2013 from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/24932/