Course 11: Adminstrative Leadership in Educational Institutions

The Administrative Leadership in Educational Institutions course couldn’t have come at a better time for me. The course was extremely challenging, and helped me gain more confidence in myself as an educational leader. By starting with the self assessment the course gave me an opportunity to reflect on the leadership roles I was currently responsible for in my own school, and where I needed to improve if I were to take on a formal leadership position. I worked at developing these areas through my coursework and in my day to day interactions as a classroom teacher. I have been deliberate in targeting leadership opportunities to prepare myself for a formal leadership role.

During the course, I was also given the opportunity to present on critical leadership, which allowed me to re-visit the transformation work I had discovered in my Overview of Educational Issues course. This time however, I was reading the content with an emphasis on administration. This was a really interesting process. By reading this work a second time, I was surprised at how many new ideas emerged by viewing the same concept, critical pedagogy, through a leadership lens. The idea of conflicting ideologies has helped to re-shape my view of administration and decisions that are made within our division. Since this presentation, I have also been more aware of the issues associated with deficit thinking. Eradicating this type of thinking is critical for the success of all students. This has become a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy. Although I would not say that I have a critical focus to my leadership, there are certainly elements of critical theory that permeate my beliefs and values about education.

Another very valuable assignment was the case study we were asked to complete. For me the idea of blending practical experience (participant responses) and theoretical concepts (literature review) to formulate a plan of attack was the perfect way to end my graduate journey. This was really where I found value in the completion of my Masters. By developing a theoretical framework to support my practical experiences. So this assignment was a nice summary of that idea. The content of the case study allowed me to re-visit how our division and school implemented a 1:1 technology program, and develop a comprehensive plan that utilized academic research and experiences from a variety of stakeholders to more effectively launch the program. This process will simulate the role of an administrator, who needs to lean on other “experts” for advice. Although ultimately the final decision will rest with the principal, it is important to synthesize all relevant perspectives to develop a comprehensive plan that accommodates a variety of stakeholders.

One of the most important takeaways from the course, for me was that no person utilizes one leadership style all the time. Effective leaders adapt to the situation and apply the leadership style that will be most effective in addressing the issue. Coming into the course, although I was becoming more confident that I wanted to take on a position of administration, there was still a small part of me that worried about certain elements of the position. I did not want to become the school manager, I want to become the lead learner in the school. This course helped me see that simply having the position of school principal does not need to define how I do that job, I will define how I handle the roles and responsibilities of an administrator when I make that transition. The content from this course, in conjunction with the other leadership courses I have taken, have supported me in the acquisition of the confidence and skills required to attain a principalship for the upcoming school year, and I look forward to applying the skills I have gained through my graduate course work in a practical leadership position.

Course 10: Supervisory Policy and Practice

Supervisory policy and practice was the first  was the first course where I really started to use tasks to evaluate the education through an administrators lens. I started to think more critically about the things we were doing in my school. The activities we did supported this new way of thinking. The first assignment that helped me evaluate our processes from an administration perspective was the evaluation critique. I have always been frustrated with elements of our evaluation process. I had never sat down and outlined what I liked and what I did not like. Nor had I even taken the time to really understand why we had to complete this long, tedious process. That was because I had only ever thought of evaluation from my a teachers perspective. As I started to examine our divisional evaluation policy, I started to see why certain elements are included in the formal process of evaluation. Even though I still may not agree with all the elements, I have a more well rounded understanding why it is such a thorough process.

Another major assignment for this course was our action research project. I was dreading this assignment, as it seemed like it would be very challenging. However, once I got into the project, it was really interesting to gather data, synthesize information, and present the themes that emerged from my interviews. I also learned a lot about leadership by interviewing four unique stakeholders. One of my participants, shared a lot of information about the challenges facing administrators who want teachers to grow in their professional capacity. He spoke at length about the difficulties of fostering a culture where professional growth is the norm. These conversations were extremely valuable in advancing my understanding of evaluation and more importantly promoting teacher growth and development from an administration standpoint. 

The most practical takeaway for me from this course was the creation of my own supervision philosophy. This course, and this assignment in particular, will serve me well as I begin my journey into educational administration. I will need to ensure that I make time to give supervision and evaluation the attention it needs if I am going to leverage my the process of evaluation to positively impact students. I am excited to apply the theoretical concepts that I have developed through this course, in my professional practice.

