ECI 508 Teachers as Leaders

Leadership Log
By Jing He

January 14th (Forum)

1 In the article on myths, what are your reflections about
the role of teachers as leaders as they relate to your
own experiences and expectations? In the section on
developing an action plan, start thinking about the
questions asked. Even though they seem to refer to a
specific curriculum on physics, they will guide your
final paper.
I once held the same myths described in this article. First, the
concept about "leaders" is closely related to formal positions.
Especially in Chinese culture, leadership is often related to authority
and power. However, in retrospect, there are teachers I know who
serve as leaders even though they don't occupy any formal
positions. One of my colleagues is a very experienced and
innovative English reading teacher. She would share with us her
lesson plans and new ideas about activities that can be carried out
in reading class. She would invite us to observe her class and expect
feedbacks from us. In faculty meeting, she would share her ideas
and seek discussions and suggestions. She wasn't officially a mentor
or a leader, but many teachers, especially young teachers, benefit a

lot from her leadership. Another myth I once held is that I just want
to be a quality teacher instead of a leader. Now I realize that in
many aspects I also serve and should serve as a leader even though
I was unware of that. I took various tasks with the purpose to
enhance my teaching and help my students in varied ways. If I
confine myself to the narrow field of mere teaching, my students
and also my professional improvement would benefit little.

1 For

the

second

article,

"Can

Teachers

Really

Be

Leaders," reflect on your comfort level with each of the

roles described for teachers in this article.

My comfort level with teachers as professional developers

In the past, I didn't think I would be qualified for or be confident in
this role. There were always a lot that I wanted to learn from others
and didn't think I would influence others that much. However, I will
challenge myself to take this role after I go back to China to work.
Since I came to the United States, I have learned a lot about
pedagogies, strategies and technologies, which I really want to
share with my colleagues back in China. I will try to organize some
activities to share my experiences and discuss together what we
can adapt them to the teaching environment in China.
My comfort level with teachers as mentors
I am quite comfortable with this role because I think I have
accumulated some experience in teaching and would like to share

with those new teachers. I was a new teacher 5 years old and I
couldn't "survive" without the help from many teachers as my
mentors. I understand what frustrations new teachers will face in
the first year of teaching and will support them in various ways.
My comfort level with teachers as scholars
I am not ready for this role. I think I need more time to accumulate
more before I am confident enough to publish what I want to share
with others. But maybe I can start with a little step, such as keeping
an informal blog to share my ideas in my everyday teaching

My comfort level with Leaders of New Forms of Accountability

It's a challenging role especially for Chinese teachers facing the

inevitable stress of national college entrance examination. However,
I am kind of comfortable with it because I work in a private school in
which students don't need to take the test. Our school has an open
environment and encourage teachers to teach and assess students'
success in various ways.

My comfort level with innovators

"Innovator" is so big a word to me that I will not see myself an

innovator but often a follower. However, I am quite comfortable with
new ideas and new ways of learning in my own classroom.
My comfort level with change agents
I can hardly be an initiator for innovations but happy to follow and
do what I can to make better changes happen.

January 21st (Forum)

Both

books

emphasize

that

teacher

leaders

reach

beyond

classrooms to improve their teaching, but Katzenmeyer and Gayle

stress the positive influences of teacher leaders not only to
students' learning, but also to the improvements of communities
and the professional developments of teachers, while Conyers and
Donna seem to place more emphasis on the benefits to the
students' learning.

Moreover, the book Awakening the Sleeping Giant presents a big

picture for the concept of teacher leaders, elaborating from aspects
including different assumptions and roles of teacher leaders, the
benefits of teacher leaders, and then how to support and develop
teacher leadership. On the other hand, the book Smarter Teacher
Leadership focus on how to apply mind, brain, and education
research to leverage the potential of teacher leadership.

January 28th (Forum)

In the book 13 Steps to Teacher Empowerment, Zemelman and Ross
emphasize that an effective teacher leader will seek support from
and build relationships with colleagues, administrative, school
districts, and even stakeholders outside the community. I totally
agree with this view. Sometimes teachers will confine themselves
inside the classrooms, only focusing on teaching and managing all
alone. I used to be one of these teachers. The reasons or excuses
include "I don't have time to communicate with others", "It's my

own business and I don't want to bother others", "Every classroom is

different and only me know it best", etc. It's true that there are
challenges with building the relationships, but there are far more
benefits. I later realized that only with my own efforts, the classroom
culture and the students' improvement benefited little, not to speak
of my influence to others. I observed the working style of an
experienced teacher who seemed to enjoy teaching and working so
much. In retrospect, what she did is just what an effective teacher
leader does: she was always eager to let others know what she was
trying and seek suggestions and support; she shared ideas in faculty
meetings and advocated new strategies; and she communicated
well with both colleagues and administrators. I don't think I did well
in cooperating with others, even though I did work very hard. So
when I go back to my classroom again, this is definitely an action I
am going to take.

