July
2008
Individual Reflection – Week 20
Coming from a teaching background I am very familiar with the terms teacher-centered and student-centered classrooms. In a teacher-centered classroom the focus is on the instructor, the teacher talks and the students listen. The instructor chooses the topics and the teacher does all of the evaluation of student learning. In a student-centered classroom, the focus is on both the teacher and student. The students interact with the teacher and work in groups to solve problems. Students have some control over their learning and are able to evaluate that learning with the assistance of the teacher. I apply the same format to transformational leadership. I would define transformational leadership as the elimination of top down management. The leader does not make all of the decisions by themselves. They create an environment where teamwork is appreciated. It is an environment where everyone has something to bring to the table. We are moving from a leader-centered school to a community-centered one.
Fullan states that teachers need “to be reminded that they are connected to a larger purpose and to others who are struggling to make progress.” A transformational leader makes sure their staff is reminded of this everyday. They do this by “creating a setting where inquiry is normal and the conditions of the workplace support continuous, collegial inquiry,” as stated by Joyce and Calhoun. I believe that when teachers and the community know they are part of the school’s vision they will be more invested in seeing the school succeed. When you reculture a school to a learner(student)-centered one, all stakeholders get to share in the successes as well as the failures. I believe when all of these things are in place you will have a staff and community that is more invested in making the school the best that it can be. You will have a staff that will be more willing to implement new ideas because they suggested them.
A leader that employs transformational leadership will have great success with technology integration. Technology is an area that is often mandated by someone with no implementation plan. There are several things that a transformational leader can do to assist with technology integration. The first that comes to mind is to have a school technology plan that is written by a committee of teachers, staff, parents and depending on the level students. A leader can also form teacher work teams that center on technology integration. Burrello states “teachers of all types organized into teams that take responsibility for all student learning.” In this case the students are each other. The leader can also bring in some district support by tapping into the many resources the district provides. These resources can be money for conferences, materials or bringing in a district level specialist for professional development.
