Running head: LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS

Learning as a Way of Leading Text Frame Synthesis

Melanie Gamache

Brandon University

030060

Change Leadership MTS Field Led Course

Linda Thorlakson

January 15, 2017

 LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS 2

HERES WHAT: Preskill and Brookfield use their own experiences and stories of historical and contemporary
leaders to provide examples of effective leaders through a social justice lens. The authors explain nine traits of a
learning leader, where learning is the core of all of these characteristics. Preskill and Brookfield profile stories of
social justice leaders to provide a narrative of how the theory looks in practice, as well as their own experience
with what each particular trait looks like in real life. They offer the pitfalls and hurdles of each trait as well as
compelling reasons why leaders must exercise them.
The authors stated the last thing we need are leaders who think they must have all the answers, and
who, when they inevitably lack knowledge, conceal their ignorance by controlling the flow of information. (p.
131). I read this line several times. Often leaders are believed to know all and while we know that it is
impossible to know everything, lack of knowledge is a sign of weakness for a leader. Its human nature, then, to
want to conceal any ignorance. This resonates with me because I do this; I make things up that I dont know or
steer the conversation back to what I do know. This powerful statement made me feel like the authors were
speaking directly to me because it emphasizes the importance of continuing to learn, which is really the point of
the whole book.
MAIN DETAILS: SO WHAT?
IDEAS:
Communicating with intention involves openness, critical I see intentional communication
Big Idea 1
reflection, and questioning; understanding others so used by the leaders at my school
Leaders
decisions made reflect the needs of all. and definitely by my mentor, my
communica
Openness a priority during conversation, reading, and principal, in terms of openness and
te with
learning to gain perspectives that are different from ones questioning. My principal is strategic
intention to
own. Involves seeking feedback and a belief in the at building relationships, asking
understand
validity of learning from others. questions to get to know his staff
the
Critical reflection considering how power is used; a and students in a way that is
perspective
reflection of ones practice, self, and situation with authentic and genuine; he generally
s of all, to
respect to others or subordinates. Leads to critical cares about people and is interested
inspire, and
commitments not punitive decisions (p. 46) in supporting the growth of the
to balance
entire school. Considering critical
power. Questioning not about interrogation, but inspiring
reflection, however, I wonder if this
wonder in others; questions come from our curiosity and
is what my principal lacks. The
engages others in their curiosity, which is infectious.
authors describe it as considering
Leaders with passion build passion in others. Questioning
how power is used and distributed
allows positional leaders to understand (and continually
from the perspective of others. I
refine that understanding) where people and resistance
wonder if these authors perceive
comes from (p. 129; p. 215)
critical reflection to be a private act.
Assertive action - leaders change their opinions and If it is meant to be public, and the
Big Idea 2
Leaders beliefs in light of new opinions. authors do mention reporting those
take May be viewed as weak, waffling administrators who reflections and feedback (p. 43),
assertive cannot make up their mind. (p. 70) but admitting when then I do not see my leaders
action that youre gone wrong and changing a course of action in critically reflecting. I think I keep
support light of new evidence = wisdom this act private but I often put myself
others Believe that the oppressedalready have much of the in the shoes of others, to plan how I
growth and knowledge needed to produce change, (p. 73) and have will support people. I am human,
the growth humility and a critical attitude to know ones knowledge however and sometimes I dont
of the is definite (p. 145). The leader cant ever know it all, understand fully the hurdles or
movement. why he/she has to continue to learn. challenges that people are facing
Pay special attention to those who seem to be most because I am still perceiving the task
challenged and go out of your way to recognize them. or the person through my eyes and
(p. 71) support others (esp. those in the extreme from my perspective. So critical
us) to support the oppressed. reflection, perhaps, is a little flawed,
Servant leadership and a combination of rhetoric and or there is room for human error in
behavior (p. 71) praxis (Freire, 1970). judging perception and reflection at
 LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS 3
Put self-interest aside and align with the groups sense of the least.
Big Idea 3
the common good. (p. 84) but to do this, group members Its common for people to view
