Leadership Listening Post

Would you like to chat for a bit with leadership guru Roland Barth, professional development wizard Stephanie Hirsh, or Gloria Ladson-Billings, renown for her work in culturally responsive teaching practices?

Drop by Podcasts for Collaborative Leadership in Education, where two profs from Oakland University in Rochester MI are putting together a very nice collection of short interviews (20 minutes is typical) with quite a few of education’s notable thinkers and doers.  The series is produced and published by Oakland University with support from the Galileo Institute for Teacher Leadership.

The interviews can be played online and will soon be available through iTunes University (if they’re not already). Just download to your iPod or other MP3 device and listen to the ideas of Joe Murphy on “Clearing the Way for Teacher Leadership” or revisit the framework devised by Charlotte Danielson to describe the complex act of teaching. You can also eavesdrop on book chats between hosts Pam Morehead and Bob Maxfield. We particularly enjoyed the episode on "kicking sacred cows" in education (which says nice things about our website and calls on teacher leaders to put on their pointy-toed boots).

Our favorite interview (of course!) features Nancy Flanagan, author of the blog Teacher in a Strange Land (here on the TLN website) and a former Michigan Teacher of the Year. Nancy’s comments on the importance of National Board Certification, the untapped potential for teacher leadership in the policy arena, and the joy and wisdom accrued during 30 years of classroom teaching (some of it on the playing fields) will inspire teacher leaders -- and you'll enjoy her sense of humor, too.

It’s good stuff, and Volume 1 already has 20 entries. Who knows what Volume 2 might have in store?