leading and learning

---

Will the real leaders stand up so others can join you! Posted: 23 Feb 2011 07:55 PM PST Churchill spent a lot of his energy pointing out the dangers facing the United Kingdom to people who didn't want to know before World War 2. A true leader he stuck to his guns until the time was right. His leadership and oratory provided the necessary vision of, 'we will never surrender'. Such leaders are rare -very few principal fit the description but it is such leaders we need now. It is time to stand up and fight for what is important. At least identify potential leaders and get behind them. Excellent article about leadership Leadership is about change and transformation and this is at best a risky business involving what scientists call 'enlightened trial and error'; there are no road maps for the future. The leaders of change have presence and are often seen as unconventional 'mavericks, or 'canny outlaws', happy to cut through the red tape, but they are trusted by those who work with them for their intuitive intelligence and judgement. Such leaders are well respected. Seen as by followers as 'admire-able'; well worth the risk of following. The vision behind the 'new' New Zealand Curriculum asks for true leadership from school principals, and better still from groups of principals working together. This is all the more important as the Ministry is distracting implementing the philosophy behind the revised curriculum with their politically orientated National Standards. Intuitive 'canny' leaders are required who see through eyes not blinded by the status quo has always been a scarce commodity: one all too often seen as a threat by those who currently hold power. Someone has to start the ball rolling. Unfortunately recognising creativity in others is not a trait I would associate with principals. This hasn't been helped by the competitive ideology of the last decades but, thankfully times are a changing. The dream, for educational leaders in the 21stC, is to create a personalised education system where all students, talents, interests and passions can be developed. Such a dream involves transforming both the culture and structures of current schooling. And as there can no longer be a 'one size fits all' system, a range of experimental approaches needs to be encouraged with successful ideas being shared and amplified. 'Attractive ideas will 'converge' that will in turn 'seed' further experimentation. This organic approach is the opposite of the past top down technocratic approaches and will require action by leaders at all levels. Creating an environment for such diversity, and developing a system to tap into and share ideas, will be a vital role of the ministry. Principals and teachers, as well as students, will need to be seen as active energetic, 'users, seekers and creators of their own learning', to slightly adapt a phrase from the New Zealand Curriculum. Leaders create powerful inspirational stories that give others permission, or courage to act. Key roles of such creative leadership will be: 1. To see leadership as one of providing direction-an enlightened view of the future. Leadership is an issue of purpose not personality. 2. With this in mind, once the direction has been clarified, the three most important requirements of leadership are: communication, communication. Communication. 3. Leaders have to have a recognizable point of view if they are to challenge current expectations. 'It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning'. - Claude Bernard. Leaders never adopt they adapt- everything is judged according to the schools vision, values and shared beliefs. Such leaders know when to say no - they control their change agenda. 4. Leadership is all about purpose. It is purpose that creates consensus, commitment and collegiality 5. Leaders focus on making explicit to the wider team what is important. To do this they limit and focus innovations, valuing clarity and doing fewer things well; quality not quantity. Such clarity reduces overload, complexity and provides a sense of security and hope which, in turn, develops empowerment and improvement of decision making. 6. Leaders manage the heart; they say thanks to those who have made the effort, they model the way. 7. Leaders always expect the best and expect everyone to continually improve; they do this by clarifying expectation and by building an environment of trust. 8. Leaders treat others with empathy and apply the 'golden rule' in all their interactions. They must be seen as trustworthy and must practice what they preach. 9. Leaders ensure all understand what criteria staff members have to live up to and how success will be judged. 10. Leaders hold people accountable to agreed commitments even when it would be easier to ignore. Leaders show moral toughness, seeing any conflict as an opportunity to focus on what is important. 11. Leaders give recognition to those who show initiative or appropriate behaviour, building on strengths members may have by continually providing feedback and encouraging sharing. 12. They support those who need help the most – providing whatever help is required. 13. And they encourage leadership by all to achieve the school's vision. It is time for real leaders to stand up, or out, to take the risks needed to make a real difference. Creating a true personalised education environment able to develop the creative talents of all students is a dream worth pursuing. 'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader'.John Quincy Adams 'If you want to build a ship, then don't drum up men to gather wood, give orders and divide the work.Rather teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea'. Antoine de Saint Exupery 'In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists'. Eric Hoffer 'Leadership and learning are Indispensable to each other'. John F Kennedy

