4 Summary

This unit emphasises the importance of purposeful conversations with members of the school community in order to provide support and generate solutions. There are many opportunities to talk with your staff formally and informally, and this unit has discussed some of the factors that will make these conversations feel more collaborative and safe, especially important if a school community is unfamiliar with such dialogues.

Mentoring or coaching skills open up many possibilities for you as a school leader to optimise the potential of your teachers and help transform them into the excellent teachers and leaders that you want for your school.

The unit has also highlighted how helpful it can be to have a coach or mentor yourself, and you may want to consider how you could organise this.

This unit is part of the set or family of units that relate to the key area of transforming teaching-learning process (aligned to the National College of School Leadership). You may find it useful to look next at other units in this set to build your knowledge and skills:

• Leading improvements in teaching and learning in the elementary school
• Leading improvements in teaching and learning in the secondary school
• Leading assessment in your school
• Supporting teachers to raise performance
• Leading teachers’ professional development
• Developing an effective learning culture in your school
• Promoting inclusion in your school
• Managing resources for effective student learning
• Leading the use of technology in your school.