Course 9: Leadership Practicum (Curriculuar Change Through Educational Technology)

During my school admin and the law course, I had spoken with another student about the practicum they were working on. They explained the process to me, and it sounded like a very practical way for me to apply my leadership skills. For this practicum there was no course outline, but rather a set of learning goals that I set out to achieve. These goals were established by me in my application to complete a practicum. The focus of the practicum was on implementing curricular change through the implementation of 1:1 technology. This practicum was valuable for me, as it allowed me to merge the theoretical concepts and ideas I had learned through my courses and apply them to a practical situation to influence change.

I had always been hesitant to commit to administration and leadership in education. There are a number of reasons why. The first being that there is, in my opinion, a significant divide between teachers and administration. There is sort of an us vs them dynamic. By asking for volunteers for my practicum, I would be firmly announcing to my staff that I had “joined the darkside” which I had discussed in my final reflection for my practicum.  The other reason that I was always hesitant to take on and administration role is my lack of experience and confidence as an educational leader. Looking back this practicum was an important step in my growth as a leader. It was the moment when I gained the confidence to start thinking about myself as an leader in my school.  Although Dr.Nantais was my supervisor for this practicum, I spoke about the process with Dr.Kirk before formally applying. I asked her if she was hesitant when she transitioned from being a teacher to administrator or professor. Her response was that she could make more of a difference as an administrator or professor so she was not hesitant at all. The conversations that I had with colleagues during this practicum helped me see what Dr.Kirk was talking about. I could see the impact that I could have on teaching and learning if I were to take on a formal position of leadership.

The ideas that came up through the meetings during my practicum have been practical in supporting the infusion of educational technology in our school. The technology boot camp has been developed with the support of one of my colleagues and was implemented this year to ensure that students had some foundational technology skills to support the infusion of ICT. Another very practical element of the practicum that I still see happening in the school, is teachers searching for ways to provide students choice. This allows students to utilize their creativity in the process of learning, and forces higher levels of thinking. Some of the changes that came up through the technology practicum are certainly sustainable and I continue to see the benefits of this project everyday in our school community.

Course 8: School Admin and the Law

After completing Dr.Kirk’s course this was a very drastic change of pace for me. Dr.Skinner is structured and almost formulaic in the tasks he wants you to complete as compared to the flexible learning that took place in Dr.Kirk’s course. This is not a criticism of either professors style, they are equally effective. It was just a very drastic change of pace that required me to re-adjust in my role as a learner. Once I got adjusted, it became clear to me how important this course is for me in my current role as a classroom teacher, or in the future when I move into an administration role. The course emphasized the expectations of schools, administrators, and classroom teachers in terms of liability. Although the content of the course was not something I would consider “fun” to learn about. From an administration standpoint the course was a great reminder about the strict standards that are expected of schools in terms of school safety.  

Dr.Skinner told me that “there is no such thing as a waiver of liability” in response to my case study. This idea has stuck with me, and it has many applications in education. Often, as classroom teachers we feel as though we have our bases covered in terms of liability. Perhaps we have warned students that we shouldn't do something that we see might be dangerous. Simply warning a student to stop doing something is not enough. If the threat still exists, it is my responsibility as the classroom teacher,  to do something more to prevent the risky behavior. This idea also crosses over into academics. Often teachers will say, I give them the work, but they don’t do it. I am doing my part, if students don’t want to follow my instructions that is their problem. However, as a classroom teacher, if we see that students are not following our instructions we need to intervene and try another method to attempt to correct the behavior. I am not saying that we can solve all academic and behavior problems, what this idea means to me is that as professionals it is our job to keep trying. It is not good enough to throw up our hands and say we did our job.    

