REFLECTION ON THE MODULE
REFLECTION ON THE MODULE
PAST
My assumption at the start of this module "Leading Learning," was that a degree in education, professional and technical skills, and organisational experience were sufficient to be an effective leader (Adair, 2007). We discussed the distinctions between management and leadership in the first teaching lecture. I was previously ignorant of the distinctions between these two words; nevertheless, due to their similarities, I always thought they meant the same thing (Nazmi, 2021). However, after listening to the lecture, I realised there is a contrast between them. While management plans, organises, manages, and coordinates resources in any organisation, leadership on the other hand, inspires, motivates, and directs people towards a common goal (Adair, 2007).
As I moved through week two and three, I gained a better understanding of what constitutes good leadership. As a bachelor's degree holder in education curriculum, I realised in retrospect that I was employing traditional trait- or personality-based theories of leadership (Avolio, Walumbwa, and Weber, 2009). The fact that there are several perspectives on leadership and characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders piqued my interest in conducting secondary qualitative research to answer the question: What constitutes an effective leadership in an organisation?
Research concepts such as ontology, epistemology, positionality, ethical consideration, thematic discourse, and methodology were all new to me at the beginning of this module, but by the end of it I felt confident using them in my own work (Largan and Morris, 2019). Although I began well with the literature review part of my work, the methodological part of my study put a lot of pressure and challenge on me because this was my first time conducting secondary research (Corcoran, 1981). Furthermore, the stress of my employment as an assistant teacher was not helping matters, as I began to struggle with time management and organisation skills, finally becoming physically and emotionally strained to the point of illness (Nazmi, 2021). As Hochbein (2019) mentioned, leaders learn how to balance their time. Due to time constraints, I had to put my teaching job on hold and accept an unskilled weekend job that I can accomplish on Saturdays and Sundays. Although moderate levels of stress may push us to work harder, excessive stress can impair my proficiency and performance because I do not know how to operate under stress.
In the face of adversity, the insights, ideas, and drive gained from learning from others and their experiences can open a world of possibilities (Patel, Hall, and Bingham, 2020). To better understand the methodology behind my research, I spent more time in reading, visiting the library in search for journal articles relating to my research question, and talking to academic advisors. Nazmi (2021 p. 44) agrees with this perspective that "Vagueness is the enemy of understanding. Now that I had a better grasp on my task, I became so involved that I completely forgot that Easter had come and gone.
PRESENT
After finishing my qualitative secondary study, I realised that having the knowledge of what I do is not enough to be an effective leader. Although positional leadership styles have several advantages such as authority, knowledge of their role, sociability, and self-confidence (Sethuraman and Suresh, 2014), their limited set of attributes prevents them from being successful (Bolden & Gosling, 2006). This is due to their failure to adapt to changing conditions through innovation, inventiveness, and teamwork to motivate and develop strong relationships with their followers (Prasad, 2019). For example, Martin Sullivan, despite his technical expertise, was unable to lead his team as a leader (Adair, 2007). This has made me realise that to be effective, a teacher needs to engage in critical thought to identify and explore the assumptions that support their teaching method (Brookfield, 1995).
In terms of my professional development, I have now discovered that a leader needs a combination of features, personality traits, or specific behaviours to be effective (Amanchukwu, Stanley and Ololube, 2015). Although there are various definitions of teacher leadership, one theme that kept coming up in my research was "collaborating" to achieve high professional efficacy (Blair, Roofe and Timmins, 2019). Regarding my personal growth, I have also discovered how crucial it is to be flexible to different leadership traits and styles depending on the situation and setting to be able to handle challenging situations (Iverson, 2007). An effective leader identifies what the challenge is, then applies the necessary skill, ability, and methodology to effectively resolve it (Galagan, Hirt and Vital, 2019). I now base my reasoning on distributed and instructional leadership style which supports team environments that balance autonomy and accountability for better outcomes and allow individuals to use their collective and unique skills and abilities (DeFlaminis, Abdul-Jabbar and Yoak, 2016).
This added information has taught me to be adaptable in my abilities so that I can deal with potential expansion and contraction in diverse ways depending on the nature of the issue at hand (Patel, Hall, and Bingham, 2020). For instance, tailoring instruction to each student's individual needs. My current place of employment is an autistic school, and I have had to adapt my methods of communication with the students there. This means I need a firm grasp of the subject matter that is crucial to a child's growth in all areas of development to be an effective educator (Siraj-Blatchford and Manni, 2007). Now, I can say leaders are learners and vice-versa as leadership, is a never-ending journey in which one must constantly learn and develop one's abilities; this may be done by engaging in self-reflection to clarify one's beliefs, goals, and purpose, and by actively seeking and acting on criticism to grow as a leader (Patel, Hall, and Bingham, 2020). After finishing this task, I realised that leaders are developed rather than born (Adair, 2007).
