D6013 Educational Leadership

Nature is the behavioural context which decides whether the educator is suitable for the particular profession or not. It comes from the genetic and heredity that a person develops some initial habits of analysing, educating, tutoring matters without any hesitation (Down, and Sullivan, 2019). It is often believed that the children who score more than their parents in academic backgrounds might opt for the particular option. Also, the children who belong from the disciplinary and conservative backgrounds is the great possibility to go for educating the world. There are certain factors responsible for the inclination of developed skills in a person that is the social mobility, and IQ which can become the observing patterns for the general practitioners (Chalkiadaki, 2018). So majorly there are two reasons that can initiate the skill development for becoming an effective educator as professional; one is genetic backgrounds of parents, and the other is educational qualification of parents and temperament towards society are the major causes which predict the nature of an individual.

Nurture is the concept which is clearly dependent on the environmental and surrounding factors and is highly responsible for the growth of an individual. A person is more likely to develop skills and attain knowledge with the tiring efforts and objectives of achieving their goals (Hudson, 2013). They strive to work hard and improve oneself to opt for a particular profession. The mindset developed during the growth years is the highly dependent factor that is actually influenced by the social factors surrounding us. The other factor which is attitude or disposition through intellectual development which is only influenced by the upbringing by the parents, teachers, friends, and other peer groups (Guerriero, 2014). The people who are extrovert and active listeners, communicators, and good neurological balance in managing and arranging things in order can propagate the skills in the objected direction to get into education field as educators.

Conflict is an integral dimension of school reality. As a responsible officer of a department, describe 2 strategies you would adopt to deal with dispute among learners in your classroom setting.

Every individual is different from the other and it is the responsibility of the school staff to maintain the law and order respecting the dignity of the individuals. There are the differences in the opinions and sometimes it might generate conflict between the learners and they sense it as biasness. To reduce these conflicts and disputes, the proper arrangement of classroom settings is done in accordance with the necessity of the resources and equipment required for arranging the feasible infrastructure.

Accommodating things in order in compliance with the needs of the students learning and enjoyment at the same time can reduce their stress and pressure for studies and they will enjoy the friendly environment accepting the fellows as friends and might improve the bonding and relations positively. Arranging competition in the classroom through different activities and sessions can introduce the productive attitude in learners to put more efforts in improving self and learn from the mistakes and strengths of others at the same note.  These two strategies can work wonders if done in a proper format for both the educators and students involved in the classroom. The interactive sessions are more likely and livelier than the theoretical lectures because in that setting there is a least probability to show the actual potential and desires and it is also possible that some introvert learners isolate themselves and learn in embarrassment of being mocked at which can hinder their performance and learning abilities. These strategies of accommodation and competition can work as true efforts to enhance the classroom environment. Being an officer, it becomes important to keep a check on the evaluation and progress of the learners streamlining the learning attitude reducing the disputes and conflicts in their minds by diverting those in productive and innovative ideas of learning strategies (Habók, and Nagy, 2016). Accommodation can be explained in better terms as making them sit together with the adapting objective of each other’s interests and habits assigning them tasks which can offer them good results if performed in sink. This output can change their perspective for their inner conflicts. Competition on the other hand can create more conflict sometimes, but with the time realization of right, wrong, good, or bad occurs in their mind to segregate the positive and negative thoughts and perception about others and brings acceptance for everyone. Competition in classroom always fixed with the creation of healthy and worthy environment.

Explain how teacher leaders are expected to infuse ‘21^stcentury skills’ in learners in enhancing emotional capacities to adapt to new economic realities.

Teachers are lifelong learners and should be updated with the latest updates in the field of technology and education. There is a never ending approach in education and acquiring skills for the benefit of the students so that they can get the best of the available resources (Harris, A. and de Bruin, 2018). In the current generation, teachers have to be on toes to modify their teaching techniques according to the time demands. Earlier, the lecture sessions were considered as quite effective part of teaching and offering education, but today there are several options available to enhance the standards of education. The Education department has started an initiative to change the structure of the curriculum design and course format just to ensure the credibility of the courses taught and checking their worth in the practical world for the students (Guillén-Gámez, 2020).

