Leading by example
What does leadership mean in a school? And where should responsibility for leading lie? Presenting six different perspectives from across the world on creating
an effective, empowering learning environment
Community is key
Priti Maheshwari,
parent at St John’s-Kilmarnock School (SJK),
Ontario, Canada and former educator in the USA
Walking through the halls of SJK as a parent, one thing begins to stand out: community service. Whether it’s a first-grader helping a younger student with his backpack or a sixth-grader helping a teacher carry materials into the classroom, compassionate leaders are being created right in front of us.
SJK has many programmes that encourage students to become compassionate leaders. Organizations ranging from the Student Council to the Human Rights Committee help forge strong leadership skills. According to head of school Norman Southward: “Being a good leader is not just about the students but about giving back to the community, realizing its needs and being ready for the unexpected. It teaches students to look at the bigger picture and invest the time to make the difference.” For example, Upper School students can take part in SJK’s Five Worlds Program. This allows them to explore, serve and build upon their leadership skills in various parts of the world, as they seek to address local, national and international issues. If they choose to travel to China, they will explore Asian culture and traditions as well as provide service to rural communities.
If they choose to travel to one of the developing world destinations, they will either trek to Nepal to help build a school or join the Kenya Outreach programme.
“IB programmes promote leadership skills by seeking balance and being involved in other aspects of school and community life”, says Mr. Southward. As a parent and educator, having the opportunity for our children to learn “balance” as part of their school curriculum is wonderful. Creating leaders should be part of every school curriculum, but creating compassionate leaders is also something we should all strive for.
Teachers can step up
Daniel Todd,
Dean of Studies and Admissions,
The International School of Uganda (ISU), Kampala, Uganda
Investing in leadership is key to sustaining development and change in IB World Schools. Many international schools are burdened with the impact of relatively high staff turnover, which can lead to initiatives, skills and knowledge disappearing with the outgoing faculty. Developing leaders from within the school, in particular long-term residents and local staff,
can help provide the leadership stability that is often lost.
Providing leadership opportunities for faculty does not require changes to the school’s structure nor impact the school’s budget – it can be achieved by creating opportunities for teachers to lead. At ISU we have established inquiry teams led by teachers from across the faculty. We currently have three teams investigating different areas of growth which include thinking skills, documentation of learning and collaborative unit planning. These teams meet monthly to share and plan inquiries. Creating opportunity for teachers to lead these types of teams develops their leadership skills and understanding of different aspects of the programmes.
Another area of growth is the leadership roles of the teacher assistant team. We recently created a second
tier of assistants known as Assistant Teachers who have taken on a leadership role among their peers, as well as playing a pivotal role in ISU’s partner school outreach programme, which has been developed to share teaching practices with four local schools as well as providing opportunities for community service. Assistant teachers visit these schools and share simple strategies that deepen thinking and foster inquiry within the local education system. Teachers from partner schools attend workshops led by ISU teacher assistants on a bi-annual basis.
Creating opportunities for leadership allows the faculty to become experts in content and concepts, as well as improving their skills in leading their peers. Effective school leadership develops leaders from within, in turn enhancing understanding of the programmes and providing better sustainability.
Students take the lead
Diego Zaragoza Tejas,
Lower School House Dean,
The American School Foundation (ASF), Mexico City, Mexico
Leadership at ASF takes on different forms, from teachers guiding student learning to administrators supporting teaching styles. Although these are common practices in schools worldwide, often we overlook one of the most effective and student-respected types of leadership – students leading students.
At the start of every academic year, House Council fever takes hold of our student body. Despite a population of close to 1,000 in lower school, students dare to take a risk and apply for a place on the House Council. Structured around our lower school house system, students create a campaign identifying areas of opportunity in our school and brainstorming ways to improve them. The election process is vibrant, with students gathering by house to listen to candidates’ speeches. We want students to feel they are part of a community that embraces change, where their efforts are noticed. As fifth-grade House Council member Diego Cortes explains: “Sometimes students believe only teachers have a say in school but we also have a voice, especially those who take risks to help the school culture.”
As the year progresses, our students become ambassadors of change and help with different activities. Our fourth- and fifth-graders form part of a peer mediation group that assists with conflict resolution to help students improve confidence levels and take a stance against adversity. Moreover, they manage their student activities fund, which they use to bring educational, cultural and fun activities to campus. Our students have helped with ASF’s recycling initiative and scholarship fund, as well as modeling global citizenship. Through this leadership opportunity, they embark on a journey to become better communicators and well-balanced leaders.
Overcoming doubters
Mary Laudien,
Former Principal,
West Bay Elementary School, West Vancouver, Canada
In 2005, West Bay Elementary was moving towards closure if something wasn’t done to alter the perception of the school. Today, as an IB World School offering the PYP, it is over-subscribed, and has an impeccable reputation. Last November, as principal, I attended an IB Evaluation Workshop in preparation for West Bay’s three-year evaluation. As we progressed through the accompanying manual, I came across the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), the model West Bay used when working through our change process. It occurred to me that perhaps other schools would appreciate knowing a little more about CBAM and the success it helped us achieve.
