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The Jan Roberston workshop - reflections from Tony Beswick
Be yourself more, with skill was a key message that resonated with the packed audience that attended Dr. Jan Robertson’s Building Leadership and Learning Capacity through Leadership. The seminar’s broad-based appeal looked at enhancing self-awareness and coaching others to develop deep learning relationships.
As leaders we know that our schools are becoming increasingly complex and are being challenged in these turbulent times. It is easy to feel that these issues are forever tugging at you, especially when accountability is increasing. Refreshingly, Jan guided the group through questions that urged us to think differently.
Why should anyone be led by you?
Who do you need to be?
These were questions that prompted wide ranging and entertaining discussions. Reinventing ourselves as leaders seems to be an occupational hazard, but at least I did not feel alone.
It was heartening to see many leadership teams coming from schools. These teams were able to sit together and understand each others’ perspectives. This encouraged a quality of sensitivity that helped build an understanding that people want a sense of community, to feel authentic and have a sense that what they do is significant.
In the workplace, this type of respectful relationship encourages the development of trust, a key component of our never-ending search for credibility.
Jan showed film clips of students who described the characteristics of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ teachers. Their heart rending messages were essentially about teachers professionally caring for students. In their eyes, good teachers used powerful learning processes to develop the students’ skills to take responsibility for their learning. Extending on that idea, staff members also need to feel responsible for their own learning and have the ability to think critically and develop solutions to challenges.
There were lots of interactions and networking on the day. It challenged and entertained us as we engaged with others in thinking about and using coaching techniques to promote professional learning.
