Using Effective Listening, Negotiating, and Reflecting to Promote Constructive School Collaboration: A Theoretical Analysis

Volume 13 Issue 3 December - February 2018

Research Paper

Using Effective Listening, Negotiating, and Reflecting to Promote Constructive School Collaboration: A Theoretical Analysis

Gabrielle L. McBath*

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Northcentral University, USA

Mcbath, G. (2018). Using Effective Listening, Negotiating, and Reflecting to Promote Constructive School Collaboration: A Theoretical Analysis. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology, 13(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.13.3.13950

Abstract

There are numerous reasons why human connectivity fails in contemporary United States K-12 school districts ranging from overlooking faculty contribution to disregarding their individualism. Often, the need to fill mandates supersedes the bond between school leaders and faculty, and faculty to students. Leadership must be a collective effort, as one individual cannot have all the capabilities, knowledge, and resources to work alone. It is defined therefore as a malleable concept: connecting actions to ideas; it fails in isolation. The objectives of this literature-based study are to investigate how school leaders delegate effectively to faculty, as well as contribute productively to a district's goals. Three benchmarks of effective listening, negotiating, and reflecting promoted constructive leadership within a school environment. Behavioral errors of listening and negotiating prompted a need to find solutions. These solutions are, (a) examining errors within the aforementioned behavioral criteria, (b) precipitating the solution of story-telling, (c) collaborating work efforts, and (d) maintaining a reflection log. However, further research is needed to assess why there are stronger individual efforts within collaborative work projects.