FUTURE
Carrying out this assignment on "Leading Learning" has increased my confidence and improved my professional and personal development by providing me with the critical thinking skills I need to confront issues of personal value, organisational skills, and change management in my current position as an assistant teacher (Malthouse et al., 2013). Therefore, I tend to embrace the distributed and instructional leadership style that coordinates, guides, and supervises curriculum and instruction towards positive student outcomes through collaboration with teachers and principals to be an effective teacher/leader in my professional development (DeFlaminis, Abdul-Jabbar and Yoak, 2016).
As I approach my dissertation module, I will be able to source for the right material necessary to answer my question and complete my dissertation through flexibility, haven carried out secondary qualitative research (Largan and Morris, 2019). To conclude, been proactive, reflective, investing time and energy in my personal and professional development, and model self-directed learning is my watch word (Seth Godwin, 2019).
MA Leadership in EducationET7747 (taught as ET7705) assignmentbrief
Contents
TOC o "1-3" h z u ET7747 Learning Outcomes: PAGEREF _Toc155185553 h 1Your assignment (adapted for ET7747 LOs): PAGEREF _Toc155185554 h 1Suggested Structure: PAGEREF _Toc155185555 h 3
ET7747 Learning Outcomes:Knowledge
1)Demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge in relation to leadership and leading change. (IC, SEI, CI, COI)
2)Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of change on organisations, teams and individuals. (IC, SEI, CI, COI, EE)
Thinking skills
3)Demonstrate an ability to understand national and local policy contexts and the leadership of change in the workplace. (IC, SEI, CI, COI)
Subject-based practical skills
4)To demonstrate how change is led and reflected within an education context. (IC, SEI, CI, COI)
Skills for life and work (general skills)
5)Present and justify an approach to change that directly addresses an issue in your work context. (IC, SEI, CI, COI)
Your assignment (adapted for ET7747 LOs):Your research focus has been chosen for you: Leading Change: how best to lead change in an education context
Below is a brief overview of the assignment. A suggested structure can be found after this brief.
Task 1: Written assignment (Literature Review) 2000 words recommended
The written assignment is your opportunity to provide evidence of your knowledge of leadership and change theories. Here you will be expected to identify significant aspects of theory linking these to practice.
First, outline a chosen area for development/issue in your educational context that you wish to address and analyse it with relevant theories of leadership and change. What leadership concepts/change models might be useful when addressing this area for development?
Task 2: Desktop research proposing key changes 2000 words recommended
Desktop (secondary research) forms a significant element of this module. Where a relevant subject is selected and researched using up to date Research Journals from the UEL Library.
Remember, your focus is leading a particular change in your context (already outlined in Task 1).
This section will include a very short introduction, the Methodology, Ethical considerations, Findings, Discussion of Data and a short conclusion.
You will be conducting desktop research looking into possible strategies/ways in which could be enacted to address your chosen area for development. You are sourcing these ideas from existing case studies, research in this area, etc. You will outline which sources you are choosing, and why, in your methods alongside how you will analyse the data gathered. You will then note possible ethical considerations, summary of key findings, and some analysis which evaluates the possible benefits/pitfalls (pros/cons/challenges) of the strategies/ideas you have found. You will link this discussion back to some of the earlier concepts of leadership and change (task 1). You finish with a brief conclusion.
Task 3 Individual Reflection 1000 words recommended
Reflection in relation to learning provides a mechanism through which learning can occur from experience. Through ET7705 you will continue to develop your reflexivity being able to reflect upon previous reflections to support your studies at Level 7. Reflection is a key element of study within this module. It provides a way of writing and thinking which supports you in:
exploring new concepts and theoretical perspectives
making connections between theory and practice
considering differing viewpoints
relating ideas to experience to make sense of them
identifying the learning that has taken place and what the next steps might be in your enquiry.
In this section, you will write a reflective piece which demonstrates how the knowledge you
have gained in this module might impact your future leadership and approaches to change,
including how implementing change might affect individuals and teams.
There is an expectation that you will complete a minimum of one journal entry each week starting from Week 2. It is recommended that you take time at the end of each session to reflect on your learning in relation to this module. You will be permitted to cut and paste from the journal entries to form the final Reflection. You can use the new Past Present Future (PPF) model in Appendix A at the end of this handbook to help you with this. These may help to inform and set out your reflective journal entries.
Overall word count: 5000 words (+/- 10%). This excludes the title of each task, reference list, tables, graphs and any appendices.
Deadline: Wednesday 16 april 2024, before 4pm via ET7705 Turnitin link
Moodle site: https://moodle.uel.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=60528Suggested Structure:Task 1 Literature Review (suggested 2000 words):
Introduction
(likely to be c.150 words) What does this section focus on? Signpost your topics/arguments to be made
It is often useful to write this section last once you have your arguments and ideas written down.
