Abstract
In order to successfully collaborate—whether in person, through technology, or using a hybrid of both methods—the participants of the collaboration must adopt a shared vision for the product of the partnership. A shared vision can be created by surveying group members' values and communicating about these ideas in order to build trust and respect among the collaborators. Through this process, which will be outlined in more detail in this chapter, collaborative leaders can work together with their partners to envision and realize projects that reach beyond what any individual could achieve alone. On a more concrete level, several practices have been proven to lead to more successful collaborative leadership. The ones that will be discussed in this chapter are learning walks, peer observation, professional learning networks, book studies, social networking, professional learning/networking communities, and video observations.
TopDeveloping A Vision
It is thoroughly pointless to create a professional development program unless there is a clear vision of school improvement motivating the design process. There is an ancient Indian parable in which four blind men are presented with an elephant, having never encountered one before. Using only their sense of touch, they each make different conclusions about what the object is. Having touched only the trunk, one believes it to be a snake; another touches only the tusk and believes it to be a spear, and so on (Masefield, 2007). Being unable to resolve their disagreements, they quickly fall into conflict.
Without adequate direction from leadership, school community members can develop a similarly fractured picture of professional development—a disjointed experience of staff meetings, gripe sessions, and socialization opportunities that never adds up to a coherent whole. To realize the total value of professional development, every member of the school community, from the part-time paraprofessionals to the administration, must be working towards the same coherent vision of school improvement. Even though the professional development tactics and methods may vary according to departmental needs, the central strategy should be universal understanding and agreement. As CEO Scott Lichtenstein wrote, “a vision that isn't shared is an unrealised dream; a strategy without organisational commitment is a delusion” (2012).
Although vision is vital for any type of organization, it is especially essential in education. One may be tempted to ask the questions: Why do schools need to define their vision? Don't all schools have the same vision: helping students learn? However, the vision of a school encompasses far more than the lengthy sentence embossed on the second page of the handbook. In an educational setting, the vision is a statement of beliefs about student learning and a call to action for all school community members to realize that vision in their role. A shared vision guides dialogue on professional development that is essential for teacher and student growth and learning. It informs budgetary decisions and is a reference as teachers prepare curriculum and lessons. It is a springboard for excellence in teaching and learning (Van Niekerk & Botha, 2017). Therefore, vision development should be collaborative and include all facets of the school and community.
A protocol for vision development (adapted from Kise, 2012) is described in Table 1, below. This protocol was designed for in-person learning; however, it could easily be modified to fit a digital learning environment.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Collaborate: This is the effort towards working together, one-on-one, small team, or large team approaches towards group efforts that are focused upon an ultimate goal.
Digital Professional Development: The opportunity to learn new career-related information through the implementation of technology as the interface, usually through an online means.
Hybrid Learning: The ability to engage in learning new or advanced information through a mixture of face to face or in-person learning environments, as well as distance learning efforts. This approach may take a blended learning approach, a flipped classroom approach, or differentiated styles of in-person learning and distance learning efforts.
In-Person Learning: The ability to engage in learning new or advanced information through a face-to-face learning environment. This style of instructional engagement may include the integration of in-person implementation of technology as support structures, simulations, formative or summative evaluation engagement, or innumerable types of physical manipulatives, technological engagement, as well as social learning that occurs within the same space and place.
Technology-based Learning: This style of instructional engagement and cognitive understanding with conceptual enhancement in implicit and explicit cognitive engagement may occur through in-person, hybrid, or distance learning approaches. The differentiation within this type of environment is the primary support of technology as the way through which the learner engages with new information to be learned.
Distance Learning: The ability to engage in learning new or advanced information through a technological interface, many times including online engagement, with a differentiation in space and place, as well as the potential towards synchronous and asynchronous engagement.
Leadership: The ability to support and guide a group of people towards a common goal, through developing similarities in mission, vision, and values.
Professional Collaboration: The effort towards working together, one-on-one, small team, or large team approaches, that are work-related or career-related efforts and focused upon greater career-based or career-centric success.
Professional Development: The opportunity to learn new, career-related information that enhances the learner’s opportunity and talents within their career path.