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Module 3

Partnerships and Networks

Due: 28th March

 

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini.

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

 

 

In Derek Wenmoth’s Networked Leadership paper, he establishes a view of leadership that requires effective operating within the ‘network’ paradigm that schools now operate within. 

Even prior to the events of COVID-19, we have been living in an increasingly networked world. Now, more than ever, leaders as individuals, and leading organisations are working to be connected with each other and responsive to the changes occurring around them. Within our Aspiring NLP forum, we are creating an educational network of schools across New Zealand, where trusting relationships and connections can grow.

 

Provocation:

What approaches can ‘networked leaders’ take when building stronger communities? What area(s) of development can you identify for yourself when working as part of a network or collaborative partnership?

Task: Reflect on the provocation and film a 1-2-minute video introduction of yourself, describing a challenge in relation to your role or context, and an invitation for feedback from other delegates.

This e-module should allow for a broad range of responses to allow delegates to interpret it in a way that is relevant to their context. 

Module Three requires you to record and share your video on the forum, in time for you to respond to each other in Module 4. Our heart is that every Aspiring NLP delegate builds an ever-increasing network of strong and diverse relationships, that can come together through coaching partnerships, shared commonalities and innovative problem-solving solutions to build better and brighter futures in education.

In the past, we have had feedback from delegates that this Module made them feel hesitant/nervous, but afterwards, they thoroughly enjoyed getting to know other delegates through the videos and being able recognise other delegates at the PLGs after completing this. If you feel uncomfortable, try to step into the discomfort. It’s not easy, but you can enter your ‘growth zone’ once you leave your comfort zone.

 

“The network paradigm is not a structural or organizational concept- it is ecological, highly relational and     collaborative. A networked leader must start by changing thinking about networks and schools and demonstrate a growth mindset.”

Derek Wenmoth,  August 2015 for the EDUCANZ Council

 

“I am gaining a deepening understanding of, and appreciation for, ‘the way’ of Coaching Leadership, as a powerful and effective tool for facilitating positive change and self-learning in others, and, simultaneously, in myself. How I wish I had known about and used a coaching approach in my years of principalship, What a difference it might have made!”

Nick Major,  Aspiring Principals’ Coach

 

Module 3 and 4 Resources:

– Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287

– Legacy – 15 Lessons in Leadership, by James Kerr (2013). Chapter 6 pp 74-83

– Open-to-Learning Conversations-Relationships and Trust, Viviane Robinson, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_l5-HKIR1s

Additional/Optional Readings:

– Connecting with Māori Communities; Whānau, Hapū and Iwi, Mere Berryman and Therese Ford, 2014:

https://kep.org.nz/assets/resources/site/module8-v20a-up-16Apr15-w-image_5Jan16.pdf

– Robertson, J. (2015). Think-piece on leadership education in New Zealand. https://teachingcouncil.nz/assets/Files/Leadership-Strategy/Leadership-for-Communities-of-Learning-Five-Think-Pieces.pdf

 

56 Responses

    1. Kia ora Johanna,

      I like to shift the term from difficult to important conversations. As they need to be had – they often get difficult if you aren’t prepared with some strategies and open questioning prior to going into them, and I think prep around where to have the chats is also important. Good to get onto these before little things become bigger things, and you mentioned the staff member can get quite toxic if pulled up on these things. It is important to often go back to your school values – but also professional standards. Snippets of these little but often – this is the “way we do things here”. We have recently done a refresh of our school values for what we hope to see demonstrated by students, but also very important to work through with staff how do we as a collective embody these also daily, within our teams, within staff meetings, with senior managers.
      Who has a good relationship with this staff member? Is there someone who could come with them as a support person for the meeting.
      Always to talk face to face to request the conversation , follow up with an email with the key points you want to discuss, follow up end of the conversation with an email with the key points and roles and responsibilities listed. This does create a paper trail, but also holds each party accountable – it could be a gap in staff induction, mentoring, buddy system that needs looking at of our PGCs that you (SLT) need to come back and look at and or it could be targeted PLD for the staff member.
      Has your school developed quality practice statements together? Another good thing to go back and revisit. This could address the staff sitting at laptops not moving around. Each staff member should have a mentor/coach – this could be discussed at team meetings a focus around placement in class whilst teaching – have observations – have open door weeks – where any staff can pop in or out of classes.
      Noticing and acknowledging positive shifts moving forward is also important.
      Just a few ideas. Happy to talk further if needs be acolman@qcc.school.nz

      1. I really like your approach here Anna. Just that simple rephrasing would take some of the heat from the situation I would think- ‘difficult to important’. You’re right, they need to be had and I’m going to remember that mindshift change next time!

