CHAPTER 5 Learning-centred Leadership Sisilia P Indahayu

INTRODUCTION  4 main parts discussed in this presentation: (1) Leadership beliefs and assumptions (2) How leaders make a difference to what happens in classrooms (3) School structures and systems (4) Implications for school leaders

LEADERSHIP BELIEFS AND ASSUMPTIONS Leadership becomes more potent when it focuses on developing students’ learning and strengthening teaching. Learning-centred leaders add their influence to that of teachers in order to create a combined effect on students’ learning.

LEADERSHIP BELIEFS AND ASSUMPTIONS Leadership is contextualized Leadership is distributed Leadership is about providing a sense of direction

LEADERSHIP BELIEFS AND ASSUMPTIONS Final Assumptions on school leadership:  A shared function  Contingent upon the context in which it is exercised  Involves setting a direction for the school  A process of social influence  Makes an individual and collective difference to the quality of learning and teaching in schools

HOW LEADERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASSROOMS A leader’s influence takes 3 forms:  direct effects  indirect effects  Reciprocal effects

HOW LEADERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASSROOMS School leaders influence through 3 related strategies:  modelling the power of example  monitoring analysing and acting on students’ progress and outcome data  dialogue creating opportunities for teachers to talk with their colleagues and leaders about learning and teaching

SCHOOL STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS Create ground rules for all members of the school to work within. Used by all staff and create a sense of coherence and consistency  t the key to making a difference to the quality of learning and teaching in classrooms

6 critical points to supporting learning-centred leadership:  Planning processes  Target setting  Communication systems  Monitoring systems  Roles and responsibilities of leaders  Policies for learning, teaching and assessment and marking

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 4 sets of implications considered:  Understanding learning  Leading learning  Leaders’ skills and qualities  Distributed leadership

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Understanding learning  Focus on how students learn  Learning is an active process of mind Leading learning 6 levels of learning:  Pupil learning  Teacher learning  Staff learning  Organizational learning  Learning networks  Leadership learning

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Leaders’ skills and qualities  A sense of purpose and ethics  Facilitation skills  An understanding of constructivist learning  A deep understanding of change and transitions  An understanding of contexts  An intention to redistribute power and authority  A personal identity that allows for courage and risk

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Distributed leadership 3 main points:  The idea of distributed leadership recognizes that we need lots of leaders in school.  It is about developing lots of learning-centred leaders.  It requires senior leaders to let go.

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