THE ILE HANDBOOK PRELIMINARY DRAFT

Transcription

1 November 2015 THE ILE HANDBOOK PRELIMINARY DRAFT This is a very preliminary draft of the ILE Handbook. It is still missing two tools. The tools themselves are preliminary, and have received no feedback [except for Tool 2.1 which has been extensively tested, and Tool 4.1 which was used in an ILE workshop in June 2103]. The intention is to circulate a completed draft for comment and possible field-testing. This phase may reveal certain tools to be inadequate or to require revision, and other tools altogether may be suggested. Once this phase has been completed, it is intended to finalise the ILE Handbook for wider circulation. Precisely what form this should best take has yet to be decided and indeed one question for feedback will be about the form and format the Handbook should take for wider circulation. 1

2 INTRODUCTION TO THE ILE HANDBOOK This Handbook is prepared at the culmination of the Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) project run from OECD s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. It is aimed at those working in leadership, policy and practice who are looking especially for succinct frameworks, findings and practical tools to innovate in their own settings. Its purpose is two-fold: To offer a succinct summary of the main frameworks, findings and messages from the OECD/ILE work, written in non-technical language (the overview sections in each of the four chapters). To present a set of practical tools in each of the chapters applying these frameworks. These tools both frame questions that users might address in review, planning and professional development exercises and suggest evidence that they might collect as part of tool application. The tools are broadly conceived. In their application in specific situations, they will need to be adapted and will require facilitation. How such facilitation should best be done will depend importantly on the context in which the tool is being applied as well as the means at the disposal of users. Any suggestions about facilitation will be most welcome. The tools also differ in the time needed to use them. Some are explicitly long term, such as Tool 1.2 (the Spiral of Inquiry) or Tool 3.3 (Evaluative Thinking). Others need several sessions to be applied but the time period of consequent change is left unspecified (Tool 2.1 on the 7+3 framework). Others may be rapid to undertake but assume both that substantial work has gone on beforehand and will follow on completion of the exercise (such as the Theory of Change tool, 4.1). Others are about scanning and situating and do not have a specific time agenda (such as Tool 2.2 on conditions to realise the 7+3 framework or the teacher scenario tool, 4.3). Where the Handbook comes from The ILE project has been realised through three strands, which have been both project organisers but also the fundamental interlocking components which together are needed to understand learning change and system innovation: Learning Research Innovative Cases. Implementation and Change. 2

3 This has been based on the conviction of: a) the need to ground all the work firmly in knowledge about how people learn and the circumstances in which they do this most powerfully; b) the need to understand in detail and to be inspired by actual innovative learning environments but without taking these as best practice ; c) the need to move beyond the level of individual cases to deepen understanding of how to grow, spread and sustain innovative practice beyond the small scale. In addition to the main publication on each of these strands, ILE gave supplementary focus to learning leadership which resulted in a further publication. Altogether this made for four main ILE publications and these define the four sections of this Handbook. The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice, [Dumont, Istance, and Benavides, (eds.), 2010]. Innovative Learning Environments, Leadership for 21st Century Learning, Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems, There have been additional project working papers published by OECD and these are referred to in the to find out more sections of this Handbook. Also included are the additional sources drawn on, notably for the Spiral of Inquiry tool in Chapter 1, and the teacher scenario tool in Chapter 4. The four chapters, each divided into overview and tools, are: Chapter One: The Learning Principles Chapter Two: The ILE 7+3 Framework Chapter Three: Learning Leadership and Evaluative Thinking Chapter Four: Transformation and Change. 3

4 1. THE ILE LEARNING PRINCIPLES 1.1. The ILE Learning Principles in brief Learning research should deeply inform educational policy and practice. The close understanding of learning has been embedded in the design of the OECD international study on Innovative Learning Environments (ILE). Authoritative research reviews on different aspects of learning by prominent experts were undertaken to lay the foundation for ILE at the beginning, (Dumont et al. 2010). Identifying the fundamentals of learning provides the design principles to shape both individual learning environments and wider systems. Therefore these principles are proposed as fundamental to all schools and learning settings as offering the building blocks of design, improvement and innovation. The force and relevance of these learning principles do not reside in each one taken in isolation from the others. They are not proposed as a menu from which to cherry pick some favourites while ignoring the rest. OECD proposes that all of them should be informing practice and design. Hence, they provide a demanding framework in which all should be present in some way for a learning environment or a system to be judged truly effective. Any practice or strategy may address several principles at the same time. Take assessment. Often students monitor and assess their own learning and their accomplishments (principle learner centredness ), the assessments are highly individualised (principle sensitivity to individual differences ), and are thus much more motivating (principle responsiveness to motivations and emotions ). Often, peers (principle the social nature of learning ), parents and others are involved (principle horizontal connectedness ) are involved. It may well be impossible, however, for a school or district to start working on all seven principles with equal priority at the same time. Work on one or another on engagement and emotions, say, or personalisation or formative feedback or horizontal connectedness will more often provide the lens and the energy to bring the others into focus. The proposed tools for this section recognise this need for choice and focus. LEARNING PRINCIPLE ONE: The learning environment recognises the learners as its core participants, encourages their active engagement, and develops in them an understanding of their own activity as learners This principle means that learning should be at the front and centre of everything that the school or any other learning environment does and to actively engage all students. And it should develop in them the capacity to 4

5 understand themselves as learners, capable of adjusting their learning strategies to be able to learn more effectively. This principle means that learning centeredness should permeate the priorities of the learning organisation, whether it is a school or another site for learning. The second key aspect of this learning principle is engagement: if students are not engaged how can they meaningfully learn? This is about both each individual learner engaging and of ensuring that all learners are engaged. The principle s third element is to stress that learners become capable in how they plan, organise and monitor their own learning. They should be active in developing their own learning goals and be capable to assess what they have already accomplished and what still needs to be done. When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, we would expect that teachers would locate student learning, learner engagement and success consistently at or near the top of their professional priorities. We would expect teachers to be knowledgeable about the nature of children s and young people s learning and to get more knowledgeable as they get more experienced. As young people come to understand themselves as learners they would become articulate about the nature and activity of their own learning and that of peers. Other members of the learning environment community should be able to articulate the centrality of young people s learning as would inspection and quality assurance systems. LEARNING PRINCIPLE TWO: The learning environment is founded on the social nature of learning and actively encourages well-organised cooperative learning Learning depends on interacting with others, even though of course there is an important place for quiet private self-study. Those others may be teachers or other educators, it may be with peers. It may be face-to-face or it may be at a distance. It may be through different media. It may well involve community learning, including inter-generational contact with seniors. Studies have demonstrated the robust effects of co-operative forms of learning when done well. This means that group work needs to be much more thoughtful and designed to enable learning by all than simply letting young people talk and share tasks. It may be supported by communication technologies through discussion boards, blogs, forums, chat-rooms and messaging. The ability to cooperate and learn together should be fostered as a 21 st century competence, quite apart from its demonstrated impact on measured learning outcomes. When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, we would expect learning environments to be alive with the buzz of collegial activity 5

6 and learning, though not necessarily all the time. Learning spaces, building layout, seating arrangements and the like would also reflect preparedness for group work. We would expect enquiry, problem-solving and project-based pedagogies would all be widespread. LEARNING PRINCIPLE THREE: The learning professionals within the learning environment are highly attuned to the learners motivations and the key role of emotions in achievement Learning should not be understood as a purely cognitive activity as students emotions and motivations are an integral part of successful learning. Students are more motivated to work hard and engage in learning when the content is meaningful and interesting to them. They need to feel competent to do what is expected of them and learn better when they experience positive emotions. Learners need to become attuned to their emotions and motivation if they are successfully to develop strategies for their own learning. Using technology in co-operative learning, inquiry-based learning, and service learning is effective partly because of its capacity to motivate and engage learners. Being highly attuned to motivations and emotions is not an exhortation to be nice - misplaced encouragement anyway does more harm than good but is first and foremost about making learning more effective, not more enjoyable (though if it is, that is an added bonus). When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, educators and others in learning communities will be articulate about emotions. We would expect educational discourse, and the language used by learners and their families and other members of the learning community, would reflect the understanding that emotions are an integral part of learning success. Teachers and other educators will have sophisticated pedagogical understanding and expertise so that they know how to challenge and push young people without ridicule or demotivation. LEARNING PRINCIPLE FOUR: The learning environment is acutely sensitive to the individual differences among the learners in it, including their prior knowledge Students differ in a myriad ways regarding their abilities, competencies, motivations and emotions; they differ significantly too in their linguistic, cultural and social backgrounds. A major challenge for all learning environments is to be sensitive to these differences, understand the different 6

7 starting points of their students, and adapt learning activities to them. Understanding these differences is an integral element of understanding the strengths and limitations of individuals and groups of learners, as well as the motivations that so shape the learning process. Prior knowledge and cultural capital are critically shaped by the family and community as sources of learning. Technology is an important means to realise the individualisation of information, communication, and materials. Recording individual progress in a formal way, with the active involvement of the learners themselves, permits the information to move from inside the teacher s head to become more visible and useful to the learner, to the teachers in general, and to others, including parents. When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, it will be reflected in the mix and diversity of pedagogical practices being exercised - shared whole-class or multi-class learning activities, targeted small group or individual learning activities specifically for particular learners; face-to-face, virtual and blended learning; school- and community-based. We would expect there to be thorough-going formative assessment throughout learning environments. As the learning becomes more personalised so does the active role of the learners themselves become more powerful. LEARNING PRINCIPLE FIVE: The learning environment devises programmes that demand hard work and challenge from all without excessive overload That learning environments are more effective when they are sensitive to individual differences stems also from the fact that each learner needs to be constantly pushed just up to and above their own sense of what they are capable of doing. No-one should be allowed to coast for any significant time on work that does not stretch them. By the same token, simply increasing pressure to overload does not make for deep and lasting learning. When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, growth mindsets will predominate over conceptions of education that assume fixed capabilities to learn with schools seeing their role to be of confirming preexisting talents and so to be sifting and sorting institutions. We would expect an absence of procedures whose main purpose is to sort and select out learners when instead they would be about developing talent across the whole range of achievement and interest. There will be thorough-going personalisation and innovation, as educators and learning communities devise ways of stretching all learners. LEARNING PRINCIPLE SIX: The learning environment operates with clarity of expectations and deploys assessment strategies consistent 7

