Abstract
School and district leaders have recognized that traditional educational practices such as “one and done” professional development and “drill and kill” standardized test preparation are not meeting the needs of adult and young learners. Schools all over the world are now starting to embrace innovative programs that focus on reflection, engagement, and overall well-being of staff and students. This chapter focuses on the role of teacher leaders in launching innovative programs that lead to long lasting positive change in their schools. These educators are also completing a doctoral program in educational leadership at Monmouth University where a key component is the implementation of a transformative learning project (TLP). The four diverse transformational experiences discussed in this chapter stemmed from initiatives focused on global citizenship education, mindfulness, teacher induction training to improve self-efficacy and “open classrooms” for job-embedded learning. These initiatives all intend to improve outcomes for teachers through various types of professional development activities led by teacher leaders and supported by school and district level administrators.
TopIntroduction
An emerging paradigm shift in educational practice today is transforming how teachers teach and learners learn in the 21st century. This shift provides evidence for a need to examine the changes necessary in transforming professional development experiences for, with and through teachers accordingly. This chapter focuses on the role of teacher leaders in launching innovative programs that lead to long lasting positive change in their schools. The four transformational initiatives discussed in this chapter provide an overview of practices for building teacher leadership capacity to implement innovative programs focused on global citizenship education, teacher induction training focused on self-efficacy, mindfulness training, and “open classrooms” for job-embedded learning. The four initiatives outlined in this book chapter offer a practical framework for developing professional development experiences designed to transform and inform educational practices through teacher leaders’ focusing on reflection, engagement, and overall well-being of staff and students.
Book Chapter Key Terms and Definitions
- ●
Mindfulness: full awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings
- ●
Global Education: The overarching term relating to educating students about the world they live in.
- ●
Global Citizenship: “Refers to a sense of belonging to a broader community and common humanity. It emphasises political, economic, social and cultural interdependency and interconnectedness between the local, the national and the global” (UNESCO, 2015).
- ●
Open Classrooms: Allows teachers to invite other teachers into their classrooms to learn from their instruction. This is an informal way of observation and professional development, seeing a colleague in action with students in the classroom
- ●
Attendee: Teacher who attends an open classroom, acting as a student to learn from their colleagues.
- ●
Host: Teacher who opens their classroom for their colleagues to come in and observe and learn from their instruction.
- ●
Self-efficacy: A teacher’s sense of his or her own level of professional competence.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Open Classrooms: Allows teachers to invite other teachers into their classrooms to learn from their instruction. This is an informal way of observation and professional development, seeing a colleague in action with students in the classroom.
Global Citizen: A person who sees oneself as a contributing member of a global community.
Student Engagement: Student engagement is often viewed as the amount of physical and psychological energy that a student devotes to an academic experience.
Mentoring: Mentoring is the professional practice of teaching when an experienced teacher supports, challenges, and guides novice teachers in their teaching practice.
Instructional Practice: Instructional practice refers to how information is delivered, received, and experienced by students. The multitude of instructional practices typically fall under major categories such as “teacher directed” and “student centered.”
Mindfulness: Full awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.
Global Education: The overarching term relating to educating students about the world they live in.
Global Competencies: The four skills required to be a globally competent individual. These include investigating the world, recognizing perspectives, communicating ideas, and taking action ( Mansilla & Jackson, 2011 ).
School District: A unit for administration of a public-school system comprising several schools building within a township.
Teacher Efficacy: A judgment of his or her capabilities to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated ( Bandura, 1977 ).
Self-Efficacy: “Beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments” ( Bandura, 1997 , p. 3). Self-efficacy affects the choice and decision to undertake a particular activity as well as the amount of determination and effort put into it.
Induction: Induction is a socialization process that determines how a school district acclimates its new teachers. The induction commonly consists of an orientation process, collaboration amongst new teachers, as well as professional development activities designed to affect teaching and student achievement.
Host: Teacher who opens their classroom for their colleagues to come in and observe and learn from their instruction.
Attendee: Teacher who attends an open classroom, acting as a student to learn from their colleagues.
Global Citizenship Education (GCE): The incorporation of lessons and activities intentionally designed by the teacher for the purpose of developing students’ global citizenship skills and global competence.
Classroom Management: Classroom management consists of the practices and procedures that are used to maintain an optimum environment for instruction and learning.