Distributed Leadership

Distributed Leadership

Effective leadership in digital and collaborative environments expects teachers to have a large skill set beyond just techniques and lessons, especially when the learning happens online. The integration of digital and collaborative practices in the classroom requires teachers to have an understanding of how to lead learning online. The teacher still plays an important role in leading the learning environment and even when conducting activities that are led by the students, like online discussions, active direction by the teacher is needed. 

Distributed leadership requires all teachers to take responsibility for the leadership, if they are in a formal leadership role or not. It involves both the staff and students taking on leadership within the school. It is very closely linked to collaboration, in that distributed leadership builds interdependence. Distributed leadership in schools looks like teachers genuinely collaborating, formal leaders giving people more roles and responsibility in their areas of expertise and formal leaders providing the invitation (safe culture) for informal leaders to come forward.

"...leadership involves mortals aswel as heroes. It involves the many and not just the few. It is about leadership practice, not simply roles and positions. And leadership practice is about interactions, not just the actions of heroes." (p. 18)

Jones, S. (n.d.). Distributed Leadership. Retrieved April 15, 2016, from http://www.distributedleadership.com.au/