The third key component of the leadership disposition is self-directedness. Self-directedness is a professional characteristic that includes self-correcting, self-managing, and self-governing behaviors. Systems that nurture these traits are more effective than those that attempt to monitor and manage behaviors (Sanford, 1995). Interdependence through collaboration is an intentional structural design to enable self-directed behaviors and is naturally connected to problem solving and adaptivity. Teacher leaders should select curricular, instructional, and professional learning needs together. The intent of this is for collective priorities to influence independent choices (Little, 1990) so that a student-centered, cross-district view manifests in classrooms, by originating from classrooms/
To enhance this effect, our district supported an intentional shift away from tradition through coaching administrators to not create and lead all professional learning, but to develop skills for delineating staff meeting content from instructional improvement needs. Simultaneously, Building Leadership Teams, including principals, are supported in planning new professional learning experiences, goal-driven by academic outcomes and instructional needs. In doing so, teachers are able to have the ever-important sense of autonomy, as well as draw more organic connections between the work they do both outside and inside the classroom. There is, in general, a greater sense of ownership over the work that teacher leaders are invested in.
A challenge we have seen, however, has been creating connectivity between many different teacher leader groups. Since our district is fairly large, the need for a common thread to tie the work of grade levels, departments and buildings together is great. Also, there is sometimes uncertainty concerning who is completing which tasks and to what degree. For example, developing common assessments across six elementary buildings can be difficult, unless the group has a consistent definition of quality and agreed upon vision for the finished product. Another example, at the secondary level, developing literacy expectations in the content areas spanning several buildings can be daunting if teachers are uncertain about what is happening in other courses. Communication remains crucial as leadership becomes more shared; since this method is new, the infrastructure for dynamic communication horizontally and vertically through the organization is always being refined.
Little, J.W. (1990). The persistence of privacy: Autonomy and initiative in teachers’ professional relations. Teachers College Record, 91, 509-536
Sanford, C. (1995) Myths of organizational effectiveness at work. Battle Ground, WA: Springhill.