Title Duration Description Leadership: A Current View

Transcription

1 Leaders in Educational Thought Michael Fullan Title Duration Description Leadership: A Current View 2:47 Michael Fullan discusses the benefits and challenges of being a leader in education today. The Growth Mindset 2:15 Successful leaders regard errors as opportunities for growth. Wrong drivers at the policy level represent the maintenance of policies that do not get the desired results. Consequently, educational leaders are working diligently to select the right drivers for change. Teamness 3:13 Building social capital involves mentorship between experienced and novice educators. This teamness requires leaders to support, facilitate, and maintain collaborative relationships across schools. This represents large-scale cultural change at the school, board, and district levels. Leadership Qualities 4:13 Leaders build social capital within their teams. They model lifelong learning, personal persistence, and resilience. Transparency 2:00 Establishing transparency of practice and transparency of results effectively monitors what is and is not positively impacting upon student achievement.

2 Current Practice 2:10 Positive changes evident in Ontario schools include: deprivatization of practice; teachers and students engaged in inquiry and reflection as co-learners; teacher and student metacognition; and students taking ownership of their own learning. Innovative Pedagogy 1:33 Next steps include innovative pedagogy in the service of all students developing their critical literacy. The Digital Dimension 4:20 The digital dimension of pedagogy requires teachers and students to engage as innovative co-learners. Top Performing Schools 11:04 Drawing on global research, Michael Fullan shares specific details of what top performing educational systems do to achieve results. Theory of Action 5:50 Michael Fullan describes seven concepts that make up the Theory of Action. These concepts are (1) Capacity Building Focused on Results, (2) Learning in Context, (3) Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), (4) Lateral Capacity Building, (5) Deprivatization Precision, (6) System Identity, and (7) Transparency.

3 Insights that Lead to Action and Improvement 12:40 Michael Fullan discusses the action oriented change insights, highlighting six interactive insights that facilitate action in schools. These insights result in concrete improvements. These six insights are (1) the need to develop a shared vision, (2) impressive planning does not necessary mean quality education, (3) behaviour changes before beliefs, (4) the implementation dip is a bumpy road that needs to be discussed in the open, (5) having a clear vision of change can be paralyzing, and (6) adaptive challenges are difficult but necessary for change. Self-Assessment 1:28 Michael Fullan suggests the need to participate in positive pressure as a self-assessment strategy for schools. Fullan s threepronged approach includes (1) comparing our schools to ourselves (e.g., assessing where we began as compared to where we are now), (2) comparing our schools with other similar schools and/ or districts, and (3) comparing our schools to an absolute and/ or external standard.

4 Principalship 3:00 Michael Fullan reports that there is international consensus on the important role played by principals in creating successful schools. Fullan explains that in spite of working within increasingly bureaucratic systems, principals cannot focus solely on managing their schools at the expense of ensuring that quality teaching and learning opportunities are being facilitated in their schools. Targets 3:25 Setting targets, though useful, can be problematic if not jointly set between schools and districts. Michael Fullan explores what jointly set targets look like, considering how school-based targets can work in tandem with school board or district targets. Aspirational targets are key to creating successful teaching and learning environments. Leadership in Ontario Schools 10:27 Michael Fullan explains that authentic leadership requires transparency, true partnerships between schools and school districts, and developing leadership among tri-level linkages (i.e., between schools and the communities, districts and the province). Taking seriously critiques from resisters helps with ongoing selfassessment and the creation of sustainable change in education, and assists in readying ourselves for future change.

5 Learning Is the Work 8:07 Michael Fullan explains that the Learning is the Work concept involves exploring what happens on a dayto-day basis in schools in between workshops and professional development sessions. Although this work is more difficult, Fullan explains that numerous benefits arise from Learning is the Work, including reenergizing the profession and supporting increased student engagement. Learning is the Work leads to natural, sustainable change in schools. Change 1:40 Michael Fullan explores the fear of change. He advises that it is important to go through the entire process of confronting our fears to get good results (i.e., getting the fear out of the open, creating and providing non-risk atmospheres, and working through small doses of the new environment). Once this process is completed, people are able to see the possibilities of success, and, as a consequence, are willing to take more risks. Trust 2:18 Michael Fullan discusses transparency as a method to develop trust among all educational stakeholders. Fullan explains that trust can only be fostered through behaviours, and that trust, along with transparency, is the single biggest condition for success.

6 Building Relationships of Collaboration 1:39 Michael Fullan discusses current gains at building collaborative relationships among teachers, schools, and school districts. Sustained lateral dialogues about success stories create great power and momentum for positive change. Six Secrets 2:27 Michael Fullan discusses his new book, Six Secrets of Change. Fullan highlights key points from the book, emphasizing that these secrets come directly from successful classroom practices rather than from theory. Networks 1:10 Michael Fullan argues that networks alone will not produce results. Successful networks must be both purposeful and well-led to be effective. Next Steps 1:42 Michael Fullan emphasizes that leadership at all three levels of education (i.e., at the school and community, district, and state levels) is crucial for success. Due to its complicated nature, concrete examples of good leadership must be captured and shared; using new media greatly facilitates this sharing.