Leaders
must be involved in the process of coming up with the consistency desirable for leaders,
recognize
common goal counsel (built on intentional but as the authors point out, its
the power
communication and desire for assertive action). inconsistency that causes just
of the
Counsel collective leadership comes from dialogue with change (p.53). Leaders who change
collective, a
no power struggle, where oppressors and oppressed are their course of action or their beliefs
community,
on equal playing field (Freire, 1970); power of are not wishy-washy, but reflective
and
community lays inthe untapped talents of so-called and demonstrate that they have
counsel;
ordinary people. (p. 210) learned something that is more
using the
Collective leadership rotating the role of the leader valuable, or more valid than they
strengths of
lead by being led (p. 217); belief that collective previously had thought. This is
ordinary
completely opposite to what I had
people who approach is best (p. 218)
believed about consistency and
are Takes time and commitment so leaders dont overpower
commitment. One can be
invested in others when pressure builds, to build cohesion in the
completely committed and
the cause team when decision is made, its supported by
inconsistent. Maybe leaders who
to drive everyone (collective power) regardless of individual change their minds or actions would
action. agendas. be viewed as less weak if they were
System = the movement, the cause. Components = transparent about their intentions to
Big Idea 4
Leaders are individuals, ideas, vision move and evolve with the times and
the catalyst Bridge leader has a big picture view of the need for with the people and situations
for the revolutionary change but is able to translate their view in he/she are faced with. When that is
component terms that people who are caught within the tight clear from the get-go, then its not
s of, and parameters of their own lives can understand. (p. 80) weak, its wise and reflective when
the whole, Septima Clark (p. 80), Ella Baker (pp. 96-97), Cesar leaders change their stance.
system. Chavez (p. 209). In collective leadership, there
They Stay in the dark, behind the scenes, to move the system isnt a single leader who would
encourage through the components. Not about glory. Leading approve of ideas or initiatives,
dissent and others isnt necessarily blatant power. It is subtle support encouraging people to voice their
value and encouraging of others. opinions and ideas. Our large
individual Develop capacity for working collectively with others to administrative team at the DRCSS
perspective solve problems. (p. 123); make others feel valued to has been critiqued because of so
and voice. share their ideas and opinions (Jane Addams) the basis many top level positions 1 principal
for democracy; participation by all = unity through and 3 VPs. Our administrative team
diversity (p. 193) works in very close conjunction with
People are constantly influencing one another in a our RTI team, composed of 2
Big Idea 5 counsellors, 1 resource teacher, a
Leaders mutual and cumulative process of relating. (p.166)
classroom teacher and instructional
create the inspire. If a leader is the catalyst, he/she must create the
platform for further inspiration through dialogue, coach, a social worker, a youth
system or support worker, and the 4
the questioning, reflection, dissent, and agreement to take
action for the cause. administrators. This counsel does
platform for not meet for all decisions, obviously,
change. Creating a community with critical hope (p. 171) -
but when needed, our collective
knowing the difficulties of the issue but sustaining and
group meets and there is a sense of
inspiring hope in spite of them - to move the system
comradery, mutual respect, and
forward.
support. I have disagreed outright
One of the key fundamentals for the emergence of a with my principal and he has sat
collective leadership is creating space for discussions to humbly to listen. In the end, our
happen (p. 99). Space and time are often difficulties, principal always has the final say, so
solutions to this are positional leaders responsibility so he still is our leader. I think in
the change can happen with counsel and collective force. reality, a counsel is the closest to
collective leadership as possible.
The vigor and creativity needed
in democratic conditions can only
come from confronting one another
and difficult issues. This is why there
shouldnt be a static leader and
follower. All people have to
influence each other in a
LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS 4
continuous and mutually beneficial
way, (p. 167) which is what people
find difficult because culturally, we
have learned that it is inappropriate
to do so. True leaders must model
confronting the norm and authority,
through intentional communication
and assertive action, and positional
leaders have to create the space,
find the time, and inspire ordinary
people to do the same.
LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS 5
NOW WHAT?
This books theoretical framework aligns with this course thus far. The Social Justice theory

