Page 20 - Mini-Module 7

4. Would teachers like more opportunities to exercise teacher
leadership?
Teachers in general would like more opportunities to exercise
teacher leadership. All displayed an eagerness to improve teaching
and learning for improved student learning. They demonstrated
their enthusiasm toward learning and reflection. Three had taken
steps to enhance their professional learning and relationship
building through mutual support and collaboration. As such, there
had been some transformations in the school’s organisational
capacity. For example the formation of an informal voluntary,
learning team by teachers became an effective change vehicle:
As a panel head, I have tried to build shared vision and commit-
ment with my panel members. Thus, I empower my member
with shard decision-making power. She is then willing to talk
and share with me for mutual understanding. The peer observa-
tion we conducted these few years have proved that both of us
could learn from each other through sharing and reflection.
(Angela)
I am willing to take on this role as a teacher leader because I
enjoy learning together with other teachers. Sometimes, I take
lunch together with some teachers for professional sharing.
(Robert)

Even though teachers agreed that they would like more
opportunities to exercise teacher leadership, they considered it a
difficult process. According to the teachers, several significant
factors determining the extent of leadership exercised by teachers,
encompassing personality factors and contextual factors both
inside and outside the educational context. The personality factors
included personal core values and beliefs, positive attitudes,
self-confidence, courage, resilience, and an ability to improve
through reflection:

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