TEACHFORNIGERIA

TEACHING AS
COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
 Table Of
Contents
01 Introduction
Teaching as Collective Leadership

Purpose & Outcomes

The barriers to educational equity are around
02 children rather than inside them. Explore how
to co-create purpose and an introduction to
the Teach for Nigeria Student Outcomes.

Lenses
Transformational teachers “see” their
03 students, themselves, their communities
and the nature of their work differently,
which enables different teaching and
learning.

Strategies
Growing students as leaders of a better future
04 calls for more relational, student-led,
discovery-oriented teaching and learning. Five
families of actions distinguish classrooms
where students are growing as leaders of a
better future

Additional Reading Resources

05 TED talks and videos that delve into the
purpose of Education and Teaching As
Collective Leadership Framework

TACL 1
Teaching As
Collective
Leadership

WHAT IT IS...
2
1
Teaching As Collective
Leadership is an actionable and
locally customizable framework
for teachers to grow students as
WATCH...
leaders of a better future for Sneak Preview Video
themselves, their communities,
and all of us. Today’s children will inherit a
challenging world. To make a
more just, equitable and
sustainable society, they will
need to navigate uncertainty,
WHY WE NEED IT... collaboratively solve complex

3
And yet, too many children experience problems, and create meaningful
education models that are designed to careers in a changing economy.
achieve narrowly defined academic
goals, sometimes at the cost of other
important student leadership outcomes;
dismissive of the critical importance of
community values and cultural
identities in helping students realize
their potential; and uninformed by a
revolution in the science of learning and
development. THE KEY PATTERNS

4
Teaching As Collective Leadership has FOUR key
patterns which form its structure:

5
Purpose
Outcomes
Lenses
Strategies

THINK ABOUT
How do you see the teachers, programs, and communities (in the video above)
reimagining the purpose of education?

TACL 2
 PURPOSE

OU
TC
OM
EFind your PURPOSE,
Discover your LEADERSHIP
TACL
 TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

PURPOSE

CONSIDER
Too often and for too long, the
aims of education have been
DISCOVER imposed by powerful people and
SNEAK PREVIEW VIDEO institutions rather than co- THE REDEFINITION
constructed with students,
THINK..PAIR..SHARE families, and communities. The Teaching as Leadership
What do you believe is the Framework defines education
Too often and for too long, equity as all students realising
purpose of education?
education systems have defined their potential as leaders of a
What do you hope to be true
education equity as “all better future for themselves, for
for students as a result of
students receiving the same their communities, and for us
their education?
resources” or as “all students all.
attaining the same assessment
scores.”

FREE WRITING
WRITTEN REFLECTION
What does growing students
as leaders of a better future 1. What patterns do you see
look like in your among these teachers and
community? Alumni in the way they talked
Who is contributing to that about purpose?
vision and how? DO 2. What purpose originally
What would growing informed the design of the
students as leaders of a Explore the variety of voices classrooms and schools that
better future look like in your across the network reflecting on you experienced as a
classroom? the purpose of education in their student? Who made those
context and how they are decisions?
reimagining purpose collectively 3. How do you see these
with others here teachers, programs and
communities reimagining the
purpose of education?

TACL_Purpose 4
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

PURPOSE

DISCOVER THE PARADIGMS OF EQUITY THE REDEFINITION

SNEAK PREVIEW VIDEO Many education systems around But what if the purpose of
the world claim to address” education, as called for by our
inequity.” And yet, “inequity” students’ changing and
THINK..PAIR..SHARE
has very different meanings in challenging futures, is that
Transformational teachers different education systems. As students become authors of and
collectively explore the purpose metaphorically illustrated in the agents of change in their own
of education with students, three panels here, many lives and communities? This
families, and community education systems define pushes us to recognize that
members. These teachers align “equity” as ensuring all children educational inequity is
their daily efforts to a locally have access to the same perpetuated by systemic
rooted and globally informed resources. Many others are built injustices around children, not by
vision of student leadership on the assumption that “equity” differences in their potential or
emerging from those means that all students, effort. If this is the purpose we
conversations.' regardless of their backgrounds are committed to addressing,
and paths, should read, write, what happens in and around
and do math at the same level. classrooms is fundamentally
different.

WRITTEN REFLECTION
4. In what paradigm were you
educated? What is the
implication of that in your own
internalized beliefs?
FREE WRITING DO
5. Which paradigm most reflects
Explore the three panels here . the system you currently work or
What difference did you
notice in the visuals? had worked in?
What purpose of education
do you represent? Your 6. How do you think this has
community? influenced your internalised
perspectives on the role of
students and teachers and
success?