Course 7: Introduction to Educational Adminstration

As with most courses, when I examined this course outline I was immediately overwhelmed. I was concerned about the development of a professional learning network (PLN). I have always been on social media, and I understand the technology behind twitter, blogs, etc.; however, I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea that I would contribute original content on social media. This assignment forced me out of my comfort zone, but it was extremely valuable in my professional growth and development.  Prior to this assignment when I was on twitter I only used it to “lurk” and look for good ideas that I could implement in my class. Dr. Kirk asked us to push ourselves past where we were currently on social media as tool for professional networking. This meant I needed to contribute. The first few times I engaged in conversations with other educators and shared my ideas, it was unnerving. However, after a while I realized how invaluable the process was. By sharing my ideas with other educators, I was receiving real time feedback from experts in the field of educational technology, assessment, and a variety of other fields. It was also valuable in that it forced me to self reflect. When I am contributing my ideas through social media, I am constantly evaluating if I am really doing the things I am saying. This is good, to ensure that my practices match my beliefs and values about what education. Today I am still active with social media, and I have encouraged many of my colleagues to develop their own PLN to further their own professional development. My PLN is the most sustainable takeaway from my 11 graduate level courses. I will continue to develop and refine my PLN long after I have completed my requirements for Master’s degree.

One of the more practical takeaways for me from this course was Dr.Kirk’s statement that she wanted us to find our own way in the learning. This resonated with me through the rest of my courses. If I became frustrated with an assignment, or was unsure of what was expected, I worked to try and make the assignment valuable for me. Aside from that I enjoyed Dr.Kirk’s style. She knew the main idea of concept that she wanted us to achieve, but she was flexible in how we got there and demonstrated our achievements. This is something that I have worked hard to try to achieve in my own practice as a classroom teacher. Following Dr.Kirk’s advice I decided to make the learning work for me in this course. I decided to focus the majority of my course work on leadership through mobile technology. My school was currently in the initial phases of our 1:1 rollout, so focusing on this topic made the course work practical for me. I was able to develop a theoretical foundation for the changes that I would need to make in order to maximize the effectiveness of this enhanced level of technology. 

Aside from the course work, this was the first graduate course that I took with my school’s principal. This created an interesting dynamic for me, as there is obviously a power differential between he and I. This was more than a little intimidating for me in the beginning. When I was contributing to class discussion, there were times when I would wonder what he was thinking, or I was concerned that he might be offended if I said something that maybe he didn't agree with. Although we have a good relationship, the fact that he is my immediate supervisor, and has many years of experience in educational leadership definitely was a struggle for me in the beginning. As the course went on I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to lead through constructive dialogue with my principal not only about our course work, but applications of course work in our school. This confidence prompted me to take on a leadership role within our school even though I was not in a position of formal authority.  

Course 6: Implementation and Evaluation of Curricular Change

The Curriculum Implementation and Evaluation course was a touch repetitive after taking the two previous curriculum courses (Intro to Curriculum, and Curriculum Planning and Design). Which was a little disappointing because I am very passionate about pedagogy, and I am always looking to find new ideas to incorporate into my teaching. Many of the ideas in the course were things we had discussed in the previous two courses. We continued to think about the impact on stakeholders and curriculum is more than a provincial document. By this point, I had a firm grasp of these ideas and it was not adding any new knowledge for me.

I tried to make the course practical for myself by focusing on the changes I was implementing in my history class as I developed my final project. I used the final project to reflect on how student engagement was impacted by implementing changes in my teaching. This gave me an opportunity to articulate why I was doing the things I was doing in my classroom. Although this curriculum course did not offer me any new ideas or knowledge, by choosing the topic that I wanted to focus my project, I was able to firmly define my pedagogy. Looking back at this assignment, it is clear that, this time period was a major turning point in my teaching. I had given up control to my students by providing flexible assignments that incorporate student choice and inquiry.

Course 5: Curriculum Planning and Material Design

The curriculum planning and design course helped me continue to the work that Dr. Binda had done in my previous course, trying to get me to re-define what curriculum is. Dr. Enns reinforced the idea that curriculum is more than curriculum documents that guide instruction. It is about developing a plan to implement change.

For this course the main assignment was to work collaboratively to analyze the effects of a specific change from a variety of perspectives. These perspectives represented the 3 most important stakeholders. This activity taught me the importance of setting goals and involving all stakeholders in the process of curricular change. 

