Teacher as Educational Leader

Any teacher can take a child to the classroom, but not every teacher can make him learn. He will not work joyously unless he feels that liberty is his, whether he is busy or at rest; he must feel the flush of victory and the heart-sinking of disappointment before he takes with a will the tasks distasteful to him and resolves to dance his way bravely through a dull routine of textbooks. - Helen Keller

jkl “I love you3 ... and where you go I’ll follow . . .”

The teacher as Educational Leader is a role of paradox and presumes a sense of humility, of clarity, of flexibility. The research on leadership has brought recognition that being able to assume different roles, to fit the leadership style to the time, place, task, ability of followers, is the most crucial skill. We cannot validate the model of one personality type being best at bossing, but rather the greatest potential for leadership is show in the ability to delegate, to step away and to have implicit faith in human nature combined with recognition of the best hat for the situation show the greatest potential. This is referred to as situational leadership (Hershey & Blanchard, 1988).

Some of the reasons we give when resisting this role:

Educational leadership belongs to the role and responsibility of the principal

Many of us have not seen ourselves as leaders and are uncertain of ability

We don’t want to boss our students and do not realize there is a series of roles in leadership which need not be similar in any way to bossing

Most teachers do not receive information about this role

The role takes a great deal of flexibility and practice before approaching proficiency, and many don’t wish to experience the sense of failure that acquisition of such complex skills might require

Letting go, or delegating is very difficult, especially when paired with a sense of perfection

Giving students permission to try and to fail is very risky, especially when teachers feel that they are measured by student achievement on one test

Many of us fear the unknown which is represented by letting go

We have a great deal of confusion about the distinction between bossing and leading

Many teachers distrust leadership and are ambivalent about accepting the idea that their role as teacher even approaches such dimensions

Some of us believe that delegating authority may weaken the teaching role or make it impossible to regain control of the classroom

Few of us, even in graduate school, had an opportunity to work in this role and learn the fine points through modeling and practice

Competition continues to be valued and used for grading, making a cooperative model seem less attractive and uncertain

1. Works without dogmatism or disorganization to promote student growth
   
2. Shows skill in working with individual students and small groups
   
3. Models openness to new ideas and methods and openly values diversity
   
4. Shows respect through acceptance of individual differences, learning, personality,
   
5. Works with ease in a structured setting - warmth, patience, firmness, high demand
   
6. Provides assists to help children overcome problem behaviors;
   
   
   makes allowances for things which are unchangeable
   recognizes and verbalizes some conflicts as irreconcilable
   calls for self control, honesty, constructive expression of feelings
   helping attitude rather than overly approving or permissive
   views rules in the context of ends
   
   
7. Projects self as an “Honor Teacher, aware of teaching “Honor Students”
   
8. Sees self as accountable and energetically embraces choices and challenges of leadership and innovation
   

   - adapted in part from Cruickshank & Paul, 1968; Pearl, 1972

1. Desire to really know students and shows appreciation for diversity
   
2. Willingness to be energetically accountable to self and students
   
3. Willingness to negotiate honestly
   
4. Recognition that some conflicts are irreconcilable
   
   
   1. does not push for pseudo-agreement
      
   2. defuses to prevent violence
      
   3. watch for hostility and revenge and separate as needed
   
   
5. Ability to view rules in the context of ends
   
6. Prevent overly reinforcing docility
   
7. Modulates roles of leadership and control
   
8. Eschews punitive stance
   
9. Uses reward and praise with dignity rather than as a manipulative tool
   
10. Uses warmth, kind words, friendliness, helpfulness, appropriate touch to promote student leadership
    
11. Promotes the students as active participants and does less than half of the instructing, talking, teaching, participating - instead is in the energizing, empowering and interacting mode more than the directing mode
    Examples: accepting feelings, accepting and using ideas, asking questions after a response (Flanders, 1970)
12. Willingness to give the benefit of the doubt to ALL!

