The development of young minds is a fruit of the combined efforts of many. Some have a direct while others have an indirect influence. Since teachers carry out the grooming of the students directly in a classroom setting, it is essential to polish their skills to provide reliable support for the students to lean on. It is here that the school leaders come to play their role. They can be in the form of a principal, administrator, or a headteacher. They carry out the professional grooming of the educators to instill the qualities of effective teaching in them. Good school leadership is about regulating the practices of teaching expertise school-wide, thus establishing a clear connection with the improved student learning outcomes.
In the changing arena of today’s world and the dynamicity of technological advancements, it has become necessary to update educational platforms accordingly. It requires reflective leadership to make timely decisions and guide the teachers in the right direction. If you are a school leader too, here are some ways to support the teachers, to stir a positive change in your school environment.
1.Be a Role Model for Teachers:
As the quotation goes, ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Words without actions to compliment them would be ineffective. Leading an organization from the front comes with its share of responsibilities. To guide the teachers in their careers, you should first build up yourself as an exemplary figure. A focus on your grooming is equally essential. You can opt for multiple ways to do that. For example, you can go for an online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Management program to upgrade your skills along with the job. Exhibiting fine skills inside and outside the classrooms would be a bonus for the teachers, which will bring clarity to their vision. They will look up to you for guidance and mirror the same for their students.
2.Encourage New Teaching Cultures:
As a school leader, you should try hard to free your school system from ineffective teaching techniques. You can bring that about by encouraging new ideas proposed by the teachers. Loosen your hold a little and give more authority to the teachers. In this way, they can adopt new teaching ways depending upon the need of the time. Even if permission is necessary, cut down official formalities to fasten the process. Also, try not to shape their evaluative feedback based on their novelties in teaching. Teachers will become hesitant to go for new things in that case. If a method does not turn out to be effective, have discussions and bring about amendments instead of playing a blame game. It would open up new ways and instill a spirit of cooperation and teamwork.
3.Carry out the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of Teachers:
The process of learning has no end. The changing landscape of today’s world especially calls for continuous and adaptive learning. Sticking to the same teaching methodologies for years would be of no good in the mission to produce bright minds. As a school leader, support the continuous professional development of teachers spanning their entire teaching career. While the need for CPD is dire, its implementation can be challenging and vague. The strategies of CPD can vary from school to school. You will need to analyze the problems and needs your school faces to map out the CPD plan for the teachers accordingly. Some modes of CPD do exist in school settings at some level, e.g., the afternoon staff meetings and training workshops. However, to pace up with society, you should adopt a more personalized professional learning approach to satisfy the individual needs of the teachers. Reflect upon how you can support the CPD, keeping in mind the perceptions and philosophies of the teachers to design the best model.
4.Promote Technology Enhanced Learning:
There is no way we can deny the use of technology in today’s world. It has acquired a prime role in our daily lives and studies alike. Allow teachers the use of technology in classrooms for an enhanced learning experience. In addition to that, the use of technology will promote digital competence in the teachers, which they can impart to their students. Technology will open multiple ways of effective teaching and access to diverse content. In addition to that, it is necessary to introduce the children to the positive side of technology before they indulge in the negative one. It’s a win-win situation!
Conclusion:
The need for school leadership is now more than ever due to the changing modes of teaching in the pandemic. However, planned strategies and well-timed actions can optimize teacher welfare and student learning. To prepare young minds that can compete with the world tomorrow, passive behavior towards learning would be detrimental. This damage would not only involve your career but the development of young minds as well. It is the need of time to adopt proactive grooming and learning for the welfare of generations. Enlightened minds of the teachers would ultimately result in the bright future of the students.