8 with these expectations; there is strong emphasis on formative feedback to support learning Assessment is essential for student learning: students need regular and meaningful feedback, while teachers need to assess progress on a regular basis in order to adapt their teaching and to personalise. Learners need to understand what is expected of them. Assessments should be consistent with the learning objectives, for otherwise it will be providing information tangential to the main purpose of the learning. The principle is partly about making very clear what the learning is for and how to know when it has been successfully achieved. It is partly about ensuring that the assessment is sensitive to individual strengths and weaknesses so as to adapt activities and materials to the different needs of the students. And, it is partly about valuing feedback so that the assessment serves the formative purpose. The very demanding nature of objective-setting, assessment and feedback implies a different role for the teacher. When this principle is seriously informing practice system-wide, there will be widespread capacity to articulate the methods of formative assessment and use of evidence. Self-review and evidence-informed learning leadership will become increasingly prominent aspects of learning systems. There will be a significant shift away from simple pass/fail and right/wrong judgements towards mastery, understanding, and capacity to transfer and use knowledge. The clarity and demanding expectations extend widely in a culture of high quality teaching and learning, rather than be specific to individual professionals or schools. There will be flourishing new metrics developed and in widespread use, reflecting deep learning and what are often called 21 st century competences. LEARNING PRINCIPLE SEVEN: The learning environment strongly promotes horizontal connectedness across areas of knowledge and subjects as well as to the community and the wider world. A great deal of powerful learning comes about through making connections, and learners being able to make connections for themselves. Learners need to be able to integrate discrete objects of learning into larger frameworks of knowledge, and the subjects of their lessons into the material covered by the larger programmes of study. In this way knowledge can be built on and transferred; it can be used to address unfamiliar problems rather than just the one set by the teachers at a particular time. Connections need to be made across different subjects in inter-disciplinary ways. Meaningful real-life problems do not fit neatly into subject boundaries, and addressing such problems helps to bolster engagement through making the learning more relevant. Connections 8

9 also need to be made between the learning that takes place within schools and the rich sources of knowledge outside. The community and the wider world offer an enormous store of opportunities and sources for learning, as do learner homes. In short, learning environments need to promote horizontal connectedness. With Learning Principle Seven put widely into practice, there will have been extensive work on integrating extensive knowledge and knowledge sources around key concepts, and a great deal of research and development around pedagogical expertise, content knowledge and interdisciplinarity. New assessment metrics and qualifications will be key areas for incentivizing leaders, educators, learners, learning R&D specialists, and the diverse other stakeholders to embrace greater horizontal connectedness. Partnerships and networks will be the norm The principles recast around teachers and educators The seven principles, reformulated around teachers and educators, offer a lens through which to consider their role in the learning environment and system not just the learners. Schools should be powerful learning environments for teachers too and not only for the students. Learning environments and systems should be: Places where educators share a clear priority about the centrality of learning, for their students and themselves, and are fully engaged in meeting that priority; the teachers as well as the students understand themselves as learners. Where teaching is not viewed as a private matter and often is best done collaboratively. Where there is recognition that teachers are emotional beings and perform much more effectively when motivated, which in turn is intricately linked to emotions (satisfaction, self-efficacy, avoidance of helplessness and anxiety etc.) Places which are acutely sensitive to individual differences in the capacities and experiences of each teacher and who are able to build those in personalised ways as well as through shared professional development. Highly demanding for each educator while seeking to avoid excessive overload or stress that diminishes not enhances performance. Where educators work formatively partly through formative assessment and teaching with the learners and partly through the organisational design strategies that use rich evaluative information on the teaching and learning taking place. 9

10 There is horizontal connectedness to which educators centrally contribute - across activities and subjects, in- and out-of-school including with other partners engaged in the learning environment (community, cultural and enterprise partners), and with other schools and organisations with which educators are connected. The characteristics of a dynamic, effective 21 st learning environment call for new definitions of educator roles, in which their own learning is central too. These principles mirror those formulated for students and learners. To find out more: Dumont, H., Istance, D., and Benavides, F. (Eds.) (2010). The Nature of Learning: Using research to inspire practice. Paris: OECD Publishing. Halbert, J. and Kaser, L. (2013) Spirals of Inquiry: for quality and equity. Vancouver: BCPVPA Press. The practitioner guide with web reference and in French and Spanish 10

11 THE TOOLS The purpose of these tools is to suggest ways in which current arrangements might be interrogated using the principles of learning. Tools 1.1 and 1.3 are similar and offer a means of interrogating in greater or lesser depth the principles that have been developed through the ILE project. Tool 1.1 starts naturally with the learning principles as outlined in detail in the introductory text. Tool 1.2 also uses the ILE learning principles but this time with a method that has been developed and field tested by expert innovators (Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser). This is the Spiral of Inquiry, which has been applied in different settings but especially British Columbia, Canada. Tool 1.3 takes the principles as they have been recast around teachers and educators also to invite a process of inquiry and review. The tools could equally be applied in districts or clusters of schools as in individual schools or learning environments. 11

12 Tool 1.1: ASKING AND ANSWERING THE QUESTION - HOW WELL DO WE EMBED THE OECD/ILE LEARNING PRINCIPLES? This tool is about asking searching questions about how well schools and other learning environments are based on knowledge of what makes young people learn best, as embedded in the ILE learning principles. This may be a single school. It may be a group of schools asking this question collectively. It may be a district in which case replace your schools for your school. It need not be restricted to schools: a community learning project for instance might find this tool just as relevant as a school would. This tool may be used for a relatively rapid scan or for a more profound analysis that may take weeks to complete. We propose that it will work best with a more protracted, in-depth analysis but the best should not be the enemy of the good. The simpler review is about scanning your school against the principles Steps One and Two and agreeing on future directions. The more protracted exercise involves going further and gathering evidence and deciding on action to be taken on the basis of your analysis. It is also about following up on your actions to repeat the exercise of identifying how well the principles are being put into practice, ideally with new evidence. There are further basic choices for you to make in applying the tool, especially whether you feel it is more important to focus on those areas which are already strengths or instead whether to focus on those principles which are least well implemented in your school. There is the choice about whether to concentrate on all principles through a particular focus such as writing or number or verbal articulation or inquiry, rather than make everything a priority. Normally it is not realistic to make action on all areas of equal importance and you will need to prioritise. Step One: Familiarisation with the Learning Principles The first step is discussing the meaning of these principles. It is not about how well they apply in your situation this comes next. It is about making sure that everyone understands them. You find them in the introductory text. This is partly about reading them in advance or during an exercise but it is especially about taking the time to discuss them. Step Two: Overviewing the existing situation This is now the time to ask collectively a leadership group or a whole staff or school community how well you think you are putting these principles into 12

13 practice. As we stressed in the introductory text, we see these as a set to be considered as a whole set. So while action will need to prioritise, you will need to ask about how well all seven principles are being put into effect. How far is each principle reflected in your visions, plans and designs? How well is each principle achieved so far in practice, including how well does it reach all learners aimed at? Discuss the ways in which your school, district or cluster reflects the ILE learning principles in a) your intentions, plans and designs; b) implementation in practice. Place the numbers 1 7, corresponding to the learning principles, in the boxes in the top half of the chart corresponding to intentions, plans and designs and place the numbers 1-7 in the boxes in the lower half of the chart corresponding to achievements in practice. Take time to discuss the placements and the reasons for these placements. Note disagreements among participants about the placements but seek a consensus majority viewpoint. Intentions, plans and designs Degree of application of the learning principles Well or Very well Still Far From Enough Achievements in practice Step Three: Gathering the Evidence List the kinds of evidence that will support the assessments of how well your school or learning environment is meeting the different learning principles - in both designs and achievements in practice. Discuss how adequate the evidence identified captures the placements. Gather the available evidence to support these judgements. This process may well take time. If there are disagreements about the extent to which the school or schools are realising one or another of 13

14 the learning principles, it might be that the evidence is able to suggest which of the competing viewpoints is most plausible. [If this evaluative work takes on a greater significance beyond contributing to the exercises outlined here, it may be helpful to think about it in a more systematic way. Tool 3.3 on evaluative thinking gives a structure for doing this.] Then: Revisit the original placement of the numbers on the chart in the light of the evidence. Discuss whether the original placements should be maintained. Return to any disagreements in the original assessments and decide whether the evidence compiled supports one or another point of view. Revise the placements if necessary. Discuss the adequacy of the evidence available that permits the judgements of how well the ILE learning principles are being met in your school/learning environment. Step Four: Deciding on the Course of Action This is the critical stage, if the purpose has been to decide on a strategy of change: In the light of the review and evidence gathering about the ILE learning principles what are the key priorities for change? Why these particular priorities? What are the change strategies to be introduced to make these changes happen? Why is it expected that these strategies will have the desired effects? [Anticipating Step Five] What evidence will show whether the desired changes are happening? What evidence gathering will be put in place to monitor the changes? Step Five: Revisiting the situation After an appropriate time period, review the situation in the light of progress achieved and what the evidence shows. If the change has been disappointing: If the change has been disappointing, how far did we fail to implement an adequate strategy, is it too early to see results, or was our original analysis faulty? If change has lived up to expectations, what should we do next to sustain our progress and to make more? 14

15 Tool 1.2 Building on the Learning Principles through the Spiral of Inquiry Another way of getting teams of educators to work together using the learning principles as been developed by our colleagues Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser in British Columbia (together with Helen Timperley in New Zealand). This is the Spiral of Inquiry and it has been widely applied in Canada and further afield. The Spiral is a way to get experienced educators to engage in collaborative inquiry through a disciplined approach designed to help them to gain the confidence, the insights, and the mindsets required to design powerful learning environments indeed to transform their schools and their systems. One of their central arguments is that: Innovation floats on a sea of inquiry and curiosity is a driver of change. Engaging in the spiral of inquiry (Figure 1.1) provides participants with the experience of leading change in their own settings. Working as a collaborative team with the other members of their cohort builds confidence and allows them to learn quickly from each other s experiences. Source: Halbert and Kaser (2013) Figure 1.1: The Spiral of Enquiry Central to the spiral is the attention at every phase to the experience of the learners framed by three key questions: What s going on for our learners? 15

