Principal Deputy Head, Harrow Shanghai
Simon Probert is Deputy Head at Harrow Shanghai. He has been based in and around East Asia since 2008, and alongside an interest in Chinese culture and language, has developed a strong interest in ways in which the values of international schools are reflected in the cultural contexts in which they operate. This has been the focus of his doctorate which has examined student perceptions of internationalism in international schools, as well as his professional role where he has spent time reflecting on ways local values and culture can be integrated into the curricula and ethos of the schools he has worked in. He has published a number of papers on this, including two in the Journal of Research in International Education, as well as appearing on Shane Leaning's Global Ed Leaders Podcast.
The notion of Cultural Responsive Pedagogy relates to ways both teachers and school leaders need to adopt a more dynamic relationship between home/community culture and school culture. Whilst from a pedagogical perspective this links to ways teachers adapt their pedagogy to ensure it is aligned with the cultural needs and backgrounds of our students, from a leadership perspective it is indicative of ways we need to be dependent on localised as well as Westernised approaches to leadership when working with staff from non-Western cultural contexts. In turn, this has clear relevance with International School leaders in Asia, as they seek to develop relationships with local as well as expat staff, interactions between leaders modelling expectations for students interaction, and those of the broader school communities. This presentation will use the research on leadership in Confucian societies, as well as broader research on ethical leadership to consider models for leadership when working in International Education in an East Asian Cultural Context.