The significance of explicit communication skill and connecting with

others is also stressed in the article "Teacher Leadership" by Shelly
Kurtz. In this article, the author categories 7 characteristics of
effective teacher leaders. I once interviewed a teacher leader about
the characteristics of a good leader, and her answers are in
accordance with most of those categorized by Kurtz. My interviewee
emphasized the importance of planning and the capacity of
anticipating potential problems; she also laid stress on a teacher
leader's communication skill and role in creating a positive school

climate. What didn't occur to be at first is the characteristic of

"Disturbing" put forward by Kurtz, which indicates the courage and
action to disturb those who are comfortable with the status quo. I
think it's quite challenging but also crucial if we really want changes
to happen.

In the article "Factors and conditions impacting teacher leader

influence", Kristen A. Clarke resonates with the authors of the
previous articles on the characteristics of effective leaders, and
points out that current department heads as teacher leaders face a
severe lack of training and professional development. I think it's
especially true in China, where a hierarchy leadership system is still
dominant in various fields including schools. I feel fortunate to have
the chance to learn about the latest pedagogy, ideology and
strategies and hope I can do my part to make a difference in my
community in the future, which is also the hope of my school which
has sponsored my program.

February 4th
Reflection on Chapter 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of 13 Steps to
Teacher Empowerment
Chapter 6 Go Meta
Its true that we often use lack of time as a reason or excuse for
not working or reflecting collaboratively. As a homeroom teacher
and English teacher, I was always very busy and tired. To be honest,

except faculty meetings that I must attend, I preferred to work alone

in my own space. Just as the author indicates, I only worked hard
instead of working smart. I was often anxious that my efforts didnt
bring the ideal results. So its time to change. I need to open my
classroom door and my mind to seek support from my colleagues. In
retrospect, I think the English language teaching team in the junior
high department where I work did provide some chances for
teachers to reflect together on our teaching. Some teachers would
teach a demo class, and other teachers will response with questions
and suggestions, during which process both the presenter and
audience could learn from each other.

One strategy suggested in this chapter that I am going to try is to

keep a journal for reflections. Actually, I did think a lot about my
students and my teaching, but the thoughts just stayed in my mind.
If I can put them down in a journal, I can reflect more deeply and
make it a resource that I can always refer to in my teaching career.

Chapter 7 Speak Up
This chapter not only talks about how to be brave and be smart
(with strategies) to speak up, but also stresses the importance of
developing students leadership in classroom. One thing that made
me feel ashamed was that I always encouraged my students to
speak in public while I myself felt nervous to speak up in a faculty
meeting or a professional conference. I think its really important for

me to demonstrate how to do it for my students.

As a homeroom teacher, I often had a headache about the students

relationship, which became tense when they entered the adolescent
period. There would be conflicts when we tried to hold a class
meeting to make decisions. I sometimes felt helpless when some
students just refused to be polite to others. But when I give it a
second thought, it occurs to me that maybe its not that they refuse
to be respectful but that they dont know how. So I do like the
strategy of Role-play shared in this chapter. Giving them chances to
put themselves in others shoes will probably be more efficient than
just criticizing them.

Chapter 8 Deal with Committees

Its common that a meeting or committee ends up with complains
about problems instead of solutions. We often consider that our
suggestions are not that important and the leader will make his or
her decision anyway. However, there are situations that need an
effective committee. I really like the authors suggestions on how to
structure the process, because there are so many unstructured
meetings or committees that seem to last forever without achieving
any progress. I also agree strongly that we need to use technologies
to make the meeting more efficient and also make participants more
engaged.

Since I am not an administrator, I dont think I will act immediately

as a leader who will initiate a committee, but I can act as a positive
participant in such meetings by providing suggestions and ideas on
how we can conduct these meetings more efficiently. More
importantly, I will definitely incorporate the thoughts in the practice
of developing students leadership. In my school, students are given
chance to lead in Students Union, but many times their meeting is
not efficient. Teachers can teach them how to run meetings and give
them opportunities to practice.

Chapter 9 Mount a Campaign

This chapter deals with a challenging step for teacher leaders: to
initiate a campaign for the changes you want to take place. Many
teachers will complain about problems and have some ideas in mind
about how to solve them, but eventually they just end up going back
to their own classrooms and making some adaptions in their
everyday teaching. I will not blame these teachers, because I used
to be one of them. But I know I have just worked for 3 years and I
will not enjoy my career if I dont make some changes on myself
first and then help make them happen in my teaching community.

One change that I really want to see it happen is to use materials

students like to replace the textbooks selected by school. As this
chapter suggests, first I need to do research on the benefits of my
advocacy and the drawbacks of the textbooks. Then I will talk to my

team leader and get her support. Then we together will talk to the
principal. At the same time, we will discuss with our colleagues,
especially teachers in the same grade level. With principals
support,

we

will

organize

committee

to

make

plans

for

implementation. We need to know the participants well and make

sure everybody does the job fit for him or her. Its very important to
monitor the process of implementation and reflect on the process
and also the results.

