Hybrid course delivery: a good fit for education leadership  (Page 6/5)

Ncpea publications

Editors

• Janet Tareilo, Stephen F. Austin State University
• Brad Bizzell, Virginia Tech

Associate Editors

• Beverly Irby, Sam Houston State University
• Rosemary Papa, Northern Arizona University
• Thomas Valesky, Florida Gulf Coast University
• Theodore Creighton, Virginia Tech

About the Author

• Mark J. Weber serves as a faculty member in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University System. He teaches in the education leadership M.Ed. and principal certification programs at Tarleton, and has published on a variety of topics in educational leadership.

Importance of physical presence of leadership

Physical presence of leadership is an elemental component of an effective learning organization. While the element of physical presence of leadership is regarded as most obvious, it frequently remains overlooked. Hall (2005) contended that leadership’s presence, physical and otherwise, yields more dividends than would seem reasonable. One of these dividends involves developing productive professional working relationships. He stated; “No matter the exact locale, and no matter the content, a present principal is one with whom all members of the school community can build a relationship. And relationships, when dealing with a profession that is (or should be) 98 percent human interactions, are of utmost importance” (p. 3).

Traditionally the physical presence of leadership is highly regarded. Reavis (1976) described the importance of the physical presences of effective supervision as a long-term, field based cyclical process called “Clinical Supervision”. Goldhammer (1969) described clinical supervision as:

"that phase of instruction which draws its data from first hand observation of actual teaching events, and involves face to face…interaction between the supervisor and the teacher in the analysis of teaching behaviors and activities for instructional improvement." (pp. 19-20)