Applying the model as we embarked on our process, we first established a leadership team (Principal, Vice-Principal, Primary Teacher, Intermediate Teacher) for the first three years. This meant rather than having a PYP Coordinator initially, the position was shared. As leaders we had to be visionary and know what kind of learning community would best prepare our ‘future citizens’. Being effective communicators and promoters of this vision was essential: we were open and willing to share leadership among key stakeholders, such as trustees, teachers, parents and students. We had to have respect for all stakeholders and be supportive of their concerns, confidence levels and abilities.
As the concept of ‘change’ was approached, the stress levels rose, as did the inevitable initial negative response. This is
where CBAM – a framework that allows educators to track their progress through the change process – fits in. Setting out seven stages – as they move from initial awareness, through collaboration, to implementing new methods of learning – it
aims to help people understand where they are in the process and where they are headed. Resistance to change is natural and during unsettled times stakeholders can feel disgruntled. It takes strong leadership to ensure that what is being proposed has merit and will make a positive difference. Our experience has been that even the most resistant of teachers can be motivated towards making the right choices for their students when they feel supported, and their efforts acknowledged. The seven stages of concerns and how to address them are available in Taking Charge of Change, by Hord, Rutherford, Huling-Austin and Hall, ASCD, 1987. CBAM is a proven structure of change that enables schools to transform themselves successfully into IB World Schools.
Start them young
Mary Collins,
Elementary Principal,
Deputy Head and PYP Coordinator,
Bandung International School (BIS), Indonesia
Leadership starts early at Bandung International School. At BIS we believe that having effective student leaders is a sign of effective school leadership. The Grade 5 students, whose position as role models for the whole elementary school is emphasized from the beginning of the school year, are encouraged to take on a leadership role within the PYP. They understand that in a PYP school, students learn to choose to act, and to reflect on their actions, so that they contribute to their own wellbeing and that of the community.
Early in the year, Grade 5 students helped to promote the fasting month food drive, encouraging younger students to bring in food that would be donated to local people before the Idul Fitri (Eid) celebration. After the Idul Fitri break it was time to start thinking seriously about leadership. We began by looking at examples of leaders such as Kimmie Weeks and Greg Mortenson and deciding what made them so special. Then, in groups, the students brainstormed a list of nine qualities of an effective leader. Next they brainstormed a list of problems encountered by elementary students and decided how they could help them. One group decided to set up a homework club so they could help younger students, teaching them strategies to make homework more manageable. Another decided to help students who had friendship problems, for example helping students to share, while another group thought about tackling the problem of rubbish.
The students soon realized that they would need to demonstrate many of the PYP attitudes: commitment, empathy and tolerance to name but a few.
Once they started planning their leadership projects, each group had to decide on a time line as well as the goals of the project. They had to consider how they would know if the project had been successful, for example what they would see and hear. They needed to carry out any necessary research and choose someone who would monitor the project. Some projects required fund-raising which needed even more careful planning. Students also had to consider possible problems and solutions.
In the setting-up and implementation of these projects, the students developed leadership qualities and improved their social and thinking skills. The whole elementary school benefited from their projects and younger students are now able to look up to the Grade 5 students as role models and effective leaders.
Nurture student leaders
Peter Dumortier,
Deputy Director,
Anglo Chinese School, Singapore
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) currently has over 900 students enrolled in the Diploma Programme, of which 40 are elected by their peers to form the Student Council. These student leaders serve a one-year term during which they will be involved in all aspects of student development.
In structuring the Student Council, the school uses the IB mission statement as a base to nurture and develop these young leaders. They are encouraged to propose and initiate any project which may contribute to the well-being of the community, be it within or outside the school.
One of the prime objectives of the Student Council is to achieve harmony and progress in the school by acting in the role of communicators between the staff and the student body. The enthusiasm and passion of the pioneer Student Council has allowed this role to be extended beyond the school community.
Triggered by the CAS requirements of the Diploma Programme, the Student Council actively sources projects on a regular basis to give opportunities to the rest of the student body to engage in community services. Their most meaningful contributions this year came in the form of two mentoring programmes: one which brought together our students and less privileged children within the nation (‘Project Impact’ which is a tie-up with a local NGO, Beyond Social Services) while the second moves them to reach out to the needy community beyond our shorelines (‘Sponsor a Child’ in collaboration with World Vision). In addition, they are also often called upon to galvanise the rest of the school in attempts to help international victims of natural disasters, usually under the umbrella of the Singapore Red Cross and Mercy Relief. These include fundraising attempts for Haiti and two for earthquake victims in China at the beginning of 2010. However, the school’s greatest achievement comes from the students’ progression from simply meeting CAS requirements to a genuine concern for the community on a more sustainable level.
The development of these skills culminates in the planning and execution of the Regional Youth Leaders Summit. This three-day youth forum provides the opportunity for student councillors to apply all they have learned in their term of office as they bring together participants both from within and outside the school. The summit is a platform which empowers all young student leaders to make a mark on the world they have inherited. As the 5th Student Council prepares for Youth Leaders Summit 2011, we continue to work towards greater empowerment and engagement of student leaders to shape the leadership of tomorrow.
