Lead the Change!

 Module 2 Leading Change

I really enjoyed Elina Aguilar’s (n.d.) blog titled “Effective Teams: The Key to Transforming Schools”.  Her idea of strong teams within schools being essential to retaining and sustaining teachers is such a valid point.  Schools are busy places and there would be few teachers who find time is on their side when trying to complete all the curriculum in creative and innovative ways while retraining/learning  new tools of technology to use in their teaching.  Feelings of overload and overwork can be abundant in this fast pace road of education.  Working with an effective team, however, will allow people to cope better and learn from each other (Aguilar, n.d.).

Aguilar’s 5 ideas of what makes a good team are straightforward. 

1.       A good team knows why it exists. This would be a “Vision” – a word that keeps coming up in this subject’s readings.

2.        A good team creates a space for learning. Learning happens in a safe space – make mistakes, ask questions, take risks.

3.       In a good team, there's healthy conflict. Let’s be professional and welcome healthy discussion, dissent and allow for our thinking to be pushed outside the box!

4.       Members of a good team trust each other. Equitable participation and shared decision making are paramount but a facilitator is needed to ensure a safe environment.

5.       Finally, a good team has a facilitator, leader, or shared leaders.  Someone has to be in the driver’s seat...but why not take turns in sharing the driving?

Yesterday, at our weekly staff meeting, our principal introduced a new initiative in which our school will be involved called an “Empowering Teachers” program.  In brief, we will be piloting a mentoring project whereby our professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement will be looked at and challenged, applauded and shared.  Though I did not watch the video until this morning, there were definitely the four types of team members present at that meeting.  The critic who opposes the change ( 30 %), the victim who panics ( 40%), the bystander who ignores (10%) and the navigator who is empowered to work with the changing circumstances (20%).  Our principal (leader) is really going to need good navigational skills such as

·         communicating the threat

·         Involving the team

·         minimizing uncertainty

·         celebrating successes in moving towards the goal

·         explaining continually

·         being as transparent as possible

to help the critics, the victims and the bystanders to get in the car while he drives it.  A bumpy road ahead I am sure.