Teacher Leadership and Teaming: Creativity within Schools in China

Abstract

Preparing today’s children and youth to become active, responsive adults in transforming global societies requires that schools change dramatically. To work towards this goal is daunting in light of educational policies and school structures that hinder teamwork and creativity. Despite challenges due to education policies, traditional school structures, and teacher-culture expectations, teacher leadership and teamwork have nonetheless emerged in many countries. This article reports interesting and even surprising preliminary findings about education in China gathered through onsite school observations and interviews with teachers and principals. The popular belief that Chinese education is uniformly creatively impoverished and that schools are nothing but robotic learning environments are dispelled.