Leadership and educational practice

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

4 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

04/29/2009

Category :

Social studies

Sub category :

Educational studies

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Summary :

Introduction
The collective and process-based ideas of leadership
Working at a school in the Jane-Finch corridor
Ryan's contention that process oriented collective leadership brings out the strengths of the community
Conclusion
Works cited

Abstract

) In his article "What is leadership" author James Ryan (2005) makes four key points. He is concerned with problems of leadership form as they relate to education. Firstly he notes there is no definite answer to the question - what is leadership. (Ryan: 22) As he writes it is a "contested term." (Ryan: 22) There are, he identifies, secondly, traditional notions of leadership and more radical or progressive ideas of leadership. The third point: there can be instances where the lines are blurry, where two leadership styles intersect. Fourth, leadership equals power, and there are different ways that power can be put to use. leadership equals power is a fundamental aspect of Ryan's reflections on leadership. What kind of power, or how power is defined, helps us to know whether the idea is traditional or radical. Is leadership based upon the work of powerful individuals in leadership positions (hierarchical) who guide others towards goals? Or, is leadership more of a collective process (horizontal) where people work together to solve common issues? The author identifies three leadership approaches: individual, collective and process oriented; each represents a different concept of power. (Ryan: 22)