This course was practical for me, as it allowed me to focus on a topic that was relevant to my school, inquiry learning. By focusing on this practical topic, it allowed me to evaluate the methods utilized within my division while implementing their new initiative. I have thought about the importance of stakeholders a number of times since this course, most notably when our division was implementing assessment changes and 1:1 technology programming. From a leadership perspective, understanding the importance of stakeholder involvement has allowed me to see the areas that needed be improved to make these transitions more efficient and effective. My understanding of curriculum planning developed in this course will support my ability to implement changes more effectively in the future.  

Course 4: Introduction to Curriculum

I was really looking forward to the introduction to curriculum course. I was a little bit disappointed when I looked at the course outline and saw that we would be doing chapter questions. Chapter questions are usually problematic for me, as I have a hard time being motivated to read and respond. However, the chapter questions for this course were very valuable in the process of learning in this complex material. They were open ended questions that forced me to apply the reading to my professional practice. This helped to reinforce the important concepts in the course. For me the most important takeaway from this course was the fact that curriculum is more than the subject specific document that the department of education produces. Curriculum is educational change. It might have nothing to do with the curriculum “document.” Understanding this concept helped me in my next two courses related to curriculum, and carried over into my leadership courses that emphasized implementing educational change.

I have often heard of the term curriculum unpacking, but given the variety of ways that term is utilized in education I think it means different things to different people. However in this course, the curriculum unpacking assignment was very practical for me as I was getting ready to implement a curricular change. I had just been given my teaching timetable for the upcoming year and I was assigned a new course. This curriculum unpacking activity was very valuable for me to thoroughly evaluate what this curriculum was all about, and how it could be best implemented. It also helped me evaluate what problems might arise through the implementation process of my new course. 

We were also asked to complete a journal emphasizing personal reflections throughout the course. Looking back at it now, it reminds me of my thoughts as I progressed through the course. I like activities like this, that reinforce ideas, help to validate concerns, and allow me to question the ideas that I am trying to interpret. I have forgotten how valuable this process can be in teaching and learning. I am going to try and utilize a journal type reflection in my professional practice next year.

Course 3: Overview of Educational Issues

Overview of Educational Issues was the most transformational of all of my graduate courses. While I was completing the course work and the readings, I was frustrated and dejected for a variety of reasons. However, this course had a significant impact on the way I think about teaching and learning.

My main frustration in the course came from assigned group work. I understand why we group work is important, but it was explained in the course outline that we would be assigned groups to complete most summative tasks. Not only was this frustrating because my two assigned group mates were from very far away (Kuwait and Thompson) but also the standard issue with group work that some people do not pull their weight but yet receive the same mark when working in a group. However, the one positive that came from this group work was utilizing google docs to collaborate. Although not everyone in my group pulled their weight, as expected, those of us who did were able to use google docs to collaborate in real time, even though were a number of time zones apart. This made the process of writing research papers collaboratively much more efficient. It also helped me see how powerful a tool like google docs could be, and I have since integrated this tool into every class that I teach. This experience also reminded me that when I assign students in my classroom to working in groups, it is critical that it is not for marks, as that is not an accurate measure of an individual student's understanding. I also allow students to create their own groups, so that they can choose to work with people that they trust will pull their weight. If they make a bad choice, they can learn from it and choose more wisely the next time.

          

Aside from the frustrating nature of group work, the content and the readings in the course were very valuable. They challenged me to re-think what it means to learn, and how the system can be revamped to allow students to formulate their own reality. The readings, built upon the ideas I developed in my previous course and encouraged me to completely shift towards a student centered learning environment. This allows students can begin the learning process based on their current understanding. I also became very aware that the things I say about certain curricular concepts bias students perceptions about what they should think. If I told students what I thought about the War of 1812, and they told it back to me, students are not required to think. This prompted me to re-focused my planning to emphasize opportunities for students to access higher level thinking concepts. The emphasis was no longer on memorization, but on analyzing sources, applying concepts, and creating content to demonstrate their new knowledge.  As I stepped to the side, I noticed that when students begin to discover social injustices through their own research, they are more vested in the learning process which makes the learning more transformative.

The Critical Pedagogy Reader was the backbone of the course, and the content was applicable to many other courses. The readings in the book, which will be emphasized in my annotated bibliography, provided me with a foundation for understanding inquiry approaches, critical literacy, and ultimately the oppressive nature of schooling. Although while I was reading the book, it was hard to understand, now that I understand these concepts they have re-shaped the way I think about student learning and education in general.