    2. Kia ora Johanna
      It sounds like a challenging situation and it you are trying to have a conversation with very little engagement. It can be hard having that one person who can create a ripple effect through the school and create a negative vibe from others also. Does this staff member attend any staff or team meetings where they could be a part of some learning around what quality teaching practise looks like at your new school. At school recently we have used some of the resources provided as part of Te Mātaiaho implementation, Teaching for Positive Behaviour – Supporting Engagement Participation and Learning by Tracy Rohan and Niho Taniwha: Improving Teaching and Learning for Akonga Māori by Melanie Riwai-Couch.
      Good luck

    3. Kia ora Johanna,
      Just to build on what Anna said, I created an ‘essential agreement’ following some middle management training a while ago and I use that doc at the start of the year to set out team agreed practices (that fit within the wider school contexts and code). We then, as a team, revisit it at the start of each term. It’s been really helpful in situations just as you have described and because the team create it, I know I have the backing of the team when I go into those conversations. Also because that the person I’m having the conversation with has actually created and signed to those statements of behaviour and practice, it adds accountability to the mix and takes away from it being a ‘problem’ I have with the teacher, but the action of the teacher being in question as not meeting the team agreed standards. It’s a little tricker with relievers, but this essential agreement is shared as part of the relievers pack when they work at my school so they have the opportunity to see it.

  2. Kia ora Team

    Sorry I am late uploading my video, I have found the term has raced away from me and been super busy. I have took a couple of videos and went with this one. It was a new experience for me. Hopefully my link works.

    https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rH3x0GOdQcsSPvFREQj3AUQ_ChWGmjJVg9dVQlAtoAw/edit?usp=sharing

    I look forward to watching others videos and responding, along with hearing any feedback about teaching in a collaborative space and schools journeys with structured literacy.

    1. Hi Leanne,
      We have also gone down the structured literacy route with support of the RTLits. Our teachers have found that they have gone a full circle and are back using a ‘whole language’ approach with structured literacy embedded in parts. I think it’s really important to not throw out the baby with the bath water! Continue to use big books, rich language conversations building vocabulary etc. Keep the lines of communication open and reflect with the team often as to what is working, what is not working!
      I hope it all goes well for you.

      1

    2. Hi Leanne,
      We are into our fourth year now down the Structured Literacy track, using Better Start as our main vehicle and upskilling our teachers on the pedagogy and assessments in Struc Lit. I love it and would be really happy to talk to you more about what that’s looked like from zero to now. It’s a huge mindshift for everyone but, as you say, data driven change makes a massive difference to student achievement and progress. My email is a.copley@ghs.school.nz

  3. Firstly, I’ve really enjoyed reading the responses so far, as well, listening to the videos I’ve been able to access.

    Anna, I really enjoyed listening to what you had to say about the importance of prioritisng and making time. It’s always challening and never are we fully ticked off as teachers and leaders in our field. Never in a day is there not something new that is added to the already long list of ‘to dos’. For me, having achievable goals each day to check off works and what I don’t get to, is moved to the next day. I aim to never get too far behind if I can otherwise I can completely overlook a job which isn’t good. As well, ensuring staff culture is positive and staff feel valued and listened to is important.

    I felt simliar feelings with your video Tess where you spoke about stress and the lack of time to get the day to day accomplishmenmts done. It would be great to share as a wider group perhaps what we do in schools to support our staff and perhaps get new ideas? I know the extra CRT release in the Primary sector has really helped our teachers so that they can get more of their work done, along with more time to come. However, keeping on top of it all will be the ongoing challange and ensuring the time is used well to combat getting behind the 8 ball.