TACL_Purpose 5
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

OUTCOMES

DISCOVER
SNEAK PREVIEW VIDEO PURPOSE IS TO BE CO-CREATED TFN STUDENT OUTCOMES
Social-emotional learning skills,
Transformational teachers and
programs around the world are within the framework of Teach for
THINK..PAIR..SHARE
co-creating purpose by: Nigeria, are defined as skills that
Read the sentence below:
enable individuals to accomplish
Broadening perspectives
particular tasks and cope
Mastery is achieved through,
Hosting dialogue and successfully with conflicts.
not at the cost of, other
discussion
important student outcomes.
The TFN social-emotional skills,
Partnering with families and
communities also known as the TFN Student
What are your thoughts?
Outcomes are: growth mindset,
Check out this evidence...
Critically examining history self-awareness, communication,
and collaboration skills.
Collectively envisioning
success
Read more about the Teach for
Nigeria Student Outcomes here

EXPLORE WRITTEN REFLECTION

Reflecting on Nigeria students’ 7. What common patterns do you
strengths, needs, and futures, see in the classrooms (of the
Teach For Nigeria monitors these videos you watched) related to the
student outcomes using student areas of growth that students,
self-reported questionnaires based families, and teachers are working
on validated survey items from DO toward?
international assessments and
Watch these videos: 8. When you think about “students
piloted this survey to ensure
reliability in their context. as leaders of a better future”,
Students process
information and develop what indicators do you want to
Explore more of this journey of see in students today?
their own viewpoints
alignment between purpose,
vision, curriculum, and measures Curtis found his respect 9. How do those indicators show
here. You can read more about and voice up in the videos you watched?
this study here.

TACL_Outcome 6
Teaching As
Collective Leadership

LENSES

"Purpose shifts our

perspectives.
Perspectives shift
our actions"
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

LENSES
What perspectives are found in
teachers who are helping students
grow as leaders of a better future?

INTRODUCTION
Transformational teachers “see” their students, themselves, their communities and the
nature of their work differently, which enables different teaching and learning.

When we commit to growing students as leaders, that

purpose shifts our perspectives. And perspectives shift our
actions.
These lens shifts are critical because they
help teachers navigate the complex and dynamic
challenges of teaching,
help us see misalignment between our aims and our
actions, and
surface assumptions about our students, ourselves,
community and work that we might not realise we carry.

Four ways of seeing and making meaning consistently surface in transformational

classrooms:
OUR WORK AS
STUDENTS AS LEADERS TEACHERS AS LEARNERS COMMUNITY AS POWER
SYSTEMIC

We see our work as

We see communities as challenging root causes
We see our students as We see ourselves as sources of power and of injustices that inhibit
whole and intelligent lifelong learners who wisdom and recognize that students’ potential—
people who are capable of respond to challenges lasting change requires systemic barriers around
shaping their own lives and with curiosity, humility, authentic partnership with us and limiting beliefs
the world around them and creativity students, families, and inside us
other educators
. . . instead of as passive . . . instead of as the sole . . . instead of as getting
“vessels” to be filled with source of knowledge and . . . instead of as a place students to work extra
knowledge. skill that students need. with difficult challenges hard to adapt to injustices

8
and unaddressed needs around them

TACL_Lenses
 Written Reflection / Call To Action
What patterns do you notice in how these educators see the world, and what
are the experiences that have most shaped the lens they bring to their work?
How do these lenses compare to your own, and what would be required to
shift your own or others' lenses?

STUDENTS AS LEADERS
What Does It Means to See “Students as Leaders”?
We are all probably familiar with the self-fulfilling power of high-
expectations. Study after study has shown that when teachers are
convinced that a (randomly selected) subset of their class is extra
capable, smart, or talented, those students end up performing
better, learning more and growing more--simply because the
teacher believed in them more. Our expectations of our students
subconsciously influence our actions enough to have a meaningful
impact on student learning.

The “Students As Leaders” lens is a call for educators to not only

understand the research of high expectations, but to actually
internalise the realisation that students are whole and intelligent
people who are capable of shaping their own lives and the world
around them. They walk into our classrooms with experiences,
wisdom, and assets, but too often we have internalised education
systems’ default assumptions that students are only empty,
passive “vessels” to be filled with knowledge and skills.

STUDENTS AS RECIPIENTS STUDENTS AS LEADERS

I see students as whole and
intelligent people who are
I see students as passive
capable of shaping their own
“vessels” to be filled with my and
lives and the world around
others’ knowledge and skills
them.

