Leading change
Effective middle leadership involves understanding how to lead and build a team, and how to effect change that impacts on improving teaching practice to lift student achievement.
The qualities at the heart of effective educational leadership are:
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What makes an effective middle leader?
Overview | What the research says | Discussion tools | Examples from practice
Overview
Middle leaders create the bridge between the senior leadership team and the teachers and students. In this role, they are expected to have knowledge and expertise about working with people, systems, leading professional learning, and managing resources.
What the research says
Leadership qualities
The qualities at the heart of effective educational leadership are: manaakitanga (leading with moral purpose); pono (having self-belief); ako (being a learner); and awhinatanga (guiding and supporting).
School leadership and student outcomes: Identifying what works and why (PDF 452kB)
Professor Viviane Robinson identifies and explains the types of school leadership that make an impact on a range of valued student outcomes.
A friendly guide to the leadership BES
Professor Viviane Robinson has recorded a friendly guide to the leadership BES on the Educational Leaders site.
Discussion tools
What makes an effective middle leader?
Examples from practice
Cultivating Leadership: Research/resources
Watch podcasts and videos from Cultivating Leadership, which provides research and resources aimed at building and improving leadership practice.
Watch 'An effective middle leader'. Duration 3.14
Secondary middle leaders discuss the qualities of an effective middle leader.
Becoming a pedagogical leader - Te Tū Hei Pouako
This INSTEP case study focuses on pedagogical leadership and supporting colleagues to develop more effective, responsive teaching.
How do you develop relationships?
Overview | What the research says | Discussion tools | Examples from practice
Overview
Whakawhanaungatanga is the nurturing of mutually respectful and collaborative relationships between all parties around student learning (Source: Te Mana Korero).
An effective professional learning community has the following characteristics:
- commitment to learning for all
- collaborative relationships among community members
- shared values and vision
- reflective and iterative inquiry
- participation in networks and partnerships
- commitment to sustainability and capacity building.
(Source: What is a Professional Learning Community?)
Is your department an effective learning community?
What the research says
In this EDtalk Dr Jan Robertson, academic consultant, discusses her teaching and research on professional learning. Jan believes that developing deep learning relationships throughout the education community is at the heart of effective educational leadership.
Discussion tools
Creating an environment for change
Examples from practice
Nurturing effective relationships
In this EDtalk, Tony Zaloum explains the importance of 'trust' in giving any feedback. Tony is a specialist classroom teacher at Orewa College. His role is to help move teaching and learning across the school through professional development and supporting teachers on a one to one basis.
Creating an environment for change
In this EDtalk, Mark Quigley discusses leading change in teaching and learning through a school-wide approach - Ako Orewa. Mark is the Deputy Principal at Orewa College; he explains the school's learning environment created over five years, based on proven pedagogy and practice.
Professional learning groups
Teachers at Wellington Girls' College work in learning groups for professional development that relates to the school's annual goals
All teachers belong to a cross curriculum learning group.