Chapter 10 Talk to the Man

I agree that its very beneficial to keep a communicative relationship
with the principal. First, we can get support or suggestions when
there is a problem. Then we can always learn from the principal
about how he or she analyzes and solves the problem, especially
when we are new teachers. Additionally, we can show the principal
that we love our job and really want to improve that. I always think
that I have learned a lot from my principal since I began teaching.
One thing I need to improve in the future is that I should not only
focus the conversation on my own classroom but also contribute
more to the improvement of teaching in the grade or a department,
or even the school. Of course, as the chapter suggests I first need to
come up with a specific proposal and do sufficient research. There
are still many changes that can and should happen in my school,
and I should challenge myself to bring my ideas to the principal.

Back to my classroom, I really believe that its crucial for students to

learn to ask questions and seek support, which skill is especially lack
in Chinese adolescents. One practical suggestion offered by this
chapter is to develop my own constructive use of language with
students. I do agree that students need a safe and comfortable
environment where asking questions and seeking help are natural. If
we keep acting as a mean teacher who will always criticize
students, then the students will never trust us for a positive
conversation.

February 18th
Reflections on Chapters 11, 12 and 13 in 13 Steps to Teacher
Empowerment
Chapter 11: What is one specific idea that you would
implement to improve your relationship with parents?
I would try to organize more parent projects or activities to improve
my relationship with parents. I observed that there was very limited
communication between my students and their parents. One reason
is that most of my students lived on campus from Sunday evening
to Friday afternoon, so they spent very little time with their parents.
Another reason is that adolescents are very reluctant to talk with
their parents because they think their parents cannot really
understand them. I believe inviting parents to be involved in
students learning and living at school will not only build effective
communication between students and parents (which is key to

students growth) but also build a trusting relationship between

parents and teachers.

Among the various activities, I am particularly interested in studentled parent conference. We hold several parent conferences every
semester, but most of them just happen between parents and the
teachers. I know that the parents in our school are more eager to
know more about their children. By letting the students lead the
conference, the parents will understand better what their children
are doing and thinking. Another idea is to make student-written
classroom newspaper. This will offer students opportunities to tell
their parents what happen in our classroom from their perspectives.

Chapter 12: If you were to write a grant, what would it be

for and how much? You may look at www.donorschoose.org
for ideas!
If I were to write a grant, it would be for building an English reading
corner for the high school students in my hometown. My hometown
is in a mountainous area, which is in need of learning resources and
equal opportunities for education. There are few English reading
materials for students, not to speak young adult literature. Most
families cannot afford to buy many of these books because they are
much more expensive than those books published in China. And
even if they can afford, they dont know how to get them. The
English teachers in the high school can help but they need fund.

The initial plan is to purchase 50 different books, with 2 copies for

each title, so the grant will be approximately 1000 dollars. The high
school is the only high school in the county and in recent years more
attention is paid to the education of these children in the
mountainous area, so I think there is hope that we can get this grant
if we let the public know our needs. The key is how we will make full
use of these resources. Teachers should be trained to know how to
manage a reading corner and how to incorporate young adult
literature in their English teaching.

Chapter 13: If you were to partner with one organization or

group in your community to better serve the children in your
school, who would it be and how would you convince them
to partner with you or your school?
I would like to partner with the Confucius Institute in Beijing. This
organization selects and trains teachers and volunteers to work as
Mandarin teachers overseas. And they also organize summer camps
for foreign students to come to China to experience Chinese culture
in summer camps. Actually, there has been cooperation between
our school and the Confucius institute, but they only benefited a
small group of students who were selected to work as volunteers
during summer camp. I hope to build a long-term partnership with
the Confucius Institute to engage more students in our school to
benefit from the activities.

There are many benefits for the Confucius Institute to work with our
school. Our students, learning to go abroad someday, have higher
level of English proficiency that will help them communicate better
with foreigners. Many students are local residents who can work as
great guilds to foreign students. Its also a great opportunity for our
students to know more about our culture by interacting with foreign
students. I believe making our children be more aware of and proud
of our culture is one of the missions of the Confucius Institute.
Besides, to benefits both our students and foreign students
language learning, we can build online classrooms, where students
can chat with each other by using the language they are learning.

February 25th
Reflections on CHAPTER 5 in Awakening the Sleeping Giant
and Chapter 1 in Smarter Teacher Leadership
Chapter 5 in Awakening the Sleeping Giant
Decisions teachers make within my school:
1. How to teach the contents in the classroom
2. The contents of examination
3. How and when to communicate with parents (homeroom teacher)
4. Classroom culture (homeroom teacher)
5. Technologies used in the classroom
6. Supplementary materials
7. Relationship with students

Decisions I would like to see teachers make

1. Main textbooks used in class
2. Classroom arrangements (changes of the seats to meet various
learning activities)
3. The forms of assessment for both students and teachers
4. The way and form of collaborative work among teachers
5. School daily schedule
6. How to use the self-study time (homeroom teacher)
7. The contents and forms of faculty meeting

Chapter 1 in Smarter Teacher Leadership

Reflections on the leadership roles
1. Engage in Purposeful Collaboration
I used to confine myself in teaching in my own classroom,
because I always thought there was no time for cooperation and
there were differences in different classrooms. I also engaged in
collaboration, but its not purposeful. Since I begun to learn about
teacher

leadership,

have

become

more

aware

of

the

significance of collaboration and I am eager to seek purposeful

collaboration with my colleagues to promote the improvements
of students learning performance.

