Thick and Thin: Variations in Teacher Leader Identity

• In Event: Looking Back, Looking Forward: Exploring Conceptual Frameworks of Teacher Leadership

Abstract

Introduction and Conceptual Framework
In our recent work, we crafted a theory of teacher leadership related to identity (Carlone & Johnson, 2007) and rooted in communities of practice (CoPs; Lave & Wenger, 1991) with the goal of exploring how this theory might lend insight into teacher leadership. These two theoretical lenses allowed us to move away from isolated lists of thing TLs do to locating TLs and their work within CoPs.

A particularly interesting finding that emerged from this research was what we are calling the ‘thickening’ of teacher leader identity. That is, the extent to which the TL identity permeates the lives of the participants. In this symposium, we propose to share our findings and thoughts related to thick and thin TL identities.

Methods
Our participants were five principal-nominated informal TLs. We conducted 90-minute semi-structured interviews with the principals and TLs. The interviews elicited details about TL identity, the CoPs that afforded teacher leadership, and structural influences (i.e., affordances or barriers) that pressed on TLs’ roles. A priori coding was completed using our original model.

Findings and Conclusions
We present here much-abbreviated findings from two of our case studies; one represents thick TL identity (Frank), while the other (Drew) represents a thin TL identity. Frank’s work centered around issues of social justice and equity in both of his CoPs. In this way, Frank acted as a teacher leader for social justice nearly all of the time; he did not seem to have an identity that was separate from him leading the school in terms of supporting all students and families. Drew, on the other hand had a thin TL identity, as he worked in two CoPs that seemed to be very separate realms for him. Drew saw his work conducting science PD with other teachers as something very different from his work as a science teacher rather than seeing a tight connection between the two.

Contrasting thick and thin identity, we believe that a thick identity may be more effective for leading a school. Rather than teacher leadership being a ‘hat’ that one wears from time to time, thick TL identity is a natural part of who the teacher leader is. Thick TL identity allowed Frank to maintain a unified vision for moving the school forward and act as a consistent leader. Drew’s thin TL identity allowed him to compartmentalize his work, which has the potential to waste energy doing isolated work in fits and spurts, or advance competing agendas depending on the ‘hat’ he is wearing in the moment.

Scholarly Significance
The field of teacher leadership continues to search for appropriate theoretical frameworks and models to guide research and unify the field. We argue that an identity lens – and particularly attending to thick and thin identity – might allow the field to better pinpoint high leverage components of teacher leadership, which may hint at how to best prepare TLs. Collectively, the work presented in this symposium will provide teacher leadership scholars with more nuanced ways to think about and research teacher leadership.

Authors

• Julianne A. Wenner, Boise State University

• Todd Campbell, University of Connecticut