Mind Lab Post Grad: Week 18 - Reflecting on changes in my future oriented teaching practice

Using Gibbs Model for Reflection

I led a change initiative and coached alongside teachers in their class to embed a writing programme throughout the school that has previously been successful with accelerated student achievement, especially for boys.  I have chosen to reflect on the theme ‘a culture of continuous learning for teachers and educational leaders’ (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012).

When the changes were made I felt nervous about attending to each teacher’s individual needs, especially those who were reluctant to change.  Afterwards I could see the shift in my relationships with staff.  In changing my approach for each person, I became an approachable resource towards their professional development.  Perhaps my feelings of confrontation were unnecessary.

There were mixed reactions to the changes for teachers.  The early adopters were used to influence the reluctant staff.  Some of the changes I made should have been introduced to staff in a meeting to eliminate confusion and stress instead of being explained in an email.  Having the opportunity to be in all classrooms throughout the school was effective in giving and receiving on the spot feedback.  These changes will improve my practice in the future by scaffolding staff through each step and providing them with evidence from their own classes of why these changes are needed. 

The implications of creating a culture of continuous learning for teachers and educational leaders are to think about professional learning approaches and structures for teachers (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012).  I believe that the changes made considered the experience and needs of individual teachers.  Therefore, the coaching of the changes looked different in every classroom with the focus on supporting meaningful learning to accelerate student achievement. 

The leadership theories I have made connections to in the past are very different to what I portrayed during this change initiative.  After unpacking and critiquing my own leadership, I was able to identify the type of leader I wanted to be and put it into action.  I adapted a transformational leadership theory and used a range of leadership styles depending on each individual teacher needed.  I consider my leadership of this change to be more effective than it has been in the past because I was actively implementing this leadership style and theory.  Goleman (2000) states that “...the most effective leaders switch flexibly among the leadership styles as needed.” 

Next time I would organise staff meetings to explain the change, introduce the different platforms, gain knowledge on teachers needs and reiterate the focus of accelerating student achievement in writing, especially for boys.  Since I was leaving to go on maternity leave, I could have delegated leadership to staff that were influencing others with their practice to ensure the change was long lasting throughout the year.

I learned three key messages from implementing this change that I would take into the future.  The first is adapting a different style to coach each teacher as they have different experiences and knowledge (The Mind Lab by Unitec, 2017).  The second is that a small change to me can seem like a major change to others.  Teachers need to be scaffolded into change to ensure they do not feel overwhelmed.  The third is to act on the feedback from all stakeholders and to be open to providing support in ways you weren’t expecting.  However, next time I would like to try using other styles, especially with reluctant staff.

Reference

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/sites/www.open.ac.uk.opencetl/files/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that Gets Results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90. Retrieved from http://www.comindwork.com/weekly/2017-06-12/productivity/the-six-leadership-styles-goleman

The Mind Lab by Unitec. (2017). Leadership Theories and Styles.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mi8ENknL4M