To lead schools successfully, the relationship between the various leaders in the school and the teams that they lead is critical to establishing a healthy school culture and to achieve continuous improvement. There are times, perhaps, where leaders focus too much on the team members driving improvement as opposed to whether the team members are... Continue Reading →
School leaders receive many suggestions from other leaders, teachers and support staff for what can be improved in their school. In some instances, people are taking action themselves, often on their own, as they try to 'fix' things and make our schools 'better'. Invariably, despite so many good ideas, intentions and initiatives, schools are oftentimes... Continue Reading →
When observing classes in high schools, it is possible to see two extremes of teacher support. Firstly, there is complete hand-holding or, as some teachers would like to say, spoon feeding, with the teacher doing most of the work. Secondly, at the opposite end of the spectrum we have some teachers who provide little... Continue Reading →
Teacher and school leader workload issues very much stem from the fact that there is not enough time to do the job properly. Some time back I commented on two ways that leaders can support teachers with workload issues, as to a large extent school leaders must take the initiative and lead in providing teachers... Continue Reading →
As a student moves from primary through to secondary schooling the number of teachers they will have contact with increases. By the time a student gets into the final few years of school they can have 8 or more different teachers on their schedule. Student learning also becomes more and more compartmentalised, with an increased... Continue Reading →
When decisions get made in schools, it can be quite commonplace to hear the following words in the staff room, "I / we were not consulted." Speaking to a school leader about the same decision, I am likely to hear these words, "I consulted and met with staff about this proposal." So, where's the truth... Continue Reading →
