Defining Leadership

1
Defining Leadership

• Discuss what it means to be a leader
• Clarify Teacher Leader roles as leaders in the
  context of NCOSP
• Explore individual leadership attributes
• Discuss strategies for using the combined
  leadership attributes within your building and
  district to support your science education program

2
Purpose of Leadership in Education

• To foster a commitment to student accomplishment,
  organizational health, professional learning, and
  long-range and deep improvements
• To support the transformation of schooling and
  build a learning community that includes all
  teachers and students.
• To work with colleagues and the community to make
  bold visions a reality

3
Characteristics of Effective Leaders

• Look at the postcards on the tables
• Select 1-2 postcards that represent a
  characteristic of effective leaders
• Select 1 person to share the groups selection at
  the document camera
• In 5 words or less share the characteristic the
  postcard represents

4
Effective Leadership

• Leadership is about creating a sense of purpose
  and direction... and inspiring people to achieve
• Michael Fullan

5
Effective Leadership

• Leaders are leaders only as long as they have
  the respect and loyalty of their followers
• Hans Selye
• (from Leading Every Day)

6
Effective Leadership

• Leadership is about learning together, and
  constructing meaning and knowledge collectively
  and collaboratively
• Linda Lambert

7
Wanted

• A miracle worker who can do more with less,
  pacify rival groups, endure chronic second
  guessing, tolerate low levels of support, process
  large volumes of paper, and work double shifts.
  He or she will have carte blanche to innovate,
  but cannot spend much money, replace any
  personnel, or upset any constituency.
• Michael Fullan

8
Pathway to Leadership

• Teacher Leader as Learner
• Teacher Leader as Leader

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Teacher Leader as Learner

• Actively engaged in
• deepening their understanding of science content
  knowledge,
• appreciating how students come to understand
  particular ideas in science, and
• developing a repertoire of instructional
  strategies to engage students prior ideas and
  build a more accurate understanding of science
• cultivating their leadership skills to improve
  their own classroom practice, and that of their
  peers, to increase student learning

10
Teacher Leader as Learner
Visible Outcomes Teachers Leaders participate
regularly in content-focused professional
learning in science as an active member of the
NCOSP community, their school, and their
district. Teacher Leaders consciously and
strategically apply the insights from
professional development in their own classroom,
school and district.
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Teacher Leader as Leader

• Teaching Peers
• Principals
• District Administrators
• NCOSP

12
NCOSP Support

• Resources financial, human, and material
• Learning Community Forums
• District Visits
• Summer Academy

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How do we get there?

• Reflect on our own leadership attributes and how
  they can help us in our work as leaders
• Begin to consider steps to take in our buildings
  to fulfill our roles a leaders.

14
But first...

• BREAK TIME!

15
Research on effective leaders

• Kouzes and Posner, 20 year research study
• 200,000 leaders
• How do everyday leaders lead teams, lead
  projects, manage departments, and promote
  community?

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5 Leadership Practices

• Challenging the Process
• Enabling Others to Act
• Encouraging the Heart
• Inspiring a Shared Vision
• Modeling the Way

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Challenging the Process

• Effective leaders search for opportunities to
  change the status quo because they believe that
  the status quo breeds mediocrity.
• Effective leaders take risks and see mistakes as
  opportunities for learning and growth.

18
Inspiring a Shared Vision

• This practice is about envisioning the future and
  enlisting others in a common vision.
• Leaders create enthusiasm and commitment among
  followers to embrace the common vision by
  appealing to their personal visions, values,
  interests, hopes, and dreams.

19
Enabling Others to Act

• This practice is about fostering collaboration
  and strengthening people.
• Leaders know that they cannot do it alone. They
  build teams and a culture of collaboration.

20
Modeling the Way

• Leaders set goals that enable followers to
  experience small wins as they work toward larger
  goals.
• They are conscious of possible roadblocks and
  take steps to remove them.

21
Encouraging the Heart

• This practice is about recognizing contributions
  and celebrating accomplishments.

22
Leadership Practices

• Complete the Inventory
• Use Response Sheet to tally your scores
• Record your scores on the chart
• Make note of the practice that is your strength
  and list one example of specific behaviors or
  actions you use

23
Small Group Discussion

• Share your strength and example
• Probe others with strengths different than your
  own to deepen your understanding of that practice
  and ways to enact it
• Make note of the combined strengths or noticeable
  gaps within your building or district and
  consider their implications for providing
  building leadership

24
Individual Reflection

• What did you learn about your own leadership
  style and practices?
• What did you learn about the leadership
  attributes within your building or district?

25
Moving to action

• How can you take steps toward fulfilling your
  role as Leaders?