‘The International Teacher Leadership project,’ a case of international action research.

Copyright CARNThe paper arises from the International Teacher Leadership project, a research and development project involving researchers and practitioners in 14 European countries. The paper provides a conceptual exploration of the idea of teacher leadership and its role in educational reform, central to which is the idea that teachers, regardless of their level of power and organisational position, can engage in the leadership of enquiry-based development activity aimed at influencing their colleagues and embedding improved practices in their schools. The paper provides an outline of the project’s methodology which builds on that used in the Carpe Vitam Leadership for Learning project (Frost, 2008a). It is a form of collaborative action research which is highly developmental and discursive. It seeks to identify principles, strategies and tools that can be applied in a range of cultural settings. The paper includes a thematic analysis of the cultural contexts and policy environments of the participating countries in order to identify the obstacles to teacher leadership and to inform the nature of the support strategies employed

AGENT: Alumni growth and engagement across new technologies

The AGENT project aims to use social networking technologies (LinkedIn and Facebook) to support the development of undergraduates’ employability and career development. The focus of the project is on e-mentoring by alumni to provide a ‘bridge’ between individuals whose social ties and connections are weakened by time and distance, whilst at the same time capitalising on the learning opportunities afforded by the widening of social networks. Social networking sites (SNSs) have been shown to provide students with the tools to make connections, build relationships and support personal development. From a social capital perspective, SNSs can support ‘weak ties’ by allowing students to grow a social network from which to draw resources in the form of information, knowledge, advice and expertise that an institution’s alumni can provide. Alumni are a key resource for building professional networking communities that can provide offline as well as online support to students. We report on an on-going JISC project –AGENT (Alumni Growth and Engagement across New Technologies) that explores how Web 2.0 technologies engage alumni, create the sense of belonging, develop more effective and mutually-beneficial alumni-student connections and associated positive social capital outcomes.Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) 2011-201

Exploring the turning points in researchers’ lives: using the three-scene storyboarding technique

This publication sets out an approach to careers work called three scene storyboarding. Storyboarding aims to help researchers to set down their experiences, to think about their careers and to take action based on this reflection. Storyboarding is a creative technique which asks researchers to think about their lives in narrative terms and to set down their experience in the form of drawings. This is an innovative technique that asks them to think about their careers in an unfamiliar way. It can therefore be a challenging technique for professionals to get started with. However, this report shows that the storyboarding approach can be useful and that it can expand any researcher's career-management repertoire.Vita

Developing Whole Leaders for the Whole World

How do we holistically develop leaders with the capacity and character to tackle the most pressing moral challenges in our modern world? While it may be easier to focus on one thing such as strengths, experiences, or mentors, the reality is that developing a leader’s capacity to lead well includes many interrelated components. Based on our experience and research, the six components of the Holistic Leadership Development Model (HLDM) are presented, along with strategies for creating rich conversations that connect the components in a meaningful way for leaders. The six areas are (1) experiences and learning; (2) strategic networking; (3) developing others; (4) integrated fulfillment; (5) leading under pressure; and (6) calling and purpose. While we are not suggesting that these are the only areas to consider when developing leaders, focusing on these six creates conversations and development plans for leaders that they perceive as capturing the reality of the challenges they face in developing their leadership capacity. Guides for evaluating one’s own leadership development and for having rich development conversations are included