Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change

Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change Ankrum, R. J. (2016). Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools. Journal  of Educational Issues, 2(1), 151-165. doi:10.5296/jei.v2i1.9154 School leaders are continually attempting to discover alternative approaches to use and investigate teacher leadership potential in their schools. Teacher leaders will go well beyond their general obligations as an educator, and are the kind of teachers that fall under the theme of conceivably taking on added duties that will enhance the school community. This study takes the opportunity to look at approaches to use connections between teacher leaders and school leaders, keeping in mind that the end goal is to get the most output from the school staff. By injecting shared administration in the school group, duty and responsibility turns into a common belief that can be used as a catalyst for change throughout the school community. (Ankrum, 2016) The researcher of this study expected the following to come from their research: a) The results to conclude teacher leaders play an important role in changing the climate of a school; b) Teacher leader professional development is impactful to the teaching staff; c) Teacher leaders provide valuable guidance and support to the teaching staff; d) Teacher leaders increase the level of rigor provided by the teaching staff; and e) Teacher leader led professional development does in fact improve instruction in schools. (Ankrum, 2016) The research done for this study was completed as a Google Forms survey, which provides users with data collection, along with an analysis of the data collected. The survey was comprised of five questions fixated on teacher leadership, its role in culture change, enhancing professional development, and establishing professional learning groups that enhance educational practice. (Ankrum, 2016) When it came to the outcomes and findings of this particular study, the researcher concluded that teacher leaders are catalysts for change in schools. This research digs into exactly how significant teacher leaders are to the process of progress and change in school. The article explained that teacher leaders frequently go unacknowledged in light of the fact that they dont have titles, but titles do not make their impact any less important. Question number one examined the role that teacher leaders play in enacting change in the culture of schools. 90% of participants profoundly concurred that teacher leaders assume an instrumental part in changing the culture and way of life at a school. Question number two analyzed the effect of teacher driven professional development and its impact. 75.5% of participants profoundly concurred that teacher leader professional development is important to the educating staff. Question number three measured whether or not teacher leaders have direction and support to whatever is left to the educating staff. 93% of participants profoundly concurred that teacher leaders give direction and support to whatever remains of the educating staff. Question number four reviewed whether of not teacher leaders increase the level of thoroughness in classrooms.   70% of participants profoundly concurred that teacher leaders increase the thoroughness in classrooms. Question number five looked at whether or not educator driven peer observations were important. 90% of participants highly concurred that teacher leader driven peer observations were impactful to the educating staff. (Ankrum, 2016) Much like the teachers who were surveyed for the study in this article, I believe that teachers have the ability to play an instrumental role in changing the culture of a school. I also believe that teacher led professional development can greatly impact a school and can be very meaningful to the teaching staff, as I have been asked to lead a professional development session this school year, and have really enjoyed my teacher colleagues lead professional development session this school year as well. I agree with the survey participants that teacher leaders not only provide guidance and support to the rest of the teaching staff, but increase the rigor in classrooms as well. I also believe that teacher leader led peer observations can be tremendously beneficial to teaching staffs. In my current teaching situation, there are actually only three classrooms in our entire school, so weve essentially all taken on teacher leader positions, each focusing on our own strengths to share with th e other teachers in our school. This article left me curious as to how this study would turn out if it were to be done nationwide, instead of the few teachers selected by the researcher for this study.

