Leadership in Teaching - Research Paper Example

?Leadership in Teaching Teaching as a profession requires specific traits in order for a teacher to be effective in achieving for academic success. There are numerous theories that explore this theme. For instance, Sharick (2007) argued that teachers should have social traits in order to be able to communicate effectively with the students. (p. 22) A “social” teacher in this theory is one that could display dominant characteristics like that of being enterprising, investigative and a capacity for empathy, among others. The idea is that the relationship between a teacher and the students complement the transfer of knowledge. The concept of leadership, though not a prominent element in this model as suggested by the researcher, can also be considered a social trait. It plays an important role in the way students learn from instruction and classroom interaction because it underpins the efficacy of the social interaction. It takes advantage of the relationship in order to have an authoritative process by which knowledge is imparted and received. Simply put, leadership provides the framework by which a teacher could control the teaching process successfully. Leadership and Best Practice in Teaching Leadership is increasingly becoming a byword in the literature on current best practices in teaching and educational improvement. York-Barr and Duke explained that this is because it is aligned with the notion of individual empowerment and localization of management (p. 255). In this respect, teachers are sought to be empowered and have greater degree of control, with an expanded role in the classroom instruction. This has been the trend in the United States since the 1980s, when leadership came to be considered as an integral component of teacher professionalism (York-Barr and Duke, p. 256). The educational reform aimed to replace the traditional framework of the technical model, which emphasized the transfer of knowledge through systematic inquiry. The new goal is to focus and rely on the teachers’ capability, knowledge and judgment. Leadership figures prominently in this aspect because it allows the teachers to exercise and implement academic decisions, in addition to helping lead pursue educational initiatives. The study conducted by Camburn, Rowan and Taylor in 2003, which evaluated the efficacy of the educational reform found that academic progress was, in fact, achieved in the process. Particularly, the study revealed that those educational reforms that integrated leadership components such as the distributive leadership schemes led to positive outcomes both in the capabilities of the teacher and the students’ academic performance (p. 367). There are numerous studies that reflect these findings. A case in point is that by Ross and Gray (2006), which found that schools with higher levels of transformational leadership had higher collective teacher efficacy, greater teacher commitment to school mission, school community, school-community partnerships, and higher student achievement (p. 798). Also, Copland (2003), in his study of the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative program, found that leadership works well with inquiry-based approach, with distributive leadership playing an important role in implementing inquiry-based practice and collective decision-making at school (p. 375). The empirical evidences that support how leadership contributes to positive student learning outcome are not that surprising. Aside from the quantified direct and positive leadership impact represented by effective cognitive learning outcomes, there is also the deeper socio-psychological discourse that covers education and learning. Here, leadership is critical because it plays an important part in the transformation of behaviors. Encouraging Leaders, Imparting Values According to LeComte (1978), going to school is a socialization process wherein teachers transmit skills, aspirations, norms and behavioral patterns which assist in the assumption of roles (p. 22). This is demonstrated in observing the classroom setting, which is typified by the process involving teachers’ behaviors, the students’ behaviors and their interaction. They depict a microcosm of social relationships wherein everything that the teacher and the students do during instruction result in transformation of behaviors, enrichment of knowledge and the development of values depending on the efficacy of the processes. LeComte explained that besides the cognitive skills such as reading, writing, problem-solving, among other skills, teachers also impart covert or less obvious noncognitive skills such as leadership, which students carry with them to adulthood. As a role model, hence, a teacher that displays strong leadership capabilities is able to impart meaningful behavior to their students. Now this variable is but a tip of the iceberg. This is because it is merely a dimension to the positive impact of teacher-leaders who are more capable to be social, authoritative and effective on psychological development of the students. In an investigation conducted by O’Connor and McCartney (2007), it was found that leadership is an important factor that leads to the quality of a teacher. Then, in