Instructor Leadership

Instructor Leadership

What is Instructor Leadership?

It is when “teachers go beyond their course responsibilities and assume informal and formal roles within their instruction to influence and enhance instruction and learning for all students.  Instructors who hold the professional identity as an educator who demonstrate leadership within the classes, school, community and beyond, either through formal or informal roles.”

Leadership opportunities and roles for teachers are to make classroom and courses connect with students; assess the current curriculum; and work to improve learning outcomes by introducing a tutoring program or recommending additional support to courses

Why is Leadership in Education Important?

The primary purpose of educational leadership is to ensure academic success through process, material, and training improvements.

Becoming an Effective School Leader

To become an effective educational leader within your current class or school.  The first step is continuing your education and preparedness. Even with an advanced degree, educators can benefit from taking courses or enrolling in programs that are specifically focused on instructional leadership.

Instructional leaders are facilitators within their classes or school and can be an important element in spreading and strengthening their course or school. reform and improvement. Educational improvement at the instructional level, for example, involves leadership by instructors in their courses.

Typically, these leaders are instructors who have significant instructional experience, are known to be excellent educators, and are respected by their peers. They are learning and achievement oriented and willing to take risks and assume responsibility. These instructors use a variety of informal and formal channels to exert leadership.

Instructor leadership also is nurtured through roles and relationships when:

• Colleagues recognize and respect instructors as leaders who have subject-area and instructional expertise.
• High trust and positive working relationships exist both among instructor peers and with administrators.
• Instructional leadership work that is central to the instructing and learning processes is routinely assigned.
• Instructor-leader and administrator-leader domains are clearly defined, including their shared leadership responsibilities.
• Interpersonal relationships between instructor leaders and the administrator flourish.

Lastly, structures can foster the growth of instructors as leaders by providing adequate access to materials, time, and space for activities that facilitate instructor leadership.