Bloomsbury and Its Make-Up :: Bloomsbury History Literature Essays

Bloomsbury and Its Make-Up Literature and Art were very important in the early 1900’s. Someone could always turn to a book or a painting to help them be more relaxed and feel more comfortable. One of the major groups of the early 1900’s that had both aspects of literature and art was the Bloomsbury group. This group was made up of a number of people, who shared similar interests and views. One of the more notable writers in the 1900’s, Virginia Woolf was a member of the Bloomsberries. Many of her novels have been heavily criticized and talked about throughout the years. Virginia Woolf as well as other members of the Bloomsbury group led very radical lives which led to radical art. The history of the Bloomsbury Group, with a special emphasis on its association in art and literature, has been well told(Dowling 11). "The Bloomsbury Group, an informal coterie of writers, artists and critics who settled early this century in the district of that name in London, has long been in danger of suffocating beneath a slagheap of nostalgia"(Economist 102). They made Bloomsbury Square in London the center if activities from 1904 to W.W.II. This group included, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, E.M. Forster, V. Sackville-West, Roger Fry, Clive Bell, John Maynard Keynes and Vanessa Bell. Four of the members had gone to Cambridge in 1899 and they were immediately taken by the intellectual air of the University as opposed to the sterility and boredom of other schools they had attended. Every Bloomsbury who attended Cambridge thrived there. "Body and spirit, reason and emotion, work and play, architecture and scenery, laughter and seriousness, life and art, these pairs which elsewhere contrasted were there fused into one" (http://www.feminista.com). Bloomsbury was always under fire. This is the common fate of all groups, coteries and cliques, particularly if they have sufficient liveliness to make a new contribution to the thought of their time. Bloomsbury certainly has not been left out from the variations of aesthetic feeling and today its situation is similar to the Pre-Raphaelites forty years ago. "Bloomsbury however was unlike the Pre-Raphaelites in that it had been criticized from a bewilderingly large number of points of view" (Bell 10). The Bloomsbury Group has been praised as a hothouse for writing talent. The founders main concern was to maintain that "magic quality" they had discovered at Cambridge. There was no formal membership list or leader or set of rules to follow.

Dorothy and the Tree Essay

Dorothy and the Tree: A Lesson in Epistemology Stanley Fish discusses how we in society base our lives off of assumptions. Using the example of Dorothy and the tree, Fish is able to show how with our assumptions, we as people categorize others and things into what we believe to be correct. Whether or not we have actually taken the time to figure out if we are right is irrelevant. He notes that we should just â€Å"keep trying to expand our sense of ‘us’ as far as we can†, so we can avoid judgments and isolating ourselves from the rest of society. Even though Dorothy realizes her mistake, she doesn’t realize that it is not a failure, but her consciousness assuming the classification of things in the world. Fish later on defines thought as the â€Å"structure that at once enables perception†, meaning that within categories things emerge, limiting perception and nothing can allow one to see everything because that is God’s job. Fish uses many Bible allusions to create justification for his assertions. He uses Genesis 1:26, and Paul’s road to Damascus to show that people can be persuaded to change their placement of things in society. Despite all of his valid points, Fish states that it is nearly impossible for one to change just on realizations. He believes it takes practice to accept the fact that there are things that we cannot comprehend because there is no limit on the conceptual trappings of society.

Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince - 1465 Words

Niccolà ² Machiavelli had a very negative view when it came to the nature of humans. He made the weakness of human nature the central message of all his writings. Machiavelli’s mannerist cynicism about human weakness came about from wounded idealism, for life had taught him that his early optimism was wrong. In most of his writings, he is meaning for human nature to restore sanity to a world that he believed to have gone mad. Machiavelli’s most enduring contribution that left the strongest imprint on Western culture was, The Prince, which led into the worldly debate of whether the end justifies the means. The Prince was written in 1513 while Machiavelli was exiled to his family estate outside of the city. It is a very small book that did not become widely known until after his death; his work was finally published in 1532. When it came to writing, The Prince, Machiavelli had many motives and a specific purpose he was trying to get across to his fellow peers. He was out raged and lost hope when he found out about the dismemberment by the French and the Spanish kings in Italy. Machiavelli began to focus on inspiring a native leader to unify the peninsula and get rid of all the foreigners. He also wanted to illuminate the truth about politics and to regain employment in the Florentine state. With all the hopes of proving his point, his works failed and Italy remained fragmented until the year of 1870. Overtime, The Prince, grew more and more popular as it exposed the filthy,Show MoreRelatedNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince1719 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli’s, The Prince, a book written by Niccolà ² Machiavelli, is a read that most people wouldn’t prefer to read as a first option but in defense to Niccolo, it brings out many themes such as Goodwill and Hatred, Free will, and Human Nature. â€Å"It is known from his personal correspondence that The Prince was written during 1513, the year after the Medici took control of Florence, an d a few months after Machiavelli s arrest, torture, and banishment by the Medici regime† (Bio.com). The novel wasRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince892 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolà ² Machiavelli wrote The Prince with the sole purpose of impressing the Medici family and getting on the good side of the new ruler of Florence, Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici. By writing this â€Å"handbook to ruling,† Machiavelli hoped to sway the Medici to accept him as an ally and possible political advisor. He was extremely convincing as he used examples from the past as a â€Å"political lesson† to further distinguish his ideas as correct. By seeing the successes and failures of those in power, MachiavelliRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince2212 Words   |  9 Pages Niccolà ² Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, politician, writer and philosopher who lived during the Renaissance period. He was a significant contributor to modern political science, specifically in the field of political ethics. He wrote his most famous work, The Prince, after the Medici family had returned to power and he was removed from the political scene. The devious and corrupt sort of politicians he describes in The Prince serve as the inspiration for the now commonplace term â€Å"MachiavellianRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince879 Words   |  4 Pages Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 16th-century. His methods of acquiring and maintaining rule over people are not relevant in today’s modern American society. There are many principles that are still true in politics today, but the methods of ruling can no longer be used in American society today. Niccolà ² Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy in 1496. He was a diplomat in Italy s Florentine Republic for fourteen years. This was during the Medici family exile, and when they returned, MachiavelliRead MoreMachiavelli s The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli1943 Words   |  8 PagesNiccolà ² Machiavelli’s The Prince is a book that examines the qualities and strategies required for a ruler in order to maintain power. Despite being composed in the 16th century, the ideas presented are applicable even to mythical kings from texts over a thousand years ago. Throughout the story of Seneca’s Oedipus, substantial connections could be made between Oedipus and The Prince’s ideas of rule, such as methods in acquiring principalities, channeling subjects’ fear, the use of cruelty and controllingRead MoreSummary On Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince 1109 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment - April 19, 2015 Niccolà ² Machiavelli’s The Prince and Ian Johnston’s Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli, a Florentine, lived between the years of 1469-1527. In 1513, Machiavelli wrote The Prince and gifted it to the Medici family with the original title of About Principalities. He first dedicated the work to Giuliano de’ Medici and later to Lorenzo de’ Medici. It was a political critique that was later printed under the title of The Prince in 1532. The treatise wasRead MoreAn Analysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince 941 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli and Karl Marx developed theories concerning wealth and poverty in our society, as well as different types of governments. For instance, Machiavelli supported a capitalist economic system, unlike Marx, who embraced socialism in the society. Machiavelli wrote a book The Prince that explained how to be an effective leader. The theme of the book is the end justifies the means. A person could or should do whatever is necessary to achieve the desired goal. According to MachiavelliRead Mor eNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince1293 Words   |  6 PagesBy many, Niccolà ² Machiavelli is infamous for being one of the most controversial political philosophers during the period of 1494-1564. Machiavelli is a realist whose lack of idealistic optimism is the root of his cynicism towards human nature and human weakness. He is a perpetuator of the idea that â€Å"the means justifies the end.† Although an ample amount of individuals criticize his principles, many rational thinkers embrace the political realities he so adamantly acquaints his readers with in hisRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince854 Words   |  4 Pages Niccolà ² Machiavelli’s The Prince has been both praised and reviled since its publication. In particular, the book’s seventeenth chapter, â€Å"Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether it is Better to be Loved or Feared,† controversially posits that an effective leader ought to value being feared over being loved (Machiavelli 43). Though many have questioned the veracity of Machiavelli’s claim, an examination of some of the world’s most effective leaders shows that they led through fear. Alexander the GreatRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince864 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli, was an Italian diplomat and writer, born on May 3rd, 1469 in Florence, Italy. In his younger years, Niccolo became a diplomat after the downfall of the Medici family in 1494. Machiavelli earned the reputation of vicious since he enjoyed tormenting his associates. In 1512, the Medici family came to power once again and Machiavelli was accused of conspiracy thus was tortured, jailed and nonetheless banished from getting involved in politics and from Florence (Niccolo Machiavelli