Engaging in the Drama in Teacher Leadership

• In Event: Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Arts-Based Research and Interdisciplinarity

Abstract

Although much has been written about school improvement initiatives over the past thirty years, it has been suggested that insufficient attention has been given to the important relationships among the adults within the school and how the social dynamics of those relationships support or hinder the efforts and energy required to commit to improving student outcomes school-wide. As teacher leadership becomes a normalized expectation for emerging, practicing and seasoned teachers, effective course methods or professional development approaches will be needed. The authors present an arts-based strategy for orienting teachers to the challenging social dynamics faced by teacher leaders working for justice. The results of their research on combining ethnotheatre with teacher leadership simulations illustrate the efficacy of this transdisciplinary approach.

Authors

• Jerome A. Cranston, University of Manitoba

• Kristin Kusanovich, Santa Clara University