Teachers, Writers, Leaders

Lieberman and Friedrich capture the essence teacher leaders.  Much has been written about leadership, defining, what it takes to be a leader, lead a company, a project, a group; yet leadership in education is different.  The authors proclaim that teacher leaders are the key to school reform.  If this is truly the case, and I believe it is, then it would be a wise undertaking to understand what it takes to be an effective teacher leader.

Leadership among teachers is well defined and credit for school reform falls squarely in the laps of the teachers who establish those roles.  However, the intricate details of how teachers take on these roles is something that needs more attention.  The National Writing Project studies many aspects of teaching and learning.  Included in their research was a close look at teacher leadership.  They explored whether participation in the NWP Summer Institute along with guided exploration of leadership opportunities enabled them to lead in different ways.

Participation in the Summer Institute is often the first time teachers engage in learning within a collaborative context.  The structure of the NWP SI model enables teachers to reflect, honor their own knowledge, practice their skills and explore creating ownership in learning through a community building experience.  The authors asked participants to explore their leadership through writing.

It is risky to take a stand, sometimes outside of what is considered “normal” or “traditional” in your school environment.  Paul Epstein, a participant in the study, says, “It is one thing to stand up in front of strangers…and ask teachers to try something they’ve never have tried…It is quite another thing to get up in front of your coworkers and tell them they should teach differently.”

Building community is a central belief of the National Writing Project.  Teachers in this study agreed that relationships and collaboration were important factors in their ability to lead.  It is important for teacher leaders to create a forum for teachers to come together in collaboration.

Key Quotes:

Even claiming the identity as a teacher leader seemed to carry an element of risk.  (p. 2)

“When the group redefined leadership as making a commitment to students, taking responsibility for contributing beyond one’s own classroom and working collaboratively, teacher showed greater comfort in claiming the mantle of leadership.” (p. 2)

Learning from others is a powerful way to expand your teaching skills.  It is when we open up our minds to all that there is to know that we are given opportunities to learn and grow.  Seglem makes it clear that this experience alone was not entirely responsible for her success, her hard work, determination and intelligence had a great deal to do with it, but the confidence and courage she garnered from working within this community made it possible for her to expand her learning and reach out for new and different avenues in education.  The National Writing Project’s model recognized the expertise teachers bring to the table during professional development activities.  Typical models of PD in the schools often are structured in an expert-learner way where the person presenting the PD is the expert and those in the audience are learning.  The NWP model not only recognizes the importance of teachers as experts, the SI model encourages and facilitates the teacher-as-expert role and understands the importance of teachers recognizing these traits within themselves.

Seglem’s reference to an “eclectic group” is another key component of the NWP model.  Many times during a typical PD event, schools are organized and divided up by grade level, subject area and so forth.  The cross curricular, K-12 cross section of teachers creates a dynamic learning environment. So many times lessons presented at one grade level lead to discussions of how they can be tweaked and altered to fit into another; same goes for curricular areas.  By opening up learning to include a variety of discourse, we allow ourselves to pause and reflect on our own teaching in new and different ways.

Key Quotes:

Many experts in PD point out–the most successful professional development is sustained over time.  (Grossman, Wineburg and Woolworth, 2001; Lieberman and Miller, 1999)

The possibilities for individual teacher learning increase greatly as professional communities move from individualistic or “balkanized” cultures to “collaborative cultures” and towards what can be described as “learning communities”.
Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin, 1999, p. 381

Teacher Learning that Supports Student Learning, Darling-Hammond

In her article, Lieberman highlights the power of teacher learning networks, reminding us about the energy that is created when a group of committed, trusting, and collaborative individuals are focused on common goals.  She proclaims that the National Writing Project “is perhaps the most successful national teacher network”.

NWP sites repeat, summer after summer, an experience for teachers that promotes continuous teacher learning, the development of self-confidence, and an feeling of belonging through the establishment of community.  Lieberman outlines the ability of NWP to be sensitive to diversity, understanding the differences between urban, rural and suburban schools and the networks’ ability to “both build and sustain the concept of community”.

The continuity factor that is so deeply ingrained in the model of the National Writing Project is an important component in the development of teacher leaders within the field of education.  The connections formed within the network provide opportunity for ongoing, sustained professional development which engage teachers in the process of improving programs and practices.
Quotes I like:

p. 222
Professional community meant that teachers pursued a clear and shared purpose for all student learning, engaged in collaborative activity to achieve that purpose and took collective responsibility for their students’ learning.

p. 222
began to see that teachers who took risks and were continually inventing ways of working with their students were, at the same time developing a positive learning community with their peers and creating norms of openness and colleagueship.

p.222
They were rethinking change, engaging students and sharing what they were doing with each other as well as supporting each other in their learning.

p. 222
Networks have become a significant force for teacher development and school change.

p. 223
Keeping  a balance between inside knowledge (the experiential knowledge of teachers) and outside knowledge (knowledge created by research and conceptualization is a hallmark of successful collaboratives.

p. 224
Teachers come to feel that they belong to a community that cares for them as people and as colleagues and that shares their passionate concerns for the success of their students.

p. 225
It was apparent from our observations and interviews that the support teachers had found and continued to enjoy int he NWP had renewed their excitement about teaching, contributing significantly to their connection to their students and to their effectiveness as classroom teachers.

p. 226
The failure of traditional professional development for teachers has been well documented (Little, 1993) Teachers have been considered as passive receivers of prescriptive programs, given little time or incentive to integrate these new programs into their classroom practice.  Networks, in contrast, involve their members in a variety of activities that reflect the purposes and changing needs of their participants.

p. 226
Teachers become members of a community where they are valued as partners and colleagues, participants in an ongoing effort to better the learning process for themselves and their students.