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Complexities of leading a project
In this module participants will consider some of the complexities of leading a project which:
- delivers a drug education programme for the youngest students in the school;
- maintains a classroom environment (teaching, learning, approaches and layout) that is resilience-building for all students; and
- explicitly teaches skills that develop social and emotional competencies for all the early years’ students.
This will involve reflection on:
- what skills and plans are needed;
- how to mobilise the staff;
- what ideas to take on board;
- who will be the prime movers; and
- how to generate short term gains and maintain momentum.
Project leadership
Successful project leaders usually have a clear understanding of how they will drive change in their schools. They adopt and adapt approaches as they see fit.
Sometimes the processes they adapt are taken from the research literature. At other times their educational system adopts a model for leading initiatives or change. Confident leaders sometimes mix a number of approaches and develop their own processes for leading projects.
It is quite acceptable to use any of the approaches mentioned above. It is clear from successful practitioners and the national and international literature, however, that a number of key themes should feature in a project such as All REDI for the Early Years of Schooling.
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Common Themes
The themes emerging are:
- the need to focus on staff and community beliefs and values;
- the importance of engaging and involving staff;
- the need for skilling, knowledge acquisition and professional development;
- the need for the project to operate in a positive culture that has high expectations of success;
- the need to consider relevant resources and appropriate management of them;
- the importance of relationship building with a focus on human needs;
- the importance of making decisions based on data, reliable information and/or evidence;
- clear understandings and agreement about key terms such as resilience-building, social and emotional competence and drug education for the early years;
- focused planning with associated monitoring; and
- the need to maximise the culture of the classroom and school environments in support of the project.
Unpacking the Project
Step 1: Aspects of school culture
Step 2: Identifying goals and desired outcomes
Step 3: Identifying concerns or issues
Step 4: Develop an action plan
Step 5: Establish milestones and timelines
Step 6: Implement the plan
Step 7: Monitor progress
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