Ten tips for School leaders

King Henry 5th Story start

• The War• 5:1 against• A strategy not working• The retreat• The Army• Undercover• Conversations before the battle

A journey towards leadership. Some times you have to step away

• THE ORDINARY WORLD. Time for a change• THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. Opportunity• REFUSAL OF THE CALL. Self-belief• MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. Someone to believe in you• CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. The Leap• TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES weathering early storms• APPROACH. A collection of allies• THE ORDEAL. The test of doubt• THE REWARD. The early taste of success• THE ROAD BACK. Bringing development to the classroom• TRANSFORMATION. The birth of doubt and its brother, trust• RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. A community to transform

• thewritersjourney.com• The Hero with a Thousand faces Joseph Campbell

Embarking upon a Leadership Journey?

• It is all about change. For you, and for those you wish to inspire.

It is all about change

• Seven Levers of mind changing. • Reason with research• Overcoming resistance• Representation• Real world events• Resonance• Resources

Representation and re-description

Tips for school leadership ‘representation and re-description’

• Listen listen listen! Beware the note taker. Listen with your body.• Make an effort to praise (with examples like marking learning) and

notice all the great things going on and promote sharing.• Test your ideas/plans for change with your key supporters first and

get feedback - if your "best" staff are not on board then ?• Create communication loops so different sections of the school feel a

part of the changes you are making.• Celebrate, create and continue the rituals that give your school it’s

identity: tradition is not anathema to an international school.• Model making a real difference - by taking seriously and working

through the lens of the school mission.• Involve the stakeholders, consult as much as you can, but don't be

afraid to make a decision.• The touch stone of your school guiding statements

Real World EventsThe test of the real

Real World Events. Examples.

• Financial • Colleague with an illness• Loss of school leader• Changes to the Board• Surprising academic results• Leaving staff• Anything unplanned

Tips for school leadership Real World Events

• Look at the calendar at the start of the year and try to avoid having times when there is too much going on. These are the times of the year when everyone will be stressed and look to blame management.

• Network with colleagues at other schools. It helps to share stresses and ideas.

• Give parents credit for being an advocate for their child(ren), even if they appear misguided to you.

• Be generally visible for parents • Be visible for children. Be in the hallways, the cafeteria, the foyer. Know

the kids. Know their names. Know what interests them, what they do outside of school

• Have an open mind.• Stay fit. Eat healthily.

Tips for school leadership Real World Events

• Take time to build relationships with stakeholders and build capacity that will support development.

• Lead through people and not through technology• Lead in another area other than your school role• Teach• Consider doing office work in different places- you think

differently in different locations.• Only shoe styles and hem lengths have more fashion changes

than education: choose carefully.• Leave the mountain for a while and take a walk, new

perspectives bring new ways of thinking.

Resistance and how to overcome it

Resistance. How might it appear?

• Tradition and innovation• Liking, doing and professional action• Too much change, too many changes• Closing doors• The paper school and what is really happening

Tips for school leadership. Resistance and how to overcome it

• Get to know the teachers. Get together with all the teachers. Don't just mix

with the ones you are most comfortable with. Have discussions with the teachers. Talk about the learning that is going on in their classrooms.

• Test your ideas/plans for change with your key supporters first and get feedback - if your "best" staff are not on board then ?

• Carefully choose the battles you fight!• Invest as little time as possible in those who are always going to be on the

wrong voyage: “You do not have to wait for everybody to get started.” Teacher from Hogarth, Tasmania quoted by Stephen Hepell Madrid IB conference

• Create communication loops so different sections of the school feel a part of the changes you are making.

• Compassion - try to place yourself in other people's shoes as stakeholders share their concerns. This is not getting in the way of our job. This is our job.

Resonance

Tips for school leadership ResonanceResonance

• Get to know the teachers. Get together with all the teachers. Don't just mix with the

ones you are most comfortable with. Have discussions with the teachers. Talk about the learning that is going on in the classrooms.

• Consider administration: lead from a service perspective• Compassion - try to place yourself in other people's shoes as stakeholders share their

concerns. This is not getting in the way of our job. This is our job.• Never fan the flames on the gossip circuit.• Retain a sense of humor - take opportunities to laugh loudly and generously, especially

with the children and with colleagues. Try to avoid cynicism or sarcasm in humor in school.

• Call it visibility or presence in school - be around to see the learning that is happening and acknowledge and celebrate it with students and staff. Communicate it at all opportunities with parents.

