Trait Theory of Leadership

How relevant is the trait theory to your workplace?

When I was reading this article, it made me think of the IB Learner Profile and transdisciplinary skills to some degree. The learner profile attributes are ten qualities as teachers we try to instil in our students to help them be successful beyond our school. It is difficult to measure these attributes (How do you measuring caring vs very caring vs exceptionally caring objectively?).  

In the workplace, qualities are used as identifiers in appraisals and are outlined in job descriptions. Again though, it can be difficult to objectively measure and provide evidence for any of these qualities except for observations, anecdotes and perhaps comparisons between people. Often a person with certain characteristics is encouraged to apply for certain jobs. However, while the person may have certain qualities, they still have to use them effectively in the given context to hold any value for the organisation. It is also important to remember that with subjectivity can come different perspectives. A strong driven leader may also be seen as too pushy with their agendas

Strengths of Trait Theory of Leadership

• Exists due to characteristics people want in their ‘heros’ p 13
• Quick way to identify potential ‘good leaders’
• Highlights ‘idealistic’ characteristics people want in leaders

Weaknesses of Trait Theory of Leadership

• Good leadership not based on physical traits (age, height, weight, appearance) p. 11
• Doesn’t take into account social context (good in one context, not the other) p 11
• Separates people into ‘leaders’ and ‘non-leaders’ through subjective judgements  p.12
• Over simplistic and doesn’t take into account all factors of what makes a good leader p 13
• Low correlation between good leadership and characteristics (and some contradicting)

Does your nation or province have a framework which lists the capabilities or competencies of educational leadership?

Working in an international private school in Singapore, I am not aware of a framework of capabilities or competencies of educational leadership. It has been interesting to read about the  Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in others’ blogs.

References

Watkins, P. (1986). The trait approach. In A critical review of leadership concepts and research: The implications for educational administration (pp. 11-13, 21-25, 28),

Heroic Masculinist Notion of Leadership

While I believe that non-white male leaders are becoming more prevalent, there is still a lack of equality. As a female in the international teaching setting in Asia, it is very rare to find female heads of school or even female Heads of Secondary/Primary. In my current organisation, our senior leadership team consists of 5 administrators (head of schools, head of secondary, head of primary, head of student services and director of education technology). Of those five, only the head of student services is female.

It is also challenging in Asian countries with the stereotypes of our parent community expecting a male to be the dominant leaders in the schools. I have been in many meetings where a parent from an Asian country continuously looks to my male counterpart to answer, even when I have already provided him with the answer. There is definitely a need to break down gender stereotypes and support equality.

As a female aspiring to be in leadership, it is difficult to find female leaders and mentors to look up. It can be frustrating with education being a profession with a higher percentage of female educators, and yet, so few females reach the top of the leadership chain. I’ve recently received a copy of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and am looking forward to hearing her perspective on this topic.

Southwell & Social Construction

• What does Southworth mean by 'social construction'?

Social constructivism is the idea that our understanding of the world is based on the shared ideas, concepts and expectations created through the interactions with others.  Vygotsky has been a key theorist of social constructivism.

Socially constructed views of educational leadership change based on culture, history and context(Southworth, 2000). It is based on the current beliefs of educational leadership and what ‘good’ educational leadership is. This has continuously changed over time from where the role was more of a managerial role to now focused on more inspirational leadership while still requiring aspects of educational leaders as managers. Southworth suggests that social construction is the assumed norms, though we may not always be conscious of them.

What might be some of the 'deeper structural beliefs' to which Southworth is alluding? Some of the ‘deeper structural beliefs to which Southworth is alluding to might be the traditional forms of leadership. This may include the idea what white males have traditional occupied leadership roles in most settings. Race, gender and religion (as well as many other cultural and social contexts) have impacted the what is considered ‘good leadership’ through the passing of accepted norms throughout generations. It is often difficult (or at least an uphill battle) to redefine the socially constructed norms into more equitable expectations and understandings. References

Southworth, G. (2000). School leadership in English schools at the close of the 20th Century: Puzzles, problems and cultural insights, Paper presented at the meeting of the American Education Research Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Education Leadership

• What is leadership and educational leadership, in particular?

Leadership is moving a group of people in a particular direction. Educational leadership is leadership in a school setting. There are many different leadership styles, some more effective than others, depending on the context and individuals you are leading.

• What is the purpose of educational leadership?

The purpose of educational leadership is to support the school community and stakeholders in living and breathing the mission and vision statement of teh school. This includes visionary leadership, strategic planning, professional growth of staff, school growth, meeting individual student needs and developing a cohesive community.

• Where do we gain our knowledge and ideas about both educational leadership and leadership in general?

The best and worst examples of educational leadership is gained through experience. Through various roles, I have encountered leaders that inspire me or frustrate me with their decision making. I admire leadership in many different arenas especially in the school setting with teachers, students and administrators. Through this masters, I hope I gain more theoretical knowledge about leadership that will help me develop my own leadership skills.

• List some  big questions that you have about educational leadership that you would like to examine in this subject.

• What do I need to develop personally to move into more senior education leadership roles?
• How might I enhance my current leadership abilities?
• How might leaders change their leadership styles in given situations?
• How might educational leadership differ for females?

