ETL 504 Assignment Two: Part B-Reflective critical analysis, blog post.

Reflective critical analysis

At the beginning of this unit I believed leaders were simply people who managed to get others, known as followers, to do things. Saints and bullies could both be leaders. One leads through inspiring acts; the other leads through coercion. I also assumed some people were "born leaders", those with well developed people skills. Furthermore I thought leadership was a hierarchical, top down system. This still occurs in Australian schools, however a more collegiate system of leadership can occur, where leadership groups report to one another (Bush and Middlewood, 2013, p. 73).

This subject has extended my knowledge and understanding of the role of the TL as leader as I have now come to realise that leadership is an activity or a process, not a position (MacBeath & Swaffield, 2008, p. 38; Haycock, 2010, p. 2). I have also come to understand that teachers are all leaders, simply by virtue of their profession (Collay, 2011, p. 75).

Haycock (2010, p. 1) argues that TLs lead from the middle, establishing good relationships with colleagues and the principal. Furthermore if TLs manage to be visible in formal leadership roles, such as curriculum, budget or professional development (PD) committees, they become well regarded and supported by principals (Haycock, 2004).

Collaboration is one area where TLs as teachers can take the lead especially in areas of developing Project Based Learning throughout the school and also presenting PDs to staff. Many teachers fear collaboration as they see it as a waste of time and effort and they may view it as a competitive exercise (Semadeni, 2009, p. 28; Bush and Middlewood, 2013, p. 138). However the advantages of collaboration far outweigh these negative misgivings. Collaboration is powerful because it forges good work relationships and maintains staff (Aguilar, 2012). It also develops interesting units of work and stretches student achievement (Kuhlthau, 2010, p. 3).

The module on PDs has inspired me to put a lot of effort into this field. As Livingston (2012) states, in-house PDs are cost-efficient, effective and best suited to the needs of individual teachers. Promoting such PDs will need to be focussed and measured to target potential learners.

As  the TL promotes an inclusive service he/she needs to be aware of the different personality styles and how these can manifest.  I believe this unit has given me the understanding of being able to recognise resistant folk such as those Belisle (2005, p. 76) terms cynics and "sleepy types". It has also equipped me with some strategies in working with such people. These include presenting ideas over time in small chunks so as not to intimidate people. Listening skills are also paramount and this is an area I need to work on (Montgomery, 2014a).

In this unit I learned that tools in the planning process such as STEEP and SWOT are worthwhile instruments for  a TL to use. It is important to know what your school library looks like and how it performs, here and now, if you are to make any changes. These tools help the TL to set out the positive and negative characteristics of the school library or a particular program so that measured realistic steps can be taken to turn challenges into opportunities. Similarly the seven step process outlined in the video by BNet Video (2011) was inspiring and something I aim to utilise.

The detailed explanations of the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement were enlightening. I have personally found these statements to be vacuous waffle and it was pleasing to hear that the shorter they are, the better (Montgomery, 2014b). I can only assume that my jaded viewpoint is coloured by having read too many poor ones which ramble on. I believe my ability to craft a tight mission statement and a punchy, moderately ambitious vision statement has been improved by this subject.

I enjoyed learning about strategic planning. Public libraries use them as a vital planning tool which can be easily adapted for school libraries (State Library of Queensland, 2009). The step by step, measurable objectives line up with the vision statement to show how the library will achieve its goals over a set time. If I obtained a TL position I would make use of strategic planning to document and implement changes to the school library.

I found module four, relating to communication to be the most interesting part of the unit. The conflict resolution questionnaire I took showed me as a 'teddy', who uses an accommodating style. It was clear that I need to work on my assertiveness skills. I also need to be a more attentive listener as discussed in my blog comments (Montgomery, 2014a).

At the end of this unit, and now the whole course, I feel I can take a more professional approach towards my work in the public library. If I ever obtain a school library position I feel I will be well equipped to fully advocate for the profession in terms of student outcomes. I will also be an enthusiastic member of staff who is passionate about collaboration and developing a modern school learning centre.

 

 

References

Aguilar, E. (2012). Effective Teams: the key to transforming schools? retrieved 10 March 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-teams-transform-schools-elena-aguilar

Belisle, C.H. (2005). The teacher as leader; Transformational leadership and the professional teacher or teacher-librarian. School Libraries in Canada. (17108535)., Vol.24 Issue 3, p 73-79.