Context and area for development (justified)
(likely to be c.250 words) Outline the educational context/organisation you work in keep it anonymous.
Give your reader an understanding of the context that this research is based on this will help to justify why you have chosen theseparticular theories of leadership/change/area for development.
Outline the area you would like to lead change in a narrow focus, e.g. implementing professional development for staff in a particular area, developing the assessment processes for X, implementing a reading for pleasure scheme etc.
Justify this choice with links to the needs of your institution/students (or those who you are educating). Cite literature wherever possible.
Relevant theories of Leadership
(likely to be c.650 words) Select and evaluate 2-3 leadership theories that could support you in your endeavour to make these changes.
Outline the theory and critically evaluate how far it suits your personal leadership style and/or proposed changes.
You can choose to tackle each theory one at a time or outline one and then link in 1-2 others to complement/compare.
Relevant models of Change
(likely to be c.650 words) Select and evaluate 2-3 change concepts/models that could support you in your endeavour to make these changes.
You can present the model/concept in a diagram and discuss its potential significance for your study or outline it verbally
Conclusion
(likely to be c.150 words) Overall, what are the most significant points from this section that may influence how you approach change/leadership?
Task 2 Desktop Research (suggested 2000 words):
Introduction
(likely to be c.150 words) What does this section focus on? Signpost your topics/arguments to be made
It is often useful to write this section last once you have your arguments and ideas written down.
Methodology & Ethics
(likely to be c.400 words) This includes:
Secondary research design (what is your inclusion/exclusion criteria? How did you find the sources you will use as data? Why these sources? Pros/cons of secondary (desktop) research?)
Your research perspective (e.g. ontological, epistemological)
Positionality (acknowledge your potential bias/assumptions based on your experience and particular perspective)
Reliability and Validity (how reliable and valid are the studies you have chosen to discuss? How do you know this?)
Data collection methods (how will you analyse the data you collect from the studies you have chosen? Why this method? Evaluate)
Ethical considerations (e.g. ensuring your organisation remains anonymous see BERA 2018 ethical guidelines).
Gary Thomas How to do your Research Project may be useful in this section.
Findings
(likely to be c.500 words) Summarise the key discoveries from your desktop research. You can choose to present these in tables, using subheadings, etc. (or a mixture).
Ensure what you have found in response to your research focus is clearly presented what have you found?
Are there any anomalies/limitations to this research? What does it not have the time to cover?
Discussion and Analysis
(likely to be c.9000 words) A critical discussion of approaches that could be taken to address this issue i.e. How will you approach and address this issue? Consider and discuss the possible implications of enacting this change and how you can make efforts to ensure ethical change is enacted.
Identify and analyse the possible barriers/challenges facing you when addressing this issue and the potential forces acting against your proposed change.
If addressed, what could be the impacts of the change you are seeking? If you have begun enacting this change, reflect on the progress/impact so far. Make ethical considerations at this stage, such as issues of anonymity, confidentiality, and integrity.
Conclusion
(likely to be c.150 words) What are the next steps and what are the key messages you are taking away from this research that will impact your future leadership?
Task 3 Reflection (suggested 1000 words):
Introduction
(likely to be c.150 words) What does this section focus on? Signpost your topics/arguments to be made
It is often useful to write this section last once you have your arguments and ideas written down.
Brief outline of reflective model chosen/to be used
(likely to be c.200 words) E.g. the past, present, future model or an alternative, with citations.If you are using the PPF model, suggested reflection questions can be found below this table*
Reflection
(likely to be c.600 words) You may wish to consider some or all ofthe following:
How has exploring new concepts and theoretical perspectives impacted you? This might include making connections between theory and practice
Why is it important to consider differing viewpoints when proposing/enacting changes and developments?
How far have the ideas you have developed over this module required you to link to your experiencesin order to make sense of them
What is the most significant learning that has taken place and what might be your next steps? What needs researching/developing further?
*Past
What did you know about the subject at the start of the course?
What did you know about research at the start of the course?
What problems did you encounter when researching?
What challenges did you face? Consider this from a research perspective, but also personally you may have had particular views/practices within leadership that were questioned in this process.
Present
What do you know now that you did not at the start of the course and how might this impact your practice?
How do you feel about the challenges you have faced/the topic of your research now?
Future
If you were to do it again how would you do it differently? (Again, from a researcher perspective here are there any flaws/gaps in the research and how it was conducted?)
How do you feel about your future leadership in light of what you have learned?
What do you need to do in order to develop/improve your leadership practices and approaches going forward? What do you need to do to develop your research skills ahead of the next stage (dissertation)?
