Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The purpose of this critical reflection is to construct an answer to the imperative question
from Lecture 11 “Who are you as a teacher?” and to frame this question within the broader
context of “Who am I as a teacher in a community of practice?” This analysis takes into account
Kelley’s concepts of self-efficacy, adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges to creative
action” (Schon as cited in Weiringa, 2011. p. 170). The intention of the collaborative project was
to enact the principles of “leadership from below” to facilitate change from traditional “top
down” school administrative hierarchies (Boylan, 2016). In addition, the project seeks to
The first challenge of the project was finding the right program targeted at the right
school, that would not impinge upon previous studies and risk plagiarism. Consultation with the
unit co-ordinator was needed to clarify the purpose and extent of the proposal as some group
members found the instructions confusing. Once clarified, the group used personal experiences
and practicum comparisons, to choose a low socio-economic status school, Chifley College
Mount Druitt Campus (CCMDC). A close examination of the school strategic plan revealed a
series of programs supporting student social and emotional wellbeing but no equivalent
programs for staff. Incentives for teachers’ recruitment and retention are not in the top five
priorities in Australian schools (OECD, 2014) despite a high attrition rate of new teachers leaving
1
Paul Rooney, Contemporary Teacher Leadership, Western Sydney University, Autumn 2018.
17165378 CHRISTINA MANAWAITI 1
102098 Contemporary Teacher Leadership Autumn 2018
the profession within the first five years (McKinnon, 2016). Therefore, our group chose the
experiential strand of personal and social capability, but from the perspective of supporting the
school’s programs for students by proposing a program that focussed on teacher and
organisational wellbeing, Appreciative Inquiry (Waters & White, 2015). We justified our choice by
collaboratively researching the Appreciative Inquiry program and with evidence-based research
on teacher retention in low SES schools (OECD, 2005), teacher stress and the impact on student
achievement (McCallum, Price & Graham, 2007; OECD, 2018) and set the goal to improve
teacher satisfaction and retention, that is measurable using established qualitative surveys
(Kern, Adler, Waters & White, 2015). Our project proposal was approved without amendment.2
Challenge met.
A second challenge in this group project was developing a clear understanding of meeting
the learning outcomes for the Contemporary Teacher Leadership unit. Group presentation
expectations were outlined in three ways: the lecture material, tutorial discussions and in the
marking criteria however, misconceptions persisted in some members of the group on the
presentation requirements. One of the group members asserted that “in reality we are not
presenting to the executive”, when in reality the marking criteria explicitly stated the need to
“connect to the audience of senior school managers and school councils.”3 The group required
an additional online meeting to address the marking criteria and to add content specific to the
target audience. Edmonson suggests that the leadership qualities required to engender a
positive learning community include “being prepared to admit when things are going wrong,
acknowledge uncertainty and invite others input” (Garvin & Edmonson, 2008). What this advice
suggests is that instead of being corrective, I could have invited those on the wrong path to
2
Contemporary Teacher Leadership, Project Proposal, Team B08, May 2018.
3
102098 Contemporary Teacher Leadership, 2018. Marking Criteria Assignment 2, p. 16.
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102098 Contemporary Teacher Leadership Autumn 2018
discover their own solution, that is, by reading the marking criteria. The subsequent meeting
resolved the issue and highlighted the difficulties in dealing with colleagues who will not
acknowledge they are wrong and suggests that capacity building is a challenging process.
Challenge met.
Collaboration and capacity building are key areas of development within professional
learning communities (Hairon, Goh & Diwi, 2014). Kelley (2012) suggests setting both short and
long-term goals that make small and progressive changes hence our group maintained regular
and sustained focus over the semester to achieve our project goal. A major strength within the
group was the ability to foster a sense of a community of practice. There was attention and focus
on the online group meetings, vUWS group discussions for tutorial activities, lecture content and
later collaboration in the virtual environment of Zoom and Google Drive to collate our respective
project areas. We maintained weekly online meetings which usually included a healthy
facilitated the growth of a professional relationships that are supportive, reflective and build
personal capacity (Hairon, Goh & Diwi, 2014). One of the positive outcomes of the project was
fostering confidence in one of the more reticent members of the group by offering opportunities
to lead meetings and group discussions with the aim of gaining valuable insights from the
From the multiple group presentations required from the Masters of Teaching
(Secondary) program I have developed the skill to identify and focus on group members inherent
abilities and to utilise those skills in a positive way. This intention rarely goes smoothly. There is
always a need to clarify misunderstandings, recognise individual knowledge and expertise, and
maintain a steady path towards a common goal with common learning outcomes. Leadership is
difficult to define in these circumstances when there are varying levels of academic abilities,
linguistic and literacy skills, and levels of understanding of the big ideas presented in units such
as ‘system leadership from below’ (Boylan, 2016). Inconsistent results in measuring teaching
collaboration and innovation in worldwide contexts (OECD, 2014) suggests that hierarchical
systems remain a key feature of education organisations. Not everyone wants the responsibility
or accountability that goes with leadership. Teaching is a profession that requires a large degree
of creativity and innovative approaches both in classrooms and organisations however, Heick
(2013) suggests that innovation requires “the willingness to take risks, which means being
prepared for failure.” As a participant in a community of practice I accept the possibility of failure
but I would not allow the risk of mistakes to stop me taking risks. In a professional learning
environment, I would strive to engender trusting and supportive collegial relationships and be an
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSpGtNZ4Mzk
References
Boylan, M (2016). Deepening system leadership: Teachers leading from below. Educational
Management Administration & Leadership. January 2016 44: 57- 72.
doi:10.1177/1741143213501314
Garvin, D. & Edmondson, A. (2008). The importance of learning organisations. Harvard Business
Publishing. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/video/2226587714001/the-importance-of-
learning-in-organizations
Hairon, S., Goh, J.W.P. & Diwi, A. (2014). Challenges to PLC enactment in Singapore hierarchical
school system. Joint AARE-NZARE 2014 Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from
https://www.aare.edu.au/data/2014_Conference/Full_papers/HAIRON_14.pdf
Heick, T. (2013). What you need to be an innovative educator. Edutopia. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-you-need-innovative-educator-terry-heick
Kern, M., Adler, A., Waters, L., & White, M. (2015). Measuring Whole-School Well-being in
Students and Staff. In White, M., & Murray, A. (2015). Evidence-based approaches in
positive education: Implementing a strategic framework for well-being in schools. (pp. 65-
91) South Australia: Springer.
McCallum, F., Price, D., Graham, A. (2017). Teacher wellbeing: A review of the literature.
Association of Independent Schools. Retrieved from:
https://www.aisnsw.edu.au/EducationalResearch/Documents/Commissioned%20Research
/Teacher%20wellbeing%20A%20review%20of%20the%20literature%20-
%20%20Faye%20McCallum%20AISNSW%202017.pdf#search=teacher%20wellbeing
McKinnon, M. (2016). Teachers are leaving the profession – here’s how to make them stay. The
Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/teachers-are-leaving-the-
profession-heres-how-to-make-them-stay-52697
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2005). Teachers matter
education: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Retrieved from:
http://www.oecd.org/education/school/34990905.pdf
OECD (2014). Measuring innovation in education: A new perspective. Retrieved 25 June 2018
from DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264215696-en
OECD. (2018). Teachers' well-being, confidence and efficacy. Valuing our teachers and raising
their status: How communities can help (pp.89-112), OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved from:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264292697-6-en.
Waters, L. & White, M. (2015). Case study of a school wellbeing initiative: Using appreciative
inquiry to support positive change. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(I), 19-32.
doi:10.5502/ijw.v5i1.2