BNet Video. (2011, June 8). 7 Step Problem Solving. [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZXDGQSuF9I

Bush, T. and Middlewood, D., (2013). Leading and managing People in Education. (3rd Ed) Los Angeles CA: Sage

Collay, M. (2011). Everyday Teacher Leadership: Taking action where you are. Hoboken: Wiley

Haycock, K. (2010). Leadership from the middle: Building influence for change. In S. Coatney The many faces of school library leadership Ed. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO

Haycock, K. (2004). Priority setting: the tough work. Teacher Librarian, April, Vol. 31, Issue 4, p. 6.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2010). Guided Inquiry: School libraries in the 21st Century School Libraries Worldwide, Jan, Vol. 16, No. 1, (pp. 1-12)

Livingston, K. (2012). Approaches to professional development of teachers in Scotland: pedagogical innovation or financial necessity? Educational Research,  54:2, (pp. 161-172) DOI:10.1080/00131881.2012.680041

MacBeath, J. E., & Swaffield, S. (2009). Leadership for learning. In J.E. MacBeath & N. Dempster Connecting leadership and learning: principles for practice (pp. 32-52).

Montgomery, E. (2014a, April 18). Mods 3 and 4 ETL504 Retrieved from http://bethsbiblioteked.blogspot.com.au/

Montgomery, E. (2014b, April 29). Mod 5 ETL504 Strategic Planning Retrieved from http://bethsbiblioteked.blogspot.com.au/

Semadeni, J.H. (2009). Taking charge of Professional Development: A practical model for your school. Alexandria: ASCD

State Library of Queensland [SLQ] (2009). Your Library Strategic plan: a guide to its development Retrieved from www.slq.qld.gov.au

Mod 5 ETL504 Strategic Planning

This topic has been very difficult for me to participate in when I am not working at a school. I have no access to the financial aspects of our school. I haven't seen the high school's vision statement or a mission statement. I can't even find one for the public library.
   However, the local primary school was redrafting their mission statement last term. They had various drafts in the school newsletter. At the time I just thought it was a useless exercise. I can know see that it forms the bedrock of 'where we go from here'. I am still loathe to write one though. It's the imprecise language that I have no wish to copy.
   I am a big fan of Don Watson's book Death Sentence where he laments that 'Today's corporations, government departments, news media, and, perhaps most dangerously, politicians – speak to each other and to us in clichéd, impenetrable, lifeless sludge'. This sludge, I fear, is the mainstay of vision statements and mission statements.
   So now I need to think of writing a strategic plan for a fictitious school library, using the sort of language I abhor. I am not relishing this next assignment.

Mods 3 and 4 ETL504

It is taking a while to internalise all the readings for these two modules, nevertheless I'm determined to jot down a few comments.
   Firstly on leadership for learning...
   It's clear that leaders need to be learners and that they act as models of lifelong learning for colleagues and pupils alike. But teachers generally work alone and are not privy to how others do things (such as manage classes, present material, use new technology). They can also be possessive of their own teaching strategies and are reluctant to have people observing their classes. I can relate to this. It seems as if the pressure is on when there's another adult in the room. I did do some team teaching in my first year out when I taught environmental science. I got on tremendously well with my colleague and the two of us planned many class outings and projects for the students. Two heads were definitely better than one.
   Now I am not teaching any longer I am out of touch with all the professional development that teachers have to do. As I only have provisional registration I don't have to do the compulsory hours every year. I have to land a job first and then work towards getting full registration. This would entail working with a mentor which is an idea I am open to now after doing all these readings.
   The second topic is communication...
   I don't enjoy public speaking. I don't enjoy talking. I often tangle my words and say things I regret. I much prefer the written word as a medium of communication. I looked through these reading with a growing sense of dread. I am such a loser when it comes to dealing with other people. I avoid conflict at all costs. I don't listen as fully as I ought and that's not just because I'm becoming deaf in my later years. I know I tune out if I'm not interested. How many times at staff meetings have I indulged in day-dreaming? Too many. How many times do I simply not register that people are talking to me because I am absorbed in some task? Daily. How often have I got facts wrong because I jump to conclusions? Too often to count.
   If anything this module has given me the courage to do three things.
1. Give people my full attention and ask them questions.
2. Be determined not to take things personally and therefore act defensively, thus inflaming situations.
3. Try to think of seven different ways of looking at things, and hence find a win/win solution.

ETL 504 Assignment 1 pt B: Critical Analysis

I rarely work in schools these days, but when I do, it is a pleasure to work under the guidance of the TL at our local Secondary College. She has two subordinates and a handful of student volunteers to co-ordinate. She builds relationships with students well, considering many of them are fleeting or irregular library patrons, and she is also a favourite with colleagues, as she is affable, helpful and steers clear of staff factions.

The TL has identified "promoting reading for pleasure" as the key vision of her library. She puts a lot of energy into guiding students' borrowing choices and challenging them to read voraciously and widely. Her vision has enthused the whole English department. She is also professional in her outlook and conduct, generating trust and respect from her colleagues (Browning, 2013). She promotes creativity in her team, actively asking for opinions and contributions from subordinates. She runs professional development sessions for the staff on internet research, databases and using the online encyclopaedia.  

