Middle leaders translating knowledge about improvement: Making change in the school and preschool organisation

Nehez, Jaana; Blossing, Ulf; Torkildsen, Lisbeth Gyllander; Lander, Rolf; Olin, Anette

doi:10.1007/s10833-021-09418-2

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…To perform this, it is necessary to ensure the systematic growth of innovative skills of PEI teachers; inform them about the essence of innovation, etc. [18][19][20][21][22]. The readiness of the teacher for innovative activity is characterized by a range of developed professional skills, which justify the conscious implementation of personal innovations in the educational process of PEI [18][19][20].…”

Section: The Analysis Of the Recent Publications On The Essence Of In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The readiness of the teacher for innovative activity is characterized by a range of developed professional skills, which justify the conscious implementation of personal innovations in the educational process of PEI [18][19][20]. The development of the teacher's skills in planning the educational process in PEI (with respect to the conceptual foundations of innovation, the goals of teaching and teaching children, the use of optimal forms, methods and techniques of professional activity, specification of goals and objectives) allows to implement new technologies, including information and communication technologies [21,22].…”

Section: The Analysis Of the Recent Publications On The Essence Of In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Innovations in professional activity: what students of specialty “Preschool Education” think about it

Lokhvytska

Martovytska

2022

SHS Web Conf.

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Contemporary challenges of society, its dynamic development cause changes in all spheres of life, particularly in education. To obtain a university education in the Ukrainian state, higher Education Standard in specialty 012 Preschool Education for the second (master’s) level of higher education (2020) was approved, which provides for the formation of relevant competencies. The purpose of the study was to analyze the essence of innovations in the professional activities of teachers of preschool educational institutions (PEI). To find out the attitude of students to the implementation of innovations in professional activities, a thematic survey was conducted. The selection of questions and respond options is based on all competencies of the Standard and the materials of theoretical analysis. The sample of the online survey covers the students’ responses from two state universities of Ukraine (n =159), who are obtaining the second (master’s) level of higher education on the educational-professional program “Preschool Education”. Respondents were grouped according to the mode of study. The obtained quantitative and qualitative data revealed the influence of the experience of practical experience in the PEI on the choice of the respond. This determined the necessity to teach students the educational component “Innovation activities in PEI” and the development of corresponding tasks during their teaching practicum in the system of preschool education.

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Section: The Analysis Of the Recent Publications On The Essence Of In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Analysis Of the Recent Publications On The Essence Of In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovations in professional activity: what students of specialty “Preschool Education” think about it

Lokhvytska

Martovytska

2022

SHS Web Conf.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Instead of looking for a new theory in the literature to rely on, the principal adopted more creative and reflective solutions: he focused on the practices he saw that were missing, such as leadership outside the assemblies (e.g., in classrooms) or the dialogic deficit of the assembly practices. Even though the distributed leadership theory offers other solutions, such as promoting middle leader teachers (Nehez et al, 2021), he was unwilling to test it in practice. In a future AR cycle or project, the principal may be empowered to create his own leadership theory by merging selective elements from different theories instead of following a particular one, usually favored by current research and literature, like LAP.…”

Section: The School Principal's Shift and Professional Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Action Research and Critical Discourse Analysis: A Pathway to School Principals’ Professional Development

Sipitanos¹,

Katsarou²,

Polyzois³

2022

theijhss

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leadership is an interesting yet sensitive field, which is crucial for school improvement (Cruz-González et al., 2021) and a key to sustaining change and improving educational outcomes (Aas et al., 2020). However, studying leadership practices in a school context can be challenging. As each school features complex networks of relations influenced by various factors (social, educational, cultural, financial, etc.), research on leadership issues requires alternative and innovative research methods, capturing simultaneous, collective, and dialogic leadership practices in schools, to examine leadership dynamics 'from within' (Raelin, 2020). Technocratic research focusing on the traits or behaviors of individuals (the leaders) cannot provide answers to complex yet crucial leadership issues (Crow et al., 2017), like in which practice leadership is exercised, how leadership emerges and develops through day-to-day experience, and how to change the trajectory of the leadership flow. However, such answers are necessary to empower school principals to face the complex challenges of the 21 st century, like managing change, introducing innovations, implementing technological advances, and enhancing the learning procedure and outcomes for all members of the school community. In addition, there is increasing global concern about school principals' professional learning and development and the improvement of leadership capacity (Crow & Whiteman, 2016;Aas et al., 2020). As a result, discussing the key skills of school principals and how to master these skills is gaining momentum.The school principal participated actively in the Action Research (AR) project. He strove to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of leadership, its various meanings, and perceptions latent in his everyday practices and improve his practices as a principal. The project draws on Huber (2011), who argues that modes of professional learning, such as the provision of constant feedback, collegial exchange, and self-study, can lead principals to a reciprocal relationship with practice, effectively integrating theory and practice. The main research method used in this project to enhance the school principal's reflection was Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Although not so common in AR (Katsarou, 2013), this research choice was very fruitful. Field notes and journal entries were also used and analyzed.This article aims to document and reflect on the processes that facilitated a school principal's shift, changing his perceptions about leadership and, therefore, his practice. Specifically, we aim to show how a school principal became empowered, managing to consciously distance him from espoused theories focusing on leadership characteristics and behavior towards theories highlighting social and material-discursive contingencies and collective actions shaped by mutual discursive patterns that emerge and develop among participants in the educational situation under study. We