16 How do we know? and Why does this matter? What distinguishes the inquiry spiral is the relentless focus on the experiences of the learners to frame and inform the process. Scanning The process begins by scanning the learning environment to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of the learners. The scanning process goes far beyond a simple look at available achievement data or results from satisfaction surveys. It involves asking searching questions drawn from the seven ILE learning principles: Do learners see and understand themselves as learners? Are they selfregulated? Are they becoming increasing meta-cognitive? Do learners see and understand the connections across content areas? Are learning professionals tuned into the emotions of learners and the connection between emotions and motivation? Do learners receive high quality focused feedback that provides clear directions for improvement? Are learners confident and comfortable in both giving and receiving feedback with their peers based on co-constructed criteria? Are all learners stretched through demanding, engaging and challenging work? Are learners engaged in high quality, well-organized cooperative learning on a regular basis? Is the prior knowledge that learners bring to the setting respected and valued? Are learners at the centre of every decision made in the school? Scanning is all about collecting a variety of rich evidence about what is going on for learners. It is a process that takes some time. In a reasonable amount of time, generally ranging from one to three months, school inquiry teams can gather a great deal of useful information that covers all essential topics. 16

17 Sharpen the focus on a key area for change Scanning typically raises lots of issues, but there is a limit to how many initiatives any one setting can take on simultaneously. A fragmented or scattered focus will result in overload and confusion. So, inquiry teams now sharpen the focus on an area for change that has high leverage while at the same time being manageable. It is important to avoid premature decisions about what to do. Teams need to have the courage to slow down at this stage to develop a deeper understanding of what is going on in one or two key areas before moving to hasty action. In making the decision about where to focus, the key questions prove very helpful: What is going on for our learners? and How do we know?, so that it may be very helpful to collect further evidence to know what is going on that can influence the choice of focus. Developing hunches The next phase involves developing hunches about the ways in which the learning professionals themselves are contributing to this situation. A hunch is based on intuition and not necessarily grounded in established facts. The key point is the need to have the courage to put ideas on the table and to hear from a range of voices. This often requires courage as it may need confrontation with well-established structures and routines that are actually contributing to the problems. The idea is get a collective understanding of what are the different hunches in play from those most closely involved, and these may as much be the learners as it may be the leadership and teachers. New Learning This hunching stage leads to discussion about what needs to be learned and how that learning will occur. Changing practice involves new learning and designing new adult learning is the critical next step. This phase is critical because better outcomes for learners are the result of teachers and leaders acquiring new knowledge and developing new skills that lead to new action. The main challenge at this stage is to decide what to learn and how to learn it. It means asking why new ways of doing things will be better than what went before. The authors warn to be wary at this stage of pre-packaged solutions, as these may well prove to be insensitive to the particular challenges of the school and learning community and have not involved sufficient collaborative work on the part of that community to arrive at the new learning needed. 17

18 The authors also warn that the integration of new knowledge takes a minimum of a year of focused collaborative effort, and two years is likely to be much better. This shows that full application of the Spiral of Inquiry is not an exercise to identify change that might follow in the future but a powerful means of structuring that change process itself. New actions, and checking New learning leads to new actions. It is about taking informed action that will make a difference. The starting question in applying the spiral is what s going on for the learners? and if the professional learning of the previous phase does not lead to change for the learners themselves, then the movement around the spiral will have stopped just as it was reaching its finale. The final phase involves checking to determine how much of a difference has been made. The authors insist that the key question here is: have we made enough of a difference? It is about having an informed sense of the gains to be expected from the whole process. The authors see this as requiring both a sense of the time needed in order to see change happen and the evidence that will make for valid checking enough of a difference has been made. 18

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20 TOOL 1.3 REFLECTING ON HOW TEACHERS WORK IN LEARNING-CENTRED SETTINGS A set of the principles about teachers and educators The seven principles reformulated offer a lens for addressing teaching and teachers as well as the learning taking place. Schools should be powerful learning environments for teachers too and not only for the students. Learning environments and systems should be: Places where educators share a clear priority about the centrality of learning, for their students and themselves, and are fully engaged in meeting that priority; the teachers as well as the students understand themselves as learners. Where teaching is not viewed as a private matter and often is best done collaboratively. Where there is recognition that teachers are emotional beings and perform much more effectively when motivated, which in turn is intricately linked to emotions (satisfaction, self-efficacy, avoidance of helplessness and anxiety etc.) Places which are acutely sensitive to individual differences in the capacities and experiences of each teacher and who are able to build those in personalised ways as well as through shared professional development. Highly demanding for each educator while seeking to avoid excessive overload or stress that diminishes not enhances performance. Where educators work formatively partly through formative assessment and teaching with the learners and partly through the organisational design strategies that use rich evaluative information on the teaching and learning taking place. There is horizontal connectedness to which educators centrally contribute - across activities and subjects, in- and out-of-school including with other partners engaged in the learning environment (community, cultural and enterprise partners), and with other schools and organisations with which educators are connected. The characteristics of a dynamic, effective 21 st learning environment call for new definitions of educator roles, in which their own learning is central too. These principles mirror those formulated for students and learners. TOOL TO BE SUPPLIED 20

21 2. THE ILE 7+3 FRAMEWORK This chapter presents the OECD/ILE framework to capture arrangements for learning and teaching and the role of innovation within them. We call it 7+3 because it is based on the 7 learning principles (Chapter 1) and three additional dimensions as explained below. It discusses the role of technology, and draws on the discussion of the latest ILE report (OECD, 2015) about the kinds of policies and conditions that we see as conducive to this framework. ILE uses the language of learning environments rather than schools or classrooms. This is because our focus is the organisation of learning itself, not the institutions where this typically takes place (and a great deal of learning occurs outside schools anyway and, even within schools, outside places called classrooms ). If you are a school, we suggest that you will get the most from the ILE tools if you will not dwell on the school s administrative and physical structures but instead on its core business learning and teaching. For ILE, a learning environment : Is an organic whole that refers to the whole experience of learning for given groups of learners and how that is organised; over time, it refers to successive cohorts of them. It is more holistic than particular classes or programmes. It includes the activity and outcomes of learning, rather than being just a location or setting where learning takes place. It enjoys a shared leadership making design decisions about how best to optimise learning for its own participants. The important factor of context is found within the learning environment not just as something to be thought of as surrounding it. Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of this is the way that the learners themselves with their particular social and family experiences bring their existing knowledge, expectations, and cultural values with them right into the learning environment. 21

22 2.1. The ILE 7+3 Framework The framework maintains the 7 learning principles as fundamental to all activities and design but then adds three more dimensions to optimise the conditions for putting the principles into practice (hence 7+3): i. Innovate the pedagogical core. This is about ensuring that the core aims, practices, and dynamics are innovated to match the ambition of the learning principles. ii. iii. Become formative organisations with strong learning leadership. Learning environments and systems need strong design with vision and strategies, constantly informed by evidence on outcomes and progression. Open up to partnerships. A powerful learning environment and learning system will constantly be creating synergies and finding new ways to enhance professional, social and cultural capital with others. We begin with the 3 dimensions as the learning principles have been extensively covered in Chapter 1. Innovating the pedagogical core - key elements and dynamics We define the elements and dynamics at the heart of each learning environment as the pedagogical core. This covers both the core building blocks (elements) and the different ways in which these interact (dynamics). Fig. 2.1: The elements of the pedagogical core 22

23 The OECD/ILE framework identifies four core elements: learners (who?), educators (with whom?), content (what?), and resources (with what?). Rethinking and innovating each of these core elements each by itself and especially all four together is to get into the heart of any learning environment. - Who the learners are may be innovated by, for instance, inviting parents or other family members in to become students or when learners are brought together through communications technologies, sometimes from around the world. - Who the educators are may be open to innovation as different experts, adults, family or community members, and students themselves come together as educators, working with the teachers. - Many approaches may be taken to innovating content, such as emphasising 21st century competences including social learning; interdisciplinary approaches; or giving emphasis to specific areas such as language learning or sustainability. - There are numerous means to innovate resources, extending the reach of the learning environment or digital repertoires through digital resources as well as redesigning facilities and learning spaces. These basic ingredients do not operate in a vacuum but are connected dynamically. How learners, educators, content and resources normally connect is so basic to schooling routines and cultures that they tend to pass unnoticed even while they powerfully structure what takes place. We focus on four areas for innovating these core dynamics: Different mixes of pedagogy and assessment that engage learners, realise personalisation, and conform with the learning principles. Different ways in which educators work together in the service of these pedagogies, sometimes alone but often collaboratively with others, including in different forms of team teaching. Rethinking how learners work together at different times, reexamining single age/grade practices, size of classes, and how students are grouped so as to optimise the learning of all students. Rethinking the use of learning time, for instance, to personalise timetables. 23

24 Fig. 2.2: The dynamics in the pedagogical core. Learning leadership and the formative cycle Learning leadership is critical for reform and innovation. It is exercised through strong visions and corresponding strategies intensely focused on learning. It calls for shared, collaborative activity, not relying only on the principal, in which the learners themselves are privileged players. Such leadership may well extend beyond the school in contemporary learning environments embedded in a rich web of networks and partnerships. This is such a key aspect of change and innovation that we return to it below, to devote the entire Chapter 3 to learning leadership and evaluative thinking. Fig. 2.3: Learning leadership and the formative cycle. 24

25 The leadership should be richly informed about the learning taking place. Just as formative feedback should be integral to individual classes, so should it permeate the whole organisation using learning evidence to create and revise strategies for learning and further innovation. This means implementing strong processes of self-evaluation and the constant endeavour of sharing knowledge about learning. Information richness about learning strategies, students, and learning outcomes quickly becomes overload, however, unless that information is converted into meaningful and actionable evaluative knowledge. Teacher engagement and professional learning are key aspects of the design and implementation process. In many powerful learning environments today the learners are also deeply involved in the design and implementation of their own learning, not as an alternative to teacher professionalism and leadership but as extensions of them. Partnerships extend capacity and horizons Creating wider partnerships should be a constant endeavour of the 21st century learning environment, overcoming isolation in order to acquire the expertise, knowledge, and synergies that come from working with others. Partners extend the educational workforce, the resources and sites for learning. Fig. 2.4: Partnerships enriching and extending the learning environment Working with partners is to invest in the social, intellectual, and professional capital on which a thriving learning organisation depends. It also contributes to 25

