Leading Professional Learning: Challenges and Possibilities Alma Harris Director, Institute of Educational Leadership Michelle Jones Deputy Director, Institute of Educational Leadership (International)

Professor Alma Harris President ICSEI 2013

This interactive session will Explore the relationship between leadership, school improvement and professional learning Introduce a model of Professional Learning Communities used in various countries Investigate the barriers to collaborative ways of working Introduce ourselves why we are here- moral purpose Collaboratiom Mutual Learning

How do we ensure success for all students in all settings?…

The Bad, the Good and the Ugly PISA The Bad, the Good and the Ugly

Old v New Reform (Harris, forthcoming) Standardisation Punitive Compensates for worse practice Control Reductionist Focus on Failure De-Professionalisation Professionalisation Developmental Advocates effective practice Empowerment Expansionist Emphasis on success Professional Collaboration

Drivers (Fullan 2011:5) ‘Wrong’ Accountability Individual teacher and leadership quality Technology Fragmented Strategies ‘Right’ Capacity Building Group Solutions Instruction Integrated or systemic strategies

Mc Kinsey How the world's most improved school systems keep getting better’ 2010

The Most Powerful Levers Leadership Capacity Teacher Quality

School Improvement Does not occur without some change in leadership or leadership practice

Leadership: What we Know Leadership is the key lever of high organisational performance. Successful organisations have widely and carefully distributed leadership. Effective leaders grow and manage other leaders

FIVE DIMENSIONS OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (Robinson, 2008)

So Leadership Matters Leadership Matters

But What type of school leadership transforms organisational performance and outcomes?

But What Type of Leadership? Transformational Instructional Distributed Strategic System

Level 5 Executive Level 4 Effective Leader Level 3 Competent manager Level 2 Team manager Level 1 Capable individual

Level 5 Leaders Channel ego needs away from themselves Focus on larger goals Are ambitious for their institution and not themselves Widely distribute leadership Facilitate the collaboration of others

Pause and Reflect How far are you a level 5 leader? Have you ever worked for a level 5 leader?

So we know What is important and what to focus upon But how do we make it happen?

Effective Leadership is Distributed and Collaborative

Distributed Leadership is concerned with (Harris, 2008) Building leadership capacity- inter-relationships that build leadership

Distributed Leadership in context (Harris, 2006) Leadership shifts according to need Collaborative teams formed for specific purposes Team membership changes according to task, roles and expertise..

Pause and Reflect How far is leadership distributed or collaborative in your context?

Research suggests that professional development is most effective when: it addresses the concrete, everyday challenges involved in teaching and learning Does not focus on abstract educational principles or teaching methods taken out of context. Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad Darling Hammond et al 2009 NSDC

Professional Learning Communities in Action

What’s in a name? Communities of Practice Professional Learning Communities Collaborative Learning circles Communities of Interest Professional Learning Teams

Professional Learning Communities as A mechanism for distributing leadership An infrastructure for change A platform for professional learning

Connecting Professional Learning Working together on the barriers to learning through collective enquiry, joint decision making and problem solving.

Professional collaboration Collaborative practice is about teachers and school leaders working together to develop effective instructional practices, studying what actually works in classroom, and doing so with rigorous attention to detail and with a commitment to not only improving one’s own practice but that of others as well.

Disciplined Collaboration Disciplined collaboration means that teachers work interdependently through a process of focused and rigorous enquiry in order to improve their own practice and the practice of others. In essence, disciplined collaboration enables teachers to reflect upon their own learning, as teachers. (Harris and Jones, 2012: Jones and Harris, 2013)

Disciplined Collaboration Focused collaboration that addresses the learning needs of students. Professional learning that is most likely to improve learner outcomes.

DC Model The DC model provides opportunities for teachers to work as an effective collaborative team, in a systematic and focused way, in order to generate new ideas and to change practice. DC is about ‘next’ professional practice where new ideas are created rather than simply sharing or recycling old ideas. The DC model is premised upon interdependent learning and it consists of three phases of professional learning- implementation, innovation, and impact.

