Beliefs – Perspective from Denise Arnerich
It is not surprising that Jo is still clarifying her beliefs about pedagogical leadership – she is relatively new to her role as literacy leader for her school, and the expression “pedagogical leadership” means different things to different people. For example, in the literature, some regard it as a synonym for “instructional leadership” (Harris, 2003), whereas others view the two terms as quite different, with pedagogical leadership allowing for far more innovation and creativity (Webb, 2005).
Jo has identified three components of pedagogical leadership that she believes are central to her practice as literacy leader. Firstly, she recognises that content knowledge, including an understanding of research literature, is critical. Secondly, so too is pedagogical content knowledge. And, thirdly, she acknowledges the challenge facing any leader – that she is dependent on co-operation and buy-in from others – and so her relationships and work with teachers need to ensure that they can see both the benefits for their students of what she is asking them to do and what their changed practice might look like.
References
Harris, A. (2003). “The Changing Context of Leadership: Research, Theory and Practice”. In A. Harris, G. Day, D. Hopkins, M. Hadfield, A. Hargreaves, and C. Chapman, eds., Effective Leadership for School Improvement. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Webb, R. (2005). “Leading Teaching and Learning in the Primary School: From ‘Educative Leadership’ to ‘Pedagogical Leadership’”. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, vol. 33 no. 1, pp. 69–91.