26 one of the key learning principles outlined in Chapter 1 and below promoting horizontal connectedness beyond school boundaries. Such connections should include parents and families, not as passive supporters of schools but as active partners, stakeholders and actors in the educational process. Partnerships should include local community bodies, businesses, and cultural institutions (such as museums and libraries). Partners drawn from higher education may be critical in extending the learning horizons of both students and staff and offering additional expertise in the constant process of development. As important as any of these partnerships are those with other schools and learning environments through networks and professional learning. Making Learning Central the ILE Principles Running right through the framework are the learning principles presented in Chapter 1. They are fundamental to the framework but do not need further elaboration beyond Box 2.1 and to stress that they should permeate the learning environment or system. Box 2.1: The ILE Learning Principles The research-based learning principles state that, in order to be most effective, schools and other learning environments should: Make learning central, encourage engagement, and be where learners come to understand themselves as learners. Ensure that learning is social and often collaborative. Be highly attuned to learners motivations and the importance of emotions. Be acutely sensitive to individual differences, including in prior knowledge. Be demanding for each learner but without excessive overload. Use assessments consistent with these aims, with strong emphasis on formative feedback. Promote horizontal connectedness across learning activities and subjects, in- and out-of-school. 26

27 Fig. 2.5: The learning principles permeate the entire learning environment Technology in innovative learning environments Technology contributes to the different components, relationships, partnerships, and principles that are integral to the ILE 7+3 framework. This means that there is not a single technology effect but many. That is why there is not a particular category for technology in our framework despite it being clearly crucial in the 21 st century. At the same time, the mere presence of technology in education is not by itself sufficient to innovate learning environments and make them more powerful. Within the pedagogical core, technology can redefine the learners (connecting those who otherwise would be totally unconnected); the educators (for instance the on-line tutor or the teacher from another school or system); and can change content by opening up a wide range of otherwise inaccessible knowledge and by promoting 21 st century skills using the media that are commonplace for learners outside school. The resources for learning may obviously be transformed and become digital, as well as the very notion of a learning space by activating, for instance, virtual learning environments. 27

28 Technology contributes to redefining the assumption that learning should happen in a fixed place at a fixed time with teachers and learners face to face. Student-driven learning and inquiry, collaboration, personalisation and flexibility, are all enabled and enhanced with technology. Certain teaching and learning options rely on a high minimum of technology, opening up complex learning experiences, for instance, via simulations or games or permitting distant communication and collaboration. To be a formative organisation there is a clear role for technology in managing learning data and feedback; distributed learning leadership may rely on it for communication, as might teacher learning using on-line materials, collaborative platforms or social media. Options for learning design and redesign may be critically informed by exemplars available on-line, including any necessary support for them to be sustained. Communication technologies and social media represent powerful means for partnerships to flourish, whether through the platforms for parents to engage in their children s education or for teachers to engage with each other in professional communities or through offering access to expert knowledge developed elsewhere. It may be as simple as allowing partners to find each other more effectively. 2.3 Conditions and Policies for Implementing the 7+3 Framework We have stressed how the 7+3 framework can be used to rethink a school, but it can equally be used to inform wider policies and initiatives. Certain directions for change may actively promote the framework, given the right context and other positive policies and conditions. Reducing standardisation, fostering innovation, broadening institutions Standard rules and uniform procedures should not stymie creative solutions and innovation at the heart of teaching and learning. Regulatory constraints need at least to be re-examined, including bringing external partners, experts and volunteers right into activities in the pedagogical cores. Broadening the institutional base beyond schools through service learning, diverse non-formal learning opportunities on-line and in communities, and establishing hybrid formal/non-formal programmes are all part of creating dynamic learning systems. Appropriate accountability and metrics for 21 st century learning Accountability systems should be cast in terms of a full range of learning aims, methodologies and metrics. Accountability and assessment regimes should ensure that they are not creating highly risk-averse schools just when 28

29 schools need to be hubs of innovation. Assessments must be used in the service of deep learning and to promote 21 st century competences, with close attention to social and emotional skills. There needs to be advances in assessment methodologies including the metrics used. Roadmaps and consumer guides may usefully help access and interpret the wealth of accountability information. Promoting learning leadership, trust and learner agency Leadership is critical - learning leadership based on deep knowledge of the nature of teaching and learning, and a readiness to innovate and to take calculated risks. All these capacities need to be actively developed and maintained. Policy frameworks are highly influential of prevailing assumptions and should move away from the single heroic leadership paradigm. There need to be high-trust environments, built around the active engagement of learners, their families and their wider communities. New leadership and governance arrangements should increasingly recognise complex learning systems and optimise potential opportunities by extending beyond schools themselves. There is a policy role in helping to share examples of these features of contemporary learning systems. Widespread collaborative expert professionalism The ILE framework assumes collaborative professionalism, strongly focused on enhancing learning with a range of partners. Embedding this form of professionalism is also one of the most powerful ways of enhancing the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Teacher professional bodies, unions and associations would very helpfully promote this perspective on professionalism. There needs to be flexibility in educational cultures, practices and learning spaces, and the capacity to accommodate different pedagogies. These have farreaching implications for teacher education and pedagogical knowledge. Broadening the educator base by bringing others beyond the established teaching force can facilitate connectedness to expertise and experience, while being more challenging for organisations and leadership. Ubiquitous professional learning Learning is needed to build the professional, innovative and organisational capacity to realise the ILE learning principles, based on sound design strategy and evaluative thinking, and engaging the learning environment as a whole. These may come through collaboration and networking, or specifically organised around leadership programmes and bringing in specialist expertise. Professional collaboration and exchange should be recognised and incentivised in accountability systems, internal and external. The real and virtual 29

30 environments inhabited by educators should be highly conducive to professional exchange and dialogue. Policy can help foster learner-centred networks and communities of learning. Connectivity and extensive digital infrastructure There is a clear policy role for investing and partnering in establishing the necessary digital infrastructure to underpin teaching and learning activities and the extensive knowledge and curricula involved. It will be important that learning environments are strongly inter-connected using digital technology, that they have on-line visibility to enable the approach of different potential partners, and so that partnerships themselves can communicate easily at a distance on-line and using social media. Flourishing cultures of networking and partnership Horizontal connection and collaboration should become as normal a way to characterise learning systems as the vertical, formal relations between levels. Education authorities themselves may be very active in establishing networks or brokering communities of practice. Extending the capacity of learning environments through partnerships will not work if the system rules enforce high school walls intended to demarcate very clear boundaries between the internal world of the school and various external bodies and stakeholders. The bridging is two-way: bringing the community more closely into schools and extending schools and schooling into communities. Connection to such a wide range of partners calls for well-organised information and the potential for brokers to be involved. Powerful knowledge systems and cultures of evaluation Very powerful knowledge systems are needed for the enormous quantities of evaluative and assessment information being created and for complex systems and interconnections. Highly performant knowledge-sharing infrastructure and networking would allow ready access to exemplars, to evaluations, and to the practice and views of other practitioners. Research findings should be very readily available in succinct and accessible formats suitable for practitioners. But powerful knowledge systems will be cumbersome information banks unless there is the human capacity to use them fully and to interpret sensitively the information being so generated. There needs to be a culture of diagnostic expertise and evaluation and the democratisation of this knowledge beyond the hands of a small number of specialist experts. 30

31 To find out more: Dumont, H., D. Istance and F. Benavides (eds.) (2010), The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. doi: / en. Istance, D. and M. Kools (2013) OECD (2013), Innovative Learning Environments, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. doi: / en OECD (2015), Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. The case studies 31

32 Tool 2.1 How well are we implementing the ILE Framework? The framework offers schools and learning environments with a means to interrogate their learning organisation and outcomes to work collaboratively on making their school more learning-focused in the ways proposed by ILE. This tool may be used in two ways: To gain a rapid overview of its learning arrangements and organisation to answer the question overall, how innovative and powerfully learningfocused is our school? This can be done by getting the group to: discuss framework and to be clear what it means break into working groups on each element of the framework come back together as a whole to juxtapose the discussion and review an agenda for change emerging. To conduct an in-depth review which needs to take place over a period of weeks and months. Each section of the tool then offers a module for reflection on existing arrangements and future development. We recommend that the school spends at least a session on each of the modules, records the results of the discussion, and then revisits all of them together at the end of the process. A group of schools may use the tool collaboratively. This tool might also be used by networks, districts or system-level agencies (with minor adjustments to wording), or they prefer Tool 2.2. Innovating the key elements of the pedagogical core The elements and relationships at the heart of each learning environment is defined by ILE as the pedagogical core. The OECD/ILE framework identifies four core elements: learners (who?), educators (with whom?), content (what?), and resources (with what?). 32

33 Fig. 2.1: Innovating the elements of the pedagogical core revise teacher box to include profiles by age or qualification Questions for discussion Review and discuss the questions in the diagram relating to: Learners Educators Content Resources. You may wish to concentrate on one of the four in particular, if this has been the focus of recent change and priority. If you do, we still recommend that you refer to the others to ask in what way corresponding innovation and change has taken place in the other key elements of the pedagogical core to enable desirable change to happen in your priority areas. Having reviewed your strategies in relation to the different core elements, please now address the following quesitons: how effectively are we innovating the key elements of our pedagogical core as a whole? Where should priorities lie? 33

34 Innovating the key dynamics in the pedagogical core The key elements of the pedagogical core do not operate in a vacuum but are connected dynamically each to the other. This module invites you to ask about pedagogy, units of learning time, and how educators and learners are grouped in their work. Fig. 2.2: Innovating the dynamics in the pedagogical core Questions for discussion Use the questions in the diagram to review existing practice regarding: The pedagogical mix How learners are grouped The organization of learning time Flexibility and collaboration among educators. Then, discuss innovations that could be introduced into these four areas in pursuit of your learning environment s learning aims and how these changes can be made in a coherent way. 34

35 Learning leadership and the formative cycle [OR APPLY TOOL 3.1] This module is about how the learning leadership is exercised, what knowledge about learning is being generated, and how this feeds back formatively to the learning leadership for innovation redesign. Figure 2.3: The learning leadership formative cycle. Questions for discussion Discuss the questions in the diagram, starting with who is leading decisions about teaching and learning? Record your views so that you might return to them at a future time for further review. If there are different viewpoints, note these carefully. Then, discuss the following: How effective is our learning leadership and what more could be done to strengthen it? Are our learning visions and strategies bold enough? How well do we capture and use evidence on learning and how could we do more? 35

36 2.3. Partnerships to extend capacity and horizons The contemporary learning environment needs strong connections so as to extend its boundaries, resources and learning spaces. Partners include parents and families as active stakeholders, and local community bodies, businesses, media groups and cultural institutions such as museums and libraries. Higher education may very usefully extend the learning horizons of both students and staff. As important as any of these partnerships are those with other schools and learning environments through networks and communities of practice. Questions for discussion Fig. 2.4: Learning-focused Partnerships. Are parents and families genuine partners? What more could we do to make them active partners? Who do we work with most as partners? Do they contribute to our learning vision and strategy? How well connected are we to other schools and learning environments? What strategies can we use to connect better with other learning environments? 36

37 The ILE Principles of Learning for Design and Strategy Running right through the framework are the learning principles that came out of the OECD/ILE review of learning research (The Nature of Learning. 2010). To be most effective, schools and other learning environments should: Make learning central, encourage engagement, and be where learners come to understand themselves as learners. Ensure that learning is social and often collaborative. Be highly attuned to learners motivations and the importance of emotions. Be acutely sensitive to individual differences, including in prior knowledge. Be demanding for each learner but without excessive overload. Use assessments consistent with these aims, with strong emphasis on formative feedback. Promote horizontal connectedness across learning activities and subjects, in- and out-of-school. Questions for Discussion [or Apply Tool 1.1] How well are we succeeding in meeting the principles of learning? Are we better on some than on others? How do we ensure that everyone in the school is working towards them? 37

38 Fig. 2.5: The ILE learning principles. Tool 2.2 Based on policies and conditions [to be supplied] 38

39 3. LEARNING LEADERSHIP AND EVALUATIVE THINKING Learning leadership has been a central theme within the Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) study. It occupies a prominent place in the framework (the 7+3, see Chapter 2 above), as shaping the process of design and redesign informed by evidence about the learning actually taking place. This is why evaluative thinking is also so important as it generates the evidence for learning leadership and hence the design of learning environments. In addition to the main conceptual framework developed in the OECD/ILE report Innovative Learning Environments (2013), there is both a separate analysis of learning leadership published later in 2013 (Leadership for 21 st Century Learning) and Lorna Earl and Helen Timperley prepared a Working Paper for OECD: Evaluative Thinking for Successful Educational Innovation (2015). 3.1 Leadership for 21 st century learning The "why" of learning leadership The first reason is because leadership is so influential of direction and outcomes whether in schools, clusters or broader systems. As it is influential, and because of the urgent importance of education, leadership automatically is also fundamental for anyone concerned with shaping practice and policy. Second, learning is the core business of education. Hence, the paramount form of leadership is that focused on creating and sustaining environments conducive to powerful learning. This means to understand what powerful learning is and to drive relentlessly in pursuit of it, including deep learning for understanding and the so-called 21 st century competences and content. As new directions are needed, this calls for innovation. The "what" of learning leadership Learning leadership is actively contributing to the design, implementation and sustainability of powerful, innovative learning environments. It is exercised through distributed, connected activity and relationships. It extends beyond partners within the school system, and may be exercised at different levels of the overall learning system. Learning leadership should not be reduced to individual qualities: it is not a solo activity but is essentially social and interactive and goes well beyond the behaviour and acts of individuals. Learning leadership activity is needed at the different levels and contexts of the system in question, whether the big picture design of structures, policies and processes, curriculum, etc. or the detailed design of leading teaching. There are the networks and communities of practice that call for their own forms of 39

40 leadership distinct from that in individual schools and those networks make their own contribution to leadership in learning systems leadership of and by networks. And, there is leadership in the non-formal programmes that play an increasingly important part of the learning for young people. Learning leadership is thus also about promoting, facilitating, organising, and managing the innovation endeavour. It is common to contrast leadership and management but learning leadership is not achieved only with creative, inspirational acts of design. It depends also on the capacity and resilience to put those designs into practice. It needs the ability to maintain a far-sighted course through the messy realities of managing processes and people. Even so, the problem to avoid is when senior leaders by choice or convention are so preoccupied with institutional management that they neglect the core business of leading learning and teaching. The "who" of learning leadership There is no simple match between hierarchical position and leadership, especially learning leadership. The increased organisational complexity of innovative learning environments, as they extend ambitions and partners, brings more complex forms of leadership. Yet, stressing the importance of shared leadership does not mean to displace principals and senior school management and indeed sharing often depends on the confidence and competence of the formal leader(s). It is just as fallacious to assume that position doesn t matter as it is to assume that position defines everything. Teachers need to share this arena of decision-making. Teacher leadership, whether formal or informal, is generally exerted by teachers with expertise who are to the fore in shaping the teaching and learning within the school and in supporting colleagues development. The sharing of leadership works in both directions: teachers sharing in the leadership of the school or learning environment but also principals and senior managers enjoying a say about what takes place in the classroom. A learning community involves all its constituencies, including its students. The active participation of students in strategies to improve learning fosters motivation, engagement and responsibility. Far from this diminishing leadership as exercised by principals and teachers, it means instead that those leaders and educators need to exercise even more demanding professionalism and leadership responsibility. The "where" of learning leadership Combining different players, levels and locations adds up to a complex layering that alters the where as well as the who of learning leadership. We have 40

41 stressed how learning leadership is exercised within schools and beyond, at different levels, and in the horizontal network connections between learning environments. As schools innovate they often draw on partners and sources of knowledge outside the traditional school boundaries. Non-school learning environments are also being created, with particular appeal for young people. Incorporating nonformal sites and programmes will raise special pedagogical challenges, yet many of those teaching and leading in non-formal settings are not trained for such demands. Educational discussion readily acknowledges that a great deal of the learning done by young people today takes place outside formal classrooms especially using technology. Yet, the discussion of leadership is still largely dominated by the familiar world of schooling and often by the formal roles and responsibilities within schools. Partly to redress this, the ILE project has examined the issue of hybrid learning environments and John Macbeath discusses leadership in non-formal settings in his contribution to the work. The "when" of learning leadership There is no particular time for learning leadership and the creation of innovative learning environments: they should be constants not choices. The impetus to innovate, and the readiness for new learning leadership to get behind the drive to do so, can emerge especially in the face of pressure to change, which may even be a full crisis. Learning leadership should be a constant but time is one of its key dimensions. The ILE framework with its cycles of leadership, design, learning, evaluation and feedback, and redesign is based on the passage of time and the possibility to see the impact of leadership decisions on patterns of learning and to make organisational decisions accordingly. Professional learning takes time. Establishing trust and developing partnerships take time. The "how" of learning leadership Visions and changing organisational culture and design Vision is critical, offering a road map towards a more promising future. The vision should attract partners and followers, and provide them with the motivation, suggested methods, and narratives to explain the importance of such reform for innovative learning. Visions need to be translated into strategies of design, which in turn need to be implemented. John MacBeath sees it as the challenge of enactment, translating the ideas that have been embraced in theory into effective and coherent practice. Changing organisational cultures is crucial. Leadership involves fostering cultures of positivity and of developing the readiness to have a go and take risks rather than timidity or pessimism. James Spillane 41

42 emphasises leadership as diagnosis and design to maintain learning at the core of the organisation, to innovate accordingly, and to use a repertoire of organisational structural tools and devices. The diagnostic work of leadership is to clarify how taken-for-granted routines in schools often block powerful learning, and then figure out how these can be supplanted by more learningfocused ones. Professional learning How to put the design process into action? The most widely-shared diagnosis in Leadership for 21 st Century Learning centres on teacher and leadership professional learning. Widespread educator learning does not happen by chance but needs to be organised. Learning is necessary both to sharpen the strategic vision to improve learning and to engage in the organisational operations to implement transformation. It is often collaborative and may draw on on-line platforms. Building knowledge within learning environments as a collective endeavour means to understand learning progress and identify direction to implement in cycles of design and redesign. For Elmore (OECD, 2008), knowledge strategies in schools are fundamental to any significant improvement or innovation. Promoting dialogue is fundamental to creating and sustaining a culture of active collegial inquiry in which leadership practice is made explicit and transferable. Educators and other members of the learning environment share ideas and work to research and collect evidence on new improved teaching practices and their implementation. The leadership is exercised by and informed through the process of inquiry. (See the Spiral of Inquiry by Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser in Tool 2 of Chapter 1). Learning communities and networks Creating community is a vital means for shared strategies and visions to emerge within learning environments, and for developing expertise through sharing. Learning leadership develops, grows and is sustained through participation in professional learning communities: it is a team endeavour and depends on carefully crafted collaborative activity to deepen, spread and maintain the learning. Networked professional communities offer an important means by which the vision, collaborative learning, and distributed leadership are brought together, and then glued further by trusting relationships and structures. They connect educators together as they access knowledge or develop new knowledge and practice, and share this around the community or network. The leadership and benefits flow in both directions from the wider community into the single learning environment and from the different sites outward to the learning system as a whole. 42

43 The most recent OECD/ILE report (Schooling Redesigned, 2015) identifies the meso level of networks and communities of practice as being critical for wider change and transformation. Concluding orientations (Istance and Stoll) Learning leadership is critical for reform and innovation. Learning leadership is about engaging in the design, implementation and sustainability of powerful innovative learning environments. Learning leadership puts creating the conditions for 21 st learning and teaching at the core of leadership practice. century Learning leadership requires creativity and often courage. Learning leadership models and nurtures 21 st century professionalism. Learning leadership is social and connected.. The more learning environments innovate, the more learning leadership will come from diverse partners who might ordinarily be viewed as external to education. Transformative learning leadership involves complex multi-level chemistry. Learning leadership is needed at the system level. 3.2 Evaluative Thinking and Educational Innovation (Earl and Timperley) Whether the purpose is external accountability or internal feedback and adaptation, evaluative thinking and methods provide the tools for systematically providing evidence about progress. Evaluative thinking contributes to new learning by providing evidence to chronicle, map and monitor the progress, successes, failures and roadblocks in the innovation as it unfolds. Evaluation is more than measurement and quantification, and evaluative thinking is a necessary component of successful innovation. Rather than being unstructured, disciplined innovation involves constant problem definition, horizon scanning, situation analysis, monitoring of progress, creation of 43

