Module overview
The module will provide an introduction to theories of organisational and interpersonal leadership, relating to the field of education, teacher instructional leadership for capacity building and leadership for learning to sustain school improvement.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Critically examine the relationship between leadership models and theories and the actual leadership practices adopted within a specific school
- Communicate your own ideas and arguments regarding school leadership effectively in written and oral forms.
- Analyse the role of the leader in the processes of school improvement
- Engage with high quality empirical research in the area of school leadership
- Apply theories and models to schools in a variety of UK settings, critically assessing the influence of contextual factors
- Appreciate existing theories and models of school leadership
Syllabus
Theories and models of leadership approaches in schools, at organisational and inter-personal level are considered from a systems thinking perspective to understand how their effectiveness varies according to contextual issues and factors. Individual schools within the UK are used as the unit of study and these are used to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership approaches taken within them.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The module utilises three main approaches: lectures, seminars and a group project, leading to a presentation.
Lectures will be used to discuss theoretical and conceptual leadership approaches and models. These will be interactive and include short exercises to help students (working individually or in pairs) to relate these to school practices.
Seminars will use a range of school case study resources relating to the study of aspects of leadership in schools, including empirical research papers, reports and other authoritative grey literature sources, and wider educational material such as thematic case study exercises and video resources. For these sessions, students will be split into smaller tutor-led seminar classes and will be set tasks to undertake in small groups.
For the group project, students will be allocated to one of a number of small teams. Each team will be set a task to develop a presentation that offers a critique of a particular perspective on individual leadership in relation to their applicability in schools
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Wider reading or practice | 60 |
| Completion of assessment task | 40 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 12 |
| Teaching | 18 |
| Follow-up work | 20 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Bush, T. and Middlewood, D. . Leading and managing people in education. London: SAGE.
Bush, T., Bell, L. and Middlewood, D. (eds) . Principles of educational leadership and management. London: SAGE.
Riggio, R.E., Chaleff, I. and Lipman-Blumen, J. The art of followership: how great followers create great leaders and organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Day, C., Sammons, P. and Leithwood, K (2011). Successful School Leadership : Linking With Learning And Achievemen. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd..
Kelly, A. (2022). Dynamic management and leadership in education: high reliability techniques for schools and universities. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge..
Greany, T. and Earley, P. (eds) (2022). School leadership and education system reform. Oxford: Bloomsbury.
Everard, K.B., Morris, G. and Wilson, I (2004). Effective school management. London: Paul Chapman Pub.
Greany, T. and Earley, P. (eds) (2021). School Leadership and Education System Reform. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Jones, G. (2018). Evidence-based school leadership and management: a practical guide.. London: SAGE.
Northouse, P.G (2022). Leadership: theory and practice. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Ryan, R.M. and Deci, E.L (2017). Self-determination theory: basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Guilford Press.
Tschannen-Moran, M. (2014). Trust matters: leadership for successful schools. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass..
Adair, J.E. (2009). Effective leadership : how to be a successful leader. London: Pan.
Mullins, L.J. and Rees, (2023). Management and organisational behaviour. . Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Ball, S.J. (2012). Foucault, Power, and Education. . Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Haynes, N.M., Arafeh, S. and McDaniels, C. (2015). Educational leadership: perspectives on preparation and practice. Lanham, MD: University Press of America..
Woods, P.A. and Roberts, A. (2018). Collaborative school leadership: a critical guide. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Day, C. and Gurr, D. (2024). How successful schools are more than effective : principals who build and sustain teacher and student wellbeing and achievement. Cham.: Springer.
Illeris, K. (2017). How we learn: learning and non-learning in school and beyond. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group..
Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E (2006). Transformational leadership.. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Grint, K (2010). Leadership: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press..
McMahon, M. and O’Brien, J. (2016). Management and organisational behaviour. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Group presentation | 33% |
| Assignment | 67% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assignment | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assignment | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External