Leadership Style

 Based on the personalized professional learning survey, the district I am working with scores low to average in collaborative leadership, personalized student learning, robust infrastructure, and personalized professional learning. This may be due to focus on other fundamental needs the district, administrators, and teachers feel are more pressing. Nonetheless, recognition of the importance of these elements seems vital to moving the district forward, whether or not they are achievable in the immediate future.

My own leadership style is developing in at least one important way. I am communicating with the teacher I am working with in a way that draws out their own strengths and knowledge as an experienced teacher toward implementing student-centered learning. For example, I am interested in developing a training package in which the teachers are themselves experiencing the technology as a student and emphasizing a personalized plan of action based on how they view the benefits of the tool. In this way, teachers are encouraged to take risks, since they play a significant role in developing the methods in which technology can be used, and they are applying it in a way that will fit with their specific environment.

One element of my leadership style that I would like to adjust is developing a better understanding of the vision of the school and of individual teachers and what is realistic. One way of doing this is to encourage teachers to share what they want and need. I think this would allow me to focus more on the strengths of the school and teachers in a way that would help to further develop innovative approaches.

One strength of my leadership style is my understanding that educators need the opportunity to explore in areas in which they are proficient and rely on their strengths. I think this helps to foster an environment where teachers feel empowered and can make meaningful contributions.