Self-assessment is essential for professional development
?The roles of teacher, researcher, and administrator are distinct, yet their roles often overlap.?
A teacher’s primary focus is educating students, preparing lesson plans, and assessing student performance. Skills required are communication, subject knowledge, and instructional skills. Among the challenges are balancing individual student needs, updating teaching methods, and managing classroom dynamics.
A researcher’s primary focus is conducting research, publishing findings, and advancing knowledge in a specific field. Skills required are analytical thinking, problem-solving, and writing. Among the challenges are securing funding, staying current with advancements, and meeting publication deadlines.
An administrator’s primary focus is managing educational institutions, developing policies, and overseeing faculty and staff. Skills required are leadership, organizational skills, strategic planning, and budgeting. Among the challenges are balancing administrative duties with educational goals, handling conflicts, and implementing policies.
Effective communication skills are crucial across all roles.
Many educators transition into research or administrative roles as they advance in their careers, leveraging their experience in teaching to their new responsibilities. Often a good teacher is pushed to do research for professional advancement. A good teacher need not be a good researcher. A good researcher is not necessarily a good administrator but is often pushed for an administrative role. The pressures and pathways in academia often push individuals into roles that may not align with their primary strengths or interests.?
For career advancement, particularly in higher education, there is often an expectation to contribute to research. This can be challenging for those who are more inclined towards teaching, as research demands a different set of skills and significant time investment. Institutions sometimes want top researchers to take up administrative roles, believing that their success in research will translate to leadership and management capabilities. This often leads to skill mismatch.?
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Strategic planning, people management, and organizational skills differ significantly from research. A good researcher may not have the necessary inclination or skills to handle administrative responsibilities effectively. By acknowledging these distinctions and creating supportive structures, academic institutions can foster a more balanced and effective environment for educators, researchers, and administrators alike.
The practice of thrusting leadership roles onto good teachers or researchers can often stem from a misunderstanding of what constitutes effective leadership and an assumption that excellence in one area translates to excellence in another. A good teacher primarily focuses on facilitating learning and fostering a supportive classroom environment.
Good researchers excel in critical thinking, data analysis, and methodological rigour. Good leaders require different skills, including strategic vision, decision-making, conflict resolution, and the ability to inspire and manage teams. Leadership also involves administrative tasks, organizational planning, and handling interpersonal dynamics. Just because someone is an excellent teacher or researcher does not mean they will be effective in a leadership role. Leadership requires specific skills and aptitudes that may not be present in every successful teacher or researcher.
It's quite common for teachers and researchers to refuse leadership roles for various reasons. Many teachers and researchers don’t feel encouraged to spend time on administrative activities. Despite the perks, administrative burdens don’t appeal to them. They don’t like to disturb their work-life balance.? Administrative roles can be stressful, involving complex decision-making, conflict resolution, and accountability for the performance of others. They don’t want to sacrifice the autonomy a teacher or a researcher enjoys. They want their time to be their own. Moreover, everyone is not made for leadership roles. A good actor is not necessarily a good director, and vice-versa.
Indeed, the perks associated with leadership roles many times overshadow the potential mismatch between a person's skills or interests and the demands of such roles. Besides increased financial compensation, other incentives are prestige and recognition the position brings. The position offers opportunities for personal and professional growth. Leaders have greater access and control over institutional resources.?
Leadership role is not an obligatory step for career advancement. Hybrid roles are often helpful. The outstanding contributions of teachers/researchers must be valued and rewarded. My experience suggests that evaluating a good teacher is more complex than evaluating a good researcher. Honest student feedback is very important and that includes teaching methods, interaction with students,? classroom management, and student assessment.?
Self-assessment is an essential part of professional development.? A mediocre teacher and a researcher can be a good leader. A good leader can see the big picture.? Someone who might struggle with the minutiae of teaching or research could still be effective in setting strategic direction and making high-level decisions. Evaluating leadership potential based on relevant skills and attributes, rather than solely on teaching or research performance, can lead to more effective and dynamic leadership within institutions.