Dr. Peter Senge Presentation

Below is a presentation on Dr. Peter M. Senge’s concept of the learning organization and the the fifth discipline. It includes information on the theory’s implications for school administrators and it’s impact on the use of technology in the teaching and learning process. Finally, some criticisms of the theory are discussed.

Transformational Leadership

The term transformational leadership may sound like a person coming in with edicts and ideas to radically change or transform a broken organization. This is not the case; in fact almost the opposite is true. Transformational leaders are those who shun the “top down/linear” approach to management and embrace a more collaborative approach. The administrator takes on the role of facilitator, rather than “the boss with all the answers”. In a transformational leader model, stakeholders take ownership of and support the vision they had a hand in creating. A transformational leader looks at their organization as one that is strongest when all members work together toward a shared vision.

Transformational leadership concepts impact the way an administrator leads a school. Relationships with all stakeholders are key to the success of this model. The vision should be created with input from all and written so as to be attainable and without expectation of perfection. Keeping students as the focus when creating goals and a vision will contribute to the establishment of positive relationships between administration, parents, teachers, and students. An overall culture of interdependency, collaboration, and lifelong learning should be established. The creation of class schedules should allow time for collaboration among teachers during the regular school day. Activities need to be planned to scaffold progress toward the vision for teachers. Transformational leaders will understand that meaningful change takes time. Any progress toward a shared vision should be recognized. The administrator acts as the lead facilitator and advocate for continual improvement as well as the head cheerleader for communicating progress to the community. It is also important for the administrator to seek out the silent dissenters, listen to their concerns and ideas, and help to bring them along with the vision.

Transformational leadership tenets can be useful for administrators when integrating technology with instruction is the goal. “We taught all these years without using technology and we’ve been doing fine.”  “My students are using the Internet to research and type their reports. What more do I need to do?” These are familiar statements made by teachers when the subject of technology integration is discussed. Veteran teachers often feel threatened by the notion that they need to change what they have been doing for years, not to mention that the thought of increasing their use of technology can make them feel vulnerable and embarrassed by their level of expertise. Transformational leadership can be of benefit in these situations. Devising attainable goals with ample time for training, collaboration, and mentoring are benchmarks toward a successful technology integration model. It is difficult for teachers to embrace a vision that states: All classrooms will be 21st century classrooms or something similar. What exactly does this mean? How will we know when it has been achieved? A technology integration goal teachers are more likely to embrace might be: Students will use technology to improve their writing by using collaborative tools and publishing for a worldwide audience. This statement gives specific ideas focused on one area, writing, and is student-focused. It may also help to point out how the use of Web 2.0 tools can increase student engagement, increase teacher productivity, etc. The means to accomplish this may be unclear to some teachers, but through collaboration with colleagues, job-embedded professional development, opportunities to observe the practice of others and time to reflect on their progress, all teachers will make progress toward the achievement of this goal. In a transformative leader model, the idea of teacher as learner is important. Teachers should be striving to learn and grow in their pedagogy; it is just part of the culture. Knowing that perfection is not expected, teachers can grow and learn at their own pace toward achieving the school vision or a technology integration goal.

image credit: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/puzzle1.html

Intial Reflections on JHU Core Beliefs

These are my initial reflections on the Johns Hopkins University Department of Teacher Development and Leadership, Administrative, and Supervisory Programs Core Beliefs:

1. Effective school administrators use technology to manage and promote student learning.

As the instructional leaders of the school, administrators should model the use of technology and champion its use as an essential part of the teaching and learning process. Administrators must be able to guide teachers in the use of technology to promote student achievement. Technology can break down barriers for students with disabilities or learning styles that may not be easily engaged in a more traditional classroom. Technology provides students and teachers with the opportunity for collaboration outside of the classroom walls. It increases student engagement and can offer students a safe environment to take risks. Using technology to collect, manage and understand data is an effective way to plan for differentitation. District leaders should support and encourage innovative uses of technology.

