Abstract
In this final chapter, the ideas and arguments set out previously are drawn together by conceptualising educational middle leading practices as a form of praxis. This has been noted throughout the book, now the purpose is to emphasise the moral and ethical dimension of middle leading practice, and that this is only understood in the actual doing of the practice. In that sense, in this chapter, the focus is not on theoretical understandings of practice per se, but rather on the actual unfolding of leading practices among the various inter-related conditions and arrangements that are apparent in any particular site (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008; Schatzki, 2002; Wilkinson, 2017). Therefore, as should be clear through the preceding chapters, and again here, there is not a notion of a unified and singular best practice when it comes to middle leading in educational sites, but rather middle leaders have to develop and undertake their leading as a form of praxis, responsive to the needs and practice architectures of their site.
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Notes
- 1.
Of course, teachers also provide leadership in their schools.
- 2.
NAPLAN is a compulsory national testing program for literacy and numeracy conducted at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
- 3.
Literacy for Everyone is a pseudonym for the new literacy innovation that was being rolled out across the systemic schools.
- 4.
- 5.
Data Driven Teaching is a pseudonym for a program/idea that looks to develop teaching from student assessment data
- 6.
NAPLAN is a national external testing of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in numeracy and literacy
- 7.
The Self-directed Professional Development project included teacher appraisal as an inter-related practice with professional development, and the Teacher Appraisal project was a quantitative study that explored teachers’ perceptions of their performance management systems and programmes.
- 8.
The book Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us (Pink, 2011) is a readable popular text, and I recommend it to middle leaders as some light but informative reading
- 9.
Although the project lasted for a calendar year, it was actually the beginning of a new way of operating as a department, and the practices that were instigated were sustained and continued to be developed in response to the educational needs of the school site.
- 10.
A secondary school mathematics department (n = 6)
- 11.
It is important to note that all of the teachers involved were competent and capable teachers, and were thoroughly professional in their educational practice. The professional approach to professional development and appraisal that underpinned this project was only possible when such staff are involved. If a staff member is not professional or competent, then other forms of performance management would be required.
- 12.
For more details, about the evidence collected see Chap. 4.
- 13.
As was noted in a previous chapter, by the classroom I am referring to places where learning occurs. This could also be in sites beyond an actual classroom, for example outside or in a virtual learning space.
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Grootenboer, P. (2018). The Praxis of Leading in the Middle. In: The Practices of School Middle Leadership. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0768-3_9
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