The teacher as Inducer/Persuader takes on the educational leadership role of high task commitment and high relationship. While respecting student freedom to learn, and projecting an impression of unique possibilities yet untried, the teacher is very explicit, provides a strong sense of organization and provides guidelines for expectations and outcomes. The students, in their turn, feel valued as learners; they sense a largeness of dimension yet understand how to direct their energies. Little is taken for granted with respect to expertise. Steps for success are described, practiced and evaluated. Reciprocity is created; commitment is demanded.

Characteristics of the High Task, High Relationship Role

recognizes student as individual
aware of and interested in students’ world
respects student’s autonomy
acknowledges student’s unique subjectivity
affirms student’s innate powers
aware of whole person, not just the mind
accepts diversity and levels of development within class
sensitivity to communication breakdown
joyfully incites to learning
personally enjoys teaching
playful yet demanding in approach to teaching/learning
appreciates being useful
cultivates largeness and breadth of spirit

finds ways to learn about students
creates positive first impressions
explains and thus expands boundaries of classroom, through appropriate facial expression, gestures, body movements
sets atmosphere for reciprocity
moves onto students’ wave length
inspires student to believe in their abilities
tactfully broaches and discusses communication problems
accepts previous knowledge and experience of students as a given
creates exercises and assignments which help students connect with their previous knowledge and experience
creates assignments which interweave cognitive and affective levels
initiates students into “flow” activities involving relaxed concentration
learns to help students to sustain interest by creating contrasting activities and assignments
creates activities and assignments which balance use of skills with new challenges
uses appropriate humor to induce learning: avoids misuse of humor
shares own thinking and learning process with students
becomes attuned to rhythms of students to adapt leadership styles as needed

responds positively to teacher
appreciates teacher’s concern and respect
learns to trust in teacher
personally relates to teacher
gains confidence in self and abilities
is attentive and receptive
becomes activated and finds satisfaction in responding rather than controling
learns the value of relaxed concentration through “flow” activity
sees learning as enjoyable and playful rather than boring or anxiety-ridden
begins to view habitual world in new ways and recognize its value
connects previous knowledge and experience with new world of subject matter
sees broader aspects of subject
reads/studies out of interest and for understanding
begins to make personal investment in learning
appreciates humor in classroom
becomes more aware of other class members
begins move toward intrinsic motivation in learning
from Reinsmith (1992) pp. 44-47

This role creates new awareness, a new consciousness of the possibilities of education on the part of the student. The student is encouraged to take a pivotal involvement in the activities of learning and human growth. The teacher is prepared to move into a more intimate relationship with the student - one in which they engage each other face to face with equal energies.

Characteristics of the High Task, High Relationship Role

builds on and tests relationship of trust
affirms student’s metaself
accepts moving from known to unknown
confronts student with new world of learning
disturbs student’s complacency
creates cognitive conflict in student
creates a positive tension in the classroom
provokes student to question assumptions, attitudes, unquestioned values
catalyzes student to move into more relativistic state
asks, but doesn’t answer questions; raises rather than solves problems
emphasizes that students ponder questions rather than seek easy answers
holds students in firm regard while sounding them out
acutely aware of questioning’s impact on student
introduces students to thinking beyond informational or basic knowledge level

adroitly uses questioning process - proceeds by degrees
designs questions which challenge students to think and handle new concepts
designs questions which challenge students to question assumptions, values
provides patterning of questioning which students can internalize
senses when cognitive conflict can be too great
able to gauge emotional impact of questioning on individuals
assigns reading materials which move students into new territory
creates exercises and evaluative procedures that are provocative, challenging

begins to live with dissonance and conflict both cognitively and affectively
becomes familiar with questions which require thought and reflection
learns to question attitudes and values
expects questions which move one to broader levels of perception
learns to internalize questioning process
learns to hypothesize and raise new questions
begins to question others
learns to view questioning as essential to learning and knowing
is more at ease harboring questions that don’t have immediate answers
is more activated to move from know to unknown; learns to connect old knowledge with new
learns to enjoy challenging reading materials
achieves a new awareness of learning process
eager to take more responsibility for learning
completes move toward intrinsic motivation in learning
increases respect for teacher from Reinsmith (1992) pp. 66-67

This teaching role gives clarity to the understanding that the student has reached the point of being a willing and competent learner, that the role of the teacher can be advanced to a sense of collegiality in looking together for answers, moving to recognize paradoxes, to quest for deeper meaning, to validate questioning as an advanced state of self education.

