Leading in a Time of Change The highs and lows of being a new leader

WANTED A miracle worker who can do more with less, pacify rival groups, endure chronic second-guessing, tolerate low levels of support, process large volumes of paper and work double shifts (75 nights a year out). He or she will have carte blanche to innovate, but cannot spend much money, preplace any personnel or upset any constituency (R. Evans, Education Week, 12 April 1995)

Key Components  Leading diverse teams: collaboration and delegation  Membership in other teams: challenging the status quo and supporting whole school change  Implementing a new syllabus: a planned approach  21stC fluencies: focus on student engagement and improvement

Who are you?

About Me… My Journey, so far  English Coordinator, Xavier College, Llandilo  Year Coordinator for 10 Years  2014 Leader of Learning, Xavier College 

What the “experts” say  “change is all around us. The need for individuals and organisations to engage in continuous adaptation, enhancement and innovation is on going.” (Scott, G., Change Matters, 1999, Allen & Unwin, p.xi)  “The forces of change are already making themselves felt within countless classrooms…” (Hargreaves, A., “Rethinking Educational Change” in Fullan, M. The Challenge of School Change, p. 11)  “ the goal then is to get into the habit of experiencing and thinking about educational change processes as an overlapping series of dynamically complex phenomena” (Fullan, M. “The Complexity of the Change Process” in Fullan, M. The Challenge of School Change, p. 28)

What Alyssa says:  Change is inevitable. We deal with change everyday. As leaders it is part of our job to manage the impact of change on the people and systems we lead.  Change creates resistance. This is inevitable. It’s how we deal with it that matters.

Leading diverse teams: collaboration and delegation  High expectations: high support  Present a clear vision of your educational philosophy and what you want to achieve based on the data.  Lead by example.  Maintain pedagogical discussions based on student learning improvement.  Know the strengths of the members of your team and play to them.  Work together.  Don’t be afraid to delegate

MY KEY LEARNINGS

ONE: Play to your Strengths  Mine: Building relationship Vision/Creativity Curriculum o Yours?

TWO: Be A Leader of People  We lead people. Although our business is teaching children and student improvement, our first port of call is developing quality teachers.  Geoff Masters, Teaching and Learning School Improvement Framework Teach-and-learn-no-crop.pdf Teach-and-learn-no-crop.pdf  No. 5 An Expert Teaching Team

THREE: A Listener be  Listen…  Discern  Act

FOUR: Give a Voice  To your team  The power of collaboration, and combined experience and practice  Consolidate the professional talents of your team: Play to their strengths  Link to Karen’s Address

FIVE: Hold Fast  Own your space  Know your goal  To thy own self be true  Be proactive  Compromise

SIX: Be a Learner  Emulate the qualities and practices you want to see in your teachers and students  Find ways to continually develop yourself: make the time.

Leadership Qualities  What qualities do you admire in your leader(s)?  What would you emulate?  What qualities do you dislike or find aberrant to good leadership?  We learn from challenges than success  My story…

Being a Member of the Middle Management Team  Collaboration and support  Speak up – part of your role is to challenge the status quo, where applicable  When challenging an existing practice always offer an alternative

Approaches to Implementing the New Syllabus  Spend time with your team exploring the document.  Use this as an opportunity to evaluate existing practices and programmes  Don’t reinvent the wheel.  Delegate. Share the programming load.  Focus on improving student learning  Start backwards

A focus on Student Improvement 21 st Century Fluencies

 “Today, it's essential that all of our students have a wide range of skills beyond those that were needed in the 20th century, a range that includes the skills needed to function within a rapidly changing society. These skills are not about technological prowess. The essential 21st Century Fluencies are not about hardware, they are about headware! Critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, innovation, and so much more.” Lee Crockett,

Take-Outs: tips  To thine own self be true.  Have a vision - know where you want to go and own it!  Walk your talk.  It’s okay to cry.