Module 3 - Promoting Teacher Leadership (Tiffany)

Teaching Standards and Promoting Teacher Leadership 

There are, at the very least, nods, to leadership among all the standards proposed by the ISTE, NBPTS and WVPTS. 

While going over the STE Standards for Teachers, words such as support, model, communicate, advocate, and facilitate caught my attention as they’re all hallmarks of what we’ve previously discussed as part of being an effective leader. The ISTE standards do not outline an effective teacher as merely deliverers of knowledge, but portray a successful teacher as an individual that is part of a team. The NBPTS and WVPTS also encompass teachers as part of a learning community. 

Each set of standards has a specific one dedicated to teachers as leaders.

Standard 5 for ISTE Standards for Teachers states:
"Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources” (2008, p.2).

WVPTS specifies teacher leadership roles in Function 5H by stating:   

"The teacher demonstrates leadership by implementing classroom and school initiatives that improve education as well as by making positive changes in policy and practice that affect student learning"(2010, p. 68). 

Although NBPTS does not use the word “leader,” they echo the sentiment in Proposition 5 (Teachers are Members of Learning Communities):

". . . the work of teaching reaches beyond the boundaries of individual classrooms to wider communities of learning. In order to take advantage of the broad range of professional knowledge and expertise that resides within the school, accomplished teachers have a range of duties and tasks outside the direct instruction of students that contribute importantly to the quality of the school and to student learning" (What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do, 2002, p. 18).

Pathways to Teacher Leadership

Just as there are multiple pathways to teacher leadership, there are multiple ways to prepare teachers for them. In order for a leader to be an effective leader, it is imperative that they themselves have an effective leader in which to observe and model themselves after. One practical way to accomplish this would to have internship style programs or partnering an established teacher leader as a mentor for ongoing support with a teacher. 

Other vital components of a professional development program would be ongoing training that includes continual support and easy access to resources, including other teachers. It may not always be possible to take a teacher out of the classroom, so it would not only be necessary, but also more efficient, to have these resources online in a central location. Technology not only provides access, but enables ease of communication for professional to share ideas. 

 

Assessing Technology Needs

It'd be easy for me to just start listing what I felt we needed in terms of technology where I work; but I realize that probably wouldn't be the way to go! In order to appropriately assess technological needs where I work, it would be important to start with the bigger picture. We already have a mission statement in place, and that should be kept in mind in order to appropriately drive the assessment.  I would then go on to identify individual needs. Establishing the various needs would be completed by asking anyone involved within my organization, starting with the director, professors, staff, and students. Some of these would be done through informal interviews, but a staff meeting would also be beneficial. With these in hand, the needs would be prioritized and analyzed as to how technology could possibly assist in meeting those needs. The gathered information would be documented in an outline form in order to be concise.

Chapter 5

I believe that much of the power of current technology is how it lends itself to communication. Not only is it a 2-way communication system, but we have the capability of multiple ways to access it - computers, phones, or tablets. It connects the school with parents and the community anytime of the day. Sheninger illustrates a plethora of information it can provide: routine reminders of school functions, events, and meetings with up to date times, dates, and changes; information on emergencies, closures, and delays; and student academic and extracurricular achievements (2014, p. 78). It connects parents to information when they can't physically attend a meeting or parent-teacher conference. Nor do they need to rely on their children to bring home notes and memos - no more lost papers in kids' backpacks! It can provide a glimpse into the daily activities of the students through the use of photographs and videos. In the unfortunate event of a crisis, parents can be kept up to date, instantly. While it can be argued that many of this information can be posted on a website, its use is typically one sided. 2-way communication systems ensure that the information is being seen, and users have the opportunity to provide feedback, commentary, and the chance to share additional resources to others.

Chapter 6

I'm a graduate assistant at the WV Folklife Center, here at FSU. We have a Facebook account, as well as a Pinterest account. Access to the two accounts is restricted to one person; since we're an entity of the university, there are regulations regarding it. Facebook is used most often to send out invitations to events that we're hosting, announcements regarding our publications, school closings and student achievements, and occasionally requests for information or artifact donations/loans we are in need of for an exhibit. It also provides a place for artists and authors to post information about their own work, or interested individuals to request information and ask questions.  It not only provides information, but also provides exposure to those that aren't aware of us and what we do. Like many social media outlets, it helps foster a sense of community, within the community. To be honest, we wouldn't be here without the generosity of donors, so it is important to use to share what we're doing to those who have supported us and continue to do so. Likewise, it is necessary generate interest so we can continue to be here. We like to joke that it takes a village to raise a barn. (For those of you that don't know, our building used to be a dairy barn in the early 1900s.)

Our Pinterest account, to provide an access point of links back to us, as well as to various other related sites, such as Appalachian history, folklore, education, art, or music. It creates an additional access point for information, as well as provides more exposure.