Leadership for Learning through Professional Learning Communities

Transcription

1 Leadership for Learning through Professional Learning Communities Professor Louise Stoll London Centre for Leadership in Learning Institute of Education, University of London Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training Ungdomstrinn I utvikling Nettverk for utviklingsveiledere 22 September 2014

2 Session outline What is a professional learning community and why is it important to leadership for learning? Recognising professional learning community Stimulating professional learning community development from the outside

3 7 Survival Skills Critical thinking and problem solving Collaboration across networks leading by influence Agility and adaptability Initiative and entrepreneurship Effective oral and written communication Accessing and analysing information Curiosity and imagination Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Wagner (2008)

4 the kind of education needed today requires teachers to be highlevel knowledge workers who constantly advance their own professional knowledge as well as that of their profession. Istance and Vincent-Lancrin with Van Damme, Schleicher and Weatherby (OECD, 2012)

5 Understanding Capacity and analysis... allows people, individually and collectively, routinely to learn from the world around them and to apply this learning to new situations so that they can continue on a path toward their goals in an everchanging context. Stoll and Earl (2003)

6 Who are they? inclusive, trusting, mutually supportive groups of people within and between schools reflective, challenging and growth-oriented What do they do? investigate, learn more about and deepen their practice collaborative deprivatise practice Make creating capacity a habit of mind: develop professional learning communities How do they make a difference? by creating new knowledge and developing their capacity, including teacher effectiveness through their collective responsibility for pupils and colleagues learning Why do they do it? to enhance all pupils learning PLC is not an end in itself it is a means to the ultimate purpose

7 PLCs make a difference to student learning (achievement and engagement) when: teachers analyse impact of teaching practice on student learning and achievement they are supported to process new understandings and implications for teaching the culture is focused on improving students and staff learning Bolam et al (2006), Vescio et al (2008), Lomas et al (2010)

8 Characteristics of professional learning communities Insprerende kjerneformål og felles fokus Samarbeid om utforskning av og innovasjon i felles praksis Respektfulle, tillitsfulle og stimulerende relasjoner Distribuert ledelse og kollektivt ansvar Overvåkning av prosesser og tegn på virkning Støttende arkitektur` og kultur Eksterne nettverk, og kritiske venner

9 Go beyond the Land of Nice In education s Land of Nice, being nice to each other is equated with not challenging each other. City et al (2010)

10 Four dimensions of relational trust 1. Respect 2. Competence 3. Personal regard for others 4. Integrity Bryk and Schneider (2002)

11 Effective professional development challenges thinking as a fundamental part of changing practice The result of professional learning isn t only visible in changes in practice but also in one s thinking about the how and why of that practice. Kelchtermans (2004) Intentional interruption Katz and Dack (2012) Stoll, Harris and Handscomb (2012)

12 Spirals of Inquiry For equity and quality What s going on for our learners? How do we know? Why does this matter? SCANNING What s going on for our learners? CHECKING Have we made enough of a difference? FOCUSING What does our focus need to be? Where are we going to place our attention? DEVELOPING A HUNCH What is leading to this situation? How are we contributing to it? TAKING ACTION What will we do differently? LEARNING [New professional] How and where can we learn more about what to do? Halbert and Kaser (2013)

13 The Research Lesson process 1. Analysing data and identifying focus 2. Identifying lesson study group and setting ground rules 3. Connecting with, and draw on what is already known about focus before starting 4. Identifying 3 case pupils 5. Jointly planning a research lesson based on the case pupils needs 6. Jointly observing and capturing data 7. Jointly analysing and recording being explicit about what has been learnt 8. Finding ways of helping others learn from what has been learnt NCSL (2005) based on Jigyoukenkyuu Japanese Lesson Study

14 Ealing PLC s Learning Review Host school formulates key question Host team introduces key question, theory and context to review team Lesson observations, interviews, looking at schemes of work Learning conversations between pairs of reviewers Review team conversation and agreeing feedback Feedback to host school Host school plans action

15 Ealing Professional Learning Community reviewer feedback form What do you see, hear, think is going on for students? Area and focus of enquiry: So what conditions for learning or adult behaviours facilitate what is going on? Summary comment for end of day feedback what key strengths could the school build on to further develop learning?

16 Can you see professional learning community?

17 What catches your eye as you walk around the schools you support? What messages do these things give out? Are they about learning for all?

