Leadership Styles 1

EDU 568 Module 1 Application Assignment

Leadership Styles

Samantha DiMatteo

Marygrove College
Leadership Styles 2

As outlined by psychologists of the early twentieth century, individuals can be classified

under three specific styles of leadership; they include authoritarian, participative, and delegative

leadership. Teacher leaders are in a unique position to make change happen. They are close to

the ground and have the knowledge and ability to control the conditions for teaching and

learning in schools and classrooms (Miller p12). When we are put into a leadership role each of

us embraces one of, or a combination of, these classifications of leadership.

Prior to engaging in the leadership assessment I reviewed each of the three classifications

of leadership. Autocratic leaders can be very dictatorial and make many decisions without a

general consensus from the group. Democratic leaders create a collaborative group environment,

where everyone has a contributory role in decision-making. Ultimately, the leader in this

scenario has the final say, however they place value on the opinions of their group members and

base decisions on the responses of their unit. The final classification of leadership was

delagative. These types of leaders offer minimal guidance and allow much of the decision-

making to fall solely on the group members.

Depending on the scenario I could potentially display each of these leadership styles to

some degree, however, generally I feel that I demonstrate the qualities of a participative leader. I

trust in the abilities of my peers and value their opinions, however, as a leader I prefer to make

the final decisions, as they are ultimately a reflection of me. The leadership-style self-

assessment revealed that my leadership style is both participative and delegative. I cannot

disagree with this evaluation as I feel my leadership styles change according to my

circumstances.

In my classroom the division of roles between teacher and student are clearly defined,

especially when using a direct instructional model. In addition, some of my decisions in this
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setting, such as curriculum and the standards that are being addressed are made without the input

of my class. These two examples are autocratic, however, overall my classroom setting appears

to emphasize many of the attributes of participative leadership. For instance, the pacing of some

of my lessons is often altered according to the input of my students. Through use of informal

assessment techniques I can gain feedback as to the receptiveness of my class. Occasionally I

notice that they need more time on a topic to gain a full understanding of the material. I

therefore will spend an additional day of class practicing, or alternatively, create a class study

session at lunch in which I can reiterate the material. Another example occurs when conducting

lessons that embrace a facilitating style of teaching such as cooperative pairs or teamwork. I

allow the students to work through problems and find solutions, and I use my role to provide

guidance and redirection but I do not reveal affirmative solutions. Zander illustrates this idea

through his description of conducting an orchestra the conductor of an orchestra does not

make a sound, his true power derives from his ability to make other people powerful (Zander &

Zander p3). Discovery based learning can help define a students role in the classroom, and make

them feel like a contributory aspect of the learning process. As the conductor of my classroom I

need to be mindful of the needs and abilities of my students, and create a learning environment in

which they each contribute to the symphony of learning; this is best done through a participative

leadership role.

In a professional setting, I feel I show a democratic style however, if the qualifications

and competence of my group members exceed my own expertise I can see myself taking more of

a delagative style of leadership. the real power to improve achievement lay with teachers,

who need to be entrusted with new responsibility and accountability for change (Miller p8).

Delagative leadership alone may not generally lead to the most productive results, however, I
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feel much of that outcome depends on the task at hand and the caliber of the team that has been

assigned to that task. A good example of this is demonstrated within our mathematics

departments professional leaning community (PLC). As a group we are required to construct

quarterly benchmark assessments (QBA) that reflect the curriculum of each subject that we

teach. The PLC leader often takes a step back allowing the members of the group to develop the

questions that reflect the curriculum for their specific subject area. I am the only college prep

algebra II teacher; our leader trusts my familiarity of the subject matter allows me to develop the

exam based my knowledge of the curriculum for my specific class. We all have strengths in

different areas and by trusting the expertise of our colleagues our teams have proven to be very

productive. However, after working individually on a project the task is then concluded with a

collaborative discussion amongst all members of the team; here our leader takes on more of a

democratic approach, this helps the overall success of the project. It is increasingly recognized

that if schools are to achieve better results with their students, it must be a collective endeavor

rather than a collection of individual efforts (Danielson 15).

A participative leadership style has proven to be the most effective style of leadership.

However, each situation is unique and should be approached with a leadership style or

combination of leadership styles that best supports the needs of the group.
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References

Danielson, C.D., (2006). Teacher Leadership. Alexandria, Va.: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Lieberman, A.L., Miller, L.M., (2004). Teacher Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Zander, R.Z., Zander, B.Z., (2000). The Art of Possibility. Boston, Mass: Harvard
Business School Press.