    Lastly, Nicky, you spoke as a team leader in Year 7&8 and a challenging team member. Again, be good to share ideas and stategies we’ve all used and tried but I can hoesntly say, I’ve experienced this more than once. It’s very hard (even emotionally draining) and whilst not knowing the bigger picture to this person, being aware and attepting to build a relationship sounds like a good start on your part. Engaging more in her interests and sharing about you may be helpful?

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  4. Kia ora koutou and happy Easter to you all.
    Aroha mai for the lateness of this post- I think I needed the headspace of a long weekend to tackle this challenge!
    My main challenge in my context is about consensus building and how to have really clear and effective communication across a large network with multiple stakeholders. I find myself trying to weave together the priorities and foci of multiple tumuaki, kura and kaiako, and wonder how to best deliver something meaningful and relevant to our WSLs.
    Also to a lesser extent it is about finding my role within the wider context of the ASL team. How do I utilize my strengths to contribute to and advance the mahi of the team?
    https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SYgPMJ7Ez-EaOAiwR_xaOoqD2MFq4HpSVVhRKF-Z46c/edit?usp=sharing
    Ngā mihi.
    Claire

    1

    1. Kia ora Claire,
      My sister also has this ASL role and her challenges are similar. Leading a network of schools is incredibly skilful and hard work, especially across Primary/Secondary schools where the structures are different. It is hard enough to carry out this improvement process at the single school level. In my last school I was a WSL and we each had our own PL groups of staff. The ASL was great at connecting the WSL’s and ensuring that our goals as a team were transparent to staff. These Kahui Ako roles seem to be set up quite differently between areas.
      I imagine you would have quite broad achievement goals and each school engages with these goals in their own unique way?
      I’m interested in how you get buy in from staff with these roles and how it is structured in your area.
      Good luck Claire

      1

    2. Claire, that sounds like a huge undertaking with regard to the number of people who have some (or want to) input and how to manage their different needs and wants. Consensus building and effective communication across a large network with multiple stakeholders can be difficult. It will be a constantly evolving challenge for you as you and your team overcome challenges and face different obstacles. Celebrating your successes, even the small ones, with your ASL’s will hopefully help to keep up the momentum and motivation.

    2. Kia ora e hoa.
      I identified with what you said at the start of your video about falling into the trap of always being in reaction mode, and the small stuff getting in the way of the big stuff. That can be exhausting!
      It sounds like you are already implementing some important strategies. Addressing the friction, and making people feel heard. I think the fact that your colleague sort you out to apologize is probably a good indication that you handled that well.
      I hope you’ve had a good Easter break.

      2

    4. Hi Anna,
      Sounds like some good mahi you are doing with your middle leaders. When I came to my current school I pushed for more connection time with the Hod team because they previously met once a month! It is a bit more than that now but I still don’t think it’s enough to create a team culture and a united front to move forward as a school. As we are the team that oversees curriculum change and have a large influence on a department, I see that as really important. However, there are a few who have been there a while and if I pushed for even more meetings they would not be happy. The middle leader team is significant in putting strategic plans into action. I hope you continue to get connection here.

  7. Bula Vinaka everyone,
    Here is a link to my video
    https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wVBVFYTSpPfobewucGdtiXyDOTAoE7zA4GSoyK_jaCY/edit#slide=id.p15

    My favourite whakatauki is:
    ‘He aha te mea nui tea o? He tangata he tangata, he tangata!’

    I really believe that that most important thing that we as leaders need to do is to build relationships first and foremost for the success of our teams. However, then we have the dilemma of, its okay to be friendly with each other, but then how do we handle the difficult conversations that may creep up?
    Looking forward to your contributions.

    1

    1. Hi Kalpana,

      From your presentation, it looks like you have taken a considered approach to the challenges you identified. It takes time to develop relationships to a point where you can get the outcomes you desire. I like how many times food is featured as a way to celebrate and build a great team culture. I’m looking forward to catching up with you next term.