Of course, students--like all of us--have a lot to learn. But students can, and do, have an active role to play in
addressing challenges they see in the world around them, today.

There are very visible examples of student leadership we see and celebrate, from Greta Thurnberg to Malala
Yousafzai to Esther Oyekunle, but there are untold examples of students inspiring change in the lives and
communities around them.

Examples of students showing kindness to their classmates, to setting up initiatives to address community
challenges like littering, to challenging assumptions that have gone unnoticed by adults around them. This lens,
as with all the others, connects back to the purpose of education. Too often education is seen, and
experienced, as a conveyor belt: a series of hoops to jump through. This can create the impression that life
starts tomorrow. The lens of students as leaders calls us to challenge this assumption. If our goal is for all
students to be growing as leaders, then that process starts not tomorrow, but right now.

TACL_Lenses 9
Seeing “Students As Leaders” Raises Critical Questions of Power and Privilege
Often, adults’ internalized assumptions that students are “empty vessels” instead of whole people with
developing assets and insights of their own intersect with other powerful internalized assumptions about
students’ gender, race, religion, orientation, origin and other identities. Students in marginalized and
oppressed communities are usually navigating complex, devaluing and traumatising dynamics of power and
privilege.

What Comes Into Focus When We See “Students as Leaders”?

As described in the introduction to “lenses,” seeing students as leaders who are whole and intelligent people
who are capable of shaping their own lives and the world around them influences how we “show up” in the
classroom.
We come into the classroom asking different questions in our minds. For example, teachers who see
students as leaders are more likely to be asking themselves:
How do students define their identity and beliefs?
Can I name strengths in every one of my students? When do I look at my students’ strengths versus their
shortcomings?
To what extent do I believe students are capable of leading their own lives and shaping the world around
them? When teaching, how often do I lead from the front vs. stepping back to allow students to lead? What
gets in the way of me doing this?
To what extent do I treat students as partners? Do I know what matters to them? Do I engage them in co-
creating a vision, and seeking feedback from them regularly? If not, why not?

The power of these lenses is that they enable actions aligned to growing students as leaders of a better
future. As you can explore more in the section on Strategies and Actions, the Teaching As Collective
Leadership framework includes a map of five strategies (each built from five actions) that characteristic
transformational classrooms. While each of these 25 actions could be informed by each lens, it is also true
that each lens has particular resonance for different actions. See this image - a portion of the framework
that shows teachers’ strategies and actions when seeing students as Leaders. Take your time and read the
words in the part circled with yellow color.

Watch the videos below to build more perspective on the lens - engage the learning points with the preceding
reading for your written reflection.
1. Student Leadership in Action - Rehan, PencilBrick
2. More Than a Number - Taylor Delhagen
3. Why Student Leadership Matters

Written Reflection & Call To Action

Consider this provocative reflection on student leadership at the
intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion, power and prejudice - where
do you see the intersection of those issues with student leadership in
your own life and work, and in the lives of students in your potential
classroom or placement community?

TACL_Lenses 10
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

LENSES
TEACHERS AS LEARNERS
What Does It Means to See “Teachers As Learners”?
Very often in conversations with exceptional teachers, we hear some version of “I hope my students are learning
as much as I am.” Sometimes almost in a whisper, these teachers tell us that they feel like students in their
classroom. They tell us that learning in their classroom flows in both directions, to and from teacher and
students. Strikingly consistently, these teachers identify as learners.

TEACHERS AS SOURCES
TEACHERS AS LEARNERS
I see myself as the source
I see myself as a lifelong
of knowledge and skill that
learner who responds to
students need and as the
challenges with curiosity,
implementer of “what
humility and creativity.
works.”

The spirit of learning is infectious. Teacher’s who self-identify as learners exert a positive influence on the
culture of the classroom, encouraging student growth. No teacher should have to whisper that they feel like they
are learning as much as their students. The role of teacher should be defined by constant learning.

Of course, teachers need to know a lot to be great teachers. But it turns out that a key to realising students’
potential as leaders is a teacher’s realisation that they have a lot to learn from students as well. It is a crucial
ingredient in creating a thriving learning environment in the classroom. We see inspiring teachers who have the
humility to recognise there is always more to learn; the vulnerability to name their mistakes and the gaps in their
understanding; and nurturing the fire of their curiosity.

