2.4 Transformative pedagogy through advanced technologies: a  (Page 6/8)

Leadership lens and persona

Graduates of the university-district program and participants in the blended online program report similar experiences and outcomes and state that their principal preparation program has changed their way of thinking . The work of the projects required participants to examine their school through a leadership lens. One blended online participant commented on this in one of her journal entries:

In moving out of my comfort zone from thinking like a teacher to thinking like a principal, I engage as many stakeholders as possible through projects, conversations, team meetings, formal/informal collaboration and encouraging them to share their ideas with me. I have communicated my goals to those colleagues that carry strengths in the areas that I need growth in. Engagement of others is pertinent to being a strong leader. (personal communication, November 9, 2010)

Their data and experiences were brought to the cohort faculty and participants for collective review and feedback. This dynamic process of analysis and reflection through multiple perspectives forces program participants to think like leaders. It also creates a strong community of learners where participants felt safe to express issues without judgment. One graduate of the university-district program stated that “when I’m in district meetings I’m afraid to tell others I’m struggling because others will think less of me. I know that when I talk with individuals who have participated with the…program that they will help me clarify my thinking and not judge me” (Korach, 2005). During a workshop day for the blended online program, a participant stated, “I can’t look at my colleagues at school in the same way because I have an understanding of the greater system” (personal communication, September 25, 2010). These comments indicate that the interrogation of thinking without personalization and judgment that occurred through the program became a habit of mind for program participants. Another blended online participant demonstrated that she was deliberately making preparation for the principalship from the results of the project work, “Once I am in a principal position, I will evaluate the data collection system in place and decide if it has the capability to disaggregate the data in a multiple of ways so we can look at it by students and teachers more easily than we can now” (Personal Communication, October 10, 2010).

Evidence of generative thinking

Both programs begin with the most comprehensive and ambiguous project, Organizational Diagnosis, that required participants to acquire a critical and analytical perspective on the work of their school. There are no answers to this work, and the data they gather only generates questions and uncovers multiple systems with many dimensions. This project simulates the work of principals as they enter new environments and immerses participants into the ambiguity of leadership. A blended online participant reflected on the experience of beginning the program: