Setting Expectations for Leadership

Today we spent the day working with the teacher leadership group to further explore the concept of shared leadership and democratic leadership styles. The teachers worked together to finalize their own set of expectations about how they should act as leaders in the coming year.

In addition, each teacher selected a specific objective on which to focus their own ongoing learning during the year. Some objectives that were selected for professional learning focus included Planning and Implementation of Lessons, Building Community with Department Staff, Understanding and Teaching Others Effective Instructional Practices, and Learning to Listen and Respond to the Needs of Other Teachers.

The group also identified the topics on which they wish to focus our work together in the coming days - Understanding Different Leadership Styles and Developing Effective Communication Techniques. So, tomorrow we will focus on both of these topics, using self-assessment rubrics and informational articles for discussion and practice. Additionally, we have created a virtual network office for the team and will get everyone registered and trained on how to use the network tomorrow. At that point, we will be able to continue to communicate with the team, provide them with tools and techniques, and offer ongoing threaded discussions about different leadership topics - whether we are here in Tanzania or back home in the states. By all accounts, the work is going very well, and we are very impressed with the dedication and commitment to learning demonstrated by the entire team. Great day!