I used to think I had solutions for my students' crises. But

even though we live in the same city, they experience
very different crises. I shouldn't walk into my classroom
with answers, I should walk in with questions. I am not a
superhero, they are. This is where the idea of student
leadership comes from.
--- Sara Kassab, Teach For Lebanon

What Comes Into Focus When We See “Teachers As Learners”?

As described in the introduction to “lenses,” seeing teachers are learners who are lifelong learners who respond

11
to challenges with curiosity, humility and creativity heavily influences how we “show up” in the classroom.

TACL_Lenses
We come into the classroom asking different questions in our minds. For example, teachers who see
communities as power are more likely to be asking themselves:
How do I react when things get uncomfortable or tough? Do I approach these difficult situations with
control or curiosity?
What are the things that are not going well for me as a teacher? Am I willing to admit these challenges

LENSES
openly with others who could support me? If not, what holds me back?
What are the outcomes I want to see in my students (e.g., agency, connection)? Where am I, or am I not,
role-modelling these “ways of being” myself?
To what extent do I see myself as a learner alongside students? What are students teaching me?

And, those questions and the mental narrative that comes with them change our behaviors. A teacher who
sees teachers as learners is more likely, for example,
To stop a lesson that is not working well and vulnerably examine his shortcomings with students, thereby
modelling the reflective leadership he hopes to grow in students (even though that action wasn’t on any list),
and
To design lessons where she is discovering alongside students, even as she is sharing her knowledge, and
To seek critical friendship and feedback to guide daily improvements in the classroom.

See this image - a portion of the framework that shows teachers’ strategies and actions when working with the
lens of Teachers As Learners. Take your time and read the words in the part circled with yellow colour.

How Can I “Work On” Seeing “Teachers As Learners”?

One helpful way to understand these “lenses” is as triggers for productive self-reflection. They are not
something we can directly watch or hold because they happen in our minds and hearts, but naming them and
engaging with these ideas is a catalyst for increased self-awareness about our own perspectives, with
significant implications for our actions.

In fact, the ‘teacher as learners’ lens has played a central role in how we’ve designed this blueprint. As much as
we have learned from crowdsourced studies of inspiring classrooms, we will never create a cut-and-paste,
exhaustive checklist for exceptional teaching. While we hope the purpose, lenses, strategies and outcomes in
the model offer a way to stand on the shoulders of teacher-learners who have come before us, we will
ultimately have to contextualise these insights for our context, purposes and students.

Watch the videos below to build more perspective on the lens - engage the learning points with the preceding
reading for your written reflection.
1. Cambia Tú Mismo Primero (Change Yourself First) - Enseña por Argentina
2. Engaging across lines of difference. ‘What lens am I seeing this through’ - Teach For All
3. FIERST Inclusive Education

Written Reflection & Call To Action

What journey and/or shifts have you experienced about seeing Teachers
(and Ourselves) As Learners?
What triggered changes in your perspectives and how will you use this
lens at your placement schools and community as a Teach For Nigeria

12
Fellow?

TACL_Lenses
 COMMUNITY AS POWER
What Does It Means to See “Community As Power”?
What do you see when you walk down a street, road or path in the community where your students live?

Whether we grew up in the community or not, many of us have been socialised to focus on the challenges and
needs of the community. Our minds, sometimes involuntarily or subconsciously, tick through deficits. These
houses lack running water. Medical services are limited. Too many people are out of work. Alcoholism rates are
high. Many of us have internalised the persistent narrative that marginalised and oppressed communities are
faulty, broken and in need of saving by outside forces.

The transformational teachers we are studying walk down the same street and see different realities. They see
loving relationships among family members, they see collective wisdom born of facing and overcoming
challenges, and they see potential power in the collective network of the community itself. These teachers do
not deny the community has needs and challenges, but they do focus first on the community’s assets and
potential.

COMMUNITY AS POWER
COMMUNITY AS NEED
I see communities as sources
I see my community as a
of power and wisdom and
place with difficult
recognize that lasting change
challenges and
requires authentic partnership
unaddressed needs.
with students, families & other
educators.

To overgeneralize just a little, education policies around the globe in the last century have been largely oriented
to the left end of that spectrum. In the vast majority of countries on this planet, external and foreign entities
have brought and imposed education systems built on the assumption that education will help children escape
the challenges of their local community.

TACL_Lenses 13
Seeing “Community as Power” Raises Critical Questions of Power and Privilege
Not surprisingly, viewing the world through a “community as power” lens reveals complex assumptions and
biases in people and systems that have historically served to deny communities power. And whatever our
background and identity, we are likely to have internalised some of those assumptions and biases.