Course 2: Interpreting Educational Research

The focus of my second course, interpreting educational research, helped me understand the format of research, it also helped me to become a more efficient when reading academic articles.  The course also helped me to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data. By completing the critical annotated bibliographies in this course I learned to become critical when analyzing educational research, rather than simply taking information at face value. These research skills supported my learning in many courses as I progressed through the remainder of my graduate courses.

Using problem based learning for the focus of my research in this course provided me with valid evidence to further understand the direction my division was heading with inquiry approaches to teaching and learning. This research provided me with a  framework to develop a more informed opinion about inquiry learning. Perhaps most importantly it gave me a better understanding about the elements that need to be in place in order for inquiry or problem based learning to be effective.

By focusing my readings and course work on problem based learning, I started to understand that there is a fine line between providing too much support and not providing enough support. A number of things have stuck with me from this research as I have adapted my teaching pedagogy and practice. The first is the way that I respond to questions from students. Many students are used to the idea that the teacher should give them the answer, “tell me the answer, that is your job” is a common phrase I hear from students now. Now when I respond to students, I use questions that force them to find answers. The second change that stemmed from my exposure to the research on problem based learning is how I support students through the process of learning. Scaffolding skills throughout the learning process to ensure that students can be successful. With this shift to more of a facilitator role in the classroom, it was important that I made sure students had the skills to complete the tasks I was asking them to do, in order to achieve the curricular concepts I was asking them to work on. This involved utilizing more literacy strategies, graphic organizers, and individualized practice with critical skills like paraphrasing, thesis development, organizing ideas, etc.

This research was really a starting point for me to move from a more traditional style of teaching, to one of a facilitator. I was not completely converted at the end of this course, but by focusing my research on problem based learning, it planted the seed for me that I needed to rethink what I was doing in my professional practice if I truly wanted a student centered classroom.

Course 1: Graduate Scholarly Writing

After reading the course outline for Graduate Scholarly Writing I was very intimidated. I have never been a very confident writer, so I was dreading this course. My lack of confidence was compounded by the fact that this was my first course at the graduate level, so I had no idea what to expect in terms of rigor for a graduate level course. After tentatively submitting a draft of my assignment  I was stung by the pain of constructive feedback. In my professional practice we often provide students feedback, but when I received feedback on how to improve my own work, it reminded me how personally students can take feedback. I felt that the work I submitted in these drafts was as thorough as I could produce. I would receive my drafts with very thorough feedback, carving up my work with the color coded method that Dr.Terry used to communicate required changes. I would often have to take some time, and a few deep breaths to remind myself that her feedback was constructive. It is a good reminder to me as a classroom teacher that we must remind students that feedback is not judgmental or personal, it is meant to help them improve. I often show students in my class examples of the feedback I received from Dr.Terry to let them know that I too understand the pain of constructive feedback, but ultimately I know that her feedback helped me to improve.

Dr. Terry had extremely high standards which helped me in my professional practice. She didn't have unreasonable expectations, but had the expectation that graduate students should complete work that was reflective of higher understanding. I realized that if I want to establish high standards in my own classroom, I have to support students achieve those standards by scaffolding the skills in which they need to meet those standards. By providing continuous feedback, she supported the advancement of my writing and allowed me to attain the standard that she expected.  

The course was very practical for my professional development because it gave me my own exemplar bank to understand the formatting and requirements of specific writing samples such as research papers, article critiques, funding proposals etc. that I would not only use in the rest of my graduate courses, but also access in my day to practice. For example the format of the funding proposal served as a template for me when applying for additional professional development money. I used the template as a guide to justify the expense and present a logical explanation for the additional resources required.

This course was a very valuable experience for me. It provided me with a foundation for the writing requirements of the rest of my graduate courses, and it also gave me the confidence to tackle the academic challenges that arise in subsequent courses. Although I still struggle with academic writing, Dr.Terry provided me with an understanding of the basic elements of writing at a scholarly level and made me a more proficient writer, student, and teacher because of her support through the process of feedback throughout the course.