    1. Kia ora Cameron,
      Great that you are working with your teams strenghts. The load can fall to a few sometimes. Building your teams capacity in a mana enchanceing way can be tricky while balancing being part of a functioning team. I wonder, have you worked on co constructing Mutually Agreeed Team Expecations (MATEs) or a team charter using the why, how and what?
      Another thought – what are the barriers? What supports do staff need? Could you buddy up – to model what good looks like and support staff to take risks by providing check lists and other supports and celebrate small steps 🙂
      Enjoy the Easter break.

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    2. Hi Cameron,

      I agree with Grace about co constructing a team charter of sorts. We did this in my team at the beginning of the year. The team goals set us up with clear expectations for our team. We also discussed what some of our challenges were- this helps the team to be mindful of these things and also helps us provide support when we know what the challenges are for each other.

    3. Hi Cameron.
      Great to hear that you are making progress in the area of collaboration and that people within your team are building confidence to share their ideas as you get to the end of term 1.

      I have also had this challenge in the past with my previous team in 2023 and understand it can be difficult to get other people motivated and confident in stepping into that leadership role when it comes to planning, leading activities etc.

      My suggestion is to have a discussion with your team around what people’s strengths are and what they would like to lead/plan for the following term. You could discuss together and assign each team member a specific subject area to be in charge of/plan/lead. You could discuss the importance of collaboration and sharing the load. Allow the team members who are not so confident to choose the area which they feel is their strength or that they enjoy. The following term you could then get the team to swap subjects again to ensure the work load is shared fairly.

      By doing this it will ensure that these teachers are having to step up and take ownership as well as taking some of the workload off you and the one other team member.

      I hope this idea helps and you are able to see some progress with your team members in this area. I look forward to hearing how you get on.

    4. Kia ora Cameron
      I connected with your video about sharing ideas, building others capacity along with encouraging others to step up. In my current role as a teacher in a collaborative space and my release component it makes 3 teachers sharing the planning, delivery and assessment even though only 2 of us a teach at a time. Some strategies we have put in place to ensure we all contribute to the planning and teaching are;
      – Weekly meetings – to begin we start with what is on top, we look at the week coming up and then share ideas, each person then takes responsibility for planning an area and we keep minutes to refer back to. The sharing of ideas you can contribute your ideas even if its not your turn to plan that area
      – A roster to share the planning load so we take turns at planning and delivering different curriculum areas (this is set out for the term)
      – Allowing others to do things, sometimes it may look and sound different to how we would have done it
      – We have school wide templates/guidelines that we developed together for things like assembly so when it’s your turn the template is there for you to user

  9. Kia ora team, here is my video – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ir7FtzJlUohgiALoH87G39POaM-FH3n3/view?usp=sharing
    This issue is around time – fairly common in teaching – but feels exacerbated by the NCEA changes. It made me realise how important the network is within the school. Even if I feel my department is tracking well, the strength of the school comes not from 1 or 2 happy and collaborative departments, but from the majority. How do we support each other across departments and how can we create more time for teachers to establish new courses?

    2

    1. Kia ora Tess,
      Thank you for sharing. I really resonated with what you said, the massive amount of work and lack of time to complete it. During report writing time our principal and BOT would schedule TOD’s to give us some time to complete these. It is amazing how much you can do in a day that is dedicated to catching up on or completing one task. Mentally it feels great to, it is a real ‘pick me up’, and you feel as though your struggle is understood by your BOT and principal. It is just a small thing, and certainly doesn’t address the many areas you talked about in your video.

      2

      1. Hi Tess,

        We’re fortunate that our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) only schedules meetings when necessary. This aligns with what Claire mentioned earlier regarding the purpose and duration of meetings. Typically, our meetings are set for Monday afternoons and usually wrap up by 4:00 pm at the latest. However, during weeks when we have numerous commitments or an increased workload, such as report deadlines, our SLT adjusts the meeting time to focus on these tasks instead.

        Wishing you all the best with managing this workload. It’s a challenging task, but hopefully, with a few adjustments, it won’t seem as overwhelming. I look forward to hearing about your journey with this.