18 Can you hear professional learning community?

19 Working at this school has offered me fantastic opportunities to think about myself as a teacher and a person. It does keep me enthusiastic. I get exhausted. I love teaching in this environment. It s so exciting. It s valuable learning for adults and for children. 19 Stoll et al - Professional Learning Community Source Materials Booklet 5 (2006)

20 I feel we need increased levels of trust, mutual respect and consideration of each other - teachers, teaching assistants and all other staff. We need to pull together more I feel that some people get more opportunities than others - sometimes that can make me feel that I am not valued as much as other people 20 Stoll and Temperley (2007) Creative Leadership Learning Project

21 Depth (level) of talk in social networks of maths teachers Low How to coordinate text, standards, assessment, pacing guides; how to organise the classroom; sharing materials or activities; general discussion of how a lesson went or whether students were getting it Medium High How lesson went, including why; detailed planning, including discussing why; specific = detailed discussion of whether students were learning (but not how they learn); discussing teaching strategies in the context of observations; doing maths problems with discussion Talk related to one or more of the following pedagogical principles underlying teaching and learning approaches; how students learn, or the nature of students mathematical thinking; mathematical principles or concepts Coburn and Russell (2008) How deep is talk between teachers in the schools you work with?

22 Important dimensions in professional learning communities Etablere/ utvikle inspirerende kjerneformål og felles fokus Fremme samarbeid om utforskning av og innovasjon i felles praksis Pleie respektfulle, tillitsfulle og stimulerende relasjoner Praktisere distribuert ledelse og kollektivt ansvar Overvåke egne prosesser og lete etter tegn på virkning Sikre støttende arkitektur` og kultur Koble seg til eksterne nettverk, og kritiske venner

23 Auditing the current situation in relation to your vision for the future Gap analysis questionnaire Each item is rated on two scales A. How it is now B. How you think it should be 5 = strongly agree 5 = extremely important 4 = agree 4 = important 3 = uncertain 3 = fairly important 2 = disagree 2 = not very important 1 = strongly disagree 1 = not at all important Structures (time, space etc) are organised to support staff collaboration

24 Complete the gap analysis questionnaire for a school that you support. Share your ratings with your team. What issues would you need to consider in helping rektors you support use this questionnaire in their schools?

25 Staff questionnaire results Statements A %agree % uncertain %disagree B % important % less important % unimportant Structures (time, space etc) A are organised to support B staff collaboration Staff engage in collaborative A enquiry to enhance learning B and teaching High levels of trust and A mutual respect exist here B

26 Work settings are language communities... All leaders are leading language communities. Though every person, in every setting, has some opportunity to influence the nature of the language, leaders have exponentially greater access and opportunity to shape, alter or ratify the existing language rules. Kegan and Lahey (2001) How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work

27 Learning conversations... how educators make meaning together and jointly come up with new insights and knowledge. These conversations lead to intentional change to enhance practice and pupil learning. Stoll (2012)

28 Stimulus for conversation What People Know Knowledge of those involved. People s experience New Knowledge Knowledge created together through learning conversations and collaborative activity What Is Known Knowledge from theory, research and best practice Stimulus for conversation Adapted from NCSL (2006)

29 What conditions that rektors can create might improve learning conversations between teachers in the schools you support?

30 Critical Friend

31 Panic zone Learning zone Comfort zone Senninger (2000)

32 Architecture (structures) - facilitating development of PLCs Roles - coordinator(s)/ champions Ensuring time Links with development plan and performance management Thinking about space Staff deployment and hiring policies Resources eg research articles, protocols Communication mechanisms, including social media Adapted from Bolam et al (2005)

33 Deliberate practice is purposeful in that it seeks to improve performance by focusing on specific elements. What opportunities do teachers have to practise their new learning? Stobart (2014)

34 Supporting PLC development from outside

35 Etablere/ utvikle inspirerende kjerneformål og felles fokus Fremme samarbeid om utforskning av og innovasjon i felles praksis Pleie respektfulle, tillitsfulle og stimulerende relasjoner Praktisere distribuert ledelse og kollektivt ansvar Overvåke egne prosesser og lete etter tegn på virkning Sikre støttende arkitektur` og kultur Koble seg til eksterne nettverk, og kritiske venner In your table group decide on the top three dimensions you would choose in order of importance if you want to help a school develop its PLC (1 = most important, 2 = next, 3 = third) Would you make any changes to the top three if you want to help a school develop a successful PLC? What about helping a school develop a sustainable PLC?