1. Critically reflect on your learning journey so far in digital and collaborative teaching and learning (What?)
I began this journey to improve my eLearning skills and gain more knowledge on digital technology. My Kura, along with myself, were in the emerging stage of the eLearning framework. I noticed from the framework that my school was not working in partnerships with the community, whanau, and networks to reflect and plan (MOE, d.u) and digital technology is used to supplement teacher-directed tasks. My class had only a small amount of interaction with Chromebooks at a substitution level in terms of the SAMR Model. I knew that as a teacher, I needed to do more quality learning with digital tools. This led me to join the Mindlab program.
At the beginning of my learning journey, I listed all the things I wanted to accomplish with the Mindlab program, so far I have learned that in my classroom my students needed more development in collaboration. In the real world, you are required to work in teams to work together to meet an end goal. My students weren’t doing this, they were cooperating, and they were able to work together in many different circumstances but they were not really collaborating. When looking at the collaboration rubric from the ITL Research(2012) Collaboration rubric, my students were only doing number 2, working together but they don’t have shared responsibility.
As I joined more Mindlab sessions, I began to gain more knowledge on how to be more collaborative in class. My students are now collaborating and collectively completing tasks together. They understand everyone collaboration helps people interact with one another in order to achieve a specific goal or develop an end product (Panitz, 1999). Using scratch enabled my students to share each other's knowledge and ideas. By doing it together, everybody learned and had a better understanding of the process and arrived at the outcome for their thinking. Not only was this a success but it showed me the real benefits of collaboration:
Greater engagement
Development of shared understanding
A deeper understanding of learning tasks
This enhanced my belief in collaboration.The Mindlab program involved new learning and some concepts I have heard about before were flipped learning, blended learning, and familiar digital technologies. Flipped learning resonated with me, especially when teaching during the pandemic lockdown. It was a beneficial approach during the lockdown, given in class lessons were impossible to provide. Flipped learning provided an opportunity for student agency and collaboration. Shifting the responsibility for learning to the student (Panitz, 1999). By fostering this approach students become more empowered to learn and encourage student engagement. I assigned work and provided resources and clips to students, providing students the opportunity to take their learning into their own hands. I now use this concept in class, assigning group tasks with materials and presentations that can be viewed with groups in rotations. This approach allowed students to be prepared for teaching sessions and have ideas and solutions for problems, this optimizes learning time during class.
At the beginning of the Mindlab program I understood my own teaching practice was far from perfect, I was a technology consumer rather than a creator. During the Mindlab session, I began to shift away from being a consumer and utilizing technology to create. My classroom is now using technology to create. We have created stories on book creators, and animations on scratch and have blogs. I could see the shift through the eLearning framework, the shift from the emerging stage to the empowering stage. Students are getting equipped to take part in society as informed citizens and developing broader technological knowledge (MOE, 2017).
As I joined the Mindlab sessions I found tools and time to observe and analyze my own teaching practice. I have made changes in my classroom to help students, and now have the 21st-century learning skills on the wall in my classroom.
Reference list
ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics. Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/GetTrained/ITL-Research
Ministry of Education (n.d.) E-Learning Planning Framework. Elearning.tki.org.nz
Ministry of Education. (2017). Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum. http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/content/download/167461/1235900/file/Technology%20in%20the%20New%20Zealand%20Curriculum%202017
Panitz, T. (1999). Collaborative versus Cooperative Learning: A Comparison of the Two Concepts Which Will Help Us Understand the Underlying Nature of Interactive Learning. ERIC. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED448443
2. Evaluate the links between leadership concepts and culturally intelligent innovations in education (What?)
Our school environment currently has four teachers as syndicate team leaders. I notice some leadership styles are different and more effective than others, and that certain leadership styles are more suitable and effective in terms of my personality and who I am as an educator. The following leadership concepts are the leadership styles mainly shown in our Kura. I will be discussing and evaluating three of the leadership concepts and how they affect me as a teacher.
Franciosi(2012, p.g 5) states that transformational leadership “emphasizes the quality of relationships between leader and follower through ethical role-modeling, motivation and care for individual needs”. Transformational leadership can be considered “the more flexible approach that serves to empower and guide rather than to control subordinates” We know from this that a transformational leader is more motivating and encouraging. This type of leadership style leads their followers to achieve their goals (Dai, Dai, Chen & Wu, 2013), a leader not only knows when to lead but also when to follow. This also aligns with Servant leadership.