        2

    2. Kia ora Tess. Wow, what a relevant and seemingly unsolvable challenge!!! I look forward to following your progress with this. It seems that stress and teaching are almost expected to go hand in hand in the current environment. It reminds me of one of the wellbeing talks we had during the PLD in Auckland- “wearing busyness like a badge” and “if you’re not stressed you’re not working hard enough”.
      Some ideas I’m trying to encourage at my own school (I’m secondary too) is to give more consideration to meetings (Purpose? Length? Time of day? Frequency…could it be an email, or do we need to discuss? How can we use time more effectively?). Meetings eat into prep and marking time so this important teaching and learning mahi all gets pushed into the evening, which can be a real impact on wellbeing.
      The other thing I would encourage you to explore is an ‘audit’ of sorts. What innovations/strategies/ actions are having a positive impact? There always seems to be a new kaupapa, I think sometimes we are guilty of not prioritizing the mahi that has the most pay off.
      I hope you are enjoying a stress free Easter break!

      1

    3. Hi Tess.

      I totally agree in the sense that this is a problem which we are all facing in the education field. It is good to hear that the board is aware of this atleast and understands that stress and not enough time is something in which you are all dealing with.

      Could you discuss this with your principal and potentially see if they would be onboard with looking at the workload that the teachers are currently facing in your school and see if there are any ways that this could become less or become simplified or shared. Maybe this could be through a staff survey where they get teachers to fill this in and see what ideas staff have in regards to this current issue?

      This is a very difficult one and I would also be very keen to hear other people’s suggestions. At the end of the day your well-being is extremely important so remember that you always come first!

    1. Kia ora Ashleigh,
      Thank you for sharing.
      Teams function best when everyone is contributing and working together, it can be very difficult to convince everyone to work towards a common goal. Perhaps some team building games with a focus on collaboration, similar to what you might do with children, something fun to get everyone working together and reflecting on the importance of collaboration, and then a discussion or brainstorming session about what areas in the teams real working life that this key for this term/next term.

      2

    2. Kia ora Ashleigh. Thanks for sharing your challenge. That is a tough one, and it can be demotivating when you feel you are the one making all the effort and not getting any return!
      My suggestion would be to keep the expectations and objectives really clear. Keep coming back to what WE are doing and why WE are doing it. The rationale for HOW we are doing it is also really important to get people on board. Try and link in your schools goals and visions too, so this persons sees that this is not just messaging and requests coming from you as an individual leader, but from the whole school community- “He waka eke noa”.
      Another strategy that could be helpful is to work through a collaborative agreement with your team. This can be really helpful to come back to when ‘the wheel fall off’. It gives you a frame work to work through to address an issue.
      It sounds like a real growth mindset vs fixed mindset situation! I would encourage you to reach out to some of your own mentors within the school and get their insight.
      Kia kaha, you got this!

      2

      1. Thank you Claire for the feedback.
        Yes I totally agree with you. The ‘WE’ is so important. I have taken on your advice and created a collaborative team agreement (MATE document) where we all discussed what collaboration should look like in our team and how we as a team want to implement this. I then got all my team members to sign this document in an mutual agreement of how collaboration will take place in our team moving forward. Fingers crossed 🙂

    3. Hi Ashleigh,
      This is a tough one!
      Do you have a MATES agreement? Mutually Agreed Terms of Engagement – a contract between everyone in your team to ensure you all follow the same ‘rules’ when you are at work. This way you have something to talk directly to. If they are still not co-operating, bring in your AP or DP to support you.
      I don’t think you have to be friends with this person, but mutual respect and collaboration is essential for a good working environment. A MATEs agreement will go a long way to support this.
      Let me know if you would like copies of one.
      Good luck!
      Johanna

    1. Kia ora Sarah,

      Thanks for sharing – and honesty around your reflection on friend Vs leader. Firstly it is great that you are recognising this and also noticing that when you asked for feedback in your leadership it was all the nice lovely stuff – but to grow in our leadership we need the growth conversations. These may come in time from your team, perhaps you could seek feedback from someone else within leadership and then share this with your team or do a role modelling activity with open questioning techniques with some scenarios you could strategically put together.
      Really important not to blur those lines of friend and leadership – and how you can now set some boundaries. As there will always come a time for a very courageous conversation to be needed and you need to separate personal to work and that you are wearing your leadership hat.
      Just some thoughts from me – I still need to do my video!! best get moving.
      AC

      1. Hello,
        Thanks so much for your response! I like your idea of asking other leaders for feedback, this is very helpful thank you 🙂
        You’re probably right, feedback will probably come in time, I will keep asking them each term & highlight the importance of constructive feedback for growth.

