Igniting Teacher Leadership

Teacher leadership looks different for the many roles teachers take on in their schools and districts, therefore there is no single definition of what teacher leadership looks like. There are common traits that teacher leaders possess that include 

• being a reflective educator, 
• believing in and promoting coaching and mentoring, 
• skillfully utilizing technology to further learning of students and teachers, and 
• possessing courage to take on new challenges. 

While these are not all-encompassing, you would be hard-pressed to find teacher leaders who don’t possess these qualities in today’s world. 

A misunderstanding about teacher leadership is that it means serving on a committee or leading a department or PLC. An article by the Association for School Curriculum Development (ASCD) defines ten possible roles of teacher leaders. 

• Resource provider
• Instructional specialist
• Curriculum specialist
• Classroom supporter
• Learning facilitator
• Mentor
• School leader
• Data coach
• Catalyst for change
• Learner

Dr. Bill Sterrett is an expert in the area of teacher Leadership. He is the author several books, including the recently published book by ASCD titled Igniting Teacher Leadership: How do I empower my teachers to lead and learn? He will be the guest moderator on Monday night’s Alabama Education Chat (#ALedchat) on twitter. 

Here are some questions to inspire your own thinking about teacher leadership. The actual questions will be given during Monday night’s chat. 

• How does teacher leadership impact a school’s culture?
• Can a teacher leader be defined as one who takes risks inside his/her classroom?
• What advice would you give to a school leader who wants to grow teacher leaders?
• How can teacher leadership lead to more satisfied teachers?
• What are the characteristics and dispositions of teachers that make them ideal candidates for teacher leaders?
• Does having teacher leaders in a school lead to “too many chiefs?” 
• What conditions are needed to promote teacher leadership?
• How might teacher leaders extend their reach beyond the school?

Please join us as Dr. Sterrett gets the sparks flying on Monday night! 

Everyone is welcome to join us Monday nights 9-10pmCST for #ALedchat. We value the insights, perspectives, and experiences of those in our PLN.

Time Converter

**Here’s a time converter to assist all of you around the globe in converting 9pm CST to your local time. 

TIP: If you have never done a twitter chat before, you may find it helpful to use tweetdeck and enter the hashtag #ALedchat. Sign in with your twitter account. The website will "filter out" all of the other tweets except for the ones with the hashtag #ALedchat in one column. (P.S. The hashtags are NOT case-sensitive.)

I'm one of the founders and hosts of this chat. If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Twitter. 

Everyone is welcome. I hope you will all join us Monday night for #ALedchat.