SELF-STUDY: Teachers in Leadership (10 hours)

“Have you wondered how you can bring about change or improvement in certain educational issues by taking on a stronger leadership role? Have you also sometimes wished to find solutions to real everyday problems you have encountered in your teaching practice?”

Empower teachers to get actively involved in transformative practices to impact student learning at wider levels, through a close examination of strategies for teacher leadership. The approaches presented here allow teachers to build professional learning communities, enhance school improvement, and is an excellent way to prioritize student learning. Action research is used in real educational situations, focusing on solving real problems in education, to bring about change quickly and holistically. Research often conjures up a picture in people’s minds of academics working in isolation for years proving theories. To make a distinction from academic research, those involved in action research participate in ongoing testing and monitoring of improvements in their practice. This course provides a framework for teachers to use action research as a means to change or improve their practice.

Taking this forward, teachers are shown how they can get actively involved in the process through which schools set goals for improvement, and make decisions about how and when these goals will be achieved. To address these needs, teachers are equipped to plan and implement School-wide initiatives in an organized, focused, and inclusive way. The resources and strategies provided here empower them to raise levels of achievement by identifying the gaps, defining focus, creating effective strategies, building an environment that encourages reform, working in tandem with parents and students, and monitoring the desired change.