Creating a culture of professional learning: the role of metaphor, teacher narrative and improvisation in school-based CPD Dr Steven Coombs Bath Spa University Nick Sorensen

Whither CPD? Managerialism? League tables Testing / examinations Controlling Performance orientation Critical professionalism? Collaboration Action research Empowerment

What if learning was our first priority? (Coffield 2008) Recognizing that the principle aim of education in the 21st century should be “to help young people to develop this generic capacity to learn”. Claxton (2006)

A learning culture QCA Key Stage 3 and 14-19 Diplomas Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills Global perspective on learning

The learner centred-classroom Doing things differently? Doing different things?

4 phase model of teacher development Teacher centred classroom – students perceived as imitative learners Developing the relationship through AFL, questioning, differentiation. Students supported to develop a meta cognitive perspective Learner centred classroom – student knowledge conjoined with cultural view of knowledge

Phase four Teacher perception of learners: The learner centred classroom Teaching creatively and teaching creativity Developing creativity in students Teaching “outstanding” lessons Teacher perception of learners: Students as knowledgable: the management of “objective” knowledge Teachers help students to grasp the distinction between personal knowledge and “what is to taken to be known” by the culture

What form of CPD is appropriate for phase 4? Experience to date mainly of phases 1 to 3 Do teachers have to progressively work through all the phases? What forms of CPD are appropriate?

Creating creative teachers You can’t tell people to be creative Importance of a culture of professional learning Creating this culture is a shared and co-constructed enterprise Development of team-based learning and ethics

Three examples Teacher narrative Metaphors An improvisation based pedagogy

Two principles - 1 If we accept that what is good pedagogy in the teacher-learner setting of a school or college leads to good learning and good performance, then surely this must apply in the teachers’ CPD context. Pickering (2005, p5)

Two principles - 2 Critical professional learning it provides an opportunity for teachers to understand their professional values, attitudes and beliefs and make sense of how they impact upon their conceptual understanding and knowledge of learners and pedagogy. It also enables teachers to research and validate their practice so that development is informed and so that the rationale for practice can be clearly articulated to a range of stakeholder audiences. (Clark, 2007, p8)

Common aim At the heart of a learning organization is a shift of mind – from seeing ourselves as separate from the world to connected to the world, from seeing problems as caused by someone or something “out there” to seeing how our actions create the problems that we experience. Senge (2006, p12)

Teacher narrative Clear rationale (Rogers, Fink, Goleman, Covey) Challenges of task Scaffolded support M-level thinking – relating personal experience to theory

Metaphor Powerful way to gain insights into complex phenomenon Gareth Morgan (1986)

The jazz ensemble The metaphor that most accurately describes a learning organisation (Stoll et al 2003) Also Hatch (1997) and Eagleton (2008)

What does the jazz ensemble metaphor tell us? Each person (pupil) is individually respected. In turn, individual talents are featured. Experimentation and improvisation are encouraged as part of the learning process. Outline plans (musical scores) exist and guide the learning. Participants are not limited by the outline plans. The teacher (band leader) creates an environment of safety, encouragement and trust.

Focus on pedagogy Pedagogy as expression of the way we conceptualise learning, our values and beliefs

Teachers narrative – articulation of values and beliefs Jazz ensemble as metaphor of learning organisation (learner centred classroom) View of learning “knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do”

An improvisation based pedagogy Developing a learning culture Responsive to learning needs of pupils Shared enterprise between teacher and pupils Learner-centred in a social setting

Conclusions Way forward - combine all three approaches in a coherent CPD programme design Activities provide the means by which a culture of professional learning is created Correlation between professional vulnerability and passivity / conservatism in teaching Keltchermanns (1996) Creative approaches to CPD essential if we want creative teachers operating in learning organizations.

s.coombs@bathspa.ac.uk n.sorensen@bathspa.ac.uk