Like the other lenses, seeing “community as power” is a way to provoke reflection on our perspectives. What
assumptions are around us and inside us about the strengths and assets of the collective network of people
around us? What do we need to “unlearn” to be the leaders that our students need us to be?

What Comes Into Focus When We See "Communities as Power"?

As described in the introduction to “lenses,” seeing communities as sources of power and wisdom, and
recognizing that lasting change requires authentic partnership with students, families and other educators
heavily influences how we “show up” in the classroom.

We come into the classroom asking different questions in our minds. For example, teachers who see
communities as power are more likely to be asking themselves:
How well do I know parents and others in the community? Do I know their aspirations for their children? Do I
fully understand the challenges and pressures they face?
How well do I understand the history and context of this community? Can I see how that shows up in the
classroom today?
What assumptions and beliefs do I have about the community? Where do these come from? Could any of
these be limiting me from fully supporting my students?
When I interact with the community, do I come with an agenda or do I listen openly? What gets in the way of
my listening?

TACL_Lenses 14
And, those questions and the mental narrative that comes with them change our behaviors. A teacher who
sees communities as power is more likely, for example,
To engage parents in co-creating a vision for students rather than doing it on her own (even though her
university courses had suggested that she set classroom goals on her own), and
To connect key objectives to real-world opportunities and challenges in students’ lives, and
To live in and connect with the community in ways that help foster meaningful relationships with
students and families.

See this image - a portion of the framework that shows teachers’ strategies and actions when working with
the lens of Community As Power. Take your time and read the words in the part circled with yellow colour.

How Can I “Work On” "Seeing Communities as Power"?

One helpful way to understand these “lenses” is as triggers for productive self-reflection. They are
not something we can directly watch or hold because they happen in our minds and hearts, but
naming them and engaging with these ideas is a catalyst for increased self-awareness about our
perspectives, with significant implications for our actions.
Watch the videos below to build more perspective on the lens - engage the learning points with
the preceding reading for your written reflection.
1. A Collective Contextualized Vision - Teach For Nepal
2. How I am mobilizing collective leadership in my home community - Charles Obore
3. Community As the Unit of Change -Anseye Pou Ayiti-haiti

Written Reflection & Call To Action

Consider these provocative reflections on community at the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion,
power and prejudice.
Where do you see the intersection of those issues with your relationship with your current
community?
What are those key things you will take with you to your placement community and how will that
shape you to be a unique and effective teacher leader in your placement school and its community at
large?

TACL_Lenses 15
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

LENSES
OUR WORK AS SYSTEMIC
Imagine: Interact with the picture below and reflect on what comes to mind.

Equity as Equal Equity as EQUAL Equity as STUDENT

INPUTS OUTCOMES LEADERSHIP
What Does It Means to See "Work As Systemic"?
Conventional paradigms of education assume the barriers to educational equity and excellence are in children.
The teachers we are studying assume those barriers are around children.

When we define success only as “closing achievement gaps,” we are drawn into a narrative that says if these
children who are behind just work harder, they can catch up. We set the standard of success at achievement
levels for children born with distinct advantages and put responsibility for overcoming that injustice on the
children who are “behind.”

The teachers we have visited in our learning loops do not see our work through that “gap-closing” lens. They
instead see differences in student achievement as symptomatic of deeper root causes. With these “work as
systemic” glasses on, they see the explicit and implicit structural inhibitors of their student’s success. They see
the way that they have been socialised through their education and training, and question ways they might be
perpetuating oppressive dynamics. They see ways that their students have internalised societal assumptions
that make them doubt and devalue themselves. Because they see the world through this lens, these teachers
aspire to support students to realise their potential as agents of change in their own lives and communities.

OUR WORK AS SYSTEMIC

OUR WORK AS SYMPTOMS I see our work as challenging
I see my role as getting
the root causes of injustices
students to work extra hard to
that inhibit students’ potential -
overcome their deficits to
succeed in the system around
systemic barriers around us,

16
them. and limiting beliefs inside us

TACL_Lenses
The implications of recognizing the complex, underlying, systemic nature of the challenges we face in education
are profound. This lens leads us to work more collectively, seeking to join a critical mass of change-makers within
a system to change it. This lens leads us to consider the historical and contemporary dynamics of power that are
shaping and perpetuating the systems around us and our students. This lens leads us to not just work harder but

LENSES
to work fundamentally differently.

