2.5 Instructional leadership behaviour
2.5.2 Promoting teachers’ professional development
Under the second theme of promoting teachers’ professional development they concluded that effective instructional leaders encouraged teacher professional development on improving teaching strategies and sharing of best instructional practices among teachers within or across schools. There are six tactics that were used by effective instructional leaders to develop and improve teaching strategies of teachers. These strategies were: emphasising the study of teaching and learning, supporting collaboration efforts among educators, developing coaching relationships among teachers, encouraging and supporting redesign of programmes, applying the principles of adult learning, growth and development to all phases of staff development and implementing action research to inform instructional decision making (Blasé & Blasé, 2000). Below is a discussion of each of the strategies used for encouraging teachers’ professional development.
2.5.2.1 Focus on the study of teaching and learning
Effective instructional leaders were found to create staff development opportunities as a discourse for mediating arising instructional needs of teachers. The content of the staff development programmes were informed by the teachers themselves. Effective instructional leaders did not make attendance to the staff development programmes compulsory but they left the decision to attend on individual teachers, for it is believed that teachers better understand what their professional development needs are. It was found that teachers were better motivated to attend staff development programmes in which they had input and they perceived such programmes as of better quality and in turn such staff development programmes had positive impact on their classroom practices.
Furthermore, effective instructional leaders also engaged in continuous learning themselves by learners becoming fellow learners with their teachers in staff development programmes.
16 2.5.2.2 Creating coaching liaisons among teachers
Effective instructional leaders believed that collaborative networks among teachers to promote effective teaching and learning and so they encouraged it by modelling teamwork and creating time for collaborative work. Collaborative networking included among others, teachers meeting to reflect on their present practices and how these impact on learner achievement, discussing individual teacher and learner needs, new policies and strategies that might be used to implement change, if needed.
2.5.2.3 Promoting coaching relationships among teachers
Effective instructional leaders were found to promote collaborative practices among teachers and encouraged peer-coaching. Teachers who demonstrated best practices were acknowledged and were used as coaches for their colleagues to enhance teacher development.
Coaching often involved observing model teachers in practice and/or sharing of effective teaching strategies. Likewise, Boatright, Galluci, Swanson and Yoon (2008) observe that coaching is an effective professional learning strategy that circumvents the ever-present challenge of relevance in professional development programmes because it is job-embedded and customised to teachers’ self-identified professional needs. Job-embedded professional learning lends itself to immediate “transfer and application of newly learned skills into classroom practice, development of professionalism and collegiality and school improvement” and are more effective than the disconnected type of in-service workshops (Zepeda, 1999, p.76). Additional to peer-coaching, there are other job-embedded professional learning strategies such as mentoring, reflection and study groups (Zepeda, 1999). Coaching is a professional learning strategy that is highly effective in facilitating reform agenda and it has the potential to yield high quality professional development (Boatright et al., 2008).
2.5.2.4 Inspiring and promoting redesign of programmes
Teachers reported that effective instructional leaders gave them freedom to experiment with new ideas and to adapt teaching programmes and strategies according to the context and learners’ instructional needs. They also demonstrated commitment to this cause by sponsoring resources, such as time and material resources to make redesign of programmes feasible.
17 2.5.2.5 Consideration for principles of adult learning, growth and
development to staff development
Adult learners are motivated to learn when what they are learning is relevant to their life experiences. Similarly, effective instructional leaders were found to incorporate principle of adult learning in design and presentation of professional development programmes. Similarly, Zepeda (1999) also affirms that it is important for those who plan and implement teachers’
professional development programmes to be mindful of the principles that inform adult learning. Professional learning communities (PLCs) is one professional development model which addresses the principles of adult learning, growth and teacher professional development. PLCs are premised on the notion that learner achievement is attained through improved teaching practice. According to Vescio, Ross and Adams (2008), PLCs are based on two assumptions. The first assumption is that knowledge resides in the daily work experiences of teachers, and it is created through critical reflection with other teachers who share similar experience. The second assumption is that by actively engaging in PLCs, teachers will enhance professional knowledge and learner performance. Newmann, 1996 (as cited in Vescio et al.,1998) found strong evidence to suggest that teachers who participated in PLC changed their classroom practice to be more learner centred, used a variety of teaching strategies and were more accommodative to learners with varying levels of content mastery.
Therefore, PLCs is a professional development approach which addresses the principles of adult learning and it results in growth and professional development. Clustering in and/or across schools is another in-service professional development approach which lends itself to principles of adult learning. Clusters have the same purpose as PLCs. The main difference between PLCs and clusters is that PLCs are often school-based while clusters can within and/or across schools or in combination of the two. Like PLCs, clusters promote teacher agency in professional development, focused on improving classroom practice for improved learner performance, promotes sharing of problems and critical reflection and uses problem solving approach to professional development (Leu, 2004). While clustering is teacher- driven, it requires material support from schools and/or district office for it to sustain.
2.5.2.6 Using action research to inform instructional decision making According to the findings, teachers felt that effective instructional leaders used school-based and classroom based action research to assess the impact of employing new teaching strategies. Action research serves as mirror to see if new teaching strategies have a positive
18 impact on learner achievement or not. In other words, action research helps to evaluate the impact of change brought about by introduction of new teaching strategies on learner achievement.