of leadership is built on a critical analysis of the way society values and behaves toward all of its

members. The critique of society and the way power is used or abused is then acted upon to

empower those oppressed and create balance in power. The first workshop for this field led course

centered upon change leadership, and one of the highlights of those two days were certainly the

simulation game. Playing that game allowed the five aspiring leaders at my table to critique the

situation at hand, which was a school faculty wanting to develop professionally with regard to

science. We analyzed the faculty that we were leading including their strengths and challenges

and their needs. This follows the social justice approach by getting to know the situation, the

ordinary people, and responding with assertive action to their needs. There were many times,

during the game, that our team wanted to act boldly, by forcing the faculty members to believe,

accept, or act the way we wanted them to, and each time we tried to do that, we were sent back to

the drawing board. This result was because we were forcing something to happen upon people

who were not ready or empowered to take on that action. The Social Justice theory that I have

learned from reading this book is that collective power works when leaders think about the people

involved, who are living the reality that leaders are trying to change. Through listening,

questioning, internalizing through reflection, leaders must firstly understand the needs and the

barriers to change faced by the members of the group. When that relationship is established, then

leaders can support the growth of others and build capacity to inspire internal change through a

safe space and time to develop.

In the second workshop, Jan Stewart presented through a Social Justice lens about refugees

and supporting the students and their families in transitioning to life in Canada. Her presentation

incorporated the storytelling that has driven her research, so the aspiring leaders in the room would

understand the situation of the refugees as well as a first step towards healing. Preskill and

Brookfield wrote about the importance of learning the stories of coworkers, or of the people one is

trying to lead. Hearing people and becoming part of that personal inquiry means leaders can be

part of the learning path and without that knowledge, it is very difficult to support their growth as

workers and as persons. (p. 65). Stewart did not provide the participants of the workshop a

tangible, realistic solution for educators to the issues faced by refugees and their families
LEARNING AS A WAY OF LEADING TEXT FRAME SYNTHESIS 6
transitioning to life in Canada after experience with trauma. It is clear, however, that she believes

the problem is systemic, much in the same way that Nelson Mandela believed the Black liberation

issue in South Africa was really a problem with systemic oppression (p. 59), and similar to how the

authors refer to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a shift in the system (p. 59).

I believe the decision to view leadership and develop leaders with a Social Justice foundation

is a responsible way for MTS to lead by being led (p. 217). The creators of this course clearly

have exercised many of the skills of a social justice leader by identifying the systemic cause of

many social issues and building capacity in current and aspiring leaders by helping them to learn

social issues and becoming a part of the cause for change.

When considering my own learning journey as an educator and a leader within the context of my

school, I think reading this book has helped to redirect and affirm my practices. I naturally have a high

emotional intelligence, so as a teacher in a classroom, it has been natural for me to support student

success by discovering what my students need and what is getting in the way of achieving success. I do

pay special attention to those who seem to be most challenges and go out of [my] way to recognize

them, (p. 71) by building relationships with students who are struggling the most, or are more

disengaged. This quality, described by Preskill and Brookfield reminds me of Universal Design of Learning

teaching to the extremes in order to teach everyone.

I think my principal recognized my ability to sustain critical hope, my passion for learning, and my

desire to support others and that is why he chose me to be our school, and divisions, first instructional

coach. It became clear to me that his belief in me was warranted last year during a conversation we had

about a particularly difficult faculty member and the strategy an administrator had asked me to employ to

move move this person, to which I refused. I see my role as a catalyst. I listen to people, to understand

where they are coming from and look for ways that I can help to develop their own skills as effective

teachers, build on what they are already good at instead of imposing my own strategies and styles. I think

I inspire trust in others and take those trusted conversations to RTI meetings and counsel meetings to

represent the faculty and students. This is a kind of collective leadership, but people still look at me as the

token leader for many meetings although I am sure to insist that I am learning alongside the faculty and

students.
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Moving forward, I want to use what I have learned so far in this course and as a result of reading

this book, to further confront and change the system that causes inequities in our building, in our

community, and in our province. I see that poverty is a systemic issue in our province, one that affects the

equitable access to education and health and negatively affects justice in our society. I think historically,

projecting the blame at one area, one political party or leader, or one decision, has been the case, but

because the problem is systemic, it will take more than minor fixes like changing standard test, curriculum,

or party leaders to settle the issue. It will take collective power of ordinary people, like me and my

colleagues, who are committed to a cause for change. The collective power in my school, right now, can

start with our literacy and numeracy directive, of which I am a positional leader. Our decisions and

implementation plan for increasing literacy and numeracy competence in our students

should not be an administrative counsel project, as it has been in the past. It must employ representation

for each department in our school to head cross-curricular learning for students in all areas, with a

platform that allows valued input from each representative and a commitment to hearing people out,

understanding the hurdles or lack of knowledge and addressing them in an equitable way for our students.

This, of course, is small-scale and would only affect the students who attend the DRCSS for now, but with

practice and success, there is potential to grow the same changes division wide by building leadership

capacity at other schools.

Preskill and Brookfield wrote that the power of community always lay in the extraordinary

untapped talents of so-called ordinary people. (p. 210). This is where my future focus has to be, on the

ordinary people, empowering them to become leaders as part of the cause and make a change. If I want

to address the real social justice issue that is at the bottom of every other problem in my eyes, which is

poverty in Manitoba, then I need to empower the ordinary people who are living it. This is certainly not an

easy feat but I know that it begins with confronting, perhaps even embracing, my own story of growing up

in poverty.
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References

Brookfield, S. & Preskill, S. (2009). Learning as a way of leading (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. In Flinders, D.J.; & Thornton, S.J. (Eds.), (2013). The

curriculum studies reader (pp. 157-167). New York: Routledge.