The chat mainly consisted of
advice from the contributors to people who would be starting a new post. They
could be split into thee main categories. A lot of advice was about building
relationships, another strong theme was leadership and finally there were ideas
about how to develop into the subject leader role.
The comments below will be a
useful read for anyone preparing for a leadership role.
There was a theme about relationships:
Early in #asechat @gregtheseal
said that a new subject leader would need to build relationships with the team
and @bio_joe said make sure any internal candiate you beat to the job doesn’t
become an enemy. @hrogerson tweeted in reply that a new post holder should talk
to everyone in the department and be friendly. @MrsDrSarah said that it was
important that new post holders be honest, but not brutal as the development of
the team is important.
@KDWscience tweeted that never
being too busy for your staff is an important characteristic in a new leader
and @littlejenster comments that having a sense of humour and being able to
listen were important too.
@DavidCumbers said that subject
leaders should pick fights carefully. Which will need to be fought today, which
can wait until the subject leader knows where their backup will come from. Along
similar lines: @stanothermic tweeted that new subject leaders should know that
they will have to say things that others won’t like.
@Mrcjhewitt tweeted another
reason why relationships are important, he said that too many post holders leave
team building until later, but although one person can make a difference, they
can’t do everything.
Another strand about leadership:
@hrogerson said that new post
holders should lead by example and be prepared to do what you ask others to do.
@oboelizzy made the comments that a new post holder should focus on teaching
and learning in the classroom.
@littlejaneyface said that new
subject leaders should know how to prioritise, they may feel the need to change
everything to make their mark, but this won’t be practical for the whole
department.
@gregtheseal said that subject
leaders should make sure that they are doing the things they are asking others
to do. He also said that subject leaders should think about the purpose of
their actions, for example, why collect data if you are not going to use it.
@IETFaraday tweeted that subject
leaders should start every meeting with “this meeting will help learning by…”
If you can’t say why, postpone the meeting until you can! @Bio_joe backed up
this idea by saying that “sharing best practice” should be a standing item on
the agenda.
@julesgordon1 said that TLR
holders should talk to each other before the meeting so they have the same
vision and Heads of Faculty can share the delivery with the other post holders.
@damianainscough tweeted that new
subject leaders should know their success criteria in terms of student
outcomes. (Improve “T+L” and similar is not specific enough).
@IETFaraday said that new post
holders should be prepared to challenge both upwards and downwards: Stand up
for your staff, but also stand up for whole school priorities
@Mrcjhewitt said that subject
leaders can build time and expertise if they remember you lead a team...not do
everything themselves; they should value and trust others.
@Bio_Joe gave some other advice
about building relationships: Find out what everyone's motivations are in the
team. Why are they a teacher? What do they want to do? What interests do they
have?
And some ideas about how new subject leaders can be developed:
@ashl3ylaw explained that new
subject leaders can be supported by having a mentor, who is someone in a
similar role with more experience. The two will meet regularly for discussions.
@A_Weatherall somed up the support in a word: “mentoring”.
@DavidCumbers suggested that new
subject leaders should meet the rest of the school in the staffroom, and
@hrogerson responded that she agreed as some of the best support can be found
outside of the department. And @miss_m_w said that new subject leaders should make
opportunities to meet with other subject leaders to share successes and ways to
deal with issues.
@specialsciteach said that she
was allowed to find her way with a guiding hand in the background: a new post
holder needs to be able to make their own decisions, with support.
@hrogerson said that as a line
manager of new post holders she would give them something achievable to work
towards, that a newly appointed subject leader may not know what their job
entails and direction from the line manager is important.
Other advice:
@obeolizzy said that new subject
leaders should look at work of R. Driver, R.
Millar, J. Osborne, P. Scott, R.
Watson, D.West, J.Wellington, R.Duschl, P. Adey, et al. In other tweet she said
that subject leaders should attend ASE conferences.
@heatherakane tweeted that there
has been a lot done by National Strategy on effective departments and new post
holders should read them
@gregtheseal said that the NSLC
aspiring heads of science course was the best CPD he had done.
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