Wounded by School Posted: 23 Feb 2011 02:21 PM PST It is disconcerting to appreciate that schooling , usually seen as a positive experience, is seen by many as damaging to young people. Many years ago a Senior Inspector, of the then Department of Education, asked a group of advisers how schooling had benefited them. He was surprised when many said that little that they currently now thought important had been gained from their schooling. I had the same thoughts. And we were all 'successful'. Made me think, at the time, lots of students must see school in a different light. Of course no one listened then to their voice then - and mostly they were blamed ( or other factors outside the school) for their own lack of success! Things haven't changed. Success in life is all too often determined by success at school. And all efforts to improve schooling very rarely take the trouble to listen to the voices of teachers let alone students. In her wonderful book 'Wounded by School' Kirsten Olsen speaks passionately about the experiences of young people whom the school system has failed. While reformers , policymakers and politicians focus on achievement gaps and insist on accountability measures thousands of students mentally and emotionally disengage from learning. As well many gifted creative teachers leave teaching finding the current surveillance culture demeaning. And worse still many school principals are part of the problem busy complying with imposed measures to standardize teaching to ensure their school is seen in a positive light by the authorities. No one listens to the 'voices' of the students. This is what Kirsten Olsen has done and her finding speak loudly and poetically about the need for transform schools so all students experience the joy of learning. Kirsten writes that current schooling harms all students; the talented and gifted, the middle of the road students , those from different cultures and particularly those the school has deemed to be problem learners. She writes passionately about the need to develop schools where all students feel valued and empowered, where all students experience the joy of learning, and she writes clearly about the need to challenge school structures and practices many teachers currently use use without appreciating the harm they do. Current schooling wounds too many students. Anyone who has listened to the voices of students whom school has failed , or their parents will recognise the extent of this wounding. And sadly most of this damage is done in the name of helping students learn what the school has decided to be necessary to learn. Very little of which develops every students gifts and talents even the so called successful students are unaware of their hidden talents. For too many school is neither benign or or neutral. Olsen is raising fundamental questions about the purpose of learning. Olsen's findings conflict with teachers who became teachers to help their students. Equally the school system 'wounds' creative teachers who are forced to conform to current approaches. Most classroom teachers currently feel that they have been diverted from their true educative task by the current emphasis on quantifiable improvements. No one is paying attention to the real needs of students to ensure they all develop positive learning identities; identities centred around the development of their gifts and talents. Success is solely determined on school orientated narrow 'academic' achievement. Some of the school wounds are: Children who leave feeling they aren't smart; that they don't have what it takes to succeed - caused by effects of testing, grading, ability grouping and streaming Students who believe their ideas and thoughts are not valued. Students whose talents and gifts have not been recognised or valued. Students who have lost the joy of learning for its own sake. Students who are risk averse to save face Students who have developed poor attitudes and feelings of alienation or anger Students who can no longer see connections between various learning areas. To make things worse conversation with successful learners very rarely mention learning as a pleasure; learning driven by intrinsic motivation. Too many are stripped of their courage and nerve the very attributes all students will need to thrive in the future. The sum result of all these wounds are a drain on schools and develop future societal problems. I for one feel the ideas of Kirsten Olsen provide the missing reality of school - the thoughts and concerns of students. Until school leaders start to listen to their students then little will change. And only creative teachers -who have always listened to their students and have aways valued their talents, are in position to develop schooling as a positive experience for all. Until real change occurs schools will continue to wound their students.

You are subscribed to email updates from leading and learning To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610