Broader professional context
The Changing Nature of Power - who is really in control? What say do we have?
This particular trend captivates my attention due to the relevance it plays in the wider world currently from a political stand point but also I can visualise how relevant this trend can be depicted in an educational setting. The US National Council (2017) summarised that a state or person who is deemed to be in control has the power to set agendas and summon cooperation from those that are inferior to their position. Frequently this could also be the case in schools, syndicates or even management teams.
Too often at school you see people trying to manage power imbalances to minimise conflict and shape the environment in which they are in. OECD (2015) shows that in the data the world percentage of autocracy has decreased and the numbers of democracy have increased over time until 2014. If we stem this from a school perspective then there can be two types of leadership - autocracy and democracy. An autocratic leader seems to be someone who takes control of everything and is open to no external input. An democratic leader is the opposite, in which they are noted as the top of the ladder but are open to the input, ideas and strengths of the team around them. For me, I have experienced both types of leadership styles. Both of these consist of positives and negatives.
Take for example, the recent political issues that have happened worldwide relating to the position of leadership. Why the sudden concern? Because these elected people are there to represent the people of the associated country and with leadership comes power. The frequently discussed leadership role I hear in my classroom is Donald Trump but do we look closer to home and consider the sudden change of leadership from John Key to Bill English. Many would celebrate these changes, whereas others protest and berate the competence of these leaders. This is no different to the structure we have in schools.
The Principal is usually the one who is responsible for spending of budgets, control of population size, the implementation of technology levels and are the prime lever in the school. Once again, this is no different to the trends stated in the US National Council (2017) study.
By changing the nature of power, as well as, challenging governance, it is predicted that the next five years could drive some major consequences. How do we act on these predicts and educate our students about these potential impacts in their lives? Many of the 'powerful' countries are those that have the assistance of small countries. The key to having the smaller countries on board is the fact that many of these countries have the resources needed to expand and build on their control. In an educational setting the success of a school is similar. Each staff member for example, offers strengths and resources to help the future of the school. So it's about now educating our students on how they impact on situations and specific contexts. Letting them know about how they help or harm situations and fuel power amongst friends, family or extended acquaintances that they know. It is about instilling values into the youth and giving them contextual experiences to understand these values.
This particular trend captivates my attention due to the relevance it plays in the wider world currently from a political stand point but also I can visualise how relevant this trend can be depicted in an educational setting. The US National Council (2017) summarised that a state or person who is deemed to be in control has the power to set agendas and summon cooperation from those that are inferior to their position. Frequently this could also be the case in schools, syndicates or even management teams.
Too often at school you see people trying to manage power imbalances to minimise conflict and shape the environment in which they are in. OECD (2015) shows that in the data the world percentage of autocracy has decreased and the numbers of democracy have increased over time until 2014. If we stem this from a school perspective then there can be two types of leadership - autocracy and democracy. An autocratic leader seems to be someone who takes control of everything and is open to no external input. An democratic leader is the opposite, in which they are noted as the top of the ladder but are open to the input, ideas and strengths of the team around them. For me, I have experienced both types of leadership styles. Both of these consist of positives and negatives.
Take for example, the recent political issues that have happened worldwide relating to the position of leadership. Why the sudden concern? Because these elected people are there to represent the people of the associated country and with leadership comes power. The frequently discussed leadership role I hear in my classroom is Donald Trump but do we look closer to home and consider the sudden change of leadership from John Key to Bill English. Many would celebrate these changes, whereas others protest and berate the competence of these leaders. This is no different to the structure we have in schools.
The Principal is usually the one who is responsible for spending of budgets, control of population size, the implementation of technology levels and are the prime lever in the school. Once again, this is no different to the trends stated in the US National Council (2017) study.
By changing the nature of power, as well as, challenging governance, it is predicted that the next five years could drive some major consequences. How do we act on these predicts and educate our students about these potential impacts in their lives? Many of the 'powerful' countries are those that have the assistance of small countries. The key to having the smaller countries on board is the fact that many of these countries have the resources needed to expand and build on their control. In an educational setting the success of a school is similar. Each staff member for example, offers strengths and resources to help the future of the school. So it's about now educating our students on how they impact on situations and specific contexts. Letting them know about how they help or harm situations and fuel power amongst friends, family or extended acquaintances that they know. It is about instilling values into the youth and giving them contextual experiences to understand these values.
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