In my workplace, transactional leadership is the style of leadership notably seen. Franciosi(2012) explains transactional leadership emphasizes a contractual relationship, between the leader and the follower based on extrinsic rewards and punishments. Burns(1978) outlined ideas on transactional leadership, leaders approach followers with a view of exchanging one thing for another. This type of leadership has seen teachers feel unvalued and ideas/thoughts unappreciated. Leadership that steers towards a transactional style works with their followers to gain results without being considerate of how they feel, this contributes to the point that transactional leadership building strong relationships is not essential. Followers of transactional leadership have a high level of commitment and are at risk of pain in order to achieve the results that are asked of them. I feel I have struggled under this type of leadership, this style of leadership has not benefited my learning journey.
My school is diverse, there are many staff members from all ethnicities. Cultural intelligence will help ensure that every leader and individual within an organization can thrive in culturally diverse settings, creating a more inclusive, innovative, and successful New Zealand(Chua, 2017). This is a clear pathway for learning, and adapting to another culture of leadership. A lack of culturally intelligent leadership can lead to problems such as inappropriate cultural expressions of traditional knowledge (Marketing Week, 2001). A culturally intelligent workplace can understand each other and interact more effectively. Cultural intelligence and transformational leadership are strong components in creating culturally intelligent leadership(Steinmann, 2020). Our workplace needs this type of leadership to grow, as it will help ensure learners develop and strengthen their capabilities for living and learning (MoE, 2014).
Reference list
Bowman, R. F, (2005). Teacher as Servant Leader. Clearing House: A Journal of Eduactional Strategie, Issues and Ideas, 78(6), 257.
Dai, Y. D., Dai, Y. Y., Chen, K. Y., & Wu, H. C. (2013). Transformational vs transactional leadership: which is better? A study on employees of international tourist hotels in Taipei City. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(5), 760–778. doi:10.1108/IJCHM-Dec-2011-0223
Franciosi, S. J. (2012). Transformational leadership for education in a digital culture. Digital Culture & Education, 4:2, 235-247.
Gotsis, G., & Grimani, K. (2016). The role of servant leadership in fostering inclusive organizations. Journal of Management Development, 35(8), 985–1010. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-07-2015-0095
Marketing Week. (2001). Lego draws up toys cultural code of conduct after Maori controversy. Marketing Week, 24(39), 8.
Ministry of Education. (2014). Leadership and the key competencies. Retrieved from https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Key-competencies/Tools/Leadership-and-the-key-competencies/Culture
Steinmann, M. (2020). Exploration of the contribution and limits of non-Māori leadership within Māori communities: a research thesis on cross cultural leadership and cultural intelligence. Master's thesis. Unitec Institute of Technology. https://www.researchbank.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10652/4948/MAP%20%28SP%29%202020%20Martin%20Steinmann%20%2b.pdf
3. Critically reflect on your own leadership and followership so far in the context of changing educational environments (So what?)
I am both a leader and a follower, moving back and forth along the continuum. Greenleaf suggests that we are on a continuum during our lifetime(Crippen, 2012), and I couldn’t agree more. We are constantly moving along this continuum and neither one nor the other is better(Crippen, 2012). Both leader and follower are equally important, and good followership creates good leadership. That is, without people who are willing to follow there would be no opportunity for anyone to exercise leadership (Katen, 2010). Hollander (1992) notes that "the role of follower can be seen as holding within its potential for both assessing and taking on leadership functions. In addition to directing activity, these include decision making, goal setting, communicating, adjudicating conflict, and otherwise maintaining the enterprise".
I have adopted more of a servant leadership model. According to Greenlaef(1977) the focus of servant leadership is on others rather than on self and an understanding of the role of the leader as a servant. I feel that my own personal beliefs and Samoan upbringing play a role also, to serve our elders, family, and community. Apulu(2010) says “You must always remember your position and ensure that you accept it in order to receive many great blessings from Aiga you must learn to see service as a blessing, not a burden." Service is important in the Polynesian community, to serve with absolute integrity and Alofa(Love). This helps build strong relationships, that is how leadership is built upon, connecting and relationships, "Tautua, service, is typically Samoan because it means providing service to others, family, religion, and society, without hope of reward. (Vaá, 2009)", service is the path to leadership. I am respectful and respectful of hierarchy, as a member of the Polynesian community I understand that we respect our elders and those who are more experienced than us, we know our place and will not overstep. As someone who understands this more than anything, I tend to focus on the feelings of others and listen to what they want and need. This is why I lean more toward the servant leadership model. Global Woman (2015) says you should “Build a relationship with individuals and your team before anything else '' building strong relationships is important, you will get more out of the team if you understand one another and be able to contribute to building the future. I agree with Global Woman (2015) “Pacific people connect with their hearts before we connect through our heads” which is why certain leadership styles are hard for me to follow.