show abstract

“…Instead of looking for a new theory in the literature to rely on, the principal adopted more creative and reflective solutions: he focused on the practices he saw that were missing, such was leadership outside the assemblies (e.g., in classrooms) or the dialogic deficit of the assembly practices. Even the distributed leadership theory offers other solutions, such as the promotion of middle leader teachers (Nehez et al, 2021), which he was not willing to test in practice. In a future AR cycle or project, the principal may be empowered to create his own leadership theory, by merging selective elements from different theories, instead of following a particular one, usually favored by current research and literature, like LAP.…”

Section: Adoption Of a More Socio Cultural Perspective Of Leadership And Influence Of The Lap Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Action Research and Critical Discourse Analysis: A Pathway to School Principals’ Professional Development

Sipitanos¹,

Katsarou²,

Polyzois³

2021

theijhss

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

School leadership is an interesting, yet sensitive, field, which is crucial for school improvement (Cruz-González et al., 2021) and a key to sustaining change and improving educational outcomes (Aas et al., 2020). However, the study of leadership practices in school context can be challenging. As each school features complex networks of relations, influenced by various factors (social, educational, cultural, financial, etc.), research on leadership issues requires alternative and innovative research methods, capturing simultaneous, collective, and dialogic leadership practices in schools, to examine leadership dynamics "from within" (Raelin, 2020). Technocratic research focusing on the traits or behaviors of individuals (the leaders), cannot provide answers to complex, yet crucial, leadership issues (Crow et al., 2017), like: in which practice leadership is exercised, how leadership emerges and develops through day-to-day experience and how to change the trajectory of the leadership flow. However, such answers are necessary, to empower school principals to face the complex challenges of the 21 st century, like managing change, introducing innovations, implementing technological advances, and enhancing the learning procedure and outcomes for all members of the school community. There is increasing global concern about school principals' professional learning and development, as well as the improvement of leadership capacity (Crow and Whiteman 2016; Aas et al. 2020). The discussion on the key skills of school principals and how to master these skills is gaining momentum.In the Action Research (AR) project presented here, the school principal participated actively. He strove to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of leadership, its various meanings, and perceptions latent in his everyday practices, as well as to improve his practices as a principal. The project draws on Huber (2011), who argues that modes of professional learning, such as the provision of constant feedback, collegial exchange, and self-study, can lead principals to a reciprocal relationship with practice, effectively integrating theory and practice. The main research method used in this project to enhance the school principal's reflection was Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This research choice, though not so common in AR (Katsarou, 2013), was proved to be very fruitful. Field-notes and journal entries were also used and analyzed.This article aims to document and reflect on the processes that facilitated a school principal's shift, changing his perceptions about leadership and therefore his practice. Specifically, we aim to show how a school principal became empowered, managing to consciously distance himself from espoused theories focusing on leadership characteristics and behavior, towards theories highlighting social and material-discursive contingencies and collective actions, shaped by mutual discursive patterns that emerge and develop among participants in the educational situation under study. We consider this shift a prerequisite f...

show abstract

Middle leaders translating knowledge about improvement: Making change in the school and preschool organisation

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Innovations in professional activity: what students of specialty “Preschool Education” think about it

Innovations in professional activity: what students of specialty “Preschool Education” think about it

Action Research and Critical Discourse Analysis: A Pathway to School Principals’ Professional Development

Action Research and Critical Discourse Analysis: A Pathway to School Principals’ Professional Development

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