        I appreciate your time 🙂

        1

    2. Kia ora Sarah. Thanks for sharing. I understand what you mean about the colleague/ leader/ friend overlap. It certainly can be a tricky sea to navigate in the ‘rough times’ and it can add another dynamic to the challenging conversations.
      A strategy I’ve tried for gathering constructive feedback before is to use a scale or have pre-prepared statements like ‘Do more of…”, ‘Do less of…” etc. I think sometimes our team members feel like they don’t want to offend, or that they are finding fault if they give us feedback. Especially in a small tight knit team. I found giving them some statements or scenarios to reflect on was helpful in extracting some more helpful feedback rather than just the nice stuff : )

      1

    3. Hi Sarah,
      In response to your challenge about being a friend and a leader- I worked in a team where my own sister was a member of the team for two years and I was her Assistant Principal! So I know exactly the dilemma you are facing! Leading a team while being friends with them, or in my case, having as relative, can be tricky, but I found it possible to navigate these challenges. Here are some key strategies I used:

      Establish Boundaries: Make it clear that work and friendship have different expectations. This might involve setting clear communication channels- so I was extremely careful how I related with my sister at school, what I talked to her after school etc.

      Prioritize Fairness: Leaders need to make decisions based on what’s best for the team, not personal relationships- I was transparent about my decision-making process and avoided favoritism.

      Maintain Professionalism: While friendly with your team, remember to uphold professional standards. This includes maintaining appropriate conduct and delivering constructive criticism when necessary. I remember the first time I gave my sister feedback, she had a little cry as she wasn’t used to me giving her feedback- but she we talked about the role I had and she understood where I was coming from and learned to take the feedback.
      Hope this helps.

    4. Kia ora Sarah,
      Totally relate to being a friend and leader. I have the same situation, I am friends with my team and we have a great working environment. However, I think being really clear about expectations and communicating well can allow the friendship, but also show your team you are professional in your role. An example of this are marking deadlines/ jobs they need to have done. I don’t feel like being friends with my team gets in the way of me expecting professionalism or feeling like I can’t be honest with them.
      I do like the way you have asked for feedback though and the replies others have mentioned – ‘do more of, do less of’ would be great to use.
      Sound like you have a lovely team!

    5. Hi Sarah,
      It’s great you have identified the friend vs leader ‘issue’. I think when you are a Team Leader, working in a collaborative space it’s really difficult to not become friends. And this is ok. You will need to make sure that if you need to have the tough conversations, you have them quickly before it potentially becomes a bigger issue. Do you have a MATEs agreement set up with your team? A list of guidelines for collaboration? I can send you some examples if you don’t and if you think it might support you in your leadership role. I know my team have found them to be really helpful.
      When you progress to AP / DP / Principal it’s important to draw the line and recognise you are a leader; not a friend. Keeping social media private etc.
      Hope this helps.
      Johanna

    2. Thanks – impressive all three of you together!
      Peter – we used some external support of RTLB to come and work with both LSAs, (our TAs) and then teaching staff separately and then workshopping together to develop the “way we work best together to support ākonga is” This worked great initially, we are probably now needing to go back and revisit
      due to some staffing changes within the LSA and new SENCO. But perhaps something similar could be beneficial for your kura, to empower the teachers for when LSAs/TA/s aren’t in the space the support still happens.
      We also changed the name from Teacher Aide to Learning support assistant.

    1. The water in the canoe sounds a little bit like the analogy of walnut trees from this reading: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/

      I wonder if the person was asked ‘In your ideal world what would ______ look like for you?’ Eg. the way the team works etc.

      If you could spend a day as that person, what would their lens look like? Is there a core issue that is irking them that they are continually feeling resentment over?

      Has this person traditionally been like this in all teams?

      Sounds like a sticky situation. Great that you have four others who are on the bandwagon though 🙂

      1

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