School Leaders:
How To Gain Pedagogical Influence Over Your Teachers
The Case For Leading A TEAM Professional Learning Experience
Wanting to have an impact!
During my six-year stint as a Head of Department (HoD), the number one thing I wanted to achieve was to have pedagogical influence over my staff. Not that I wanted to dictate the way they should approach teaching. Instead, it would have been ideal to establish a culture in which we all questioned the approaches we use, workshopped how to better engage our students, implemented new ideas, and shared our pedagogical wins and losses.
Of course, this never occurred.
Partly this was due to a lack of time. Mostly, however, it was because I lacked the necessary ‘credibility' required to exercise pedagogical influence. Sure, I was well respected and liked as a HoD and cultivated a healthy level of cohesion in the team. BUT - and this is a big ‘BUT’ - as a HoD I was not seen as someone who had any particular pedagogical expertise to impart. I simply lacked pedagogical influence.
I find this particularly ironic because having left the role as HoD I now devote all of my professional time to running pedagogically-based courses for teachers. I now have significant pedagogical influence with teachers through an online, collaborative, self-reflective, medium; one through which I rarely get to meet, in person, the participants. Compare this to when I was a HoD and physically interacting with my teachers on a daily basis!
Of course, this never occurred.
Partly this was due to a lack of time. Mostly, however, it was because I lacked the necessary ‘credibility' required to exercise pedagogical influence. Sure, I was well respected and liked as a HoD and cultivated a healthy level of cohesion in the team. BUT - and this is a big ‘BUT’ - as a HoD I was not seen as someone who had any particular pedagogical expertise to impart. I simply lacked pedagogical influence.
I find this particularly ironic because having left the role as HoD I now devote all of my professional time to running pedagogically-based courses for teachers. I now have significant pedagogical influence with teachers through an online, collaborative, self-reflective, medium; one through which I rarely get to meet, in person, the participants. Compare this to when I was a HoD and physically interacting with my teachers on a daily basis!
Why the lack of pedagogical influence?
I have spoken to other HoDs about this issue, and many concur with my experience. The common consensus appears to be: Teachers, generally, tend to lack an openness to taking pedagogical advice from their HoD.
I'm not suggesting this is an impossible task for a HoD. Indeed, some school leaders do manage to earn themselves significant pedagogical influence over their teachers. What I’m suggesting is that this is somewhat rare.
I'm not suggesting this is an impossible task for a HoD. Indeed, some school leaders do manage to earn themselves significant pedagogical influence over their teachers. What I’m suggesting is that this is somewhat rare.
A leader with pedagogical influence
Teachers would view their leader as someone with significant pedagogical influence because he/she has pedagogical expertise that is worth listening to and, moreover, whose 'pedagogical lead' they are prepared to follow. Of course in using the phrase 'pedagogical expertise worth listening to' I'm referring to a leader who uses principles that have a track record of working, principles based on student collaboration, genuine student engagement and that have students take ownership over their learning, for example.
However, as I've already stated, I'm suggesting that HoDs generally lack pedagogical influence. They also lack avenues to readily increase their level of pedagogical influence.
However, as I've already stated, I'm suggesting that HoDs generally lack pedagogical influence. They also lack avenues to readily increase their level of pedagogical influence.
Why?
I'd suggest that the primary reason is due to a general defensiveness of teachers, where teachers tend to hold the view:
“I'll listen to your suggestions but I'm not really open to changing because my methods work.”
The above may be a crude summary of the dynamic at play, but I'm convinced this is close to the mark. I’ll also add that this attitude is neither intentional nor necessarily conscious. Simply put, if I’m a teacher then I’m likely to have a mindset towards my HoD of “Lead me through the logistics of being a teacher in your department but don’t expect me to change the way I teach.”
However, let's be clear, I'm not referring to the leader who strives for pedagogical change through an attitude of 'We will all teach 'my way'. There are ways to lead teachers to the awareness that 'your' new ideas are worth implementing!
However, let's be clear, I'm not referring to the leader who strives for pedagogical change through an attitude of 'We will all teach 'my way'. There are ways to lead teachers to the awareness that 'your' new ideas are worth implementing!
The 'collaborative-only' model
I'm fully aware of the collaborative professional development model of 'use only the collective wisdom of the teachers to raise the standard of teaching among the collective', where the leader's role is only to facilitate.
This is all well and good but what if, for example, within the teacher 'collective' there isn't anyone using strategies designed, to increase student ownership over learning? Or in the mathematics context, for example, the collective wisdom is not aware of the importance of students understanding the activities? What if the collective wisdom is only about explicit teaching and no one is aware of approaches focused on fostering a genuine need to learn in students?
