https://padlet.com/maria_chishti/vz1u371raadc Review the given article for homework; How Do Principals Really Improve Schools? en-us 2018-10-01 10:17:43 UTC 2018-10-16 19:36:50 UTC hello@padlet.com maliha_shah https://padlet.com/maria_chishti/vz1u371raadc/wish/293546647 The article appears to defy the concept of the school head being the supreme instructional leader, the epitome of pedagogical wisdom and the model of ideal classroom practices.

It throws light on the fact that ceremonial actions without an understanding and fulfilment of certain conditions are likely to fall flat on their face. Observations by principals without profound insight into pedagogical nuances, ability to identify and address observed gaps and the will to ameliorate teaching practices are some such factors, which make observations generic and less efficacious.  Hence, their ineffectiveness, may not be due to the teacher's inability to understand or improve. but the principal's inadequacy to provide subject, content and level specific feedback.   

I tend to agree with the writer's idea of presenting feedback in the post-observation meetings as 'the head's impression of a teacher's lesson' rather than an expert's take on it.

Moreover, school principals need to have a clear yardstick to measure the effectiveness of any given strategy (in this case, observations) which instead of being based on teachers' actions, should rely on evidence of its bearing on student learning.   

As experienced and insightful the principal may be, pedagogical wisdom is not be the property of an individual - rather it should  reside within a Professional Learning Community, whose members embrace collective responsibility to diagnose the  knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to develop in students through a literature-backed,  strategic and measurable plan. The principals, then, are not instructional leaders but catalysts in bringing about this change...leading from the back. 

In a nutshell, the writer asserts that this ongoing, collective and transparent analysis of learning by the PLCs is far more likely to   improve teaching practice overtime, compared to a principal walking through a classroom a few times every year to see whether or not the teacher is making the right moves.   

Maliha Shah  ]]> 2018-10-16 18:46:10 UTC https://padlet.com/maria_chishti/vz1u371raadc/wish/293546647