Lessons learned on Leadership- Week 2

This week, while reading our assigned Dana text, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership stood out to me as something that I want to commit to memory.  By posting them here it will be one more way to remember them.  Leaders should:  model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.  Most importantly to me at this point is all school employees need to be encouraged in any way possible, when possible, and as a future administrator, I want to remember that. 

How can educational leaders use blogs?

I see a blog for educational leaders to be a great tool to utilize especially in the area of positive reinforcement.  I can visualize a "Good Job" or "High Five" section where the principal or other educational leaders can praise teachers/coaches for a job well done.  In addition, an "issue bin" blog can be started so teachers can express concerns through the blog.   Rather than send an email to an already full inbox of a principal, the specific issues can be addressed all in the same place and will be readily available to refer to at anytime.   To branch out upon the "issue bin," a specific topic could be chosen and as a collaborative group, anyone interested could add comments or suggestions. Finally, there could be an "announcements page" where important faculty information could be posted for those unable to attend or in lieu of a faculty meeting.  As I continue my educational journey, I am certain there are many other ways an educational leader might use a blog that I will discover along the way.    

What I have learned about action research

 

Action research was a somewhat vague term to me before completing the assigned readings for the week.  I have learned the best description in the Dana text refers to action research as the "process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study." Harris also addresses the topic by saying inquiry requires collection of information in a systematic way.   After watching a principal and how busy their days are, I automatically thought about how one would have time to complete this type of research. However, as more information and suggestions were discussed in the different texts, it seems more can actually be accomplished when working to resolve a problem, than if a principal just reacts all day to many different problems. To address concerns of action research being time
consuming, helpful suggestions were made to combat this problem.  For example:  acknowledging that there will never be enough time, but one must commit to make time in order to engage in this important work.  Also, scheduling a certain block of time each week and journaling to further research the chosen topic of study was helpful advice as well.  I honestly did not think of a principal journaling, but to be able to look back and see what was once an inquiry is now a resolved issue, the results would be very rewarding. 

As a person new to the principal scene, there will be many ways I can use action research.  First
and foremost though, I desire to learn and understand more about professional learning
communities.  There will be new ideas adopted such as curriculum, where using action research will be essential to determine the validity and benefits of the new material.  Also, in the area of professional development for teachers, evaluating the best way to approach training is something that is important to me.  Now, I must begin to use action research to better understand the benefits and how it really works.