DC Development and Research Generating new knowledge through professional collaboration and interdependent learning Co-construction rather than prescription Sharing, refining and evaluating practices

Disciplined Collaboration: 5 Principles Diagnosis – how far is the collaborative work based on an accurate assessment of learner needs? Data – to what extent is the collaborative work informed by data and data analysis? Development – is the innovation, intervention or new initiative that the collaborative group are proposing appropriate to address the identified learning need? Is there a fit between the diagnoses and the proposed development? Distributed Leadership- to what extent is leadership within the collaborative group distributed to best effect? Drive- has the collaborative group developed an implementation plan and considered how any changes would be sustained? (Harris and Jones, 2012)

Professional Learning Communities PLCs engage in processes of enquiry in order to improve student outcomes. Through using evidence from school self evaluation, including data and teacher assessments, members of the PLC identify the strengths and needs of a group of pupils and then determine the strategies and skills needed to improve outcomes.

Characteristics of a PLC Data informed Distributed Leadership Focused on Learner Needs Experiment with Pedagogy / Instruction Enquiry driven- outcomes lead to change in practice and improved learner outcomes

School Priorities Effective Professional Learning   Effective Professional Learning aligns with school improvement priorities and goals.

Effective PL addresses school improvement priorities in context Professional Learning School Priorities Student Learning

Phases of a PLC Harris and Jones 2009 1.Establish the Group 2. Identify a Focus 3. Action Enquiry Innovation 4. and Change 5. Trialling and Feedback 6. Refining 7. Sharing Outcomes (Interchangeable) Impact Implement Innovate

PLCs You do not DO PLCs once a week or once a term. Being part of a PLC is an on going process where teachers work collaboratively in cycles of collective enquiry / action research to achieve better results for the students they teach

Phases 1 and 2 Data informed

Finding a Collective Focus What is the group interested in finding out? Why do you want to know this? What data analysis has helped you to identify this issue? Is it a reasonable focus to be considering? Why? Will learners benefit if you focus on this issue? How? Are there any ethical issues you may need to consider?

What are the characteristics of a ‘good’ question of enquiry? Data Generated/Informed Specific Measurable Simply Stated Easily Communicated Linked to Improvement

Do these Pass the Test? Investigating Numeracy across the curriculum. How can we get all pupils in the Foundation Stage to get more thoughtful and meaningful readers as well as becoming ‘metacognitive’ or aware of their thinking while they read? Transition project yr 6 to yr 7 How can raise standards in humanities subjects in Year 10 through the introduction of a thinking skills programme? Focusing on Literacy KS 2 What the factors contribute to the Year 8 dip and what strategies can we use to overcome these?

Phase 3 What research is there on…? Other teachers' practice Where do we get more information? What do we do next?

Approaches to Enquiry Learning Walks Lesson Study Peer Observation Instructional Rounds Peer Triads Coaching and Mentoring

Phase 4 New strategies and approaches trialled by the PLC team

Phase 5 Keeping all staff informed of PLC activity and progress

Phase 6 Practice and embed new strategies Assess impact

5. Trialling and Feedback Phase 7 1.Establish the Group 2. Identify a Focus 3. Action Enquiry Innovation 4. and Change 5. Trialling and Feedback 6. Refining 7. Sharing Outcomes PLC team reports findings and recommendations PLC team shares outcomes with other educators

IMPACT The DC model is predicated on producing an impact at three levels: learner, professional and organisational (Harris and Jones, 2012)

Impact of the PLC Outcomes result in change: Teachers Instructional Practice Pupils Learning experiences /outcomes

7 Tests Clarity of focus Consistent and creative use of data Collaboration with purpose Communication of intent and outcomes Capacity building through engagement and involvement of others Coherent action Change in practice

Without stones, there is no arch. Marco Polo

  http://www.almaharris.co.uk www.almaharris.co.uk