Secondary Principal Leadership and the Impact on Engaging Hands-on Learning Strategies

Authors

Sarah MorrisonFollow
Ray Thompson, Texas A&M University-CommerceFollow

Short Title

Impact on Engaging Hands-On Learning Strategies

Keywords

principal leadership, engaging strategies, hands-on learning

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to understand how secondary campus principals build capacity in teachers to actively engage students in the processes of meaningful learning. Secondary campus principals should continuously work with teachers in a team setting in order to implement best practices. In recent years, “researchers in educational leadership have called for a new sustainable model for the future” and one must rethink how engagement aligns for student success. Hands-on learning can be instrumental in increasing student engagement, which, in turn, builds student capacity, students who do not feel challenged often become bored in the educational setting, directly contradicting the purpose of an education, which is to provide elements of inspiration that create lifelong learners.

Hands-on learning strategies are comprised of many different forms in the classroom; however, they all align with engagement for students. The campus principal must ensure that the teacher is engaging students in their educational pursuits, and not creating the same pattern of worksheet behavior that drives students to be less engaged. The key to building engagement in teachers is to create elements of leadership that the principal can assist them with from a team mentality. Leadership for the campus principal matters and principals must understand how the limitations, resources, and opportunities impact how he/she needs to behave for effectiveness.. This is a narrative qualitative study which allows the researcher to question and better define how secondary principals view themselves as instructional leaders, and in what capacity this relates to engagement throughout the school year.

Recommended Citation

Morrison, Sarah and Thompson, Ray (2021) "Secondary Principal Leadership and the Impact on Engaging Hands-on Learning Strategies," School Leadership Review: Vol. 16: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/slr/vol16/iss1/1