Effective teacher leaders : who are they and how do they work?

Maureen ORourke and Peter Burrows (EdPartnerships International)

Teacher leadership is inclusive of but goes beyond a hierarchical conception of teachers operating in the middle between principal and teachers. Recent research sees effective teacher leaders as working in parallel to their colleagues, across multiple levels of leadership, in multi-faceted roles that are often emergent, linked to reform efforts and context specific. A multiplicity of roles and titles may have camouflaged teacher leaders so that they have not been seen as a distinct cohort requiring attention and their potential as agents of change and contributors to capacity building and school-wide improvement is not always realised.1 Teacher leaders are ideally placed to influence their colleagues, with this often achieved through school based professional learning endeavours. Effective teacher leaders focused on improvements in teaching and learning and have been linked to making a unique contribution to overall school improvement and reform. Effective teacher leaders typically work side-by-side and in teams with colleagues, maintain some level of classroom teaching themselves, and contribute to school leadership teams and strategy. They are firmly focused on the achievement of better outcomes for students and often engage with the profession beyond their schools. Internationally, teacher leaders in non-supervisory roles were found to have more impact on improving student outcomes and fostering teacher change than those in roles that involved a mix of administration, management supervision and leadership. However, this does not mean there should not be supervisory teacher leader roles, more that the implications of supervision components need to be thought through when defining the expectations and parameters of such roles. A synthesis of the research identified the following attributes relates to highly effective teacher leaders who were able to influence their colleagues and make a different to student learning: A personal disposition to be continually inquiring, learning and improving guided by a higher-order aspirations for student learners and evidence informed ways of learning; Acting as courageous agents of change willing to step up and sometimes stand out from their peers in new or emerging roles, risking being seen as other when they want to continue to belong, and taking the risk of being different and working differently; Developing a view of themselves as teachers interested in learning more about contributing to the change process, school direction setting, strategic planning, decision-making and how to influence, support and enable others; Developing a stance that positions colleagues as partners and collaborators in learning and improvement. They also worked on developing their relational and communication skills to earn the trust and respect of their colleagues, so that they could learn together. Possessing deep content knowledge and expertise in relation to curriculum and learning design, effective pedagogical practices and assessment knowledge (as, of and for learning); Committed to building knowledge and know-how in effective adult learning actively building a practical repertoires they could employ to lead conversations about effective practice,

ORourke and Burrows, Research on Cluster and School Based Professional Learning 2006-2010: The Role of Teacher Leaders.
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collaborate effectively with colleagues to address challenges of practice, and to support them to engage in professional inquiry to improve student learning outcomes; A continuing, active role in teaching, identified as contributing to the building of trust and relationships with colleagues this enabled them to be identified as one of us, less likely to be positioned as proxies for more senior colleagues or judging performance. Teacher leaders make an impact on student achievement, engagement and wellbeing by sensitively reading and responding to their contexts and colleagues and taking time to build their credibility, relationships, trust and acceptance They anchor their efforts in improving learning and achievement for students as well as engaging in the broader based strategic planning and decisionmaking of the school. They understand the importance of working side-by-side with their colleagues and employ a multi-faceted professional learning repertoire to build capacity and efficacy. Their approach includes inquiry, dialogue, application and engagement in continuous learning and reflection themselves. They work hard to develop a shared professional language and general pedagogic repertoires across their schools. When positioned as leaders of their colleagues learning, three key roles for teachers were identified as contributing to improved student learning outcomes, based on a synthesis of current research and evidence gathered from over 400 teacher leaders and 30 principals in Victoria.2 1. Pedagogical change agents Effective teacher leaders were close to teachers and well placed to support and enable the development of more effective pedagogical approaches and practices. Their continued development of professional knowledge and skills, combined with their everyday presence in schools, meant they were trusted and seen as credible by many of their peers. This everyday presence meant they developed a deeper understanding of the local context and the professional learning needs of the teachers with whom they worked. They were able to stage and pace learning in ways that connected to what teachers knew while revealing new possibilities for practice motivated by learner needs and aspirations. 2. Spot lighters and amplifiers of effective practice Effective teacher leaders were more welcome in classrooms when they spotlighted examples of effective practice and assisted teachers to gather and reflect on evident of student learning. Naming and appreciating what was effective in teaching and learning built professional trust and created the conditions for more challenging problem solving and analysis as collective responsibility for students developed. Spotlighting strengths, both through local examples and via reference to the literature and digital media, helped teachers to know and name what was strong in their practice these strengths served as a base for professional learning, which in turn motivating them to go beyond their existing practice and expand their repertoires. 3. Facilitator and activators of learning in community to build collective capacity Effective teacher leaders developed strong skills in noticing, listening, questioning, reflecting, analysing and design for learning. As they stepped up to become facilitators and activators of professional learning communities, they helped to uncover learning needs. They then work collaboratively with teachers in on-going processes of collective, evident informed inquiry in the quest for better results for students. These teacher leaders continually focused attention on student learning, and helped to access the research and accountabilities that enabled teachers to have insights into the impact of their practice on student learning.3 Several studied have concluded that teacher leaders themselves need to recognise their own potential and embrace the idea of facilitating and leading learning with and amongst colleagues and peers.4 Teacher leaders have also been positioned as mediators or a bridge between the Ibid., p. 3-4. ibid. 4 ibid. p. 20. Gurr and Drysdale, Middle-Level Secondary School Leaders: Potential, Constraints and Implications for Leadership Preparation and Development, , M. Dawson, Becoming a Teacher Leader: Teachers Re-Thinking Their Role, Leading and Managing, 17/1 (2011), 16-27. 2
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needs of local leaders students and teachers and broader school wide, regional or system reform / improvement agendas.5

ORourke and Burrows, Research on Cluster and School Based Professional Learning 2006-2010: The Role of Teacher Leaders. Portin et al., Leadership for Learning Improvement in Urban Schools. 3
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