Theorising Curriculum Leadership for Effective Learning and Teaching

Teaching research group leaders’ perceptions of their engagement in curriculum leadership

“…In particular, TRG leaders were found to be in charge of formulating the instruction plans, designing teaching schedules and teaching approaches, tailoring teaching materials, and arranging quizzes or exams at the macro-level. Hence, there was evidence in this context at least to support both the Chinese and Western literature's comments on TRG leaders' autonomy in the school-based curriculum, that TRG leaders can make decisions for building a holistic view of the curriculum (Macpherson et al, 1996), formulating teaching plans (Handler, 2010;Wang and Zheng, 2013), and selecting instructional materials (Cummings, 2011;Yang, 2012). Moreover, TRG leaders have much autonomy in adjusting the sequence of teaching knowledge points, maintaining an appropriate learning pace for students, and choosing the effective teaching approaches for specific knowledge at the classroom level.…”

“…At the school level, teachers are empowered with autonomy in making administrative and instructional decisions, such as cultivating school culture and climate ( Macpherson et al, 1996 ; Wang, 2013 ); building a shared vision and setting goals for curriculum development ( DeMatthews, 2014 ); allocating teaching sources ( Lin and Lee, 2013 ; Wang and Kang, 2013 ); and providing instructional suggestions ( Luo and Xia, 2011 ). Researchers have identified that teacher involvement in CL improves a school’s security and stability ( Ylimaki and Brunner, 2011 ); enhances a democratic, open, and collaborative school culture ( Luo and Xia, 2011 ); and thus finally prompts school development ( Dong, 2008 ; Campbell and Malkus, 2011 ).…”

“…At the individual level, CL has been assumed to involve maintaining awareness of being empowered to be leaders ( Macpherson et al, 1996 ; Xiong et al, 2011 ); being equipped with knowledge and skills such as curriculum design, curriculum implementation, curriculum evaluation, and educational theories and policy (e.g., Handler, 2010 ; Ye and Zhu, 2013 ); and possessing professional ethics such as devotion ( Wang and Zheng, 2013 ), risk taking ( Li, 2004 ), sharing ( Ye and Zhu, 2013 ), and trustworthiness ( Zheng, 2007 ). Evidence from a relevant study identified that teacher leaders who possess awareness, knowledge, skills, as well as professional ethics affect the success of individuals and organizations ( Nashashibi and Watters, 2003 ).…”

Teaching Research Group Leaders’ Engagement in Curriculum Leadership: The Principals’ Perspective

“…At the social relationship level, teachers take responsibilities of maintaining relations with stakeholders (e.g., superiors, subordinates, parents, students, other schools, or the local community) inside and outside schools (Cummings, 2011). At the personal level, enacting CL reflects teachers' professional identities, such as their feelings of empowerment (Macpherson et al, 1996) and awareness of the need for ongoing professional development (Cummings, 2011). Moreover, teachers who take on the CL role have substantial skills and knowledge of teaching and research (Handler, 2010), and they are equipped with communication skills and management experience (Wiles, 2009).…”