Teachers are expected to come up with the new ideas to infuse those in curriculum design to enhance creative, critical, and emotional capabilities to make them prepared for the economic and financial hurdles and reality check in the future. Firstly, the students are given priority at maximum because ultimately they are the one who would be affected by the whole process. They are given the power to decide what to learn and how. Then in the next procedure, inquiry for their requirements in the classroom are done so that things can be made available for their better learning environment (Weston, 2020). The third step is to collaborating the ideas into the teaching lessons and chapters with the entertaining and interactive sessions like stories and animations are helpful in proving the theoretical assignment interesting and generative. This approach can open their minds about the vast world of conceptual learning and connecting things with each other. The fourth step is to include the critical thinking skills in by involving students in self-engaged, self-directed, self-monitored, self-disciplined, and self-corrective techniques of teaching and learning sessions. This can improve their minds and quality of thought process by indulging reconstructive, analysing, and reconstructing behaviour. The last and foremost step is too aware them about the future possibility of the career options in the corresponding subject or profile so that they can take wise decisions and apart from emotional, creative, practical attitude can be inculcated in them to satisfy the needs of the future without any difficulty (Al-Darabse, 2017). For this, they have to develop their skills and knowledge using a correct design of structure. Teachers can infuse these ideas in their planning to improve the quality of life education.

ICT skills are part and parcel of requirements to exercise as an educator. Describe why some educators face difficulty to apply ICT in their teaching and learning activities.

ICT is important in today’s education system as it is observed in covid times, the world of education, teaching and learning has become highly digitalized and the process is dependent on the technology and computer systems so that the students can get the optimised information timely. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the medium in which information and knowledge is delivered by the means of technical advancements. This is currently proved as boom as it modifies and produces the resources from different sources at one place within no time (Kanbul, and Uzunboylu, 2017). It is also available in different formats and interactive boards which contains all the relevant information regarding the confined subject details. This has also been useful for classroom teaching because it can provide teacher an assistance to explain the complex machinery without any extra efforts. The visuals and animations used in the tools of ICT are so interesting and enriched with knowledge. Hence, ICT is a complete package of study material and practical studies to help students to fullest provided with the expert explanations.

Conventional teaching styles have been reduced after the introduction of ICT tools in education, so teachers have also been pressurised to adapt the skills to operate and understand he working of these tools and techniques. The teachers who are older and do not want to bring change in their teaching styles face these changes as hurdles in their professional career but some are facing problems because they are not handy with the technicalities and information tools. For this very purpose, the training sessions for teaching them the operations of ICT are given (Ghavifekr, et al, 2016). They are also not inclined towards the communicative and interactive studies rather focus on copy-book writing methods of answering questions, which is now an old technique to make them learn the topic. Teachers struggle to cope up because they have never been through any such technology in their academics, hence adopting new features and process sounds difficult for them to inculcate in their teachings style (Emaliana, 2017).

Change is considered to be the only constant in any activity. Describe 2 ways teacher leaders are called upon to deal with emotions and motivation of learners, in the advent of online teaching and learning activity.

