Awakening the Sleeping Giant
Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders
- Marilyn Katzenmeyer - University of South Florida, College of Education
- Gayle Moller - Western Carolina University, Bardo Distinguished Professor
Continuing Professional Development | Staff Leadership | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles
'Katzenmeyer and Moller usher in a new age of teacher leadership, an age of mutuality in learning and leading, broad-based participation, and shared responsibility. Their work is based on the powerful assumption that all of us—especially teachers—have the right, capacity, and responsibility to lead'—Linda Lambert, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Hayward
'This seminal text left me nothing short of energized when I first picked it up almost ten years ago. Filled with new surveys, tools, and suggestions for today's teacher leader, the newest edition is simply a must-read for anyone driving meaningful change in the classrooms of our country'—Bill Ferriter, Senior Fellow Teacher Leaders Network
This third edition of a bestseller draws on the authors' two decades of experience in studying and observing the work of teacher leaders. Marilyn Katzenmeyer and Gayle Moller expand on the definition of leadership and its importance to improving outcomes in schools, and cover the careerlong development of teacher leaders from preservice preparation programmes through ongoing support for veteran teacher leaders.
This exceptional, teacher-focused resource discusses three factors critical to stepping into a leadership role: sustaining teacher leadership relationships between adults in the school, organizational structures, and the actions of the principal. The authors discuss the challenges that many teacher leaders face, including:
- Deciding to accept a leadership role
- Building principal–teacher leader relationships
- Working with peers
- Facilitating professional learning for themselves and others
With the latest research from the teacher leadership literature and new teacher inventories and surveys, this updated edition of Awakening the Sleeping Giant demonstrates the benefits of investing in teachers and their learning to sustain meaningful change in today's schools.
"The ultimate for those who promote teacher leadership and those who would be teacher leaders."
"This seminal text left me nothing short of energized when I first picked it up almost ten years ago. Drawing from their continued experience developing and defining teacher leadership, Katzenmeyer and Moller bring additional transparency to a widely recognized concept that remains poorly understood. Filled with new surveys, tools, and suggestions for today’s teacher leader, the newest edition is simply a must-read for anyone driving meaningful change in the classrooms of our country."
"Katzenmeyer and Moller usher in a new age of teacher leadership, an age of mutuality in learning and leading, broad-based participation, and shared responsibility. Their work is based on the powerful assumption that all of us—especially teachers—have the right, capacity, and responsibility to lead."
This is a great resource for generating discussion within the course. The students found it accessible and thought-provoking.
In this third edition the authors share experience and the insights gained over the past two decades in studying and observing the work of teacher leaders. In writing this latest edition, the authors reexamined their teacher leadership beliefs and matched these beliefs with more recent experiences with teacher leaders around the country. The definition of teacher leadership has been expanded, and the book includes new content related to the evolution of teacher leadership since the second edition was written. New teacher leader scenarios have been added along with thoughts on promoting teacher leadership. Recent thinking on the career-long development of teacher leaders, beginning with pre-service preparation programs through on-going support for experienced teacher leaders, has been included. New content focuses on the implications of generational differences among faculty members and offers clues to building relationships with those who bring diverse perspectives to the workplace. The school context for supporting teacher leadership is analyzed, and a set of dimensions evident in schools where teacher leadership is thriving are offered.
A new chapter, Emerging Teacher Leadership and Its Challenges, has been added to the third edition. In this chapter, the authors share three factors critical to sustaining teacher leadership in schools including 1) relationships between adults in the school, 2) the organizational structures, and 3) the actions of the principal. In this latest edition the authors provide more fully developed ideas on steps for teacher leaders in influencing colleagues, their schools and their districts. Focusing on the vast numbers of teachers now serving as instructional leaders in their schools and districts, the authors acquaint readers of this new edition with timely new content related to the four challenges many teacher leaders face: deciding to accept a leadership role, building principal/teacher leader relationships, working with peers and facilitating professional learning for self and others. In a second new chapter, Building a Future for Teacher Leadership, the authors disclose their thinking about teacher leadership as they envision it unfolding including areas for advocacy and change to assure the future is a positive one.
The third edition contains updated references from teacher leadership literature and research throughout each chapter. The content is further enhanced by the inclusion of two new instruments, the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment and the Teacher Leadership School Survey. In addition, new print and on-line resources are provided to aid those who wish to study teacher leadership in greater depth. Several new tables are added to explain concepts including new theories of teaching and learning, power bases, strategies of continuous development for teacher leaders, and generational expectations and needs. New application challenges provide action steps for each teacher leadership stakeholder group. The responsibility for advocating for teacher leadership falls on the shoulders of people in diverse roles, including principals, superintendents, district staff, college and university personnel, and especially teachers themselves.