Recently published by the British Council, Dr Arran Hamilton discusses how teachers view their profession affects their performance and student outcomes. Read ‘Twinkle, twinkle teaching star: what you think is how (effective) you are’ in full by downloading ‘Unlocking a work of potential’, a collection from the British Council.
A sample
The global research suggests that educational leaders are more likely to unlock enhanced student learning gains when they adopt an instructional rather than a transformational leadership approach.
In other words, leaders who work collaboratively with educators to explore what is and isn’t working, and who focus on continuous incremental improvement, are more likely to generate impact. However, implementing instructional leadership approaches effectively can be exceedingly difficult.
I suggest that one of the keystones of effective instructional leadership is in holding the mirror up to educators, so that teachers can systematically explore their individual and collective beliefs about teaching and learning. There is increasing evidence that how teachers think has a more profound impact on student achievement than the curriculum they teach, the technology they use or the per-pupil funding they receive….