Online teaching and learning activities embrace the power of education which was only confined to the classroom teaching. This change is slowly introduced in the education market by the social learning applications who were giving the extra reference materials with the classes and doubt sessions to the children (Khan, 2017). The children also felt this system as better than the physical one, because it saved their time and energy to attend the physical classroom and modified their earning by rewind and play features according to the feasible time schedule. The online classes are customized complying the course schedule as hard, medium, and easy with the learning abilities. But it is truly believed that change is necessary for the humans to become progressive and successful. Constancy brings stagnant phase which do not create any development and change which is not good for education because regular updation is been done in the courses (Berger, and Gross, 2018). Teachers lead the students and solve their problems with the motive of teaching them the content useful for them (Gu, 2018). They understand the needs of the children and learn to design their classes in that particular manner. The administration department of schools and colleges demand from teachers to become updated to provide their content feasible for the students to study easily which helped a lot in this crisis. Some students are introvert and do not ask or discuss their problems in front of everyone in the fear of being embarrassed of silly questions. They have the advantage to study at their own pace and resolve the issues personally creating private sessions. Though it is proved that the physical classrooms are best option for teaching and learning concepts but trend is changing due to modernization of the technology.  The teachers can motivate students to attend the online classes by telling them the advantages of connecting with the classes and sessions to complete the course and increase practicality in the current situation (Starkey, 2011). Teachers can motivate students to attend the online classes by arranging interesting setup related to the topic telling them the pros of getting the content recorded and always available at computer screen, can be reviewed from the point they want to discover the relevant content. The teachers can explain the limitations of the physical classroom by making them understand that there is no option of slow, fast, and replay with the imaginative and creative content. The teachers/leaders have the tendency to speak on the platform and personal sessions can help the students in resolving minute details about the topic concerned. Some changes are for good, introducing ICT is one of the best changes implemented in the field of education (Tondeur, et al, 2017). Teachers are the best motivators and renovators who can convert the situations in the best productive manner.

As a visionary leader, describe 2 reasons why education policies may hinder teacher development.

A leader will always take care of their followers and take decision according to demands and interests of the people under them. There are certain policies and rules set up by the government to stabilise the education system and reduce the vulnerability in adapting the structures best suitable for the students. But the dilemma of the situation is that rules are framed for making the teaching and learning system feasible for all, but when the rules got finally framed with the proper format, it has turned into a document which is superficially designed and not considerable for the teachers and educators to follow in the classroom setting (Nghia, 2017). Education policies are made considering general population but not specific details are underlined so that the changes and modifications can interrupt the dignity of the law makers. An assessment should be designed according to the policies designed but sometimes it is not possible to portray the same as formulated due o some limitations. Because the policies are written vaguely as budgeting and allowances are not properly funded every time accordance with the principles. So, the rules fall short of expectations and not meet the criteria (Halim, Wahid, and Halim, 2018).  The policies once stated were old and require modifications as current education structure and curriculum, so it is believed that the policies and rules are not designed in universal format and not sustained for future perspectives (Fischman, et al, 2019). They are theoretically designed with no vision of practicality of the situation, so practical and theoretical bonds do not comply with each other and a weak relationship is formed between instruments and outcomes. There are few limitations due to which teachers are liable to adapt the educational policies in their classroom (Van Schaik, et al, 2018). The policies are so formed documented showing cause-effect relationship but are more concrete than continuum, impractical than feasible, written than implemented due to these reasons. 

Teacher leaders have long been expecting their profession to be ‘professionalised’. Discuss how far educators are more likely to be regarded as ‘quasi or semi’ professionals in our education system.

Quasi-professionals are those who have acquired unique skills because of talent and experience in an organizational structure being loyal and well accommodated. Semi-professionals are those who have advanced knowledge and skills in a particular field but not considered as true professions or in other words people do not consider these professions as career option seriously. Teaching being the noble profession is even treated as quasi or semi profession even though the professionals are highly qualified and skilled and they manage autonomous work dimensions in their job career, they are still seen controversial and not embraced as valued one (Yue, 2019). Even though, if compared from the last few years, the situation of teachers in professional market has been improved, but still it is said to be quasi professional which clearly means that teachers are directed to perform some functions under the orders of their superiors and do not have individual autonomy or decision making powers. They work for the welfare of the people without any self-interest. This profession is attained by rigorous training and a formal qualification and degree structure to master any specialisation in a subject (Horntvedt, et al, 2018).

Educators are semi-occupied by their profession and they are zoned under an improper work classified because in people’s opinion they share their knowledge what they have and utilise their skills in a confined manner in delivering what they actually acquire during their training. They are not inferring something new out, so they are valued as low in the ranking of professionalism (Cooc, 2019). Teachers/educators always tend to have an empathetic attitude towards others and follow ethical behaviour. This nature in professionalism led them lower their dignified status and question the professional behaviour. The definition for considering teaching a perfect profession is now updated and a respect is been developed for the noble profession and acceptance as a complete profession (Sethy, 2018). Teaching profession in current situation is satisfying all the parameters of professionalism having worth of what is been paid for.