2. Engage in and Share Research on Enhancing Pedagogy

Before I came to NC State to study, I would think I was not

qualified to take this role because I knew little about current

pedagogies. However, now I am more confident and eager to
share what I have learned here with my colleagues in China. I
hope by collaborating, we can link the theories with the real
classroom teaching, and we can do research on implementing
pedagogy in our specific teaching environment.

3. Support and Learn with New and Preservice Teachers

I am always comfortable about supporting new teachers. From
my own teaching experience, I understand what struggles new
teachers may encounter and how significant the supports from
colleagues are. I also think I can learn a lot from new teachers,
because they will bring in the latest study on pedagogies. With
what I have learned so far as a graduate student, I also become
more confident to work with new teachers.

4. Lead Professional Development

I become more comfortable about this role now. I am eager to
share what I have learned and try to organize some professional
development activities. I can begin from a small spectrum.
Combining with my teaching experience and learning experience,
I am aware of the lack of professional development among
teachers in the same team or department, though individual
teachers will attend professional development in some ways.

5. Take on Formal Roles

Currently I think I should take what I have learned here back to
my school and link the theories with practices. I need time to
observe and collaborate with other teachers. However, in the
future I will probably take formal roles when I think I am ready.

6. Present at the School and District Levels and for Professional

Associations
I dont mind trying this in a small group first. With more
participation and practices, I will probably be more comfortable
about presenting at the school or district levels.

7. Participate in Effective Peer Review

To be honest, I am a person who cares a lot about others
opinions, which will make me nervous and upset. However, I
always think its an obstacle that I have to overcome, so I will
encourage myself to participle in effective peer review.

8. Engage Parents in their Childrens Academic Endeavors

I am quite comfortable with this role. As a homeroom teacher, I
value the participation of parents and I know parents are eager to
join in.

9. Advocate for Policies and Initiatives

The education and school systems in China work in a different

way, so its kind of challenging to advocate for policies. But in

private schools like where I work, teachers are encouraged to
take initiative to start innovative changes. So probably I will be
comfortable to advocate for some changes that we teachers
think are necessary and practical to happen.

10. Lead Alongside Administration

I am comfortable with this. The administrators in our school kind
of value the opinions of teachers, and will ask for teachers
opinions regarding some big events and decisions.

MARCH 3rd
Reflections on CHAPTERS 3 and 6 of Awakening the
Sleeping Giant and Chapters 4 and 5 of 13 Steps to
Teacher Empowerment.
11. Chapter 3: What were your scores on each of the 7 areas of the
Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (Figure 3.1)? Reflect in 2-3
paragraphs about what those scores indicate to you? Where do
you celebrate your strengths? Where do you want to grow? How
will you find the professional development to help you grow in
those areas?

My score is 20, which indicates the majority of my attitudes,

values, and beliefs parallel those related to teacher leadership. I
choose agree for 20 statements, strongly agree for 1, no

opinion for 3 and disagree for 2. This indicates that I realize

that the significance of the characteristics concerning teacher
leadership, but I havent internalized them to prepare myself to
be a teacher leader, or I agree with them just from the
perspective of a professional teacher instead of a leader.

One of my strength is that I value the collaborative work with

others, and I am very willing to help new teachers who have
difficulties in teaching. I do this because I empathize with the
struggle and frustration of new teachers, and understand how
significant a colleagues help is to them. Another strength is I can
work well with parents. I can think from both students and
parents

perspectives,

and

always

try

to

build

effective

communications between students and parents, and between

parents and teachers. I am a good listener and can build a
trusting relationship with parents. Besides, I hope to be respected
and recognized by the school, and I believe all teachers should
be respected for their hard work and innovative spirit in teaching.

What I want to improve is intentionally cultivating myself to be a

teacher leader. As stated above, I do many things just from a
professional teacher without intending to influence others and
the school from the perspective a teacher leader. I should step
outside of the walls of classroom, and seek more purposeful
cooperation with my colleagues for the benefits of all the

students in our school.

Chapter 6: Complete the Influencing Action Plan Steps (Figure

6.4) for an action you would like to take. This should not take
more than 2 hours, so thorough research is not necessary.
Hopefully it is an issue around which you have done some
research. (Do not use your advocacy issue.) If you cannot find
data or research, explain how you would go about finding this
information - what questions you would ask and what resources
you would use.
Issue: There is a lack of cultivation of students cultural
awareness and cross-cultural communication skill in our current
teaching.
Step 1: Current Information About the Issue:
While most of our students at our school will go broad study,
there is a lack of cultivation of students cultural awareness in
our current teaching. Many students who study abroad will face
many challenges and a lot of frustration caused by culture shock.
When our students go broad to study, most of them will go there
at a very young age, when they havent formed a mature
ideology and attitude toward different cultures that exist in this
world. Since our school aims to help students study abroad
smoothly, its definitely our obligation to help our students be
more prepared not only academically, but also psychologically
and culturally. Therefore, I believe we should incorporate cross-

culture education into our current curriculum.

