Bruce G. Barnett

Teaching Doctoral Students to Become Scholarly Writers: The importance of giving and receiving critiques

Data were gathered from 45 doctoral students through focus groups, observations, and written and oral reflections to ascertain their perceptions of a specific teaching process (the Scholarly Writing Project), which was designed to assist these students in learning how to do academic writing. It was found that preparing and receiving critiques from professors and peers was perceived to be the most influential element in helping them to understand the process of scholarly writing and in producing a better written product. More specifically, these students believed that two factors integral to the critiquing process were responsible for building their confidence as academic writers: personalized face-to-face feedback; and the iterative or ongoing nature of the critiques they received. In addition, these students emphasized that although the critiquing process was powerful and useful, it was also highly emotional and at times frustrating. The findings suggest that, in teaching scholarly writing, instructors should be very clear about the purposes and benefits of a strong and sustained critiquing process, and assist students in learning how to both receive and give useful feedback.

Cohorts in Educational Leadership Programs: Benefits, Difficulties, and the Potential for Developing School Leaders

Cohorts are an innovation being employed in many educational leadership programs. To determine faculty perceptions of the advantages and liabilities of this approach, including the potential of cohorts to develop quality school leaders, a large-scale survey of educational leadership program faculty was conducted. The perceptions of both cohort users and nonusers were captured, revealing sharp contrasts in how those embracing or rejecting cohorts view this innovation. Promising lines of future inquiry also are discussed.

Developing Reflection and Expertise: Can Mentors Make the Difference?.

An important function of mentoring is to assist proteges in becoming autonomous professionals who reflect and solve problems as experts. The emerging literature on information processing, reflective practice, and expertise indicates: experts solve problems differently than novices; and learners who participate in a structured instructional programme can learn these higher‐order conceptual skills. Based on these findings, examines the principles and practices of cognitive coaching as a viable means for mentors to use in developing the reflective and problem‐solving expertise of their proteges. Provides practical suggestions for how mentor/coaches can utilize reflective questioning strategies, clarify and probe responses, and take a non‐judgemental stance. Concludes with an overview of a training model which would prepare and support mentors in their attempt to assist proteges in becoming self‐directed, expert problem solvers.

Developing a culture of reflection: implications for school improvement

Becoming more reflective about their practice is an important way for educational leaders to reveal their assumptions and to make better‐informed decisions. This article expands our understanding of the power of reflection by demonstrating the principles and practices associated with building a reflective culture that facilitates school improvement. Using a conceptual model of reflection, the authors describe a host of practical reflective strategies focusing on student learning, team development, and school‐wide collaboration.

The Development of Assistant Principals: A Literature Review.

Purpose – The purpose of this review is to add to the discussion of assistant principals (APs), a position that has been under‐represented in the professional literature.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive search was undertaken on assistant principals, vice principals, and deputy head teachers from various sources, including journals, conference papers, doctoral dissertations, ERIC documents, articles from professional publications and organizations, and relevant books and chapters. Each document was thoroughly analyzed and common themes were identified.Findings – The assistant principalship is a unique entity because the position lacks a precise job description yet entails numerous tasks to ensure the success of a school. Although the assistant principal is a critical leader in schools, the position is underutilized and under‐researched. This review analyzes the roles, responsibilities, training, socialization, and typologies of the assistant principal.Research limitations/implications – As a resu...

The Mentor-Intern Relationship: Making the Most of Learning from Experience.

How can mentors and interns make the most of learning from their experience by observing and providing feedback to one anoth er? The suggestions provided here are based on the experi ences of professors at Indiana Uni versity, where these strategies are being incorporated into a Dan orth Foundation-sponsored princi pal preparation program.

Student Perceptions of "Better Readers" in Elementary Classrooms

The Elementary School Journal Volume 82, Number 5 ? 1982 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0013-5984/82/8205-0002

Peer‐assisted Leadership: Expanding Principals′ Knowledge through Reflective Practice

01.00 In elementary school, students learn to compare and evaluate the performances of their peers and of themselves. The very nature of the schooling experience may be responsible for this fact. When they enter school, students enter an environment where many students of the same age work together in the same room on the same or similar tasks, where there are general expectations for how quickly students will progress, and where achievement is rewarded. In this environment students

Transferring Learning from the Classroom to the Workplace: Challenges and Implications for Educational Leadership Preparation.

The hectic and fast‐paced nature of principals′ jobs often prohibits them from learning directly from their on‐the‐job experiences. Nevertheless, having the opportunity to observe and interview a peer partner can allow principals to become more knowledgeable and reflective about their practice as school administrators. One such programme that encourages knowledge generation and reflection is peer‐assisted leadership (PAL), where principals shadow one another and conduct reflective interviews. The increased self‐knowledge and knowledge of the role of school administrators which principals gain as they engage in personal and vicarious experiential learning is described. In addition, the programme encourages the integration of theory and practice as principals compare a conceptual frame‐work of instructional leadership with the observed realities of their jobs. Principals′ reactions reveal their concern about being isolated from other administrators, their need for information that is immediately relevant, t...

Using Peer Observation and Feedback to Reduce Principals′ Isolation

Conceptualization (insights about the event) Active Experimentation (purposeful action) Refl ective Observation (what happened during event) Planning for Implementation (future action; success indicators) Phase 3: NOW WHAT? Phase 1: WHAT?