Introduction
Empowering Leader: Leaders create a culture where teachers and learners are empowered to use technology in innovative ways to enrich teaching and learning.
Empowered teachers know how to widen their vision, articulate their teaching methods and set a good model for students and colleagues.
A great teacher should be able to have a better vision while evaluating themselves or solving problems. They need to think outside the box to take a better view from a distant position. It does not mean having a micro sight is not contributing to a developed visioner; however, widen someone’s vision is more likely to address the issues that the educators will probably encounter during their teaching and learning process. Besides, having a better vision is critical in designing strategic lesson plans because observing from a wide range means educators have more objective elements to compare and develop.
On the other hand, being an empowered educator must address the critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills in teaching and learning. In other words, educators should be able to stimulate good learning habits and efficient teaching skills through the activities that are provided seamlessly. We can achieve this by addressing ISTE Standard 3a: “Empower educators to exercise professional agency, build teacher leadership skills and pursue personalized professional learning. (ISTE 3a)” Therefore, articulate their teaching methods equals developing professional teaching and learning skills under most situations. I firmly believe that educators should learn and update their information constantly. In the 21st century, digital teaching is so popular and sometimes domain the learning environment. Educators must be able to filter the information for the students and themselves from the massive online database. Better delivered courses often go along with a safe learning environment, and teachers are the pioneers to secure and enhance the safety level for their students. Eventually, people will understand all the opinions above relate to a high level of teaching skills.
Teaching and learning are all about modelling and sharing; in Napoleon Hill’s 1937 book, “Think and Grow Rich,” he proposed the concept of the “Master Mind.” He wrote, “When a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance, becomes available to every individual brain in the group” (SEEN, para 13). People may ask, how can we align sharing with those requirements for an empowered educator? As education leaders, we need to produce quality PD sessions and opportunities for teachers to help them communicate with each other. Educators should be able to evaluate and reflect on their learning outcomes after each development and learning activity. During the process, they can gather information and problems for analyzing and solving. Once educators have done all sorts of training, they will be prepared to set a good model for their students and colleagues.
At last, we shall compare empowered educators with innovative educators. These two concepts support one another, and both contribute to fulfilling the mission of being a great teacher. Being an empowered teacher means having the power to bring their course delivery to an articulating level, innovative space and the next level. As ISTE states in standard 2 for education leaders: “Leaders engage others in establishing a vision, strategic plan and ongoing evaluation cycle for transforming learning with technology” (ISTE 2).
Reference
Figure 1, Retrieved from https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/how-leaders-create-culture-every-day/
ISTE. (2021). ISTE STANDARDS FOR EDUCATION LEADERS. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-education-leaders (Links to an external site.)
Godbold, W. (March, 2013). Empowered Teachers Will Change the World. Retrieved from https://www.seenmagazine.us/Articles/Article-Detail/articleid/2899/empowered-teachers-will-change-the-world