Step 2: Likelihood of Addressing the Issues

My own learning experience as an English major makes me
believe that we can cultivate students awareness before they go
abroad to study. When I was learning in college, I took several
courses

about

different

cultures

and

cross-cultural

communication. When I came to the United States for the first

time, I was not shocked by the new environment and different
culture. I could accept the differences, and understand how I
should get along with people of different beliefs and values. I
know that many universities in China have courses on different
cultures and cross-cultural communication, from which we can
learn to bring cultural awareness into our current classrooms.
Step 3: Ideal Situation
The students have the awareness that people from different
cultures think and do in different ways. They know they should
respect the differences and learn from diverse cultures. They will
know customs and traditions of different nations; mainly focusing
on the countries most students will go to study. They know basic
communicative stills when contacting with people in different
cultures. They will also know more thoroughly about their own
culture.

Step 4: Existing Strategies

Existing strategies in universities is to set a separate course. I

dont think there are very sound strategies on solving this issue
in most Chinese middle or high schools. Contents related to
different cultures are mainly taught in English classes through
reading.

Step 5: Research and Best Strategy

There are relatively few researches on teaching cross-cultural
communication in Chinese middle schools or high schools, while
there are some researches on cultivating students cross-cultural
awareness through reading. I think we can use young adult
literature to purposely teach students about different cultures
and how we should coexist with people of different cultures.
There are profound researches indicating young adult literature
reflect young adults developmental tasks, among which social
responsibility and cultural identity are frequently conveyed
through many works.

Step 6: Selected Strategies and Action Steps

I will probably choose the strategy to cultivate students cultural
awareness by teaching young adult literature, because students
can resonate with the stories and understand the cultural
meanings in the context.
First, there should be agreement on the significance of this issue
among teachers. English teachers should discuss the titles that

can be used and the specific strategies that can be used to

address the issue.
Then, the English department leader will go to the principal to let
her know our concerns and suggestions. Its significant to get her
support.
Hopefully, with the principals support, a committee will be
organized to work out the implementation plan.
Besides, both students and parents should be reached to get
their understanding and support.

Chapter 4: If you could observe any teacher in your building,

who would you observe and why? What are at least 3 things you
would hope to gain from this observation? Use the chapter to
shape your answers.
I would observe a foreign teacher who teaches English Speaking
to the same class that I teach as an English teacher and
homeroom teacher. At our school, Chinese teachers who are
bilingual will teach students English reading and writing, and a
foreign teacher (American in most cases) will teach English
speaking. I want to observe his or her class because there is a
lack of effective collaborative work between foreign teachers and
Chinese teachers, which results in many problems. As a
homeroom teacher, its also important for me to know more
about this teacher and his class, so I can support him or her
better. As a tradition, foreign teachers seem to belong to another

system managed by separate department, so we tend to work

separately without enough communication and cooperation.

The first thing I hope to gain from this observation is to

understand what and how this teacher teaches English Speaking.
I want to know more about what content the teacher focuses on
and what strategies are used. By doing this, I can connect his or
her teaching to my own teaching. We can make what students
learn about English more consistent and connected. I can know
more about what area we can both stress in our class and what
we can work collaboratively.

The second thing I hope to gain is to learn from this teacher

about his strategies from a different cultural perspective. I always
believe we should learn from diverse culture and pedagogical
philosophies. Foreign teachers often bring in more open-minded
ideas and diversified activities, which should be learned by
Chinese teachers.

The third thing I hope to gain is to build a trusting relationship

between us. I understand foreign teachers have some struggle
working with students and colleagues in a different culture. I
hope I can give more help by listening to his concerns, and
building understanding between him and the students.

Chapter 5: This chapter is sensitive. With whom would you like

to schedule a "one-on-one" meeting and why? Write a guide for
yourself for making this a bridge-building, healthy, constructive
meeting. What questions do you want to raise? How can you
raise them in a positive way? What do you want to avoid doing or
saying? This is a "note-to-self" guide and needs to be honest and
reflective. It's only for your eyes and mine.

To be honest, currently I cant think up a teacher to have a oneto-one meeting, partly because I always avoid conflicts and also
because I am now not teaching. However, in retrospect, there
was once a teacher that I should have scheduled a meeting. She
left because she was complained a lot by parents and students. I
always feel sorry that I wasnt giving her enough support. So I try
to imagine if I were given another chance what I would do.

My questions would be:

1. Are you enjoying your current teaching? What are some things
that you enjoy?
2. Do you think that there are some things you can do better?
3. What do you think of the parents and students complaints?
How do you want to defend yourself? And what are some
things that you agree that you can do better?
4. Do you need any help? What help and support you want from
students, colleagues, the school, and even the parents?

I will listen to her firstly. I will try to understand her struggle and
her reasons behind those complaints. I will let her feel that I dont
want to judge her; instead I just want to help. I will share with her
my own experience and my frustration when I was a new teacher.
I will avoid saying that she is incompetent in teaching or solving
the problems. I will avoid talking with her like an authentic
experienced teacher who comes to tell her to do, but a friendly
colleague who is eager to help her work more happily in this
school.

