I refer back to the article, Improving Relationships in the Schoolhouse, quite often when considering the work we need to do as school leaders. The article, by Roland Barth, serves…
Author: Richard Bruford
One of the things I encourage teachers to do when they consider the impact of their actions on student learning is to look at themselves through the eyes of the…
Here’s an interesting question. As an educational leader, if you were to be away from your school for one day, a few days, a week, a month, or longer, how…
You have heard the saying before: “There is no ‘I’ in team but there is ‘M’ and ‘E’.” I often observe interactions between leaders in schools and teachers. I watch…
Read More Does our use of possessive adjectives in schools make us less collaborative?
Tackling issues and problems in schools is an endless task, so much so that if leaders are not careful, it can completely drain you of your energy. A lot of…
Read More A fire-fighting approach to solving problems in schools
Change is constant, we know that, but it is something that all leaders struggle with at times, especially if you’re leading it. A lot of change falls over. Nitin Nohria…
One of the most frustrating aspects of being a leader in a school is seeing so many improvements that can be made. When I first embarked on my education leadership…
Read More Want to lead successful school improvement? Let go and pick the right battles
Hindsight is a great thing. How many times have we said, as school leaders, I wish I knew that beforehand or I wish I was prepared or trained for that?…
Read More Five important things to know for new and aspirational school leaders
I recently viewed a TEDx talk titled ‘The surprising truth about learning in schools’. Other than the talk having an eye-catching title, there was nothing really surprising about it, as…
One of the great concerns of some teachers is school leaders going to conferences. Concerns may be aired as, “what are they [the leader] going to bring back this time…
Read More 4 concerns with applying education research in schools and how to address them
I recently attended a very intriguing keynote presentation from Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair titled: Lost in Connection: How The Tech Effect Puts Children’s Development at Risk I was preparing to listen…
A school culture that involves a high level of collaboration is viewed as being crucial to supporting student learning and a trademark of a being a successful school. So, why…
Read More You want me to collaborate? I’d much rather engage in parallel play
I recently had a short conversation about innovation in schools and the constraints that may be placed on teachers preventing much needed new learning and innovation. A point was made…
It is heartening to see the number of articles and discussions that center on providing the best possible professional learning for teachers. Firstly, it is encouraging that professional learning is…
Read More Professional Learning for Teachers – go find the balance
In many education systems the teacher pay scale is linked to experience; the more years that you have taught, the more you are paid. Similarly, when applying for school leadership…
Read More Being an experienced educator does not necessarily mean expert
I never grow tired of watching the TED talk by Rita Pierson ‘Every Kid Needs a Champion’. It is both inspiring and compelling – it capture the essence of why…
Read More I should teach it, they should learn it, case closed
There are lots of things that we would like to improve in our schools. At times, being an educational leader feels like being in a whirlwind of change; there is…
Feedback is a vital part of supporting student learning, so important that we need to be acutely aware that our feedback can be damaging to students if we get it…
Read More The importance of connecting feedback to student well being
Class size is frequently a topic for discussion by administrators and teachers. Even when we end up in a school that has lower class size averages compared to other schools,…