Module 2: Te Whakatū o te Ārahi (Developing a Leadership Vision): This module focuses on setting personal leadership goals, crafting a vision for student success, and aligning with the school’s mission.
Theme: Leading Self
Due: 30th March
“He waka eke noa”
We are all in this together.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Articulate their personal leadership philosophy and goals.
- Develop a compelling vision for student success that is inclusive and equitable.
- Align their personal goals and vision with the school’s mission and strategic plan.
- Identify and utilise relevant resources to support their leadership development.
- Personal Leadership Reflection
Task 1: Defining Your Leadership Philosophy
Reflect on your values. What are the core values that guide your personal and professional life? How do these values influence your approach to leadership?
Consider your beliefs about learning. What are your beliefs about how students learn best? What are your beliefs about the role of the teacher in the learning process?
Define your leadership aspirations. What impact do you want to have as a leader? What are your long-term goals for your leadership journey?
Explore different leadership styles (e.g., transformational, servant, instructional). Which styles resonate most with you? Why?
Briefly journal your reflections and insights from this activity. Share your thoughts with your learning partner(s), as a way to introduce yourself at a deeper level than you might do ordinarily. You will meet your learning partner at PLG 1 (19th March).
Task 2: Defining Student Success
Explore diverse perspectives on student success. Consider the following questions:
- What does it mean for students to be successful academically? Socially? Emotionally? Culturally?
- How can we ensure all students, regardless of their background or learning needs, experience success?
Develop an inclusive definition of student success that applies to all learners in your school.
Discuss your definition of student success with colleagues and seek their feedback.
Task 3: Aligning with the School’s Mission
Carefully review the school’s mission statement, values, and strategic goals.
Analyse how your personal leadership goals and vision for student success align with the school’s overall direction.
Identify any areas where your personal leadership goals and vision may need to be adjusted to better support the school’s priorities.
Share your reflections on the forum in 150 words or less.
Resource Bank:
- “The New Zealand Curriculum” – See NZ Curriculum website]
- Provides a framework for learning and teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand, emphasising key principles such as equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness.
- “Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers” – See Tātaiako website]
- Outlines the cultural competencies required for effective teaching in a culturally diverse context, relevant for all leaders within the education system.
- “Leading Learning: A Professional Standards for Principals and Senior Leaders” – See Professional Standards and Leadership Capability Framework]
- Provides a framework for professional practice and ethical leadership in New Zealand schools, offering guidance on leadership expectations and responsibilities.
- Leadership Styles – https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-determine-what-my-leadership-style-is/#Leadership-Style-Types
- Transformational Leadership –https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2024/08/13/transformational-leadership-the-how-and-why/
Assessment:
- Self-reflection throughout the module.
- Completion of all activities – conversation at PLG 1 for Activity 1, conversation with colleague for Activity 2 and post on forum for Activity 3.
- Peer feedback and discussion within the online forum.
13 Responses
Placing students at the center of decision-making is at the heart of my leadership practice and aligns strongly with my school’s vision of ‘Connect, Inspire, Grow’ and our HERO values. I committed to growing my leadership and moving toward an Assistant Principal role, while continuing to develop as a collaborative, reflective, and lifelong learner.
A key area of alignment is my commitment to continuing my journey in te reo Māori, supporting the school’s strategic goal of strengthening Te Ao Māori. This aligns closely with Tātaiako and our partnership with Mana Whenua, ensuring culturally responsive practice underpins my leadership.
I also value my school’s focus on a localised, conceptual curriculum and targeted programmes to accelerate progress. To strengthen this alignment, I am continuing to refine my use of data and evidence to support priority learners and contribute effectively to schoolwide improvement.
The NHS mission is; Te puna whakatipu – a place to grow and thrive, where every learner is supported to build confidence, capability, and a sense of identity. I believe this mission is also applicable to all who work in our space. My aim is for my leadership to be based on connection, trust, and teamwork. I try to be approachable, fair, and honest, including being willing to admit mistakes. Brené Brown’s ideas about courage and vulnerability building strong, trusting teams really resonate with me. As a leader, I want to grow others and support future leaders, while continuing to strengthen inclusive and culturally responsive practices.
I really like the way your own philosophy and practice flows from the NHS mission. You have some valuable goals for leadership
My school’s vision is “Inspiring a community of passionate learners”, and my personal leadership goals align with two key aspects of this. I have a strong focus on building collaborative and supportive teams in both roles, and if staff can function as a good unit, we can foster a community that students feel a part of. In my role as HOD, I want to ensure that our programmes are authentic and relevant to our learners, and my goal is to build up the confidence and skills of newer team members. By doing this, we can create an environment where learning is seen as a lifelong process, and we can encourage our students to be curious about their world.
