How to build legitimate teacherly authority - 2!

We all have to get things done, young people too

Following from last week’s post, this week I want to look at the capacity to get things done, again I have touched on this subject in a previous post here.

From the age of about 18 months intrepid toddlers begin the process of learning how to get what they want and to get things done.  Aside from an intuitive capacity for manipulation through various categories to get what they want – physical (grabbing what they want), intellectual (being tricky), emotional (tantrums) and social (calling on others to intervene) – an increasing ability to act in the world follows the stages of empowerment.

The five stages of empowerment comprise the recognition that you have choice (autonomy), the capacity to take the first step to act on that choice (initiative), the capacity to sustain effort to make it through whatever gets in the way (follow-through), the ability to actually complete the project to finish and say “this is done” (completion) and, the ability to rejoice in the completion of the task (celebration).

The graphic shows how developing this capacity underpins the character qualities of initiative and persistence as well as contributing to the development of leadership which form part of the Life Skills that young people need to face up to an uncertain future.  The importance of the capacity to get things done is self-evident in its application in the modern world.

Most schools organise professional development around some form of action inquiry which mirrors the five stages of empowerment, the primary aim being to improve some aspect of teacher practice.  Nevertheless, engaging in action inquiry on a regular basis strengthens the capacity to perform the five steps successfully.  Adding in a reflection on how to use this increased capacity to help students develop the same capability is an easy, and logical, next step.

When students recognise that all this is being offered, then you have another basis for building teacherly authority and fully engaging students, whose attention can then be directed to the curriculum you want to teach.

We are building the necessary capacity already, we just need to recognise it and apply it.

I will be offering a one-day program in Term 3 for those teachers interested in further learning about how to develop high levels of legitimate teacherly authority and join the small minority of teachers who have a lifelong impact on their students and whose students willingly do their best work.  Stay tuned.

John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation.  At the core of this work is the concept and practice of teacherly authority.  Earlier blogs can be found here.

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