"It's this system that was not designed for us, our people
were never at the table when it was created, but it still exists
and it's all we know. We're trying to re-define that. Our hope is
what we do here will unite other communities to do the
same."
-Kayla Begay, Navajo Nation

The Emerging Science of “Systems Thinking”

Consider the two images below for a moment and reflect using the prompts
What comes to mind when you see the images?
Do the systems around you and your students and their families work more like the mechanical inside a
clock, or do they work more like a living rainforest?
Are the people and institutions and structures around you a complex set of cause-and-effect interactions like
the watch, such that if you find the right lever or gear you can change the pace of the entire system?
Or, is a better metaphor for those systems a living ecosystem where all the elements of the system are in a
self-perpetuating balance and influencing one part of the system may or may not have unintended
consequences for other parts?

Thinking: Arising from interdisciplinary studies across biology, physics, chemistry, sociology and other
areas, a relatively new discipline of "systems thinking" is emerging that offers guidance for challenging
and changing complex systems, like a classroom, a school, or the broader system of education.

Systems thinking focuses on how the different parts of a system interrelate in complex ways over time, and how
each system is in turn part of a larger system.

TACL_Lenses 17
Tenets of systems thinking arise throughout our learning about transformational classrooms and communities:
Systems resist change. In our work to create equitable education systems, we need to anticipate and plan for
this resistance - while also recognizing that how a system is likely to push back will be unpredictable. Our
planning processes should reflect this emergent, and uncertain, quality of our work.
Transforming systems takes sustained, collective effort. This collective effort calls for deep connection with
other people, to create the critical mass necessary for lasting change. To make this happen, our organisations
and movements should prioritise building a culture that enables us to share what we are finding challenging
and nurtures our long-term commitment to equity. If you work in an organisation and think of it purely in terms
of a well-functioning machine, you are likely missing some of these critical priorities.
All of us are implicated in systemic injustice. Whatever our background and experience, we need to do the
hard work of understanding how we have internalised forms of inequity, and how we unintentionally keep
them going through our daily actions and perspectives. Instead of thinking about systemic problems as
purely “out there” we should consider the ways they are also inside us.

Exploring the Systemic Nature of Education Equity

Inextricably intertwined with issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, “our work as systemic” is about recognizing
the often-unspoken motivations and purposes behind the systems influencing our students. This lens is about
seeing often-hidden rules and expectations that society applies to children of certain identities and not to children
of other identities.
We have gathered powerful examples of educators across and beyond our network wrestling with the systemic
injustices shaping their students’ lives.

Who Leads Systemic Change?

One of the principles of “systems thinking” is that complex systems can change when a (relatively small) critical
mass of actors inside the system coordinate to work differently. In terms of education equity, systemic change
must be led by people who have experienced the injustices we are all working to challenge and change.

What Comes Into Focus When We See "Our Work As Systemic"?

As described in the introduction to “lenses,” seeing our work as challenging the root causes of injustices that
inhibit students’ potential - systemic barriers around us, and limiting beliefs inside us. heavily influences how we
“show up” in the classroom.

We come into the classroom asking different questions in our minds. For example, teachers who see our work
as systemic are more likely to be asking themselves:
When a student is not performing or misbehaving, what do the voices in my head say about the student? Have
I fully explored what else may be going on for the student?
Who do I represent in the system? Do I identify as someone with power & privilege, or someone who has been
marginalized? How might my identity and experiences be limiting me in supporting my students? Conversely,
how might it strengthen my ability to support my students?
What are the things that make it harder or easier for someone to succeed, and where do they come from?
What are the root causes of inequity?

TACL_Lenses 18
 Am I preparing my students to understand and face the systemic challenges they will encounter in their life?
How do we define success? What outcomes are we working toward?
Who do I represent in the system? What biases and assumptions do I bring? In what ways may I be continuing
to perpetuate inequities?
In my professional development, what kind of learning am I prioritising? Am I engaging in the deeper systemic
and inner work (e.g., understanding history & context, roots of inequities, my assumptions & biases)?
How do I pursue change? Do I tend to work on my own or with others? Do I see the whole system, or approach
things more linearly?

And, those questions and the mental narrative that comes with them change our behaviours. A teacher who sees
our work as systemic is more likely, for example,
To recognize challenging incidents with a student as misplaced frustration, fear, or trauma response to
challenges around them, and to seek to understand the root sources of those maladaptive behaviours, and
To critically examine the roots of inequity in the community and better appreciate dynamics influencing
families’ relationships to the school and education system,
To realise that her own experience in education has led her to internalise some assumptions about her
students or herself or her community that she needs to work to “unlearn.”
To courageously challenge rules or systems that are inhibiting students’ growth and development in their own
culture and identity.