As a reflective practitioner, assess how far Continuous Professional Development empowers teacher leaders to face unexpected situations in our current education system. 

Being in teaching field since years, I realised that this is a field where we have to learn with the never ending approach. There will be no time when we are far perfect in any subject, always it needs an updation in the knowledge or skills. For that, government and education department has started continuous Professional Development for teachers which can empower their growth and improve their skills and knowledge to the far extent. Teachers are trained and skilled professionals with the higher degree of qualification (Sider, Maich, and Morvan, 2017). But when it comes to the classroom setting, every teacher has a different approach for their performance, some uses writing and oral techniques to evaluate a child, some uses interactive sessions to make them progress by personality, the other uses lecture methods to deliver the knowledge. These methods are particularly on the person ended attitude and are generalised but the CPD is the innovation where teachers are taught to understand the requirements of the children, type of he children, understand and analyse the methods used already for the betterment, and the infusion of innovative methods in their conduct. Having subject knowledge is not sufficient for today, if we want to become a professional in teaching (Pawlak, M., 2019). The profession was earlier treated as casual and of no importance, but everyone has understood the nature of the profile and concern the value of its existence.

Overall development of the personality is necessary to prove oneself a better teacher or a educator (Häkkinen, et el, 2020). During the process we have learned many basic things about the profession and indulge more respect for our profession. A teacher should be aware and vigilant of the classroom and outside the classroom both because it is essential to know what is going on and why. The understanding of the student’s problems and finding the best solution available is the best attribute a teacher can have. When I used to teach small kids, there were times, that they used to fight on small things and it becomes difficult to predict the judgement for the right person or faulty one. The teacher should be aware about the content and practice followed. The program made us learn about the matter importance and ways to improve it (Lauermann, and König, 2016). This development program also engages the teacher competency and capabilities to brush them in a particular confined direction so that they can prove helpful for the students in the desired form. The teacher is just like a second mother for children, she has to take care of the children with full confidence and warmth. In the cut throat competitive world where the children are more inclined towards the ICT tools and digital platform, the end of teacher’s craze is near. The program also helped educators to get involved in integrating and innovative art integration techniques in which one can correlate the imagination with the practical phenomena in a simpler way. We have developed a sound matureness and opinion while attending this development programme. The theoretical knowledge is also convertible to the practical approach to make them learn the ideas and concepts critically and analyse the details of the content in depth (Tamir, 1988).

No work is easy, if it is believed that teaching profession is everyone’s cup of tea, then they have never been tried to teach or handle a lot of strength with different mind set at a one time and making them learn difficult concepts in one go so that they perform well and become the aspired professionals in their future. The teachers are like the constructing sites who always moulds the barren land into a fertile and beautiful infrastructure by applying the different interventions and tools. Also, it is not a day or two process, it takes time to induce the productive outcomes from the available resources. This program intends the focus of the educators to develop their skills and knowledge to enhance the career growth. Different subjects require specific training and modifications to inculcate in the teaching styles and according to the current teaching style, subject’s correlation and interconnection is promoted by the education department to improve the quality of education and practical thinking in the students. The department and educators want to engage students more in the analytical and critical thinking for any phenomena to trade with the competitive professional market with energy and confidence (Canaran, 2017).

In conclusion, it is well justified that teaching is a profession which need high attentive and focussed efforts to improve the personality of the several students in life time just to ensure their good life without any selfish motives. Teaching/educating/leading are the same concepts when talked about the education because the main concern is around the students. The steps whatsoever is taken will directly or indirectly affect the growth and performance of the students (Braga, et al, 2017). Any subject is taught when it is studied in expertise and then only it is possible to deliver the best content for the betterment of the students. Using different tools and techniques of ICT and innovative methods for the infusion of 21^st century education curriculum can change the perspective of teaching professionals (Jovanović, et al, 2017).

References

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