Educational Leaders and Teacher Leaders’ Roles in Humanizing Education

Abstract

Modern education is designed to shape students as a piece of marble. Through such a system, students are supposed to be shaped like lifeless physical objects. When educational process is concerned, this system accepts art of teaching as filling students with knowledge like filling a bottle from a tap which ignores basic human values and solidarity. Whereas students need to determine their own ways in their nature. In this respect, teachers’ practices may play important roles to settle values among students. Therefore, this qualitative study purposed to explore how teacher leaders influence pedagogical change toward a humanizing education. Through this study; physical environment, pedagogical learning environment and leadership practices are highlighted as the characteristics of a humanizing education. Results reveal that teachers have tremendous influences on humanizing education but none of the characteristics of humanizing education is implemented properly in the Turkish educational system. Also, physical and pedagogical learning environments are not designed according to human needs and leaders’ management practices do not allow to humanize education.