44 contingency plans, and feedback for improvement throughout the innovation process. What is the evaluation? Educational evaluation involves the systematic collection and analysis of data needed to make decisions and identify effects of educational initiatives. One of the first tasks in any evaluation is getting as detailed and comprehensive a description of what is intended defining the particular innovation - its roots, goals, theoretical underpinnings and philosophy, in order to formulate an efficient and workable evaluation approach that will contribute to ongoing decisions about the innovation and satisfy accountability requirements along the way. It is important routinely and rigorously to revisit the goals and the theory of action, and to chronicle, document and monitor the progress and decisions over time, as a backdrop for understanding what works, how and under what circumstances. Multiple Stakeholders, different contexts Evaluators are very aware of the importance of stakeholders and routinely focus considerable attention on increasing understanding and credibility by engaging key stakeholders in evaluative thinking as the innovation progresses. Many evaluation models and approaches call for working closely with the innovators and stakeholders. Rather than tell a simple black and white story, they will be need to engage the innovators and other stakeholders in iterative interpretations that take into account the background and culture in which a project is set, attempting to understand the viewpoints of all the key participants and monitoring the process of what actually occurs. Identifying the Purpose(s) of Evaluation The challenge is to get clarity about what questions will be addressed within the innovation/evaluation process and when. Defining and negotiating the purposes of evaluation is a critical issue that needs to be addressed directly, transparently and often. Those behind the innovation may be risk-averse - accepting evaluative thinking with the main purpose is to provide feedback for decisionmaking processes but wary of producing outcomes for fear they will be disappointing. Getting On With It: Approaches and Methods The evaluation literature has highlighted the importance of developing theories of action, identifying specific evaluation questions, developing methods to 44

45 answer particular evaluation questions, bringing independence and rigour to the process, and focusing on interpretation. One of the main ways in which evaluating innovation is different from many traditional approaches is the need to be open to the emergent nature of innovations. This means a systematic and iterative process of both looking forward and looking back. Looking forward involves formulating evaluative questions and collaboratively planning what evidence to collect to answer them. Looking back means considering evidence and deciding what analyses and aspects of the evidence are most useful to see what is happening in the innovation and the extent to which it is progressing towards its goals (or not). Framing Evaluation Questions Evaluation questions are formulated by asking What do we need to know? These questions shape the whole evaluation process so it is essential that the innovation/evaluation team spend time identifying the right questions and return to this conversation regularly. In fact, these may be among the most important conversations because the questions that arise internally may be quite different from the ones that are posed for external accountability. The skill is to identify questions that provide the most relevant information at the particular time in the particular context and balance stakeholder needs and the intended short, medium and long-term outcomes. Collecting Evidence, Timelines and Timing The systematic collection of evidence provides the platform for answering the evaluation questions. In essence, the evidence must be fit-for-purpose, of sufficient quality to form an accurate representation of the situation being evaluated and be available when decisions are being made. Over the years, the evaluation community has developed innumerable mechanisms for collecting information that are potentially applicable to evaluating innovation. All of these methods (and more) may have applicability to inform decisions within an innovation. Being fit for purpose means selecting methods that take into account the evaluation purposes and practicalities in a particular context. Methods for collecting evidence, in an imminent but low-stakes decision context, might best capitalise on the speed of digital technologies to sample relevant activities and participants responses to them in real time. In the higherstakes accountability context, multiple sources of evidence collected over a longer period of time will be more appropriate. 45

46 Organising and Analysing the Evidence The next step is to decide how to analyse and organise evidence so that it sheds light on the questions at hand. There are no standard analyses in evaluation contexts, and when it is associated with innovation, this is a collaborative task that is determined by the questions that have focused the investigation. All too often the analysis becomes a fishing expedition where routine analyses and typical reports create over-confidence and drive simplistic understanding, based on stand-alone statistics. Data analysis should not be pointlessly formal. It should make an interesting claim; it should tell a story that an informed audience will care about, and it should do so by intelligent interpretation of appropriate evidence from empirical measurements or observation. Making Sense of It All Insights and observations that arise from looking at evidence can be interesting and compelling, but they need to be converted into useful knowledge that can inform the stakeholders and influence and guide the innovation. All too often, much attention and expense is attached to collecting evidence, and then the interpretation is hurried and superficial. What matters are the insights that accrue from the evidence - digging jewels out of the evidence is at the core of evaluative thinking. Having the evidence, and analysing and organising it, are important, of course, but the real work of using evidence comes in the thinking process that occurs when all of the people who care about the innovation engage in making sense of what it means. Interpretation as Building Knowledge When evaluation is part of the innovation, interpretation becomes an ongoing process of inquiry, using the discipline of appealing to evidence to deepen understanding within and about the innovation. It occurs through a cycle of collaborative knowledge building to improve ideas. Engaging in the evaluation process allows everyone with a stake in the innovation to gain a better understanding of the progress of the innovation as it develops and the extent to which it is meeting its intended or evolving goals. Learning and change arise from this deep inquiry, iterative process. Capturing and Mobilising the New Knowledge Having worked through the interpretive and knowledge-building process, what emerges from that needs to be made visible and accessible to others, through processes of capturing in some accessible and retrievable form (print, audio recording, video, translations, etc.) and so that it can be shared with people (internally and externally) who are not closely part of the evaluation process. There is an expanding literature on sharing knowledge and connecting it to 46

47 practice and to policy. Depending on the context, it is variably referred to as knowledge transfer, knowledge management, knowledge translation, knowledge mobilisation or knowledge animation. Being Open to Improving Ideas Knowledge building is a collaborative process designed to improve ideas through additions, refinements, and adaptations. Although most funders and innovators see themselves as open and flexible, many innovation initiatives seek positive affirmation, rather than critique through evaluation. It does not make sense to include evaluation within innovation if the approaches and direction are already decided, or if those involved want only the good news. There needs to be an open, inquiry-based view of the innovation. TO FIND OUT MORE: Earl, L. and Timperley H. (2015), Evaluative Thinking for Successful Educational Innovation, OECD Education Working Papers, No.122, OECD Publishing /5jrxtk1jtdwf-en Elmore (OECD, 2008), Istance, D. and L. Stoll (2013), xxx in OECD Leadership for 21st Century Learning, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. Macbeath, J (2013), xxx in OECD Leadership for 21st Century Learning, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. OECD (2015), Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. OECD (2013), Innovative Learning Environments, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. doi: / en OECD (2013), Leadership for 21st Century Learning, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. doi: / en Spillane, J. (2013), xxx in OECD Leadership for 21st Century Learning, Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing, Paris. Zitter, I and A. Hoeve 47

48 THE TOOLS Tool 3.1 Learning leadership as a formative process This tool builds on the understanding of learning leadership in the ILE framework together with insights and dimensions developed in the report Leadership for 21st Century Learning (OECD, 2013). It is aimed particularly at schools and other learning environments. It is in five modules corresponding to the diagram and questions below. Review the questions in the diagram in preparation for each module, which contain more detailed questions about learning leadership. Figure 3.1: The learning leadership formative cycle for schools and learning environments. The "who" of learning leadership In ILE, we are focused first and foremost on the nature and organisation of learning. This means to widen the focus beyond the occupants of formal leadership positions within institutions. Formal leadership roles are important but leadership may and should be exercised by a much wider range of influential players, including educators. The increased organisational 48

49 complexity of innovative learning environments, as they extend ambitions and partners, brings more complex forms of leadership. Questions for discussion How far are the principal and other senior managers directly involved in decision-making about teaching and learning in the classroom? How widely are teachers engaged in leadership decision-making about learning? Are there specifically designated roles for teacher leaders? To what extent are the students involved in strategy-setting and decision-making about teaching and learning? How? Are other partners involved in setting direction for the school as a learning environment? Should others become more influential in learning leadership? Who and why? Visions and strategies ILE has given a prominent place in its framework to design. Designs need to be formulated in such a way that they can guide work and change. This may be described as a vision or some other term may be used. Visions by themselves are not enough: they need to be translated into organisational strategies, and those strategies need to be implemented. Questions for discussion Is there a vision guiding learning change? If in place, how long has it been shaping the agenda of change? Has it been necessary to revise it since its initial formulation? Is the vision shared among all those involved in the learning community and how is this done? How far is the vision translated into strategies for change? How appropriate have these been in realising the vision? Is the existing vision adequate? Is more needed? 3. Putting strategies into practice Professional learning is necessary both to sharpen the strategic visions and to engage in the organisational operations to implement transformation. The 49

50 changes will address the routines that are part of the functioning of all organisations, seeking to ensure that the routines will be focused on learning and innovation. Dialogue is fundamental to a culture of active collegial inquiry. Creating community is important so that shared strategies and visions can flourish and so that expertise can grow. This is about community within any school but also about how each one is connected to wider networked professional communities. Questions for discussion How is professional learning organised particularly for those with leadership responsibilities? How far does this take place through networked professional learning communities? What particular changes in organisational routines and infrastructure have been undertaken to put the visions and strategies in place? How well have they worked? What more needs to be done? How far can you be described as a learning community? Is collegial dialogue and inquiry commonplace? What more might be done to reinforce them? Evidence on learning Information may be collected through very diverse means: student logs and portfolios, teacher collaboration, action research, data and learning management systems, on-going evaluation. One risk is that insufficient information about student learning is available to the leadership and all the main stakeholders; an opposite risk is that so much information is generated that it is indigestible and unable meaningfully to inform decision-making. Questions for discussion What are the main sources of evidence regarding the learning taking place and the factors associated with patterns of learning? How robust is the information available on learning? How is this evidence compiled? Is this done systematically or more ad hoc? How accessible and readily usable is the information regarding learning, both to the learning leadership and to the other main stakeholders, including all teachers? 50

51 Feedback of learning evidence to learning leadership For evidence about learning to impact on the design of the learning environment it means that this information is fed back into and reflected upon by the learning leadership and then translated into action. This means to become a formative learning organisation, acutely aware of the nature of learning taking place and using that to design and redesign itself. Questions for discussion How is the evidence on learning fed back to, reflected on and used by the leadership? How does it get translated into the strategic design of how teaching and learning is organised, improved and innovated? Give a concrete example from the past couple of years of how such feedback has worked in your learning environment. Reflect on how effective it proved to be. 51