Kelley (1998) identifies two ways that people follow, those that are independent critical thinkers and those that actively engage in creating positive energy for the organization. Based on his two dimensions, Kelly(1998) found five basic styles of followership, the fellowship style I lean more towards is the Yes-people. According to Kelly(1998) Yes-people are positive, always on the leader’s side, but still looking to the leader for the thinking, the direction, and the vision. If the leader asks them to do something, they’ve got the energy, and they’ll go forward with it. Before I started my Mindlab journey I was definitely a Yes-person, I saw it as being a team player and playing my part in our team's success. Now I understand that there are various types of fellowships, and have learned what an effective follower is. Pushing myself to challenge viewpoints and offer constructive alternatives this year, as I want to be an effective follower who makes their own independent evaluation, rather than agreeing because I should. I have now changed my mindset on followership and leadership through Kelly(1998) advice on how followers can be more effective by Redefining Followership and Leadership, Honing Followership Skills, Performance Evaluation and Feedback, and Organizational Structures That Encourage Followership.
I plan on using many concepts in how I lead. I hope to build stronger relationships, Global Women(2015) states “Provide your staff and team members the opportunity to celebrate and share their culture with others. This opportunity allows Pacific people to bring all of who they are into the workplace which in turn supports organizational development”. I feel that my cultural background will be beneficial when interacting and working with others. Spiller and Stockdale (2013) note that "Leaders can act as catalysts for transformation by helping others connect to themselves through relationships with nature, the spiritual domain, ancestors, culture, and people.". Adopting the Wayfinder leadership by Spiller, Barclay-Kerr, and Panoho (2015) will help me to go beyond what I know and journey on voyager sif discovery to new horizons. Wayfinding teaches us how we can increase our responsibility, and the ability to respond and avoid reactivity, especially in the face of great challenges(Spiller & Lindsey, 2016). The Wayfinder has a deep understanding of themselves, their crew, their waka, and the environment, this is what I hope to be achieve when leading a team.
Reference list
Apulu, M. T. J. (2010). Tautua faatamalii: Servant hood with absolute integrity, engaging with Samoan young people. Unpublished master’s thesis, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/2914
Crippen, C. (2012). The Importance of Followership in Schools: First, Teacher Awareness. EdCan Network. https://www.edcan.ca/articles/the-importance-of-followership-in-schools-first-teacher-awareness/
Global Women. (2015, September 2). Cultural Intelligence: Anne Fitisemanu from a Pacific perspective. https://www.globalwomen.org.nz/inclusive-cultures/cultural-intelligence-anne-fitisemanu-from-a-pacific-perspective/
Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The servant as leader. Robert K. Greenleaf Publishing Center.
Hollander, E.P. (1992). The Essential Interdependence of Leadership and Followership. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1(2),71-75. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=leadershipfacpubons.unl.edu
Katene, S. (2010). Modelling Māori leadership: What makes for good leadership. Mai Review, 2(2), 11-12. http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/mrindex/MR/article/view/334/477.html
Kelley, R. (1988, November). In Praise of Followers. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1988/11/in-praise-of-followers
Spiller, C., Barclay-Kerr, H., & Panoho, J. (2015). Wayfinding leadership: Ground-breaking wisdom for developing leaders. Huia Publishers
Spiller, M. M., & Lindsey, E. (2016). Good Vibrations: Mastering the Wayfinders’ Code for Leadership. International Leadership Association newsletter, (5), 15-18 https://wayfindingleadership.co.nz/page/132/articles-for-downloading
Vaá, U. L. (2009). Samoan custom and human rights: An indigenous view. Victoria U. Wellington L. Rev., 40, 237. https://ojs.victoria.ac.nz/vuwlr/article/download/5388/4715
4. Critically reflect on your potential to lead educational transformation based on the insights you have gained into digital and collaborative learning and leadership (Now what?)
