A few reflections on the intervening 3 years...
I was in the November 2015 intake for DCL so have had a nearly 3-year break before returning to study. I actually moved schools for promotion during the DCL course so, on its completion, felt I wanted to focus wholly on learning and developing for my new role which has kept me pretty busy over the last 3 years! Undertaking DCL opened up the opportunity for me to move into a leadership role in a school where the innovative learning environment and collaborative practices are part of the ethos. Having come from a single-cell environment, my practice needed to change considerably to work in this different model, and I can say that the learning from the DCL course certainly helped me on my way with that. Pedagogies evident now in my classroom practice that weren’t perhaps there prior to DCL include a greater focus on student voice, choice and agency, equitable approaches like mixed-ability and/or fluid, needs-based groupings, collaborative tasks and inquiry learning, and the leveraging of digital technologies. As well as all of these practical applications, I generally consider my biggest takeaway from DCL was opening me up to educational research. I now engage with research much more regularly to inform my practice, my teaching and leadership inquiries, and my leadership decisions. My professional development focus over the last 3 years has been around my skills as a leader.
To support my learning in this area, and build on the learning from DCL, I participated in the CPPA’s Middle Leaders programme in 2016 and, in 2018, I undertook the Advanced Leadership Programme through CORE Education. These programmes deepened my understanding of the role of a school leader in relation to enhancing teaching and learning and improving student achievement. I also developed my own sense of myself as a leader, drawing on ideas of authentic leadership and being true to one’s values - a quote that stood out to me that underlines this idea is from Bill George, author of ‘True North’, “to act with integrity, you must first know who you are, what you stand for, what you believe, and what you care most about.” The idea of authentic leadership seems to have given me a firm footing for establishing values-based leadership.
Some leadership challenges I’ve been tackling over the last couple of years have generally been around implementing and driving change. Within the ALP, I was introduced to John Kotter’s model for Leading Change and also Viviane Robinson’s work on understanding teachers’ theories of action and using open to learning conversations to implement effective change. I was able to relate to these ideas and could draw parallels with some of my own experiences, particularly with either resistance or change that wasn’t sustained. These are both areas I’d like to continue to delve into. Certainly, when I reflected at the time on the ‘inconsistent’ success of the change (my team had done really well, others were more ‘patchy’), I identified that I hadn’t engaged as deeply with teachers not in my team, nor with their theories of action. I recognised that some of this was due to ‘accessibility/proximity’ and my own ‘circle of influence’ as a leader. I’ve determined from that, that it will be important in the future to establish a shared vision with my peers in SMT and increase that circle of influence and then further engage teachers and their theories of action before beginning.
My intention for the MCE is still developing. My career ambitions are around developing myself as a leader, however, my strongest driver is making a difference. I’m hoping that this course, particularly the project element, will give me the opportunity to make a difference for the benefit of the teachers and students in my school, and potentially even beyond that. I hope to align my project objectives with my school’s strategic goals and also possibly the achievement challenges identified by our Kahui Āko - hopeful that anything I do will really add value to my community and context. One possible avenue for exploration is wellbeing and its impact on student achievement. This has been identified both as an achievement challenge in the Kahui Āko as well as a priority in my school’s charter. Still thinking though on this one and I’m sure it will become clearer as this year progresses.
I plan (hope!) to reflect regularly on this journey, updating this blog as I do so. The artefacts of my learning will be curated in my e-portfolio on google sites.
No comments:
Post a Comment