The Condition of Leadership and Responsibility means being able to express ideas and demonstrate a willingness to accept the consequences of our actions.
It cultivates accountability for the classroom environment and school community. Fostering leadership empowers students and teachers to make just and appropriate decisions and to take pride in their actions.
Schools that promote this Condition expect their students and teachers to have a voice and be good decision makers.
They provide legitimate decision-making opportunities, seek student and teacher input, and expect participants to be accountable for their actions and words.
Leading from the front
- Encourage class discussions
- Allow students to create the rules
- Collaborate with students
- Allow students to take ownership of part of the lesson
- Encourage students to share ideas and opinions
- Build leadership opportunities within the classroom
- Reward leadership and responsibility
- Teach respect, kindness and empathy
- Teach how to communicate effectively
- Provide opportunities for teamwork
- Encourage brainstorming and creative thinking
- Provide opportunities for self-assessment
- Encourage peer feedback
Confidence to take action
Confidence to Take Action is characterised by a positive and healthy outlook on life that comes from looking inward rather than outward for approval. It is the extent to which students and teachers believe in themselves and their ability to make a difference in their schools.
This Condition is at the heart of what schools ultimately strive for: instilling in students and teachers both confidence and an expectation that they will be successful.
Schools can help build Confidence to Take Action by having high expectations, providing support and encouraging independent thinking. By enhancing the quality of academic, professional and personal growth, schools empower participants to become active and involved members of the learning community.
Empowered to make a difference
- Encourage self-reflection
- Recognise and reward effort and resilience
- Set realistic goals
- Encourage students to work together
- Introduce peer mentoring
- Encourage regular group discussions
- Encourage students to apply for whole school positions of leadership
- Create links with the local community
- Integrate peer feedback
- Set high expectations and make these expectations explicitly clear
- Model effective leadership
- Establish independently driven routines
- Encourage open-ended questions
- Student-led activities built into any part of the lesson
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