March 17th
Chapters 4 and 5 of Smarter Teacher Leadership. Write a reflection
in your leadership log on your response to each of the 6 cognitive
assets for metacognitive teaching and leadership, and at least three
"optimistic" goals you want to set as a result of reading Chapter 5.
Chapter 4 Reflection on 6 cognitive assets
1) Cognitive asset 1: Clear Intent
I strongly agree that we need to have clear good intentions while
working. Before making the specific plan, we teachers should be
aware of our goals and objectives that we want to see students
achieve. As the author states, the fundamental goal of our teaching
is to make students really learn, instead of just accomplishing the
steps we design and the assignments we give. All of our thinking and

doing as teachers should center on this real purpose. I also learn

from this part that we should share the intentions and objectives with
our students. Sometimes students are confused about the learning
process and products they are expected to engage in because they
just passively accept what teachers give them. By sharing the goals
with the students, we make the students be the master of their
learning and help them learn in a more positive and active way.

2) Asset 2: Systematic Planning

As teachers, we may be confident that we often make systematic
plans for our teaching. However, what the author wants to appeal is
that we should think metacognitively while planning: we need to take
students prior knowledge as well as their different ways of thinking
and learning into consideration; we should anticipate not only the
needs of our students but also the challenges students might
encounter in the learning process. Collaboration is an efficient way to
make systematic plans. While discussing with colleagues, we may
learn some strategies that some colleagues have used successfully
and we may reconsider some aspects of our plan with others
suggestions.

3) Asset 3: Monitoring
Making a perfect plan does not guarantee a perfect class, because

there are always situations that you havent expected and because
the students you teach are independent individuals who vary in
thinking and learning. Therefore, its vital for us to observe and
reflect while teaching. When its necessary we may change our plan
or adapt our strategies.

4) Asset 4: Evaluation
Some challenges may occur in the process, while some problems
may be only found later. We need to reflect on the whole process of
our teaching, including the planning and monitoring parts. We will
examine the goal we want to achieve; we will reflect on the
strategies we use; we will compare students gain and gap. With a
metacognitive

mindset,

we

summarize

the

advantages

and

disadvantages, and we will accumulate experience to make our next

action better to serve the students success.

5) Asset 5: Learning from Experience

Based on the evaluation, what we should do is not to be upset about
what we havent achieved but be aware of what we can improve. Its
beneficial to learn from our own experience and others experience.
Collaborative work is significant to help workmates share their
experience, reflect on the teaching collaboratively, and learn what
are some strategies they want to maintain and what can be changed,

or even discarded.

6) Asset 6: Maintaining Practical Optimism

I resonate with the author that we should have an optimistic outlook
while working, which will bring positive results and influence. I used
to be kind of anxious and worry a lot when I though my students
didnt improve. Sometimes I even thought that my students would
realize the importance of working hard when they saw my worries.
However, I realized that it didnt help, and actually it exerted bad
influence on the classroom atmosphere. One of my students told me
that many students thought I worried too much and they didnt know
how to make me happier. I felt so sorry about that. I realize that by
taking an optimistic outlook, I will give my students confidence and
morale to work harder. Learning is difficult, but we should make
ourselves feel easier.

Chapter 5: 3 Optimistic Goals

1. I will always show my students that I am confident in them and we
will make efforts together to learn better.
2. I will observe more of my colleagues teaching, and give positive
feedbacks as well constructive suggestions.
3. I will train myself to have a more optimistic mindset.

March 24th
1. Reflection on Chapter 7 in Awakening the Sleeping Giants
My first challenge comes from professional learning. First, I am a
person who cares others comments a lot. I can see myself in an
objective way, and know what I can improve. But I still feel kind of
depressed when I get some negative judgment or feedbacks from
my students and colleagues. So whenever there is an observation, I
feel stressed out. Because of this, I am also reluctant to give
negative comments on others because I know the feeling. Therefore,
getting used to being observed and observing others classes will be
really challenging to me, though I understand its a psychological
obstacle I have to overcome.

Another challenge comes from personal balance. When I was

working, I easily devoted all myself to the work and could not keep a
balanced life. Actually, I am a person who really sees the
importance of the quality of life. I love the nature, traveling, reading,
music, etc. But when I worked, I would ignore them most of the
time. The result is that I was not happy, and my unhappiness would
influence my teaching and students in a negative way. Thats one of
the main reasons that I dont feel confident to take a leadership role.
Its a big challenge for me to keep the balance of my life and
contribute to the leadership work in a positive way.

The teaching culture is not a very big challenge for me, because the

school where I work has a comfortable atmosphere of valuing

teachers leadership and innovations. We often get opportunities
and get sponsored by the school to attend various professional
developments.

