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Joy in the Journey: Navigating Leader/Learner Tensions
Author(s) -
Johnson Shawn M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of leadership studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.219
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1935-262X
pISSN - 1935-2611
DOI - 10.1002/jls.21648
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , context (archaeology) , public relations , face (sociological concept) , bridge (graph theory) , competition (biology) , work (physics) , service (business) , sociology , pedagogy , political science , psychology , computer science , business , paleontology , social science , ecology , marketing , artificial intelligence , medicine , engineering , mechanical engineering , biology
Leaders who are engaged in sustained inquiry around a topic face a variety of tensions. These tensions include navigating the competing priorities associated with the leadership role as well as the learner role. Acknowledging the nuances of each of these roles requires an intentional balance to ensure that the roles work in service to one another, not in competition. Leaders can provide invaluable context around what they learn to ensure successful, lasting implementation. Leaders must also confront the reality of the “knowing‐doing” gap. The disparity between research and practice requires the learner to engage in careful inquiry as well as purposeful translation of those ideas to support the implementation of evidence‐based strategies into classrooms and schools. Leaders have a window to identify barriers to implementation and consider how to bridge the gap between research and practice. Developing practices that acknowledge these tensions are essential for school leaders who seek to build a coalition of learners and implement what they have learned to make a meaningful difference within their school communities. When leaders identify these tensions, they are empowered to share what they have learned in ways that will make a lasting difference in their schools.