52 TOOL 3.2: TO HELP GUIDE EVALUATIVE THINKING IN EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS Evaluation should be a central part of educational innovation. Given the emergent nature of innovation, evaluation processes need to be open and flexible so that it can help to develop the innovation in an on-going way. It means applying a cycle of evaluative questions as a repeated or recurring process: developing and refining theories of action, identifying specific evaluation questions, developing methods to answer them, bringing independence and rigour to the process, and focusing on interpretation. This tool provides defining stages and questions that can serve to shape the evaluation at each of these stages (for reference, Section 2 above). WHAT? Defining the Innovation One of the first tasks in any evaluation is getting as comprehensive a description as possible of the innovation. This is so as then to be able formulate an efficient and workable approach to evaluating the innovation. Questions to address: How would you describe the innovation and how is it expected to bring about the desired changes that are intended (its theory of action). Have you asked and answered the following questions and what were your answers? o What do you expect from this change? o For whom and when? o What might it look like? o How does it work? WHY? The purpose of the evaluation Defining the purposes of evaluation needs to be addressed directly, transparently and often. Get clarity about the questions to be addressed within the innovation/evaluation process, and when the answers will be needed. Evaluation questions are formulated by asking What do we need to know? Choices have to be made in designing the evaluation so as to arrive at the most relevant mix of information for the short- and long-term. Questions to address: What do we need to understand better? Who needs to know? What evaluation activities have taken place up to now? What have we learned from them and what more do we need to know? 52

53 What do we need to know about the longer-term for the innovation? How will evaluation help to answer these questions? WHO is involved in the evaluation? The innovators: Many are involved in any innovation and all may bring their own valuable perspectives (though also their own stake in the innovation and so possible biases). The evaluators: If the evaluation goes beyond self-review, choosing evaluators means finding people with technical evaluation expertise and with high integrity and ethical standards, who are able to operate flexibly in the innovative space. Multiple stakeholders: there are many others who play important roles in designing and initiating innovation and can help (or hinder) innovation efforts along the way. Questions to address: Who has been implicated in the evaluation and playing what roles? How have the evaluators been chosen? Have you made sure your evaluation is not just confirming the results you want to find? HOW? Approaches and Methods Having a continuous cycle of generating hypotheses, collecting evidence, and reflecting on where it is allows those involved to acquire a fresh and independent review of the course of the innovation and its effects. The systematic collection of evidence provides the platform for answering the evaluation questions. Questions to address: What methods have you adopted for various stages or elements of the evaluation of the innovation? Are they fit for purpose? Are your chosen approaches and methodologies the best for answering the questions you believe are most important? How do you intend to analyse the evidence? Are you sure that you have extracted enough from your information to address the key questions? What else do you need to know? SO WHAT? What does the evaluation tell us? Insights gained from looking at evidence need to be converted into useful knowledge to inform the stakeholders and guide the innovation. Too often, the main attention in evaluations is given to collecting evidence while its interpretation is hurried and superficial. Questions to address: 53

54 What does the evaluative evidence you ve compiled mean? What light does it shed on your initial questions? How does it confirm or argue to alter the innovation? What does the evaluative evidence mean for your initial theory of action do some of your initial assumptions need revisiting? Who has been involved in discussing and interpreting the findings? WHO ELSE? Knowledge Building and Mobilisation Knowledge mobilisation in innovation is a deliberate process of stopping at various points in the innovation and evaluation process to ask, What do we think we know that should be shared with others? Who should we involve? and What process is best suited to sharing this stage?. It is not a one-off activity. Questions to address: How ready are you to bring others into your reflections about your innovation and how ready are you to listen to their feedback? With whom do you intend to share the knowledge generated by your evaluation? How do you intend to do that? How ready and able are you to seek to influence others who share similar situations and ambitions? 54

55 4. TRANSFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEMS 4.1. The innovation imperative The question of how well education systems develop knowledge, skills and capacities, and of what kinds, is increasingly center stage in public debate, both nationally and worldwide. The main reason for this is economic the skills we develop through education are ultimately what underpin and maintain prosperity and in our increasingly globalised and connected world, there is unprecedented emphasis on international competitiveness, which has both fuelled comparative measurements and rendered education more complex. Emerging from this climate of heightened global competition and complexity is an intense pressure for reform. But this urge to innovate comes as well from the desire to modernise education and learning. Some of the most pressing arguments for change are the low visibility of teacher work and their isolation in highly fragmented classroom arrangements, low engagement of too many of the main players (especially students), conformity and reproduction, and highly unequal measured learning outcomes. Whether the focus is placed on developing 21st century skills and modernising cumbersome and old-fashioned school systems seen as detached from the economic shifts taking place, realising holistic educational opportunities that favour individual development and deeper learning, or making the teaching profession more attractive by rethinking the status of teachers and traditional definitions of professionalism, reformists of all camps can agree there is an urgent need to innovate the fundamentals of schooling. And this calls for radical change Rethinking systems and levels What might that change look like? What kinds of models can we put in place that would embrace and work with not against the complexity of the modern world, taking into account its many settings, players and connections? As our understanding of complexity grows, it is increasingly clear that our long accepted and excessively bureaucratic top-down models claiming central policy omnipotence within well-defined and controllable systems are no 55

56 longer adequate (if they ever were). New developments such as the penetration of digital technologies; the opportunities for other providers to bypass schools altogether; the closer interest of employers and business in the outcomes of schooling; and the growing range of other institutions that have expertise in learning (e.g. in the creative sector) have turned this official, vertical conception upside down and stretched it horizontally. What we need, therefore, is to move towards more organic models that embrace the horizontal as well as the vertical, the non-formal as well as the formal, the unsponsored collaboration as well as the regulated. We are not talking about neglecting schools and their organising systems but rather of integrating them into more comprehensive concepts, or what we call ecosystems interdependent combinations of different species of providers and organisations playing different roles with learners in differing relationships to them over time and in varying mixes. This also means that there is not a system but many, not a system level but a complex series of interlocking systems. In order to better understand this concept of learning eco-systems, which cannot be defined by formal institutional architecture (typically consisting of the classroom level, the school level, the district level and the system level), the ILE project has applied the following distinctions: The learning environment (micro) level: this is as conceptualised in previous ILE work. It is neutral about the institutional arrangements underpinning it, though many learning environments are located in schools. The meso level: comprised of the many compounds of learning environments in networks, communities, chains and initiatives. This level which is largely invisible in the formal governance charts of education systems is critical for growing, diffusing and sustaining innovative learning. The meta level: the boundaries defining this level might be very widely drawn or more restrictive; it is the aggregation of all the learning environments and connected arrangements in the meso level that come within the boundaries chosen Extending the ILE framework and learning architecture In describing the architecture of learning eco-systems, we need to be able to distinguish different organisational arrangements and characterise the kind of 56

57 learning system it is. The following dimensions and their corresponding questions extend the ILE framework (dubbed 7+3 and described in detail in Chapter 2 of this Handbook) to embrace the nature of networks and strategies at the meso level, as well as to help us identify different arrangements and consider how effective these are. Learning focused: How learning-focused is the network? How much does it focus on innovative learning as defined in ILE work through the seven principles? This is about the aims and centrality of learning. Whatever their goals whether they emphasise 21 st century skills or knowledge of traditional cultural values systems that are learning-focused often insist on scanning and identifying the learning challenge at the outset and giving learners and their families an important role to play in this process. Balance of formal and non-formal: How visible are non-formal learning providers, whether as alternatives or in mixed combinations with schools? How networked are formal learning environments in non-formal ways? Mapping all the different elements of the meta learning system from formal clusters of schools, to communities of practice and different schools coming together in voluntary ways, to purely non-formal bodies or initiatives not operating through school systems at all provides a picture of its horizontality around the basic vertical structures of the school system. The means of innovation and learning contagion : How do the mesolevel strategies and networks actually spread learning innovation? This is about the nature of the connections for diffusion within networked learning systems. There is a wide variety of different methods to connect and diffuse innovation, including creating special diffusion centres in lead sites, or diffusing through special programmes or high visibility events. Whatever the method, the desired volume of exchange should not outstrip capacity Common features of the ILE strategies and initiatives In the ILE study s third strand on Implementation and Change, about 25 systems (countries, regions, networks) submitted particular strategies or initiatives for innovating learning beyond single schools or organisations. These strategis and initiatives all populate the meso level of their broader learning eco-systems by creating different networks, chains and communities to lead and diffuse innovation. Although these should not be understood as best practices, 57

58 they may well inspire. The design features that run through them may be summarised as a series of Cs : Culture change: Several of the strategies emphasise the importance of creating culture change in schools as more important than surface change but also much more difficult to realise. Clarifying focus: Many of the innovation strategies are aimed at mainstream goals like addressing low educational achievement and enhancing quality. Innovation is necessary because repeating variants of conventional approaches have failed to dent the problems. Clear focus is the opposite of letting 1000 flowers bloom. Trying to cover everything all at once risks disjointed diffusion of effort and of missing all targets in the process. Capacity creation knowledge and professional learning: A common cornerstone is the need to generate knowledge about the learning that is taking place, and for that knowledge to be acted upon. This means professional learning and thereby capacity creation. They go hand-in-hand with knowledge enhancement and often a research component is needed to understand how a strategy might be optimised and to create the materials to do. Collaboration and co-operation: collaborative professionalism is assumed in many of the strategies as are networks and professional learning communities based on collaboration and cooperation. Networking is becoming the natural form of collective action in contemporary learning systems. There is a clear policy role in helping to establish the climate and means for effective networking. Communication technologies and platforms: platforms and digital communications have become a prominent part of strategies to grow and sustain innovative learning environments, while taking many different forms. Change agents: A number of the strategies involve the creation through policy initiatives of specific change agents, who are able to exercise influence on the ground and provide the expertise and drive to sustain the innovation. They may be supported by specialist institutes as well Transforming learning systems We now know that the creation of meso networked learning eco-systems is a principal means through which the broader meta transformation can take place. But what are the dynamics that actually allow for this transformation to 58

