FESE HandBook v03c 15112023 MEV- COMPLETO - Flipbook - Página 42
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ALGUNAS PERSPECTIVAS EN LIDERAZGO ESCOLAR / PRIMERA PARTE
2013a, p: 4). It can be found in and among teachers and other staff; teams,
schools, districts, municipalities and other middle tier organisations;
among community, third sector and business partners, universities and
research organisations; and regional, national and international agencies and governments. Strategically and practically, learning leadership
innuences the design, bringing to life and sustainability of innovative,
powerful learning environments (Istance and Stoll, 2013, p: 14). It binds
together separate parts of a learning community, organisation, network
or system ensuring that, in combination, they add up to much more than
the sum of those parts. So, the word 8learning9 doesn9t merely refer to an
outcome; it is a way of being.
In this paper, I want to shine a light on the language – spoken or written – that learning leaders choose to express what is important. I am not
a linguist, critical theorist or discourse analyst. My core interest is in how
leaders at all levels of systems can create capacity for learning, and how
the language they use plays an innuential role. First, I renect brieny on
why the words leaders use really matters, and contend that to embrace
learning leadership necessitates changing several terms in common use.
Next, I offer examples of words and expressions that I think better exemplify the intent of learning leadership than alternatives in the current lexicon, and give the rationale for my selections. Throughout, I offer questions for personal and collective renection. I hope that this piece
of writing will be of interest to all leaders – in schools, leading groups of
schools, policy leaders nationally and across states, provinces or regions
and research leaders – whether in ofocial leadership roles or not. If you
want your efforts to innuence or support educators in bringing about
the changes necessary to realise the future described above, you are potentially a learning leader.
LANGUAGE MATTERS
Words are powerful. Created by one person, they 8are owned by a community rather than an individual. If a word isn9t known to everyone
around you, you might as well not use it because no one will know what
you9re talking about9 (Pinker, 2007, p: 15). Successful communities frequently share vocabularies. Having words for important concepts enables community members to talk about them, think together and agree
on their meaning, interrogate them for deeper understanding and gain
collective clarity around related action and impact.
