A Transparent Philosophy

For the last year and a half I have spent most of my non-work and non-family time working on my Master's of Education in leadership and learning at the University of Calgary, Werklund School of Education.  Now at the half way point of the program, I've reached a point where my familiarity and comfort with my learning is high.  A key to leadership is visibility and transparency.  So to continue my development as a leader and an educator, making my learning public and open to discussion is essential.  The interconnectedness of the 21st century allows the opportunity for educators and leaders to share ideas across national borders and regional districts.  Professional development has become an all waking hours opportunity for educators.  On twitter (@canadasean21) at any given moment there are literally hundreds if not thousands of teachers engaged in discussion of educational topics.  Most of these educators also have blogs.  There are several blogs that I have followed on a consistent basis.  Specifically, the late Joe Bower is an inspiration in both his consistency, and willingness to discuss his educational philosophy in a public setting. Also, Chris Kennedy, the superintendent of West Vancouver School District ( https://cultureofyes.ca/ ) is a former colleague and his blog is regular reading for me.  What all these connections provide is the opportunity to expand teacher professional development and share our learning.  In the interest of participating in this community, here is the most recent version (fall 2015) of my philosophy of education;

Teaching is a multi-faceted activity that includes aspects of parenting, mentoring, coaching, information sharing, design and social management. The goal of teaching should be to engage minds critically in a field of study that has applications in real life and/or mimics the role of a professional in that field. The fact that each of these descriptors are also essential to effective leadership shows that teacher's model aspects of leadership on a daily basis with their classes. Effective classroom teachers are varied in type and style, just like effective leaders. Effective leaders use a variety of methods and motivations to engage, just like effective teachers. The most highly effective teachers are those that design learning activities that mimic real life, are rigorous, access experts and expertise, facilitate productive positive discussion, and collaborate well with others. As such, a leader should provide supports and professional development that ensures understanding of these outcomes.

Rationale and reasoning are necessary aspects 21st century learning. In high school social studies realpolitik; or the idea that there are often competing and contradictory agenda's in decision making, the ideal, and the real; helps students make sense of a complex world. “(The) term has come to imply a certain amount of amorality or immorality in action, choosing a course that may be the most effective but not one that is overly concerned with what is right or proper.” (Wayman, 1997, p. 1) What adolescents determine as ‘right and proper’ plays a significant role in how they interact with their world. Adolescents have a very keen awareness of social justice and are often eager to make judgements about their understandings. “[Adolescents] negatively evaluate people who engage in harmful or unfair practices that are based on moral beliefs different from their own.” (Chandler, 2000, p. 92) If this sense is not reflected in learning, engagement of learners becomes an issue. The teacher’s role is to facilitate, empower, inform, and focus this already existing engagement. Disequilibrium may occur for those teachers accustomed to the being the most knowledgeable in their given subject areas, but in the context of personalized learning reasoning and rationale become even more important.
Considering the above, there are two essential purposes for public education in 21st century democracies. The first is to educate, socialize, and facilitate thoughtful, critical thinking citizens who are engaged in the greater community. The second is to provide the opportunity for every person to achieve to their highest potential regardless of socio-economic background, gender, race, or other personal understanding. Schools are cauldrons; they magnify, enhance and reflect the nature of the society in which they exist. A necessary aspect of educational leadership must be to not only recognize societal inequity, but also to aid in the process of mitigating this inequity. Perhaps it’s idealistic to suppose schools and learning can succeed where society struggles, but just as schools reflect the ills of our society, they also reflect the social democratic responsibility we expect of our citizens. In many ways our students are far more socially aware and socially responsible than many adults. Accessing this engagement and giving voice and context to it, is another essential role of the educator.
Having spent the last ten years working with high needs students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, I’ve seen the power teachers have in these communities. This is true even though in the vast majority of cases, the teachers do not live in the communities they teach. They are still significant and important members of the local community. To me a teacher’s community role cannot be overlooked. Many families see their teachers as essential; key role models for youth in their communities. As such, the inclusion of family and community voice in the process of education is not only required in a free and democratic society, but can have benefits to students, teachers and beyond. If the goal is an atmosphere of social justice and social responsibility, empowering families and communities takes everyone further in that direction,
To me this is a fundamental responsibility of public education. To propose a philosophy on leading and learning that doesn't include the above is to not recognizing the environment of schooling in the 21st century. Effective learning and effective leading resemble effective education in a variety of ways. Socially just and socially responsible leaders are essential in our world. If leaders do not recognize their own inherent bias, they will prove remarkably ineffective at guiding the practice of professionals. Similarly in our learning, social equity and social responsibility must act as a critical lens to our practice as lifelong learners.

References:
Chandler, Michael J.; Sokol, Bryan W.; and Wainryb, Cecilia. “Beliefs about Truth and Beliefs about               Rightness” in Child Development Vol. 71, No. 1 (Jan-Feb, 2000) pp. 91-97.

Wayman, F. W., & Diehl, P. F. (1994). Reconstructing realpolitik. University of Michigan Press.

I encourage thoughtful discussion of any topic on this blog, but please be respectful and provide sources for any contention you are making.

Sean