59 be brought about? knowledge is a critical part of the dynamics of the innovation process and learning architecture, as it empowers participants to connect actions, strategies and policies with the intended beneficial results. This includes both codified and tacit knowledge, as well as evaluative knowledge, which is essential for informing leadership decisions and design. Narratives can be invaluable for translating knowledge especially in the form of theories of change into actionable agendas. They give the different players a sense of direction and the reasons why change itself is important. Time is essential to the innovation process. Relationships, connections and trust take time; the interaction of networks and communities unfold in time; and it takes time to learn, no matter who is doing the learning. When time is short, Rapid prototyping ( piloting but with serious intention for wider adoption) can be undertaken to learn about processes before going to larger scale. Leadership is critical in such complex systems. Although it is increasingly coming from new and non-traditional players, government leadership remains central to the change process because of its legitimacy, breadth and capacity to unlock resources. Among its strategic options for action, government has a privileged role in: a) regulating, b) incentivising, and c) accelerating. Systems transformed What will learning systems exhibiting high adherence to the ILE framework look like? What indicators can we use to show that a meta system has developed along ILE lines? Engagement, agency, and integration of unconventional learning sites: In an ILE meta system, there are high levels of engagement and persistence by teachers and learners alike, and schools and classrooms can be characterised by the buzz of collegial activity and learning. There is active learner voice and agency, and a wide variety of sites for learning are commonplace. A coordinated shift in educator views, knowledge and practice: Teachers and other educators spend significant time engaged in professional discussion about learning strategies in general, within the organisation and in relation to individual learners. They engage readily with learning leadership, innovation and professional collaboration, including team teaching. They are 59

60 familiar with the ILE Learning Principles and diverse teaching strategies related to them. System-wide there is a rich mix and diversity of pedagogical practices, with personalised approaches and formative assessment highly visible. widespread use of social media and ICT: Learners and teachers use technology to engage in research and intense exchanges around learning projects, as well as to connect with each other and with other partners and networks. Teaching, learning and pedagogy are often tech-rich and integrate inter-disciplinary knowledge around key concepts. There is flourishing research and development around pedagogical expertise and integrated content knowledge. A dominant culture and practice of evaluative thinking and self-review: Evaluative evidence is used to inform design strategies and leadership, which is shared and learning-focused. Partners who previously might have been regarded as external such as families, community bodies, enterprises, cultural institutions, universities, foundations, and other learning environments are an integral part of the learning system and participate in the evaluation process. Information systems relaying detailed learning information are highly developed and readily accessible for all engaged in designing the teaching strategies and the learning environment. Flourishing new metrics: These have been developed to assess learning and are in widespread use. They reflect the aims of learning environments and wider system metrics, and include mastery, understanding, the capacity to transfer and use knowledge, curiosity, creativity, teamwork and persistence. Assessment extends outside conventional school settings. Quality assurance systems, including inspection, recognise successful learner engagement and exercise of voice. High levels of collaboration and engagement: Collaboration with partners, including other learning environments, will mean the highly visible, dense meso level across districts, networks, chains, and communities of practice, whether formed spontaneously or through formalised strategies and networking initiatives. Non-formal education providers feature prominently. In a global world, it is common practice that partnership contacts, with other learning environments and different stakeholders, extend beyond national boundaries. 60

61 To find out more: Istance. D. and A. Mackay (2014), teacher scenarios OECD (2015), Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems, OECD Publications, OECD (2015), Growing and sustaining innovative learning environments, in Education Policy Outlook 2015: Making Reforms Happen, OECD Publishing, Paris, Chapter 8, 61

62 Tool 4.1 Interrogating a Learning Innovation Strategy the Theory of Action The purpose of this exercise is for those working with a strategy to explain what a particular strategy is aiming to do and how it works. It is intended to expose for discussion and possible revision the underpinning theory of change behind the strategy, that is, why it is expected to make the hoped-for difference in a sustained way. If the theory of change is under-developed or missing vital links this tool is intended to help expose that. The cards suggested have been taken from the ILE concepts and frameworks [NB. To revisit with Schooling Redesigned cards added]. The idea is that the rationale and theory of change are explained not in conventional institutional terms but in terms of innovating learning environments. This works best when the team using the cards can interact with others who are not directly involved in the strategy so as to reduce the amount that is taken-forgranted. Ideally, this would be another team in a network whose turn will come also to present their theory of change in this way. Otherwise, other critical friends to the project or interested third parties might be found to help interrogate the diagram. At one level, this can be seen as a device to aid workshop discussion. Beyond a workshop, this graphical representation may be further elaborated on the basis of the feedback received and such post-workshop elaboration might then be communicated back to the wider community of practice around the strategy. It may then serve as a communication device and to support a stronger narrative for the strategy. The value of presenting a strategy visually, in a way so as to be understood by those unfamiliar with it, is: In preparation: moving beyond the written word and documents, in terms focused on learning and innovating learning environments, is to push those involved in devising and implementing strategies to make their assumptions explicit. It is a means of seeing whether all those responsible for a particular strategy share the same view about how it works. In communication: a wall chart with cards and arrows - as a visual representation of a strategy that a person/team will present - is to significantly enhance the power of communication with others. As a record: this form of presentation, incorporating the theory of change involved, goes beyond standard documents and implicit assumptions to 62

63 offer a means of recording perceptions of a strategy at a particular time. As those perceptions develop, so may the visual presentation of them (mobile phone pictures may be particularly useful; so might powerpoint slides). The cards shown below are not meant to be limiting and exhaustive. They will be accompanied by markers and additional blank cards so that you can display your strategy to the others. Each card will need to be annotated to show what it means in your particular strategy and context. You will see that we have included items from the ILE framework prominently among the cards. This is so that the strategy is explained in terms of learning change, leadership, pedagogy, educators, partnerships on the ground, etc. and not only in such familiar programme terms as funding, duration, legislation, accountability requirements etc. Please also include whichever of these wider programme items you need to. Select those cards that are most relevant to your strategy. Start with several of each one so that the same card may be used more than once. If a card is not relevant or only marginal, exclude it. There are also blank cards in case a key feature of your strategy is not among these cards. Arrange the cards, in an order and with connecting arrows etc., in a way that best shows how the strategy works. Write briefly on each card how the heading on the card (e.g. educator profiles or pedagogy ) is being understood in the strategy i.e. the content of the different components. You may add stickers to the arrows to explain the nature of the relationship. We expect this exercise to take time and not all will agree. Involve key players from the leadership of the strategy. The first completed diagram should be treated as a draft not as a definitive version. NB. This exercise will not work unless it has been carefully prepared in advance. 63

64 Figure 4.X The cards to be used Be ready to explain to a Workshop: What is the main focus of the strategy, how it works and the main relationships and mechanisms involved. What is the theory of change underpinning this approach i.e. how the strategy is expected to innovate learning and learning environments, reach the target learners, and be sustained. The workshop participants should ask for clarifications and give feedback on the rationale. The presenters should not defend their approach but note all comments and critiques. If the other workshop participants have prepared a similar diagram it is their turn and the roles are reversed. 64

65 Each team should then take time to discuss what they have heard about their own strategy, and if necessary revise their diagram. The teams then come back together and each one explains what they heard in the feedback and how this has caused them to revise their original diagram. Each team should also explain the action that is intended to take on board the revisions. 65

66 TOOL 4.2: HOW ADVANCED IS YOUR SYSTEM TOWARDS THE ILE 7+3 FRAMEWORK? The most recent OECD/ILE report Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems has identified a set of indicators that we think will show, each one and together, whether and when significant movement is taking place in the centre of gravity of schooling towards more innovative practices. The purpose of this tool is to use these indicator areas to interrogate how near or far your education system is from these signposts of innovation. It is to generate discussion about where the strategic prioritising should occur in order to make most progress. It provides a vehicle to help take stock of the current situation in your system. It may be used with groups of influential stakeholders. It may also be used as a way of addressing context prior to a more focused exercise of strategy design. Learning activity and motivation Learners show high levels of engagement and persistence. Schools and classrooms are characterised by the buzz of collegial activity and learning. A variety of sites for learning will be commonplace beyond conventional classrooms, including different forms of community learning. Learner agency and voice With more personalised learning, the active role of the learners becomes more powerful. They are clearly represented in learning leadership teams. Educator knowledge Educators are familiar with the ILE Learning Principles. They equally and fully understand the nature of learning and use diverse teaching strategies related to them. Professional knowledge is informed by research. Educator views and practice Teachers and other educators engage in professional discussion about learning strategies, within the organisation and in relation to individual learners. They also engage with learning leadership, innovation and professional collaboration, including team teaching. 66

67 Inter-disciplinarity, curriculum development and new learning materials Extensive work is taken to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge around key concepts and to develop corresponding learning materials and pedagogies. Flourishing research and development around pedagogical expertise and integrated content knowledge is not monopolised by universities. Mixed, personalised pedagogical practices System-wide there is a rich mix and diversity of active pedagogical practices, including whole-class, small group and individual study. Direct, virtual and blended learning; school- and community-based. Personalised approaches and formative assessment would be highly visible. Digital resources, social media and innovative use of ICT Learners engage in research and intense exchanges around learning projects through social media and ICT. Educators will connect with each other, with learners, and with other partners and networks. Teaching, learning and pedagogy will often be tech-rich. Learning evidence and evaluation Evaluative thinking and the use of evaluative evidence formatively to inform design strategies is common practice. Enough time is devoted to self-review and associated collaboration and reflection. The learning community is knowledgeable of the state of learning and how this has changed over recent time. New evaluation and assessment metrics New metrics are developed and in widespread use. These reflect the aims of learning environments and include mastery, understanding, capacity to transfer and use knowledge, curiosity, creativity, teamwork and persistence. Assessment extend outside conventional school settings. Quality assurance systems, including inspection, recognise successful learner engagement and exercise of voice. 67 Sophisticated information systems and individual portfolios These are highly developed and widely available to permit the detailed profile and learning history of each learner to be readily accessible for all engaged in designing the teaching, strategy and the learning environment.

68 Diverse partners highly visible Leadership profiles System-wide, there is a strong focus on learning and design. Decision-making will typically be distributed and shared among the professional community, learners, and other stakeholders, including foundations. Partners become integral to pedagogical cores and formative learning leadership. They importantly include parents and other family members, but also community bodies, enterprises, cultural institutions, universities, and other learning environments. Density of meso level activity Global connection In a global world, it is common practice that partnership contacts, with other learning environments and different stakeholders, extend beyond national boundaries. High levels of collaboration and engagement with partners, including other learning environments, mean the highly visible measurable existence of the meso level across districts, networks, chains, and communities of practice, whether formed spontaneously or through formalised strategies and networking initiatives. Discuss in a full group the indicators, and how near or far is your current system from them. Divide them into those indicators which are already starting to describe your system and others that remain far from realised. Identify those lead indicators that, if in place, would shift the system. Take the three lead indicators, and split into groups to discuss one of these each. The discussion can be on what would be needed: o to make that change happen? Either o to measure these as indicators with greater accuracy and comparability? Or o How this development impacts on your own school, network or community? Come back into the full group and discuss. 68