reflection 10

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Reflection 10: Leadership

How the rubric item was addressed in this reflection:
This reflection shows how I have grown as a leader in science education, to provide evidence of my influence and/ or cooperative work with others in the school community, outside of my own classroom.

WHAT is the evidence? WHY did I choose the evidence? HOW does the evidence show growth?

Before entering the MCEP program, I had participated in professional development activities, but I had not actually contributed or played any type of a leadership role in science education. With the support of my classmates and my experience of developing a professional development for my classmates in Edu636, I have become more confident and proactive in seeking other opportunities to share resources and help fellow teachers improve their practice.

I present 1 piece of baseline evidence from my MCE application and 3 pieces of later evidence (1 from an informal exchange with other teachers at school; 1 from a professional development (PD) given to my colleagues in Edu636; 1 from an e-mail exchange with my current superintendent, Dr. Loretta Bellina). In comparing my baseline and later evidence, I use a conceptual framework that shows:

INCREASED SHARING OF RESOURCES TO HELP CATALYZE TEACHING CHANGES IN OTHERS (Later Evidence #1 & #2) Through my reading and discussion of science education literature with fellow cohort members and the sharing of resources, I have been inspired to be more conscientious in my sharing of resources with fellow teachers and supporting improvements in their teaching practices. Additionally, in our PD, Mike Ames, Brad Beckman, and I provided fellow cohort members with physical science-specific applet resources and modeled how these applets could be used as the information models in POGIL worksheets. As a result, fellow cohort members had the resources and awareness of how to implement these tools into their classroom practice.
A SHIFT FROM ACTIVE PARTICIPATION TO ACTIVE LEADERSHIP (Later Evidence #2 & #3) I became more confident as a teacher leader as a result of what I had learned in my pedagogy classes. Also, after designing and presenting a PD in cooperation with fellow cohort members Mike Ames and Brad Beckman for my fellow classmates, I realized that I can take a more formal role in producing something useful for other teachers and influence their classroom practice, even if I am not the perfect teacher. As a result, I have started to seek out more opportunities for teacher leadership in my school district.

Baseline Evidence:
Answer to MCE application question #4
& application essay #2
MARCH 2007

2) ". . . defines the third wave of teacher leaders as those who enable their colleagues to improve professional practice by doing things they would not ordinarily do on their own. . . . teacher leaders are those who 'help redesign schools, mentor their colleagues, engage in problem solving at the school level, and provide professional growth activities for colleagues'" (Silva, et al., Teacher College Record, vol. 201, No.5 (august 2000), Pg. 781)

How does this definition of teacher leadership match your vision of and experience with teacher leadership?

"Teacher leaders know that good teaching is motivated by a personal desire to improve education and to fulfill one's potential. They encourage teacher-led professional development opportunities. They also create, through personal example, a community of mutual respect and support that encourages teachers to try new methods. Teacher leaders minimize risks associated with unfamiliar methods by modeling them and by giving supportive feedback to their peers. They share their own trials, mistakes, and techniques, and are open to the possibility that certain techniques may not fit a teacher's personality. The teacher leaders I've encountered are impassioned by their subjects, hard-working, and acknowledge the variations in instruction driven by character differences. . . . "

This baseline evidence shows, that while I felt I could recognize good teacher leaders, I had never actually formally done anything to improve the professional practice of my colleagues because I had not fully identified myself as being capable of fulfilling that role. I was interested in improving my own pedagogy and that of others, but I still felt that I had much to improve before formally placing myself in a position of leading others towards pedagogical change. Thus, while I had engaged in other leadership roles in my school (e.g. overseeing renovation, chemical storage, grant writing), beyond the occasional and informal collaboration (curriculum design and lesson planning) with fellow teachers, I was NOT a teacher leader.

Later Evidence:

EVIDENCE A and reflection: (opens in new window)
Informal e-mail exchange with fellow teachers in my district
SEPT & OCT 2008

EVIDENCE B and reflection: (opens in new window)
Feedback from and reflection upon the applet POGIL PD given in Edu636
MARCH 2009

EVIDENCE C and reflection: (opens in new window)
An e-mail exchange with the superintent of my district, Dr. Loretta Bellina
JUNE 2009

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I have grown as a leader in science education as a direct result of my experience in the MCE program, especially through the process of jointly producing a professional development activity with my fellow cohort members Mike Ames and Brad Beckman. Creating and participating in the many succesful professional development activities within Edu636 has inspired me to continue to improve my own practice and has made me more aware of how good a professional development can be--it can catalyze change! It can be useful and relevant to my classroom and my subject! It can be integrated into my current methods of teaching! All too often, PD has become synonymous for "impractical edu-speak." This experience has changed my opinion and made me more aware of the type of PDs that catalyze changes in teaching practice and that correspond with good teacher leadership. I want to attend and produce more of these PDs led by small groups of teachers!

Furthermore, I am now more aware than ever that this leadership is made possible through collaboration and relationships--the teaching tools I have been given (e.g. podcasting, inquiry-based demonstrations, using wordwalls, manipulatives, and foldables, just to name a few), the teacher leaders I have followed in the cohort, and the research articles that have changed my perspective (thanks, Dr. Pitts!) have all been centered around conversations, mutual respect, and the opportunities for association provided through the MCE program.

July 2, 2009