2. Reflection on the TED talk How great leaders inspire

action by Simon Sinek
The speaker inspires us to see a different mode of mindset of those
great leaders who have succeed in their area and who have
influenced the world: starting your thinking of an action from why
you want it to happen. The why question refers to what you
believe. This first lets me think about the success of a teacher. Some
teachers focus on what they teach and how they teach. They may
know their teaching materials, and they may be equipped with
many strategies, but yet they still fail because they ignore why they
teach. As teachers, we should start our action from thinking about
the core value, core belief, and core purpose of our teaching, that is
to help our students learn and grow up to be successful human
beings. Therefore we should ask ourselves those questions like
Why do our students need to learn this? and Who are our
students?

It also makes me think about teacher leadership. Many times we

hesitate or fail to be teacher leaders because we think from in the
opposite way: far from the core belief. We may think we dont have

enough power or resources; we may think we dont know skills.

However, if we think from the core beliefwhy should become
teacher leaderswe will probably find the problems related to
what and how can be solved more easily than we have
expected. The core belief should be we become teacher leaders to
help more students learn better. With this belief, we should try to
seek

support

and

resources,

and

engage

in

professional

development to make ourselves be the teacher leaders who want to

contribute more the improvement of the community, and help our
students improve in this community.

3. Reflection on the video Interview with Successful Young

CEO in China
A key word mentioned several times by Wang in the interview is
respect. He says when respecting different people and at the
same time seeing his own merits, he will learn a lot. He also believes
there should be diverse culture in a company, because different
people will contribute different ideas and efforts to make the
company develop. I totally agree with him on this. I think to be a
good leader, we should learn from others, and at the same time
respect the individuality of each member in your team.

I find as a leader, Wang says something very similar to the point put
forward in the TED talk about How great leaders inspire. That is,
the most important aspect that determines whether you will

succeed is your belief in why you want to make it happen. Your

belief in the value of your efforts will be more encouraging and
productive than the salary.

I resonate with Wang on the standpoint that listening to others is a

quality key to a successful leader. You may have different opinions,
but once you are aiming at the same goal, you should be openminded to change your perspective to see the thing, and promote
equal communication in the team.

4. Ideas about publishing research articles

Title 1: The Impact of Technologies on the Teaching of English as a
Foreign Language in Chinese Middle School
Title 2: What changes should we bring to our current English classes
in Chinese middle schools?
Title 3: How can we use English young adult literature to improve
English teaching in Chinese middle schools?
Journal:
Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology
Language Learning & Technology
Learning, Media & Technology
Modern English Teacher

March 31
1. Reflection on the video
First of all, I agree with the viewpoint conveyed through the video

that only professional expertise and experience will not guarantee

your success, still you need to have character traits, interpersonal
skills, and communication skills. This applies to all careers, including
being a teacher or a teacher leader. There are some teachers who
graduate from very famous universities and have been teaching for
years, yet they still frustrated in teaching or working with others,
because they lack the skills to get along well with students, parents,
colleagues, and other people in the community, which actually is a
skill can be learned through being a teacher leader.

A suggestion that I believe is very useful is to let your customers tell

your what they need before you give suggestions. In the context of
schools, its vital to listen to your students needs and the parents
needs first before you give them suggestions, otherwise you will fail
to build the trusting relationships with them, and you will never give
the suggestions that can really meet their needs. Listening skill is
also significant when you work with your colleagues. When you have
different standpoints, you should first listen to them, and then seek
mutual understanding, compromise, and collaboration.

Another suggestion that is useful is to show others the big picture.

Sometimes, you may encounter disagreements on things that are
relatively small and focus on near results. Instead of trying to
convince others with tiny details, you can show others the big
picture: the far-reaching benefits, and the fundamental value that

students, parents, and colleagues all cherish. In the context of

teaching, the big picture is always related to the success of students
as future citizens, and their healthy development as human beings.

2. Reflections on Typical Responses to Conflict

One extreme I tend toward to is conflict avoidance. I feel anxious
when there is conflict, or when I expect there will be conflict. I try
my best to avoid the conflict in my family and in my working
environment. But I also think I am improving, because I understand
that conflicts cannot always be avoided, and conflicts are not the
end of the world. I want to be stronger when facing conflicts, and
resolve them in a more objective way.

I tend to be rigid with the rules and agendas because I try to avoid
conflicts. I hope that by setting the rules clearly, we can control
ourselves in order to have as few conflicts as we can. Just as the
author indicates, I will be easily upset even with small deviations.
When I was working in my first years of teaching, I often set strict
rules in my classrooms, and expected the students would not cross
the line. Once they did, I would feel very sad and frustrated. I want
myself to be more flexible and adaptable. I should keep in mind that
you cannot solve the problems at a time just by buying the
insurance. There will be conflicts and problems at any time, I need
to accept the truth and relax. When there is conflict, try different
ways to solve it; when it cant be resolved, accept it.

Due to my anxiety with conflicts, I also tend to escalate them.

Sometimes, I just worry too much by relating the possible results to
every aspect of my life. When there is conflict, I may think its all my
faults and will get upset for a long time. I am trying to improve at
this aspect. I want myself sometimes to stand out of the conflicts
and see them with the perspective of an outsider, because by doing
so I will realize that its not so serious problem, and I will focus on
the issue itself without involving too many subjective emotions.