In order for me to improve my teaching practice I will need to better understand pedagogical leadership. I have been a member of the same team for the last three years, and have yet to be exposed to pedagogical leadership. Abal (2016) says “Pedagogical leadership is about supporting teaching and learning. It includes instructional leadership - supporting classroom teachers in their key role of implementing the curriculum.” In order for me to better utilize the tools and information gained from the Mindlab program I must be more knowledgeable about the pedagogical approach. Leadership practices associated with pedagogical leadership are better predictors of student results (Robinson, Hohepa, Lloyd., 2009). Supporting teaching and learning, not only motivates teachers and encourages those to take responsibility for pedagogical issues. Pedagogical leadership is more important in an educational context. Pedagogical leadership is “a theory of educational leadership that is embedded in evidence about how to improve teaching and learning.” (p.72). According to Male & Palaiologou (2015, p. 226) “Pedagogical leadership is a praxis that goes beyond the practice within the immediate learning environment and the key focus is a threefold development of Interactions in the ecology of the community, activities with all participants and construction of knowledge using all available resources such as technology.”
With pedagogical leadership, teachers can truly optimize learning opportunities. Collaborative leadership is my next point of reflection. The ultimate goal where the Collaborative Leadership Growth Cycle is concerned is to choose an area in which leaders can be more collaborative at the end, as outlined in De Witt and Slade (2014). De Witt (2016) states “A collaborative leader is someone who uses evidence to meet stakeholders where they are, models how to do it, and motivates them to improve.” Being a team of five members, often, it is the members who collaborate and the team leader observes. De Witt's Collaborative Leadership Framework, it suggests leaders will use different types of leadership contexts, but they should always aim to be collaborators. In our team working together to co-construct goals and be driven by open communication and transparency will enable us to achieve better results. Using the Collaboration Leadership framework as a tool of reflection to study and understand how I might be goal-setting and leading.
Understanding that change is different for everyone is important. Osborne (2014) states if people have a lot of themselves invested in the old way of doing things, it’s understandable if they feel a sense of loss when that old way comes to an end. Change is difficult and it takes time to stop using time-honored strategies and approaches that have served the school well over the years. I know that within my team, some members are hesitant to change their ways, and value what they know. Change often leads to people feeling personally threatened because the skills and strengths for which they have been valued and respected in the old order may not be as important or valued in the new order(Osborne, 2014). Changing behavior will take time, by supporting to see the point of the change and agree with it, role modeling, reinforcement system, and the skills required for change will help them to move forward (Lawson & Price, 2003, as cited in Keller & Aiken, 2009)
Lovely(2019) four lessons for leading change are to be a multiplier, take responsibility for the outcomes you get, listen and learn and unleash the power of yet. There are many leadership styles and one student can have multiple. Not one leadership style is right for every manager under all circumstances. Instead, contingency-situational theories were developed to indicate that the style to be used is contingent upon such factors as the situation, the people, the task, the organization, and other environmental variables(Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison, 2003). To be a teacher and agent of change is raising “Deep educational change can only happen through teachers and school management and their interactions and relationships with the learner. This kind of change has to see teachers, truly, as the key agents of change” (NCCA. 2009, p. 16). I hope to be an agent of change and help lead education transformation.
Reference list
Abal, M. (2016, April 25). Why Pedagogical Leadership? McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. https://mccormickcenter.nl.edu/library/why-pedagogical-leadership/
Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A., & Dennison, P. (2003). A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks. Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter. http://business-school.exeter.ac.uk/documents/discussion_papers/cls/mgmt_standards.pdf
De Witt, P. (2016). Collaborative Leadership: Six Influences That Matter Most. Corwin Press.
De Witt, P. & Slade, S. (2014). School Climate Change: How Do I Build a Positive Environment for Learning? ASCD.
Keller, S., & Aiken, C. (2009). The inconvenient truth about change management - Why it isn’t working and what to do about it. McKinsey & Company.
Lovely, S. (2019). Ready for Anything : Four Touchstones for Future-Focused Learning (Innovative Teaching Strategies to Prepare Students for the Future). Solution Tree. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/themindlab/detail.action?docID=5851069
Male, T., & Palaiologou, I. (2015). Pedagogical leadership in the 21st century: Evidence from the field. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 214-231.
NCCA. (2009). Leading and supporting change in schools: A discussion paper. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. https://ncca.ie/media/1082/leading_and_supporting_change_in_schools_a_discussion_paper.pf
Osborne, M. (2014). Inviting innovation: Leading meaningful change in schools. Set, 2, 3-8. https://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/journals/set/downloads/set2014_2_003.pdf
Robinson, V., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes. Identifying What Works and Why Best Evidence Synthesis.
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