• Every teacher, every adult in your school is a leader from the moment they enter the building: there are times when this needs to be remembered.

Tips for school leadership ResonanceResonance

• Smile and acknowledge• Involve the stakeholders, consult as much as you can, but don't be afraid to make

a decision.• Make sure everyone knows they are valued. Differentiate your feedback.• Admit when you have made a mistake. Don't blame others.• Keep a sense of humor; reclaim it quickly if lost.• View others' and your own mistakes as incredible opportunities to learn.• spend time every day visiting classrooms• Be in the classrooms. Know what is happening in the classrooms. Know which

kids teachers are having issues with. Know what topics are being taught, which units are going on.

• Get out there. Don't just be in the office all day.• Celebrate and share (y)our successes as a school.

Reason and research

Tips for school leadership reason and research

• Know your educational research. Do admit you have not heard about the latest

research: get the person who wants to do it in your school to tell you all about it.• Know your teacher's areas of expertise and provide them with opportunities to

take leadership in those areas• Read and study and keep up to date.• Everything you learned about 'The Change Process' will be applicable. If you didn't

learn about it, start reading.• Test your ideas/plans for change with your key supporters first and get feedback -

if your "best" staff are not on board then ?• Include others in decision-making. The team should be made up of people that can

do the job better than you can. Make sure they are acknowledged and respected as your advisors.

• Lead learning - by modeling, being up-to-date on educational developments, being prepared to learn from others and guiding the team towards the learning vision.

With thanks to• FROM AGIS PRINCIPALS , INCLUDING• • JOYCE LARSSON, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRESDEN, • SUZAN WEISHOF, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF HAMBURG,• HELEN KELLY, BERLIN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, • SARAH GARLAND ZACH, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AUGSBURG, • GLENN LAWLER, FRANCONIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, • SUSAN ANDERSON, THIS WEIMAR.• PAUL MORRIS, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF STUTTGART• ALLYN RAW, HEIDELBERG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL• Sarah Kupke, Head of School International School of Stuttgart Sindilfingen

campus• CAMILLE DUAIME, BERLIN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

RECOMMENDED READINGRECOMMENDED READING

 

Recommended By Allyn Raw

Why are School Buses always Yellow, John Barell, Corwin Press, ISBN 978-1-4129-3648-4

Taking the PYP Forward, Simon Davidson & Steven Carber (ed), John Catt Education, ISBN 978-1-904724-71-1

Recommended By Camille DuAime

Mindset: the new psychology of success by Carol Dweck

How Children Succeed: Grit, curiosity and the hidden power of character by Paul Tough

Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers: Kathy Short et al

Time to Teach, Time to Learn: Changing the Pace of School by Chip WoodBeyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie KohnBecause We Can Change the World: A Practical guide to building cooperative,

Inclusive Classroom Communities by Mara Sapon-ShevinIntellectual Character: Ron RitchartLadybugs, Tornadoes and Swirling Galaxies: Brad Buhrow and Anne Upczak Garcia

Recommended by Paula BaxterGood to Great by Jim CollinsAnything by Carol Ann Tomlinson on differentiationAnything by Kath Murdoch on inquiry

Recommended by Tony PearsonDiscipline Without Tears, Rudolf Dreikurs and Pearl Cassel (oldy but still a goody)Big Body Play, Frances M. Carlson (good play ideas and thoughts)ThirdCulture Kids,

The Children of Educators in International Schools, Dr. EttieZilber (well worth a read)

Recommended by Paul MorrisHow we think, John Dewey, Prometheus Books, ISBN 0-87975-701-9Changing Minds, Howard Gardner, Harvard Business School Press, ISBN 1-57851-709-5Double Harness, Robin Tanner, ISBN 0-245-60136-8

Recommended by Sarah Kupke,

Assessment for Learning. Putting it into Practice. Paul Black, Christine

Harrison, Claire Lee, Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam.

Intellectual Character  Ron Ritchhart

The Mind Map Book   Tony Buzan

…and finally• Have a sense of purpose: - watch how it changes• Follow your professional instinct• Don’t lose sight of the reasons you entered education in the first

place to keep perspective in times of doubt• It is not just about the kids, it is also about the teachers and

yourself• Who do you go to for help?

• BEN WALDEN, ACTOR, EDUCATOR, AND FOUNDER OF

CONTENDER CHARLIE, IB MADRID PLENARY SPEAKER