2. Effective school administrators evaluate and appreciate diversity.

Diversity is apparent in all schools among both the staff and the student population. Administrators need to ensure that all members of the school community feel valued and understood. They must be accountable for addressing any kinds of sterotyping or insensitivity to diversity in a timely fashion and problem-solve how to move the organization in a more positive direction. This may necessitate the need for the presentation of information or require program changes.

3. Effective school administrators use assessment data to inform practice.

Assessment data provides quantitative information about students that can be very useful to teachers to inform instruction. Adminstrators need to assist teachers in understanding and interpreting this data. Teachers will also benefit from information about data collection methods, like action research, that can be conducted within the classroom. Additionally, administrators must understand that data scores do not provide a complete picture of what a child knows and is able to do. It is the role of the administrator to help teachers look at their students holistically, and not just as a set of scores. This mindset will best serve each student’s individual needs.

4. Effective school administrators consult research to guide their practice.

Maintaining an awareness of educational research findings is a critical practice for school administrators. Educational research is a benchmark of what is, and is not, best practice in schools today. Research should be reviewed prior to any reform, change, or significant revision to curricula. An effective adminstrator will encourage teachers to explore action research projects within their classrooms to explore strategies and programs that may be of benefit to their students.

5. Effective administrators use varied strategies and models to lead educational institutions.

Much like the concept of differentiation for students, administrators who use varied strategies and models to lead will best meets the needs of all the district stakeholders: parents, community members, students, teachers, and staff. There is no single strategy or model that will fit for all situations. Effective administrators should have a repertoire of successful strategies and models and a sound understanding of which will best fit a given circumstance. Additonally, an effective administrator will recognize when a strategy or model is not working successfully and have the wisdom and resources to make adjustments to move his educational institution forward.

6. Effective school administrators articulate policy and have broad knowledge of systems which impact education.

As an instructional leader for a school or a district, administrators are the leaders with respect to school law, board of education policy, and other systems which may impact education. It is the responsibility of the administration to carry out these policies and laws and to see that teachers and staff are in adherence as well. They must see to it that teachers and staff are informed of and understand policies and laws for which they will be held accountable. Adminstrators must know when action should be taken or when further information is needed. It is not an expectation that adminstrators have all policies committed to memory, but a broad knowledge is crucial.

Effective Technology Leaders

Happy Leadership Day 2009! As I watched my twitterfeed today, I noticed the hashtag #leadershipday09. After a little investigating, I learned that Leadership Day was started by Scott McLeod in 2007. The idea behind this day is for bloggers to craft posts to assist their (or any) adminstrator with the idea of being a leader with regard to educational technology. As Dr. McLeod says,

Administrators’ lack of knowledge is not entirely their fault. Most of them didn’t grow up with these technologies. Many are not using digital tools on a regular basis. Few have received training from their employers or their university preparation programs on how to use, think about, or be a leader regarding digital technologies.

There are a list of prompts on Dr. McLeod’s blog entry for this year’s Leadership Day. I have chosen this one:

Do administrators have to be technology-savvy themselves in order to be effective technology leaders in their organizations?

This prompt is particularly meaningful to me due to the fact that I have recently begun an administration and supervision program through Johns Hopkins University in partnership with ISTE, so I have been thinking about the link between adminstration and leadership with educational technology.

To be an effective administrator and technology leader in the 21st Century, one must:

• understand technology is a critical piece to teaching and learning
• support and expect the use of technology in their schools
• recognize and understand the difference between effective and ineffective uses of technology in the classroom
• provide professional development opportunities for district staff (including themselves) to learn more about effective use of technology in schools
• budget and plan for the replacement of technology equipment
• surround him/herself with tech-savvy staff
• hire technology staff to manage and maintain the district/school infrastructure
• stipulate accountability for teachers to use technology both personally and with their students
• communicate the district vision of the use of technology in the teaching and learning process
• develop a community of learners to foster continued learning with technology

I think administrators can be effective technology leaders without blogging, podcasting, or even having a twitter account. What is important is for administrators to understand the potential and power of these tools and value their use for students and teachers.

Crossposted at Edtechapalooza