Comparing Challenges and Issues of Educational Leadership Past and Present

My name is Emily MacLean and I am an Education Technology Coach at an international school in Singapore. Working at a private school gives me a very different perspective on schooling and leadership compared to growing up in a public school board. I am doing this course as part of my Masters of Education (Information Technologies) as my role provides me with a unique leadership position where I am not responsible for any teachers but yet responsible for supporting all teachers in their use of technology in the classroom.

• What do you think may have been the demands, key issues and dilemmas facing educational leaders/managers when you were attending school?
• Finances for resources
• Equality
• Parent expectations of their children
• Political pressures for curriculum, class sizes etc.
• Delivering content
• Teacher -centred approach
• Limited support for students with learning needs and special education students
• Accountability
• Reflect upon the current professional setting in which you are working and note down the demands, key issues and dilemmas facing yourself as a leader/administrator. Alternatively, if you are aspiring to leadership/management, list the demands, key issues and dilemmas facing leaders/administrators in your workplace
• Parents as stakeholders (private school setting) - expectations and demands
• Time (in general)
• Professional Development for teachers - Staying current with teaching practice
• Teacher shortage ( in public domains, international schools not facing this issue); Finding highly qualified staff
• Continually upgraded technology resources (finances)
• Technology integration
• Diversity
• Developing learning environments - flexible learning, finances
• Developing skills not content
• Student-centered approach - diverse needs, individualised
• Strategic planning - forward thinking, backwards by design
• Accountability - use of data driving instruction
• School vision
• Changing teaching roles to more of facilitators
• Inquiry learning
• Competing with other private schools for enrollment
• Are there areas that you have listed that are the same on the two lists? What areas/issues/dilemmas have you listed that are different?
• Budgeting and finances - resources, staffing, operational needs
• Teacher professional development
• Student behavior
• Parent expectations- change in parent expectations from student to expectations of the school
• Accountability - although changes to who school is accountable to
• Staying current trends
• Time

• Reflect: What key events have occurred in the world and in our lives which may have led to these differences?
• Some of the biggest changes have been due to the advances in technology. Technology has become more readily available and more affordable. Students have technology at home and now it’s been brought into the educational setting. This changes the learning environment by extending it beyond the classroom and also impacts how teachers must teach. Teachers are now facilitators in the learning environment supporting and co-creating with their students. No longer must teachers be the sole expert but one of many in the classroom. Teachers require more professional development as the educational setting continues to evolve in order to stay current.
• Research is becoming more prominent and more available to educators. Many teachers are becoming researchers themselves as they document their action research. Because of the increase in educational research, educators must continue to stay current by reading up on best practice and again, ensure they are receiving professional development to help them put this learning into their classroom.
• For many countries (like my home country of Canada), there have been changes in the government since I was in school. With the changes of political parties, there is changes to funding, teacher expectation, policies and even curriculum. This continues to be an area that educators have to be aware of to ensure they are aware of the changes as they occur.

Module 1: Designs for Social Learning

As I worked through the rubric identifying where I believed myself and the international school that I work at falls on, I was pleasantly surprised.

My shading fell under ‘more recent times’ and/or ‘new learning’ with blurred lines often between the two. I believe in empowering our students to learn what they want, where they want and when they want to. This is changing the institutional locations fo learning. Whether it’s students inquiring into their personal interests at home or in the community or supporting a younger student develop their learning of a topic, the four walls of the classroom are no longer stuck in place. Rather we have a global classroom at our fingertips as we can connect with other learners and experts from around the globe.

I am fortunate to work at a school with a plentiful amount of technology, allowing the tools for learning to be under ‘new learning’. What is most important now, is that we are asking the hard questions about what is happening with these technologies. It is not enough to just have them anymore. How we are using these devices for education and personalisation of learning environments is becoming more and more under the microscope.

I strongly believe students should have agency in their education. To see ‘new learning’ shaded for the balance of agency was not a surprise. Working in an inquiry school encourages our students to ask their own questions and seek answers to solve them. Students often take action through their inquiries and teachers are merely the facilitators of this learning. The responsibility of teachers is changing as they become one of many learners and experts in the classroom.

Module 1: Future of Learning Reflection

It was interesting watching Future of Teaching which was created in 2011 and comparing it to how today’s role of the teacher is. I believe that he is correct in saying that we need to use the tools we have to teach students more effectively. In our Early Years classroom, we have a set of 5 iPads per class and 4 iMacs. On almost a weekly basis, I hear one teacher saying that she needs more in order to do her job. But instead of asking for more, we should be looking at how we can use what we have and leverage this technology to benefit our students and facilitate learning. In the Early Years classrooms, students should have time for play-based learning, exploring and inquiring in the world around them. If every child had an iPad, it would be tempting to glue them all to them. In addition, with  the current iPads, how can we use them most effectively? Are we having students simply play drill and kill games? Or are we nurturing higher-order thinking through application and creation?

Personalised learning environments is something I am very passionate about and often use technology to facilitate this. By providing students choice and voice in how their learn content and demonstrate their understanding of it, they gain a deeper understanding of the content.