Connections between lenses and actions have important implications for teacher development and coaching.
See this image - a portion of the framework that shows teachers’ strategies and actions when working with the
lens of Our Work As Systemic. Take your time and read the words in the part circled with yellow colour.

How Can I “Work On” Seeing "Our Work As Systemic"?

One helpful way to understand these “lenses” is as triggers for productive self-reflection. They are not
something we can directly watch or hold because they happen in our minds and hearts, but naming them and
engaging with these ideas is a catalyst for increased self-awareness about our perspectives, with significant
implications for our actions.

Watch the videos below to build more perspective on

the lens - engage the learning points with the preceding
reading for your written reflection.
1. The Roots of Inequity
2. Aligning Ourselves to Equity
3. The Colonial Roots of Inequity the Need for
Culturally Relevant Community Centered Education
- Charles Obore

TACL_Lenses 19
 Written Reflection & Call To Action
How do you envision your actions in the classroom and within your
community during your fellowship contributing to systemic change, and
how do you anticipate fostering systemic change in your placement
community through your daily activities throughout the fellowship?
What are those key things you will take with you to your placement
community, and how will you contribute (step-by-step actions) to the
systemic change as a teacher-leader in your placement school and its
community at large?

TACL_Lenses 20
STRATEGIES
Teaching As
Collective Leadership
 TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

STRATEGIES
Read This Watch This Video Observe This

Growing students as leaders of a better future calls for more relational, student-led, discovery-oriented
teaching and learning. Five families of actions distinguish classrooms where students are growing as
leaders of a better future

01 Love & Connect to build culture

Caring and authentic relationships foster the trust, understanding, and honesty necessary for my students,
their families, my colleagues, and me to work together toward meaningful aims.

02 Listen & Envision to co-create purpose

Perfecting current ways of learning and teaching will not fulfill my students’ potential as leaders of a better
future, so we collectively question and reimagine the purpose of our classroom, building sustainable
coalitions for change.

03 Learn & Design to plan lessons

Perfecting current ways of learning and teaching will not fulfill my students’ potential as leaders of a better
future, so we collectively question and re-imagine the purpose of our classroom, building sustainable
coalitions for change.

04 Facilitate & Challenge to inspire

Our classroom creates opportunities for students (and me) to joyfully and productively struggle with
rigorous challenges and content at the frontiers of our knowledge and abilities.

05 Reflect & Grow to fulfill potential

Learning is a life-long journey fueled by humility and curiosity, as we improve our knowledge and skills and
grow our capacity for understanding ourselves, each other, and the world.

VIRTUAL VISIT
TO TRANSFORMATION CLASSROOMS
This aspect emphasizes examples of classrooms with strong learning experiences. We will observe the case
studies, and learning experiences, and look for indicators.
You will not let go of the strategies you are learning, think about ways you will survey your learners on the
ratio of each of the ideologies, perceptions, and polarities they experience when you teach.

TACL_Strategies 22
 WATCH
CLASSROOM 1 CLASSROOM 2 CLASSROOM 3

CLASSROOM 4 CLASSROOM 5

The strategies in play in these classrooms highlight the importance of building relationships, fostering
inclusivity, listening actively, designing effective lessons, facilitating student-led exploration, and engaging in
reflective practices for personal and professional growth.
As you explore that full map of TACL teacher actions, please keep in mind the
following:
No single classroom in our collective studies embodied all of these actions.
This map of actions is a conglomerate of strong classrooms and is meant to
be a tool for reflecting on strengths and areas for growth, not a prescription
for success.
These globally informed patterns need locally rooted contextualization.
Unlike many classroom excellence models, this framework does not ask “Is
this teacher exemplifying this action in the classroom?” but instead asks
“How is this teacher customizing this action with their students?”
Practitioners have identified the first two actions in each column as “most
foundational.” If you are looking for a place to start or a new teacher, start
with those

WRITTEN REFLECTIONS
1. Share an experience where seeking feedback FINAL THOUGHTS AND THINGS TO
from diverse sources contributed to your NOTE
professional growth. How did you create a “It turns out, if you are a teacher working to
culture where students also embraced help students improve their lives and their
feedback? communities’ futures, you do things very
2. As you were watching the classrooms, how differently than teachers who are working to
did seeking multiple perspectives and engaging raise test scores”.
in authentic dialogue shape your understanding — Franco Mosso, Founder, Enseña Perú
of educational possibilities?

