Leadership and Values in Language Education - Al Akhawayn ...

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68Proceedings of the 27 th MATE Annual Conferencein order to break the traditional lock-step of the classroom” (McDonough &Shaw, 1993:243).5.3 Keys to Success in Leading ChangeLick and Kaufman (2002 cited in Lick 2002) have postulated that in order tocreate change, the institution and its people should “accept and welcome changeas a vital component in achieving future success, define the future they want todesign and deliver, develop and implement a comprehensive transition plan tocreate the desired future, and continuously improve ever closer to the desiredfuture”. Moreover, the institution needs to look for possibilities of creatingchange within their own context because “successful change is a sustainablechange” (Diamond et. al., 2002:16). They must also, Lick (2002) suggested, a)intentionally spend significant portion of our time and effort on understandingtransformational change and the future and b) continually keep questioning theanswers, especially those of our culture and subcultures, in search of productivity,and effectiveness of our institution; and c) create a shared and inspiring visionthat provides direction, motivation, and commitment of others to our institution’sdesired long-range future. Besides, the key to success in leading change isidentifying the knowledge and skills you will need in this period oftransformation.” (Diamond, et al. 2002:16). “The closer the individuals are towhere the action takes place, the more detailed knowledge they require”(Diamond, et al. op cit.: 17). Equally important, leaders and their participantsneed to be sensitive to the principle of ‘The Universal Change Principle’ (Lick,2002:27). So what must be done to accomplish and sustain everlasting change?Given the fact that research units may considerably contribute and inform policymaking in the campus, leaders should (i) encourage research within the campuscommunity, (ii) encourage the use of technology, (iii) and reward the bestpractices and competitions among the participants. They should also encouragesummative and formative evaluation to improve programs and teachingprocedures. Similarly, they should integrate financial operations within academicgoals of the institution. In the same vein, the sort of change that should takeplace in an institution is described by Gregory Bateson (1972 cited in Diamond,et al., op cit.: 16) as a change which:• represents a new way of seeing things;• requires a shift of gears;• is irreversible; after it is implemented, things cannot go back to the waythey were;
69Proceedings of the 27 th MATE Annual Conference• is a transformation to something quite different from what existedpreviously;• requires new learning on the part of administrators, faculty and staff; andwhich• results in a new story being told about the institution by faculty, students,staff, and the community served.Leadership may bring about change and innovation at the school level (forexample, school management, and relationship between administrators, teachersand students. Sometimes, the teacher is required to follow authoritative andadministrative instructions from his/her principal which may be totally alien withthe classroom context. However, the teacher may prove the dean/manager’simposed and recommended instructions wrong. Therefore, teachers’ contributionto leadership can solve problems of school management.Nothing is everlasting or permanent in the world. Given the fact that society itselfis constantly changing, our education must also undergo continual developmentand redevelopment. Claiming that nothing is everlasting in language teachingmay imply that we do not believe in ‘paradigm shift’. Language teaching is not afixed discipline which has clearly defined set of principles and axioms that onehas to rigorously follow. Education is “a process that constantly moves from theknown to the unknown, a process of change that requires continual renewal andlearning” (Williams-Boyd, 2002:74).5.4. Learn if you want to leadWhen we lead, we learn and when we learn we add to our public knowledgewhich may endure, and the possible way to make leadership endure is to createaction leading system. When you stop to lead, you stop to learn as John F.Kennedy said "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." This isone of its positive sides. Teachers, perceiving themselves as leaders, can keepthem abreast with new theoretical assumptions as well as practical considerations.It can also keep them being critically-reflective upon the wider educationalcommunity. Teachers as leaders can examine the extent to which syllabus design,material objectives and aims are compatible with the teaching context. They mayalso renew both their teaching strategies and styles. They may contribute to boththeory and practice of education which should be accessible to other teachers.This growing interest in leadership among educators may empower them with anincreasing professional awareness and much responsibility for curriculumplanning, implementation and evaluation.
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