Page 125 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

The Role of Teacher Leadership for Promoting Professional Development Practices

Volunteer Leadership Team

The Volunteer Leadership Team (VLT) is the backbone of every MBAMP event. Whether conducting
a one-day conference; Teacher Learning Community (TLC); or a monthly colloquium series; the VLT
plays a vital support role. Each team collectively operates to advise the MBAMP director, helping with
and consulting about every aspect of the event.
In today’s financial climate, it is a challenge to reward the leadership team for their keystone role.
MBAMP cannot pay teacher-leaders the compensation that their invaluable work merits. Furthermore,
MBAMP asks teachers to do high quality work outside of their regular working day—work that their
district is not particularly interested in. However after teachers become MBAMP teacher leaders districts
typically want to use them at a district level.
In Figure 3 MBAMP Teacher Leader Growth and Governance there are five levels of teacher-leaders.
As noted in the model each level denotes a certain level of content knowledge and professional develop-
ment (PD) responsibilities. The model consists of five levels of participation for teachers in MBAMP
events. These are the ways a teacher can grow with MBAMP. Teachers can enter at any level they are
qualified to.

• Level 1 is where a teacher might be introduced to MBAMP for the first time. This might be the
first time a teacher has done any professional development outside of their district.
• Level 2 is for teachers who are interested in going a bit deeper with MBAMP. They make a com-
mitment to attend a monthly colloquium session, work on an independent study or be mentored
(usually by email) by the director or a senior teacher-leader.
• Level 3 is for teachers who want to become teacher leaders they take a co-leadership role on a
leadership team or assist a senior teacher leader in a presentation.
• Level 4 is for teachers who are ready to present a PD session independently. They want the support
provided by the director or a senior teacher leader to have the session as part of an event. Many
teacher leaders stay at this level, because they do not have the desire or possibly the time to take
on more responsibility.
• Level 5 is for teachers who are ready to head up a leadership team or produce an event on their
own. They determine when the director needs to give them support. These teacher leaders are
often paid an honorarium for the work they do.

Teacher Leader Developing A Mathematics Professional Development Event

At level 5 teacher leaders can construct a MBAMP event independent of the support from a senior teacher
leader and director. They determine when the director will need to support them as she is available to
meet or via email. The teacher leaders can develop their own leadership team and schedule meetings
to determine the planning and outcomes of an MBAMP event. The teachers determine how much time
they have to spend on their MBAMP work. The below excerpt is a detailed outline of what transpired
for the MBAMP 2015 Winter conference in terms of work and time spent.

106