Teacher leadership and educational innovation

This national conference was arranged by the Ministry of Education to support the drive to modernize the education system as a whole. This paper is based on David Frost’s presentation which explored the links between a transformative view of education, the nature of innovation and the need to develop teacher leadership. It is argued that, in transformative education, learning centres on the cultivation of capacities and dispositions. These are exemplified and illustrated. Key concepts such as agency, meta-learning, self-regulation and their link to citizenship are explained. The distinction is drawn between implementation and innovation as a process which is both long and arduous. It is argued that such a process of innovation demands learning at all levels (students, teachers, the school, the system), but teacher leadership is where the most potential lies. Stories of teacher leadership are used to illustrate what can be achieved and claims are made as to the benefits of teacher leadership. It is claimed that teacher leadership can mobilise teachers’ capacity for leading change, improve quality in the system and build professional knowledge that teachers trust. The paper concludes by outlining the theory of teacher leadership promoted by the International Teacher Leadership project.