3. Reflection on the article

I agree that cultural differences will bring differences in conflict
resolutions styles. Chinese culture is a more communal, in which
utility and collective interests are more stressed than individuality.
Chinese people tend more to avoid public disagreements, and will
state the disputes in a more indirect way. Its especially true for
people who were born in 20th century. According to my observation,
American culture values individuality more. Based on the common
sense

of

individual

values,

American

people

seem

to

feel

comfortable with facing different opinions and conflicts. They can

focus on the issues better, and can resolve the conflicts in a more
objective way.

As for the gender differences, I think its true in more traditional

periods or cultures. In the past, females were cultivated in many

cultures to be obedient listeners and followers, so its true that they

would resolve the conflicts in a more indirect smoothing way while
the dominant males would resolve them in a direct and public way.
However, as the time changes, the differences are becoming less
obvious. When females become more independent, they can be as
tough as men when confronting various problems and conflicts.

April 7
Read Chapter 6 of Smarter Teacher Leadership. Of the international
programs and initiatives described, which appeals to you? Respond in
general to the chapter AND answer the prior question in a posting on
the Forum below. Read and respond to one other posting.
This chapter seems to intend to answer a question of many teachers
who have not yet engaged in teacher leadership: will teacher
leadership in school really improve students performances? Various
researches cited have proven the schools in which students have
achieved

prominent

success

have

shared

one

characteristic:

collaboration of all people involved. This collaboration should be

purposeful, continuous, and systematic, and in this environment
teachers are respected as professional participants and leaders.

I am rather impressed by the research of lesson study in Japan.

Japan and China share very similar educational systems, in which
students face large pressure from high-stake examinations. Contrast
with Japans practice of purposeful collaboration, most Chinese

schools still value competition more than collaboration. Chinese

teachers still confine themselves (or confined by the system) within
their isolated struggle in their own classrooms. If schools in Japan
can make time for teachers to observe and study, and prove it really
works, why cant we?
The research concerning Finnish Dream appeals to me, because I
believe its a dream that most of the educators over the world have.
Finnish schools have achieved to a large extent what we desire:
trust among all the community members, autonomy of teachers,
and respect to diversity. Whats the secret then? According to many
researches, the answer is probably a system for purposeful
collaboration, and shared value of authentic education.

April 14
For Chapter 4 Identify a teacher at your school site who is reluctant to
join in change efforts to improve teaching and learning. Use the Factors
Relating to the Uniqueness of Teacher Leaders (Fig. 4.2) to reflect on
this teacher)
This teacher is a physics teacher. He was educated in a traditional way, so his
teaching skills are mainly related to lectures: he teaches the content to
students, then gives them exercises, and then evaluate their learning in a
traditional way. He is reluctant to try new strategies and activities because he
doesnt think they will help. His educational background also influences his
philosophy of education. He believes if students work hard enough, they can
succeed anyway no matter in what way they are taught. He is around 50, and
most of the teachers in our schools are around 30, so there is definitely a

generation gap. Sometimes he will think the young teachers just play with
students and help them achieve little academically. He is responsible for his
work, and will follow the schedule and school regulations strictly. He has some
interactions with other teachers in his office. He likes to play badminton, and
has several pals of his age to play with. I think he is kind of self-protective as
for adult development concerns. He prefers to stay in his own comfortable
zone and thinks he is too old to have changes.

I will suggest we can try involving him in the changes by starting to build a
trusting relationship with him. Young teachers can interact with him more
often, and even play badminton with him. When the interaction is increased,
he and other teachers will know each other better. Since he is a responsible
teacher, he will probably change gradually if other teachers show him what a
difference to students improvement can be made by some changes.

For Chapter 8, write two paragraphs addressing which of the major career
issues (career opportunities, compensation, working conditions) concerns you
enough to advocate and what your solution would be for that issue.
The working conditions concern me most. I love teaching and love
my students very much, and I never expect to make a lot of money
by teaching, and I think I can accept the payment I get so far. I think
the school provides many career opportunities, and I believe as long
as I am learning and improving, there will be opportunities. I believe
working conditions are very important, because I see teaching as
my life-long career. If the working conditions are poor, teachers will

be influenced negatively, and this negative influence will be

transmitted to students unconsciously. I expect there to be enough
resources for teachers to use in the classrooms; I expect teachers
collaboration is valued and made time for; I expect teachers have
enough to reflect; and I believe teachers personal time and life
should be respected.

I am most upset by the fact that the working hours in most Chinese
schools are too long. For many Chinese schools, teachers work from
8 am to 10 pm. Most teachers are willing to be devoted to the
students, but this will bring down the quality of the teachers life.
Teachers need time and space to have a breath and experience the
life, otherwise they will have limited inspiration to students and
bring negative emotions into their work atmosphere. And I dont
think students can study efficiently for such a long time. I will
advocate that the schools shorten the recreation time after the 7the
period, which lasts for almost 3 hours. Then evening classes can be
done earlier and students will be released earlier. I even want to
suggest that evening classes should be shortened or cancelled,
because I think both teachers and students need sometime to work
or relax on their own.