Missouri Western Teacher
Leadership Dispositions
As part of out conceptual model and
belief structure, the Western Teacher Education Department has studied the
research related to teacher leadership. As a result of three years of
study, the department has adopted the following four domains of teacher
leadership: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship
management as dispositions that could/should be demonstrated by teacher leaders.
Each domain has a number of dispositions that could/should be demonstrated by
teacher leaders. We believe that each of these domains and dispositions relates
to our conceptual framework of Becoming a Teacher Leader – Taking
Responsibility for Student Learning.
Please read through the entire list of
domains and dispositions to acquaint yourself with the variety of options open
to you. As you consider which disposition to address in the course
assignment, please recognize that you could address many or all of them at
times. However, for the purposes of this course you need only document
that you have demonstrated one disposition from each domain.
You document your effort to recognize and
demonstrate these dispositions through a written journal entry. You may
want to call upon comments or notes from your students, university supervisor,
or cooperating teacher. You must be thorough and specific in explaining how you
addressed your chosen disposition.
Artifacts should be attached to
the entry before turning it in to be graded.
Please note that you should be thinking
about the remaining dispositions as well since you must address them in a
similar fashion in the student teaching seminar course. The domains and
dispositions are as follows:
SELF-AWARENESS
1. Emotional
self-awareness. Teacher leaders high in emotional self-awareness are
attuned to their inner signals, recognizing how their feelings affect them and
their school and community performance. They are attuned to their guiding
values and can often intuit the best course of action, seeing the big picture
in a complex situation. Emotionally self-aware teacher leaders can
be candid and authentic, able to speak openly about their emotions or
with conviction about their guiding vision.
2. Accurate
self-assessment. Teacher leaders with high self-awareness typically
know their limitations and strengths, and exhibit a sense of humor about
themselves. They exhibit a gracefulness in learning where they need to
improve, and welcome constructive criticism and feedback. Accurate
self-assessment lets a teacher leader know when to ask for help and
where to focus in cultivating new teacher leadership
strengths.
3. Self-confidence. Knowing their abilities with accuracy allows teacher leaders to play to their strengths. Self-confident teacher leaders can welcome a difficult assignment. Such teacher leaders often have a sense of presence, a self-assurance that lets them stand out in a group.
1. Self-control. Teacher
leaders with emotional self-control find ways to manage their disturbing
emotions and impulses, and even to channel them in useful ways. A
hallmark of self-control is the teacher leader who stays calm and clear-headed
under high stress or during a crisis—or who remains unflappable even when
confronted by a trying situation,
2. Transparency. Teacher
leaders who are transparent live their values. Transparency—an
authentic openness to others about one's feelings, beliefs, and actions—allows
integrity. Such teacher leaders openly admit mistakes or faults, and confront
unethical behavior in others rather than turn a blind
eye.
3. Adaptability. Teacher
leaders who are adaptable can juggle multiple demands without losing their
focus or energy, and are comfortable with the inevitable ambiguities of
organizational life. Such teacher leaders can be flexible in adapting to
new challenges, nimble in adjusting to fluid change, and limber in
their thinking in the face of new data or realities.
4. Achievement. Teacher
leaders with strength in achievement have high personal standards that drive
them to constantly seek performance improvements—both for themselves and for
their students. They are pragmatic, setting measurable but challenging goals,
and are able to calculate risk so that their goals are worthy but attainable.
A hallmark of achievement is in continually learning—and
teaching— ways to do better.
5. Initiative. Teacher
leaders who have a sense of efficacy—that they have what it takes to control
their own destiny—excel in initiative. They seize
opportunities—or create them— rather than simply waiting. Such a teacher
leader does not hesitate to cut through red tape, or even bend the
rules, when necessary to create better possibilities for the
future.
6. Optimism. A teacher leader who is optimistic can roll with the punches, seeing an opportunity rather than a threat in a setback. Such teacher leaders see others positively, expecting the best of them. And their "glass half-full" outlook leads them to expect that changes in the future will be for the better.
1. Empathy. Teacher
leaders with empathy are able to attune to a wide range of
emotional signals, letting them sense the felt, but unspoken, emotions in a
person or a diverse group. Such teacher leaders listen attentively and can
grasp the other person's perspective. Empathy makes a teacher leader able
to get along well with people of diverse backgrounds or from other
cultures.
2. Organizational
awareness. A teacher leader with a keen social awareness can be
politically astute, able to detect crucial social networks and read key power
relationships- Such teacher leaders can understand the political forces at
work in a building or district, as well as the guiding values and unspoken
rules that operate among teachers and administrators
there.
3. Service. Teacher leaders high in the service competence foster an emotional climate so they keep the relationship with students, colleagues, administrators, and parents on the right track. Such teacher leaders monitor stakeholders’ expectations and satisfaction carefully to ensure they are getting what they need. They also make themselves available as needed.
1. Inspiration. Teacher
leaders who inspire both create resonance and move people with a compelling
vision or shared mission. Such teacher leaders embody what they
ask of others, and are able to articulate a shared mission in a way
that inspires others to follow. They offer a sense of common purpose beyond
the day-to-day tasks, making work exciting.
2. Influence. Indicators
of a teacher leader's powers of influence range from finding just the right
appeal for a given listener to knowing how to build buy-in from key people and
a network of support for an initiative. Teacher leaders adept in
influence are persuasive and engaging when they address a group and excel as a
positive influence on student performance.
3. Developing others.
Teacher leaders who are adept at cultivating students and colleagues show a
genuine interest in those they are helping along, understanding their goals,
strengths, and weaknesses. Such teacher leaders can give timely and
constructive feedback and are natural mentors or
coaches.
4. Change catalyst.
Teacher leaders who can catalyze change are able to recognize the need
for the change, challenge the status quo, and champion the new order. They can
be strong advocates for the change even in the face of opposition, making the
argument for it compellingly. They also find practical ways to overcome
barriers to change.
5. Conflict management.
Teacher leaders who manage conflicts best are able to draw out all
parties, understand the differing perspectives, and then find a common ideal
that everyone can endorse- They surface the conflict, acknowledge the feelings
and views of all sides, and then redirect the energy toward a shared
ideal.
6. Teamwork and
collaboration. Teacher leaders who are able team players generate an
atmosphere of friendly collegiality and are themselves models of respect,
helpfulness, and cooperation. They draw others into active, enthusiastic
commitment to the collective effort, and build spirit and identity. They spend
time forging and cementing close relationships beyond mere work
obligations.