The document discusses the skills needed for collaborative instructional leadership. It identifies skills such as teaching norms of collaboration, conflict resolution, valuing diverse opinions, knowing resources, facilitating learning-focused conversations, giving and receiving feedback, and leading data-driven dialogue. Specific behaviors are also outlined, including engaging in team building, creating trust, supporting the team, emphasizing staff development, providing peer learning opportunities, being a data coach, aligning collaboration structures, and mediating conflicts. Potential stakeholders for collaborative inquiry on improving Chinese language learning at Tianjin International School are identified as the school administration team, admission director, head of the Chinese department, Chinese teachers, and Chinese parent liaisons.

1. 2.6 Collaborative
Instructional Leadership
Jing Liu
EDTL 540
Indiana Wesleyan University

2. Skills for a collaborative
instructional leader
Teaching, developing, and using norms of collaboration
Conflict resolution/meditation skills
Modeling/valuing diverse opinions
Holding yourself accountable to the group’s goals and outcomes
Documenting a meeting
(Center for strengthening the teaching profession: overview., 2009) &
(Gabriel, 2005)

3. Skills for a collaborative
instructional leader cont.
Knowing resources and how to access resources
Delegating responsibilities to group members
Maintaining objectivity
Understanding adults as learners
Facilitating learning focused conversations
(Center for strengthening the teaching profession: overview., 2009) &
(Gabriel, 2005)

4. Skills for a collaborative
instructional leader cont.
Giving and receiving feedback
Deep listening skills
Leading data driven dialogue
Synthesizing and summarizing, using mediation skills
Effectively using technology to enhance collaboration
(Center for strengthening the teaching profession: overview., 2009) &
(Gabriel, 2005)

5. Specific behaviors for a
collaborative instructional
leader
• Engaging in team building: It is essential that teacher leader
implements team-building and trust-building activities. The team
should embrace diverse thinking and trusting which drives
everyone journey toward a common goal. (Gabriel, 2005)
• Creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. Teachers who work in
trusting environments have a basis for inquiry and reflection into
their own practice. The trusting environments allow teachers to take
risks, challenge and critique each other, and collectively solve
tough problems. (Berry, 2009)
• Supporting the team: The teachers need to feel supported, and
they need to believe that they are supported. Teacher leader should
let them know that they are not in it alone, that the teacher leader
have their back. (Gabriel, 2005)

6. Specific behaviors for a
collaborative instructional
leader cont.
• Emphasizing staff development：Teacher leader should provide
meaningful professional development tailored to school needs as
well as to individual needs. (Gabriel, 2005)
• Providing opportunities for peer learning among teachers in
order to build collective expertise: When teachers learn with and
from one another, they can focus on what most directly improves
student learning. (Berry, 2009)
• Being a Data coach: Teacher leader can lead conversations that
engage other teachers in analyzing and using data information to
strengthen instruction. (Harrison & Killion, 2007)

7. Specific behaviors for a
collaborative instructional
leader cont.
• Aligning collaboration structures for both horizontal and
vertical collaboration. The horizontal collaboration helps teachers
coordinate specific organizational needs across the grade level,
however, the vertical collaboration enables the teachers to see the
curriculum is aligned up and down the grade levels. (Berry, 2009)
• Scheduling adequate time for collaboration. Teacher leader
should make the schedules aligned to allow for common planning
time. (Berry, 2009)
• Mediating conflicts: Teacher leader will be handling and
overcoming problematic situations that arise in the department.
(Gabriel, 2005)

8. General Stakeholders for
Collaborative Inquiry
• Superintendent of ISC
• TIS Admin. Team
• TIS School board
• TIS admission director
• TIS PFO(Parent Faulty Organization)
• Heads of each department

9. Possible stakeholders
Question:
How can instruction at Tianjin International School be improved so
that overseas Chinese students achieve the best Chinese learning
in an international school?
Possible stakeholders:
• TIS Admin. Team
• TIS admission director
• Head of Chinese Department
• Chinese language teachers
• Teaching assistant of Chinese department
• Chinese parents Liaison

10. Reference
 Berry, B., Daughtrey, A., Wieder, A., & Center for Teaching, Q.
(2009). Collaboration: Closing the Effective Teaching Gap.
Center For Teaching Quality.
 Center for strengthening the teaching profession: overview. (2009)
Retrieved from http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/
uploads/2014/06/Teacher-Leadership-Framework.pdf
 Gabriel, J. G. (2005). How to Thrive As a Teacher Leader.
Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
 Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007). Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders.
Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74-77.