Principal Perspective from Coaching Teachers lessons Thesis

Principal Perspective from Coaching Teachers lessons - Thesis Example 2.0 Introduction Leadership in education has been defined in a plethora of ways over the last decades and this accumulation of varied definitions serves to make the immense differences in opinions and discernment about school leadership more apparent. Historically, educational leadership was considered a means of support for teaching staff by heads of department, school principals, lead or master teachers, social workers, supervisors and education specialists (Sparks, 2002; Sledge & Morehead, 2006). During the twentieth century the role of school leaders has changed significantly, and as Suskavcevic & Blake (2001, p.2) point out, it has been ‘highly transformative’. They further claim that in the 1930s the primary role for principals was as ‘scientific manager’; in the 1940s it was as ‘democratic leader’; in the 1970s it was as ‘humanistic facilitator’; in the 1980s it became as ‘instructional leader’ (p.2) and currentl y it is as ‘transformational leader’ (p.4). ... To understand the concept of coaching, particularly instructional coaching 4. To determine the role of principal in association with instructional coaching 5. To determine how principals perceive their role in association with instructional coaching 3.0 Literature Review 3.1 What is school leadership? As far back as 1954, Mackenzie & Stephen considered the principal of a school to be the leader in terms of instruction (cited in Greenfield, 1987). They considered leadership to be a ‘natural accompaniment of the goal-seeking behavior of human beings’ (p.4), and that any pursuits undertaken by one teacher that assists in another teacher achieving their goal is an example of leadership. They further purport that leadership can be assumed by anyone considered as ‘having control and means’ of what others want (p.9) and that the concept is dynamic and thus forever changing rather than being constant (p.10). Wasley (1991, p. 64), on the other hand, claims leadership is ‘the ability to encourage colleagues to change, to do things they wouldn't ordinarily consider without the influence of the leader ’; whereas Bolman & Deal (1994) consider that every teacher is a leader. Kowalski (1995) adds to their argument and considers teacher leaders to be teachers who are authorized and given the power to make pertinent decisions that impact on educational processes and educational outcomes. Katzenmeyer & Moller (2001) disillusioned with school leadership, and after a comprehensive review of literature, past experiences, and discussion with principals and other educational leaders, arrived at the conclusion that the definition of educational leadership is evolving and that teachers who are