These also align with our school’s strategic goals of (1) creating a community where everyone feels that they belong and are valued, and (2) continuous improvement.
The values of my school are Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience, and are three values I aim to consistently embody in my leadership style. Modelling these values with both students and the teachers in my team promotes a positive, inclusive environment where all students and teachers feel valued.
The values of the school also align with my goal. By displaying these values I continue to build high-trust relationships within my team, creating conditions for open communication and a space for courageous conversations, particularly when managing conflict or change.
Moving forward, I will ensure that my leadership explicitly reflects these values so I am able to support my team effectively particularly when change or conflict arise, and guide students in developing these values themselves in their learning and interactions.
I think I usually lead through servant leadership, focusing on support and empathy, but I want to draw more on transformational leadership to inspire growth and help others reach their potential. I think it strongly aligns with our mission: “Providing the best possible education in a Catholic environment.” I aim to foster resilience, self-belief, and holistic development in students and staff, while also being mindful of nurturing a faith-centered community—an area that doesn’t always get my full focus due to the responsibilities of my role and having an exceptional Director of Religious Studies. This is definitely an area I am trying to be more conscious of.
Tēnā koe for this beautifully balanced reflection; your move to integrate transformational leadership alongside your servant heart shows a powerful commitment to both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of your Catholic character.
Our school’s mission centres on providing the best possible education within a Catholic environment. My people-first approach strongly aligns with this, as building relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging underpins both faith and learning. Creating an inclusive, collaborative culture, supports the school’s focus on holistic development and student success. I believe students learn best when there is genuine buy-in: when they feel their teacher is approachable and on their team – alongside clear expectations and purposeful, engaging teaching. My leadership style naturally leans towards servant leadership, supporting staff wellbeing and fostering collaboration, which aligns well with our school culture. However, I recognise the need to be more intentional in integrating faith into my practice and to develop a stronger, vision-driven approach. I also need to build confidence in contributing to wider strategic direction, while continuing to balance collaboration with decisiveness.
Thank you for your honesty. It is wonderful to see your commitment to evolving from a supportive servant leader into a vision-driven one, and your focus on building the confidence to contribute to wider strategic direction shows great professional growth.
At my school our values are:
Respectful – valuing who we are as individuals, welcoming of diversity in others and caring for our environment.
Resilient – ambitious, persistent in overcoming challenges and driven to be the best we can be.
Responsible – for ourselves and for our connection to those around us.
This fits in very well with my own personal leadership style and teaching vision, which is all about supporting students to be the best that they can, as well as making sure that they grow a love for learning. By working with my schools values in my own leadership focus I can ensure that my students are confident, comfortable and kind while at school, all of which creates a wonderful environment for learning.
Tēnā koe for this heart-centered reflection; it is clear that your leadership style is naturally woven into the fabric of your school’s values.
Task 3: Aligning with the school’s Mission
PNBHS aims to ‘develop educated young men of outstanding character’. My leadership vision aligns with this, recognising that character is more valuable than knowledge alone. Without the emotional intelligence to apply learning positively, education loses much of its impact. Both strong and weak characters will face adversity, and their responses will differ too. A young man of strong character is more likely to embrace challenges, recognising opportunities for growth and striving to improve. In contrast, one without this grounding may avoid difficulty, limiting personal development.
My leadership goals reflect this vision. My school and I value courage, humility, integrity, and industriousness as essential qualities of strong leadership and I aim to model them in my own actions. By doing so, I seek to lead by example and support students in becoming resilient, capable individuals of strong character.
Aligning My Vision and Goals with Milford School’s Mission
As a leader at Milford School, my approach centres on empowering student agency, fostering meaningful connections (building strong relationships), and nurturing belonging. Values that align closely with our mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who are active, compassionate lifelong learners in local and global contexts.
Goal 1: Ako (Learning and Achievement), I seek to deliver an innovative IB PYP inquiry-based curriculum. Students set personal goals, reflect on progress, and choose ways to demonstrate learning, strengthening literacy, mathematics, differentiation and self-directed skills for excellent progress.
Goal 2: Whanaungatanga (Connection & Community), I build inclusive relationships through pepehā, collaborative projects, daily karakia and waiata, and cultural celebrations. These practices promote diversity, wellbeing, resilience, and strong whānau partnerships. Though, I still think I can make stronger connections with students and their whānau.
Goal 3: In Tūrangawaewae (Belonging & Environment), I create a sense of place by honouring heritage (e.g., Matariki, Diwali), encouraging student voice via displays like the PYP Wonderwall, and supporting sustainable, engaging learning spaces that connect learners to their community and environment.This student-centred, culturally responsive leadership inspires confident, connected, innovative learners who thrive at school and beyond.