If the leader is keen for teachers to explore these and other important pedagogies but the teachers are neither aware of the pedagogies or are not open to the leader's message, then the way forward is challenging indeed.
What I'm leading to is an approach for a leader/facilitator, who desires to have pedagogical influence but who is aware of essential strategies not yet employed by the collective. The approach creates a situation where leaders are able to support their teachers in adopting effective pedagogies without having to negotiate the "Don't show me how to teach" defence.
This is all well and good but what if, for example, within the teacher 'collective' there isn't anyone using strategies designed, to increase student ownership over learning? Or in the mathematics context, for example, the collective wisdom is not aware of the importance of students understanding the activities? What if the collective wisdom is only about explicit teaching and no one is aware of approaches focused on fostering a genuine need to learn in students?
If the leader is keen for teachers to explore these and other important pedagogies but the teachers are neither aware of the pedagogies or are not open to the leader's message, then the way forward is challenging indeed.
What I'm leading to is an approach for a leader/facilitator, who desires to have pedagogical influence but who is aware of essential strategies not yet employed by the collective. The approach creates a situation where leaders are able to support their teachers in adopting effective pedagogies without having to negotiate the "Don't show me how to teach" defence.
An effective way forward for school leaders
If you are a school leader seeking to improve your level of pedagogical influence, then consider this suggested path from Learn Implement Share, (or from any provider offering a pedagogically-based, Team-based, change-inducing course).
• Choose a suitable, comprehensive, practically-based online course.
• Have your teachers, as well as yourself, enrolled in the course. You will be a 'TEAM'.
• You will be the facilitator of learning (Team Leader) for your TEAM at your school. The presenter will support you in your onsite role - promoting discussion, encouraging collaboration, assisting teachers' progress through the course. The better you support, encourage and facilitate the greater will be the gains made by your teachers.
• In this way you’ll experience significant pedagogical influence with your teachers BECAUSE the ideas will not be seen as yours. You will be facilitating the process but you will also be a participant in the course alongside your teachers. You'll have pedagogical influence because you'll be leading 'from the side' supporting your teachers with questions like "Hey Joel, how did your students take to that metacognition assignment you gave them from the course? I'm intending to run that one next week and was wondering ... " and "Lisa, I overheard you saying to Ben the other day how impressed you were with the change in your students' behaviour. Sounds awesome! I need something for my Year Nines. Which strategies do you think have been the most instrumental?" ... and so on.
Leaders tend to lack pedagogical influence when they work with teachers with the attitude “Here’s one of my strategies, I’ll show it to you and then hopefully you'll adopt it.” An online-based Team PD course allows Leaders to have genuine pedagogical influence through being 'one of ther Team'.
• Choose a suitable, comprehensive, practically-based online course.
• Have your teachers, as well as yourself, enrolled in the course. You will be a 'TEAM'.
• You will be the facilitator of learning (Team Leader) for your TEAM at your school. The presenter will support you in your onsite role - promoting discussion, encouraging collaboration, assisting teachers' progress through the course. The better you support, encourage and facilitate the greater will be the gains made by your teachers.
• In this way you’ll experience significant pedagogical influence with your teachers BECAUSE the ideas will not be seen as yours. You will be facilitating the process but you will also be a participant in the course alongside your teachers. You'll have pedagogical influence because you'll be leading 'from the side' supporting your teachers with questions like "Hey Joel, how did your students take to that metacognition assignment you gave them from the course? I'm intending to run that one next week and was wondering ... " and "Lisa, I overheard you saying to Ben the other day how impressed you were with the change in your students' behaviour. Sounds awesome! I need something for my Year Nines. Which strategies do you think have been the most instrumental?" ... and so on.
Leaders tend to lack pedagogical influence when they work with teachers with the attitude “Here’s one of my strategies, I’ll show it to you and then hopefully you'll adopt it.” An online-based Team PD course allows Leaders to have genuine pedagogical influence through being 'one of ther Team'.
But what if I don’t resonate with the principles of the course?
The PL provider should offer the option for you to complete the course on your own before enrolling your teachers as a TEAM.
You will, naturally, be re-enrolled with your TEAM, the second time around, and at no cost.
You will, naturally, be re-enrolled with your TEAM, the second time around, and at no cost.
Where are TEAM opportunities provided?
Learn Implement Share offers a TEAM option for all courses. As for other PL providers, you'll need to ask them. I suspect, however, the team-based approach, unpacked above, is somewhat unique.
A TEAM video testimonial
In the video below Brett Donohoe explains how the TEAM approach for one of the courses for his department - Engagement - Winning over your mathematics class.
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