TACL_Strategies 23
TEACHING AS COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP

STRATEGIES
WATCH STEVEN FARR UNIT PLANNING VIDEO

HOW OUR FELLOWS ARE CARRYING OUT THESE ACTIONS (STRATEGIES) IN OUR
CONTEXT AT TEACH FOR NIGERIA AND ALSO IN THE NETWORK AS A WHOLE; A
DEEPER DIVE

LOVE AND CONNECT (Watch MERCY OMINIGBO)

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
We take time to nurture authentic connections with all
FOSTER BELONGING
We co-create with students an inclusive environment
NURTURE CULTURE
We co-create and foster inclusive and welcoming norms and values
KNOW SELF
We build awareness of our own selves
BE HUMAN
We model vulnerability and honesty

FACILITATE AND CHALLENGE (Watch AGNES ONYEKWERE)

FACILITATE EFFECTIVELY
We communicate clearly and listen actively
MANAGE NORMS & RITUALS
We co-create and uphold rituals and systems
FOSTER COLLECTIVE DISCOVERY
We create the conditions for collective student-led exploration
FLEXIBLY ADJUST COURSE
We respond and adjust to students’ needs
MONITOR LEARNING & PROGRESS
We check for learning during and after lessons

LISTEN AND ENVISION (Watch VARIOUS FELLOWS)

BROADEN PERSPECTIVES
We seek insights and wisdom from multiple perspectives
HOST DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION
We hold space for authentic dialogue and discussion
PARTNER WITH FAMILIES & COMMUNITY
We connect and collaborate with students’ families and influencers
CRITICALLY EXAMINE HISTORY
We explore the systemic roots of inequality
COLLECTIVELY ENVISION SUCCESS
We listen & contribute to conversations all

TACL_Strategies 24
 REFLECT AND GROW (EXPLORE THIS ARTICLE)
TAKE CARE OF SELF
We commit to a sustainable plan of daily practices
PAUSE & REFLECT
We commit to a regular practice of pausing to process progress
FIND & FOSTER ALLIES
We seek and nurture relationships and networks that support and stretch us.
SEEK FEEDBACK
We welcome diverse sources of feedback and relevant data

LEARN AND DESIGN (Watch GRANT WIGGINS)

BUILD CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE
We develop expertise on what we are teaching,
PLAN BACKWARDS
We design and sequence lesson and unit plans with “end in mind”
VALUE LEARNER VARIABILITY & OWNERSHIP
We seek to understand our students wholly
EXPECT HIGHER-ORDER THINKING
We design lessons that are built from students’ understanding
LEVERAGE LEARNING THEORY
We meta-cognitively teach learning principles with intentionality

IN CONCLUSION...
The strategy framework highlights the significance of building authentic relationships with students, families,
and colleagues, creating an inclusive and welcoming environment, and nurturing a sense of identity and
community. It also emphasizes active listening, seeking diverse perspectives, and engaging in authentic
dialogue and discussions. Additionally, it underscores the need for continuous learning, designing effective
lessons that promote higher-order thinking, and facilitating student-led exploration. Finally, the framework
emphasizes the value of reflection, self-care, seeking feedback, and cultivating supportive relationships to
promote personal and professional growth.

WRITTEN REFLECTIONS...
Share practical actions you will take to successfully foster collective student-led
exploration and adjust your teaching to meet individual needs while staying aligned
with lesson objectives.

Reflect on the rituals and systems you will co-create to minimize distractions and
maximize engagement. How will they support the learning process? Can you share
some elements of these rituals or systems?

Select two STRATEGIES that will improve your teaching effectiveness and overall job
satisfaction as a TFN Fellow? Design an action plan.

TACL_Strategies 25
 ADDITIONAL READING
RESOURCES
TED talks and videos that delve into the purpose of Education and Teaching As
Collective Leadership Framework

Natalie Warne:
Drew Dudley: Anonymous
Everyday Extraordinaries
Leadership
Kiran Bir Sethi:
Simon Sinek: How Teaching Kids to Take
great leaders inspire Charge
action

TACL
Geoffrey Canada: Our
Let's use video to Failing Schools:
reinvent education | Enough is Enough!
Salman Khan
Kakenya Ntaiya: A Girl
World Peace Game | John Who Demanded School
Hunter - TED Talk

WRITTEN & REFLECTION

From the video, note down your thoughts. If you are to deliver a TED talk about the
PURPOSE of education, what will you say? Who will be the audience?
THANK YOU