I've always known that this TL is a great boss, but now having studied "organisational theory" and "leading change" I can name those qualities that make her leadership great. She is a transformational leader because she has vision, integrity, and encourages creativity and professional growth (Marzano, Waters, and McNulty, 2005). She is approachable, listens actively and  is keen to further her own understanding of new technologies. Her leadership shines from within the school organisational structure; it does not impose from above. She is also an active member of the IT team, which meets thrice a term to discuss policy and new technologies. As a team player she exhibits the qualities of a change agent (Aguilar, 2012).

One day a SOSE teacher approached her, asking how he could encourage better research skills in his year 9 class. The TL invited me into the conversation. I offered to put together a pathfinder for him using a wiki. She was happy to let me work with the SOSE teacher to provide a  pathfinder for him. Her faith in my ability motivated me to do my best. As Winzenreid (2010, p. 71) states, if people are valued, their productivity grows.

By contrast, one of my supervisors in the public library is professional, brisk, and difficult to approach. She has what Bush and Middlewood (2013, p. 17) term a managerial leadership style: focussing strongly on functions, tasks and behaviours. Although Winzenreid (2010, p. 72) would describe it as a coercive style, one that stifles creativity and innovation. She is part of the OHS team and the Band 6 group, but she rarely defers to subordinates. The work atmosphere under her leadership is gloomy; you do the work and don't offer suggestions.

The organisational structure in the public library is more hierarchical than the Secondary school. There is a Library Management tier (Human resources, IT and Collection Manager), a band 6 tier (Principal Librarians, Marketing and Early Years Co-ordinator) then branch managers and finally library officers. Casuals, like myself, are the bottom rung. Apart from occasional opportunities to give feedback to the marketing department, there is for me, little sense of belonging to a team or appreciation for a job well done. Perhaps the public library could learn something from embracing transformational leadership.

 

 

References

Aguilar, E. (2012). 'Effective teams: The key to transforming schools?' Edutopia: What works in education. Retrieved 10 March 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-teams-transform-schools-elena-aguilar

Browning, P. (2013). Creating the conditions for transformational change. Australian Educational Leader. 35(3) p14-17

Bush, T., & Middlewood, D., (2012). Leading and managing people in education. (3rd Ed). Los Angeles, Ca: Sage Publications

Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A., (2005). Some Theories and theorists on leadership. School leadership that works: from research to results (pp. 13-27 Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Winzenreid, A. (2010). Visionary leaders for information, Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

 

ETL 504 What is leadership?

When studying any topic, definitions are crucial, so that you can understand what you are studying. What struck me about many of the readings in this module is that they are written in 'business speak', a lifeless form of English that sends the reader to sleep. (If you don't know what I'm referring to, have a read of Don Watson's book, Death Sentence. ) This drab English has made the first week of study hard to grasp, but I've done my best. In fact, I've found a reference that is a lot easier to understand, called Bush and Middlewood. See below.
   So, what is leadership? Firstly, it's different to management - that's to do with maintaining things. Leadership is about people. It's an influence exerted by someone to get others to act, generally in line with the values of the group or organisation that they all belong to. Leadership is also supposed to involve developing and articulating a vision. But is vision a good thing? A leader full of vision would include Nelson Mandela, a man who brought about the end of an oppressive social construct. But one could also argue that Hitler had vision, as he lead a generation of humanity into a very dark place. 
   There are different types of leadership and the particular one in vogue seems to be transformational leadership. This relies heavily on the issue of vision. In relation to education, it's asking for the commitment of teachers to the goals of the education department all the way through to the goals of the school board. It seems to me that if staff are opposed in an ideological sense to a policy such as NAPLAN, that the notion of transformational leadership falls flat.
   Transactional leadership  focusses more on a reward system - you act this way, and you will be rewarded with a pay rise, for instance.
   Moral leadership was very apparent when I worked in a Catholic boarding school overseas. There was no way you could live on campus with a partner, unless you were married. Two staff members were sacked or resigned in rather scandalous circumstances. We also were encouraged to make the children say morning and afternoon prayers each day and if we didn't attend Mass each week our position was in jeopardy. The board kept a very sharp eye on everyone's moral compass.
   There is also instructional leadership, managerial leadership, participative leadership, distributed leadership, emotional leadership, postmodern leadership and contingent or strategic leadership. I need to keep reading to get my head around all this.

Bush, T and Middlewood, D (2013). Leading and Managing People in Education (3rd Ed). Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Two weeks prac placement

I've just finished my practical placement: two weeks with the West Gippsland Regional Library Corporation. What a whirlwind of different experiences and scenes! One day number crunching, another processing donations, another helping out with Baby Rhyme Time-where I have to admit my recollections of various tunes was a bit rusty. I spent one day zooming around the countryside delivering tubs of books and DVDs, and another sitting in on a formal board meeting. I got to have a lunch break on the pristine beach at Sandy Point and another day I helped set up the mobile library in the pouring rain.
The people I worked with were all interesting, helpful and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed my two week's placement. Thanks so much to West Gippsland Regional Library Corporation who have also recently given me a job! Yipee!

Canberra Study tour

What a great bunch! The Canberra cohort.