5 Ways to Improve Instructional Leadership

Bobby DoddTheEducationalLeaders.com

2016 NASSP National Digital Principal of the Year

Visible Learning for Teachers (2012)by John Hattie

• Hattie uses a “.40 hinge point” meaning there is an impact of at least a year’s growth with a year’s input.

• The larger effect size, the larger impact on growth

• Instructional Leadership has a larger impact on growth than we previously thought

What Will We Cover Today

• 5 key ways to improve as an instructional leader

• Resources to use to improve as instructional leaders

• Mindset to use to improve as an instructional leader

• As leaders, we need to provide resources and be a resource for our staff

• There is no excuse not to share resources with teachers and not to be a resource

• Use different resources to find information for your staff:

– Flipboard

– Medium

– Twitter

– LinkedIn

– Pinterest

• Resources that allow you to find information and share it with your staff to help them get better.

• As leaders, we need to be resources as well.

• We need to educate ourselves

• We need to be curious

• We need to be involved in professional development with our staff

• We need to be role models as learners

Educational Leadership Activity

• To be a change agent, we must model change

1. Create groups of 4-5 people.

2. Each person in group reads article Willingness to Be Disturbed by Margaret Wheatley and identifies passages that they feel may have important implications for their work

3. 1 person at a time responds to each level:

1. Literal: read passage aloud (indicate place in text)

2. Interpret: What does this passage mean to you?

3. Extension: What are the implications of this passage on my work? How will I apply it?

4. The group responds to what has been said by each group member (2 minute response time)

5. Repeat steps #3 & #4 for each group member

6. We have a whole group discussion – Take away? What do we believe? What do we model?

7. How are you willing to be disturbed? What will you do about it?

• As leaders, we need to support our staff

• We need to communicate with staff

• In order to know what good instruction looks like and what your staff needs, you need to be in classrooms

• Create a plan/schedule for visiting classrooms– Use Google Calendar to visit rooms

– Don’t go back to your office to start the day – start the day in classrooms

– Provide feedback to your staff on what you saw (either create a form or use eTPES)

• All administrators need to be instructional leaders– Make sure all administrators in building focus on being

instructional leaders

• Are you communicating your message to staff?– Share what you value regarding instruction

– Celebrate great instruction and use of resources

• Make communicating a large part of your leadership

• Share instructional vision with students and parents as well– Use weekly newsletters to share with parents

different instructional methods used in school

• It is our obligation as leaders to help create more leaders

• Share high expectations through the building

• Share leadership responsibilities with staff members

• Teacher leader teams need to have a voice

• Convince your best teachers to share and celebrate their instructional successes

– Share during staff meetings

• Instructional leaders build relationships

• There are relationships with not only staff members, but also their Professional Learning Network (PLN) and parents

• Conversations with staff regarding instruction goes a long way

• Meeting with staff members from different departments helps you stay aware of what is going on

• Hattie does a great job of explaining the difference between Transformational Leaders and Instructional Leaders

• The IMPACT of instruction, methods used, curriculum and other tangibles is what we need to focus on

Educational Leadership Activity

1. What are your most rewarding experiences as an instructional leader? What are the critical characteristics of the leadership experience for you as a teacher, learner, or leader?

2. Write down 3-5 one-word descriptors of the qualities that are most important to you as an instructional leader (5 min)

3. Gather in groups of 2-3 and each person share a rewarding experience. Reflect on elements of being an instructional leader had in your experiences (5 min)

4. Take a few minutes to think about an instructional leadership issue you are struggling with now. How might you use what you learned today to respond to your dilemma? (2 min)

5. Share as a group

1. Focus on Being a Resource

2. Communicate and be a Presence

3. Help Create More Leaders

4. Build Relationships

5. Know the Impact on Instruction

• Email: robertdodd43783@gmail.com

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• Website: www.TheEducationalLeaders.com