One of the key mindscapes, which is an integral part of constructive leadership, is the importance of "teaching and learning for equity and high achievement" (Szabo et al., 2002, p. 5). Governed by this mindscape, teacher leaders are engaged in an ongoing process to critically reflect on their teaching practices in order to enhance the achievements for their students. Rather than attribute their students' difficulties with their schoolwork to their individual characteristics, teacher leaders will examine their pedagogical strategies, assessments and types of curricular materials to determine how they can improve their students' performance.
In order to be able to adopt this metacognitive approach towards their teaching, teacher leaders need to be able to utilize various research methods such as functional behavioral analyses to gather data within the context of the action research model. By utilizing the action research model, teacher leaders can try out different teaching strategies by applying the data gathered, evaluate their effectiveness through critical reflection and determine the subsequent course of action (Dick, 2002). They may decide to pursue the same strategy, modify it, or develop an alternative approach. Engaging in these continuous cycles of action and critical reflection will thus help these teacher leaders to hone their teaching skills and identify the teaching practices that will be most appropriate for their students, depending on the latter's individual needs.
Dick, B. (2002). Action research: Action and research. Retrieved October 11, 2004, from http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gem/ar/arp/aandr.html
Szabo, M. A., Gonzales, S., Hoagland, G., Hopkins, P., Kass, M., Lopez, J., Rodriguez, G., & Storms, B. (2002). Teaching bold, socially responsible leadership. A paper presented at the 2002 AERA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA. Retrieved August 21, 2004, from http://edschool.csuhayward.edu/departments/edld...