The first attribute of the leadership disposition is problem solving. As we work to empower a system, we must see ourselves and our roles clearly within the system. More than being productive members of the teaching community, teacher leaders are expected to see the forest and the trees. To build the capacity of teacher leaders, the skills and competencies must be more than theoretical. Teacher leaders must have a clear vision for what work needs to be done; training and coaching on collaborative norms to facilitate meetings that are different classroom work or PD, as well as continual support on developing problem-solving strategies. Successful teacher leaders use these skills and authentically approach issues at all levels of the system as problem solving, not credit grabbing or blame casting.
The basic problem-solving model is to identify and analyze needs, plan for action, implement the plan, and then evaluate for continuous improvement. Teachers experience several benefits to working through this model. Teams of teachers in our district have developed consensus-building strategies, clear goals in dealing with problems, as well as norms that have supported group work over individual behaviors. When a problem is personal, it generally receives deeper attention and so we’ve observed that when the teacher leaders are empowered to identify problems in curriculum, professional learning, or structures, there is higher commitment to resolution. Subsequently, the problem analysis is richer with the contribution of multiple thinkers around a shared interest. Essentially, the work of professional learning communities is, in many ways, problem solving.
These accomplishments, however, have not been without cost. Often there are several problems to address, and deciding which get priority and resources is difficult. In general, the time needed to solve complex, multi-faceted problems is hard to find, or fund. We have also found that in conditions where a clear vision is not established or readily apparent, the problem-solving model needs additional nurturing by objective teachers or administrative leaders.