the findings, based on observations involving 1,364 children from birth to sixth grade, it was revealed that such leadership-characterized quality in teachers have positive impact on the children’s achievement (p. 340) In the previously cited studies, there was an emphasis on the relationship between achievement and instructional strategy efficacy. In this study, the precursor of achievement stems from the psychological dimension of learning. Within this framework, leadership trait in teachers, complement the supportive roles of parents in the development of children. This process is included in the effective model that revolves around the centrality of relationships: at the core of the family system is parent-child relationship and at the core of the classroom system, there is teacher-child and peer relationship (O’Connor & McCartney, p. 342). Leadership in teachers is supposed to contribute to the stability of the teacher-child relationship, leading to a more positive outcome such as students’ increased participation and engagement. There are also educational strategies that focus on student-led instructions. The shift from teacher-centered lecture into a model by which students choose the content and direction of learning are increasingly being implemented across schools especially those who aim to encourage participation, engagement and the achievement of specific learning outcomes. Leadership plays an important role in the manner by which numerous viewpoints and strategies are navigated in the classroom Southgate et al., 1987, p. 139). Learning is the subject of numerous psychological theories about human cognitive development. Many of these theories would find recognize leadership as a component of the learning process because it provides the framework and the guide by which development can be controlled and maintained in order to achieve the desired outcome. The complexities of human behavior and the human mind can be navigated through a leader-figure, one that guides controls and nurture at the same time. Conclusion When one talks about leadership, there is an immediate conception of great personages that moved the world and introduced changes: the American founding fathers, political leaders, generals, corporate giants and those who have launched far-reaching reforms and transformation in history and in our society today. The education field is not entirely new to this concept because, educators have been leading figures in improving and changing society by helping develop citizens into better and more capable individuals. Through the years, there are many educators who have risen to prominence on account of this fact. Horace Mann’s leadership in the 1840s has contributed to the far-reaching reforms that have benefited individuals in their education. If one examines history, the extraordinary educators who were able to make a meaningful difference and contribution to the academic progress of their students and to education in general were those who chose to be leaders. It is clear, especially from the body of literature, with its wealth of empirical evidences, that the expansion of the teachers’ role in academic instruction is crucial in achieving meaningful education reform. The leadership theme in this issue demonstrates why this is an imperative. It allows control, localization and the alignment of educational objectives to the individual characteristics, judgment, expertise and experience of teachers. It is important to underscore that the teachers are in the position to make the most effective contribution in educating individuals that is why there should be an emphasis on cultivating and developing their personal traits and skills such their leadership capabilities. References Camburn, E., Rowan, B. and Taylor, J. (2003). Distributed Leadership in Schools: The Case of Elementary Schools Adopting Comprehensive School Reform Models. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), 347-373. Copland, M. (2003). "Leadership of Inquiry: Building and Sustaining Capacity for School Improvement." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), 375-395. LeCompte, M. (1978). "Learning to Work: The Hidden Curriculum of the Classroom. Anthropology & Educaton Quarterly, 9(1), 22-37. O'Connor, E. and McCartney, K. (2007). Examining Teacher-Child Relationships and Achievement as Part of an Ecological Model of Development. American Educational Research Journal, 44(2), 340-369. Ross, J. and Gray, P/ (2006). "School Leadership and Student Achievement: The Mediating Effects of Teacher Beliefs." Canadian Journal of Education, 29(3), 798-822. Sharrick, R. (2007). Recruiting Teachers of Color: College-age Latino/a Students Share Their Voices and Recommendations for Educator Preparation Programs. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Silver, E. (1985). Teaching and Learning Mathematical Problem Solving: Multiple Research Perspectives. London: Routledge. Southgate, L., Heard, S., Toon, P. and Salkind, M. (1987). "A Student-Led Approach to Teaching." Journal of Medical Ethics, 13(3), 139-143. York-Barr, J. and Duke, K. (2004). What Do We Know about Teacher Leadership? Findings from Two Decades of Scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255-316. Read More