Leading for Learning – Who is the Learner?
INTERVIEW | Jeanette Ramos, Head Teacher,
Biomedical & Applied
Sciences, Sydney Institute
My Stance
For me, educational leadership is having the capacity to inspire others to go beyond their comfort zone and to run that extra mile, so as to achieve a common goal. To be a leader you must be a good listener; have initiative, empathy and sincerity; have a vision and an inner strength; be trustworthy and have strong ethics.
My aim is to make education a positive experience for all our students
and to create a workplace that is truly purposeful for our teachers, particularly
given the increasing constraints on time, resources and budgets. I strive
to support and guide my staff so that they are able to concentrate on our
core business – excellence in teaching and learning.
I believe you must be observant of your environment; to be caring and to listen contextually; to regularly seek feedback and to find ways of improving the teaching and learning environment. I am an advocate for both teachers and students and I always focus on our vision, intentions and outcomes.
Background
I am one of three Head Teachers in Biomedical & Applied Sciences at Ultimo College. Our current section is the product of the amalgamation of a diverse group of science based areas including Food Technology, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Pathology and Health Auxiliaries. Our section works effectively together to successfully deliver 20 courses from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma levels.
In the first year of the newly formed section (2000) there was a great deal of tension and stress, as some of the original sections closed down following the restructure. Those of us who managed to survive had to share greatly reduced resources and work together with other specialty areas we had not previously been involved with.
We have since been successful in finding ways to work together, building on each other's strengths to produce quality education and to raise the profile of the Biomedical and Applied Sciences. We currently graduate approximately 450 students per year with the majority of our students finding jobs in industry. One third of our students go on to university. Our student retention rates since the amalgamation are at a respectable 85%.
Leading for learning – who is the learner?
We are all learners! If leadership is about inspiring others to achieve a shared set goal, then each person can be a leader. In the Biomedical and Applied Sciences we have inspired each other to work together harmoniously despite coming from different work backgrounds and cultures. We have built a good working relationship that has unified the section and facilitated the increase in student retention rates and educational outcomes. We have accomplished this through open communications and cooperative sharing of resources and talents. I believe you need to value open working relationships with your colleagues; be sincere and transparent; and establish good communication links. It is important to be interested and if possible, be involved in their activities.
After the amalgamation there was a great deal of heartache and bitterness for the staff over their loss of control of their areas and resources. To overcome these difficulties, our newly amalgamated section depended heavily on having policies of openness, honesty and sharing.
The challenges
Our section has faced many challenges since 2000: fixed mind-sets, new training packages and subsequent changes, changes in staff, budget restrictions, reduced space, commercialisation of courses and catering to an increasing proportion of students with learning disabilities. More recently, the introduction of Unit Based Enrolment in very complex specialty areas has been a challenge to our section as there is no direct mapping of modules to units.
These challenges have shown the need for strong educational leadership
in developing strategies and providing direction for the section. By being
open, approachable, empathetic and sincere in my dealings with my colleagues,
they in turn have become more receptive to what I have to say and will think
about the vision for the section. Establishing good communication links,
being available and providing and requesting feedback is important. Talk
with your staff regularly - be an advocate or a voice for their concerns!
But this must be balanced with your own needs. Sometimes I am ‘too approachable’ and ‘available’ and I find I get bogged down with so many requests that sometimes I have difficulty re-focusing on the Vision. I have to find a balance so that I am able to reflect and re-evaluate more.
Have clarity of what you want your section to achieve - but having the enthusiasm and energy to see it through is equally important.
Mentoring
I believe mentoring to be an important part of the educational leadership role of a Head Teacher. We have proactively established mentoring relationships with the new part time teachers so that they feel they are ‘part of the team’ and they share the same vision to provide the best learning environment possible.
Key Learning for Educational Leadership
The culture that we create is the key to improved outcomes for all: staff and students. We have tried to build a culture of educational leadership through trust, transparency, continual improvement and acknowledgement.
We have found huge dividends in working together, not against each other and in being willing to share and face challenges together.
Have a vision. Inspire each other. Be open and respectful of each other. Learn from each other. Harness everyone’s strengths.
See also