Characteristics of the Low Task, High Relationship Teaching Role

available and open
initiates discourse and shared inquiry
both directs and participates
reduces psychological size
shifts energy flow from self to group
listens attentively
inspires personal response
creates mutuality and cooperation
keeps materials flexible and open ended
thoroughly knowledgeable in subject area
aware of diversity of class members

initiates and sustains discourse effectively
able to induce group interaction
employs own knowledge indirectly in interests of group discussion
employs questions oriented toward shared inquiry
allows adequate “wait time” when questioning
makes use of student remarks to move discussion on
helps group distinguish between real and apparent misunderstanding
employs exercises in skills of empathy
creates opportunities for students to take positions different from their own
gives students practice in clarification and precise usage of terms
opens student to richness and subtleties of discourse
moves group to function on both cognitive and emotional levels
probes learning materials in more detail
moves group members to see dialogue as communal knowledge sharing
increases own awareness of each student’s unique subjectivity
works on reducing own biases in regard to students
helps group to recognize and deal with diversity in backgrounds and values

intrinsically motivated to engage in discourse
takes equal responsibility for success of discourse
comes alive as a person through relationships
practices higher learning skills via discussion
converses form adequate knowledge base
sees discourse as natural way of learning
able to state own position clearly
able to clarify and distinguish among terms
learns to examine subject material and issues in more detail
becomes aware of both cognitive and affective aspects of learning
learns to identify with positions of other class members
comes to view learning as open ended process
appreciates communal aspect of learning from Reinsmith (1992) pp. 96-97

Characteristics of the Low Task, Low Relationship Role

respects and affirms individual learner
non-invasive and indirect
responsive to student’s initiative
corroborates student’s new view of learning
moves into student’s line of vision
flows with student’s energies
allows student to struggle
adjusts to student’s learning style
continually aware of student’s experience
draws student out
confirms value of life-experience of student
holds high expectation for student

sets up contexts for active learning and discovery
assists students in diagnosing learning needs
asks leading questions to draw out knowledge already existing in student
assists student in laying out educational plans and learning objectives
inductive - moves from particular to general from concrete to abstract
able to create and sustain group learning activities
knows when to structure and when to allow free play
able to provide and encourage critical feedback
able to delegate and shift control to students
moves students toward collaborative rather than competitive learning
creates exercises that foster communication and mutual support
creates exercises in small group dynamics
creates learning activities that involve students in higher learning skills

sees center of learning inside oneself rather than in external authority
becomes fully activated and makes new demands on self as learner
experiences a need to learn
able to follow own line of vision with assistance from teacher
able to diagnose own learning needs
able to tap into past experiences and apply to present circumstances
able to create general educational goals as well as specific learning objectives
uses higher learning skills: analysis, problem-solving, application, synthesis
able to evaluate own learning
able to fuse internal needs with institutional requirements
moves toward personal meaning orientation
able to work productively in small groups
sees fellow students as resources for mutual learning
appreciates diversity of group members
able to disagree articulately with other group members
contributes toward consensus within the group
able to summarize and critique reading materials
able to connect ideas in different reading materials
able to create new synthesis from disparate ideas
able to constructively criticize ideas and presentations of others
at ease in presence of ambiguity and open-endedness
views learning as on-going from Reinsmith (1992) pp. 129-30

The power base for the educational leadership role comes from the full repertoire of teacher powers. The ability to be an effective educational leader rests on the ability to make good choices... combining the proper role for teaching with type of task and amount of commitment to task with student motivation.

all ignorance toboggans into know
and trudges up to ignorance again - e.e. cummings

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E-mail J'Anne Ellsworth at Janne.Ellsworth@nau.edu

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