Main Content
Session Information
01 SES 01 B, Organisational and School Learning
Parallel Paper Session
Contribution
This paper draws upon data from ongoing research drawn from a 3-year project funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (National Foundation for Science and Technology) (Reference number PTDC/CPE-CED/112164/2009). It relates to existing international literature that has focused upon a vision of teacher leadership as a key element in improvement efforts in Education. Within the view of schools as learning communities, teachers are encouraged to exercise leadership and to engage themselves in improvement and change in the settings in which they work. Rather than focusing only on given roles, responsibilities and structures, teacher leadership is about the ways in which teachers make a difference in their contexts through agency and participation in innovative initiatives at school. It is within this framework that this project was set up. Within this research project, teacher leadership involves not only teachers leading learning in their classrooms, but also leadership of innovation and the building of professional knowledge within and beyond their classrooms and schools. This also includes the analysis of the political and cultural contexts of the development of teacher leadership and teacher professionalism. Drawing upon existing empirical work carried out internationally, the project aims to enhance conditions for teacher leadership based upon the following principles, amongst others: i) teachers are key elements in the change process; ii) schools are learning communities in which (distributed) leadership may be enhanced; iii) schools as learning communities are most likely to enable children to become educated, capable and active citizens; iv) the reform of education systems is most likely to be successful when teacher professionalism includes the leadership of processes of innovation and improvement in practice. The extent to which teachers are able to engage in strategic action for change depends on the way their professionalism is perceived by themselves and their colleagues and on the conditions for them to exercise leadership, to lead innovations in schools and to transform their educational practice (Lieberman & Miler, 2004; Frost & Durrant, 2002; Frost & Durrant, 2003; Durrant, 2004).
Thus, the goals of the project are: i) to understand the wider social, cultural and political setting and the policy environment in which teachers’ work is framed, especially in terms of challenges and opportunities; ii) to analyse the professional and organisational culture and structures of the schools in which teachers work; iii) to understand the ways in which teachers construct their professionalism; iv) to develop strategies in order to enhance teacher leadership in schools.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Durrant, J. (2004) Teachers leading change: frameworks and key ingredients for school improvement, Leading and Managing 10 (2) pp.10-29 Frost, D. & Durrant, J. (2002) Teachers as Leaders: exploring the impact of teacher-led development work, School Leadership and Management, 22(2), pp. 143-161. Frost, D. & Durrant, J. (2003) Teacher Leadership: rationale, strategy and impact, School Leadership and Management, 23(2), pp. 173-186. Lieberman, A. & Miller, L. (2004) Teacher Leadership, San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass
Programme by Networks, ECER 2021
00. Central Events (Keynotes, EERA-Panel, EERJ Round Table, Invited Sessions)
Network 1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Network 2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Network 3. Curriculum Innovation
Network 4. Inclusive Education
Network 5. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
Network 6. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Network 7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Network 8. Research on Health Education
Network 9. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement
Network 10. Teacher Education Research
Network 11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance
Network 12. LISnet - Library and Information Science Network
Network 13. Philosophy of Education
Network 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Network 15. Research Partnerships in Education
Network 16. ICT in Education and Training
Network 17. Histories of Education
Network 18. Research in Sport Pedagogy
Network 19. Ethnography
Network 20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
Network 22. Research in Higher Education
Network 23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Network 24. Mathematics Education Research
Network 25. Research on Children's Rights in Education
Network 26. Educational Leadership
Network 27. Didactics – Learning and Teaching
Network 28. Sociologies of Education
Network 29. Reserach on Arts Education
Network 30. Research on Environmental und Sustainability Education
Network 31. Research on Language and Education (LEd)
Network 32. Organizational Education
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