broadening the learning community: key messages · professional learning communities: source...

Professional Learning Communities:source materials for school leaders andother leaders of professional learning

Booklet 4

Broadening thelearning community:key messages

Louise Stoll, Ray Bolam, Agnes McMahon, Sally Thomas, Mike Wallace, Angela Greenwood and Kate Hawkey

Familiarisation and deepening understanding

You will need to photocopy the co-operative group jigsaw instructions, readings and notes pages for each person

Sustainable improvement depends on morethan staff working within their own schools,focusing exclusively on enhancing their ownpupils’ learning, colleagues’ learning andeducational standards. Good practice andinnovation need to be shared around thesystem, and networks provide a vehicle fordoing this. In addition, engaging with parentsand the local and wider community is essentialto ensuring the health and well-being of allchildren and young people. Our researchfound that professional learning communitiesare outward looking and engage positively innetworks and community partnerships.

This activity presents four short think piecesthat are excerpts from papers addressing theissue of looking beyond traditional schoolboundaries to collaborate and learn with

Form home groups of three or fourpeople per group. Everyone shouldread these instructions.

1 Each person is assigned one excerptto read (Reading A, B, C or D) forwhich they are responsible tobecome an ‘expert’.

2 Colleagues read their think pieceindividually, bearing in mind theexpert group questions and thehome group questions. You mightfind it helpful to highlight orunderline key points that relate tothe questions. (Allow 5-10 minutes.)

3 Form expert groups of three or fourpeople with the same reading. Itmay be helpful to label the expertgroups A, B, C and D to match thereadings (it doesn’t matter if youhave more than one expert groupfor each reading).

4 Discuss the reading using thefollowing expert group questionswhich are repeated on page 10with space for notes. (Allow 10minutes.)

• What have you learnt aboutlearning communities from thispiece? Why are they seen to beimportant and necessary? What dothe writers say are key features ofthe learning communities theydescribe?

• How does this relate to what youknow about professional learningcommunities within schools?

• What are the key messages youwant to share with your homegroup?

5 Rejoin home groups. Each membershares the key messages from theirthink piece. Colleagues askquestions to clarify understanding.(Allow 15 minutes.)

6 Reflect together on the followinghome group questions which arerepeated on page 11 with space fornotes. (Allow 15 minutes.)

Drawing on these readings and your own experience:

• What might be the benefits ofdeveloping broader learningcommunities?

• How can you plan for and broadenyour current learning communities?

• What is likely to facilitate thedevelopment of effective broaderlearning communities? How canyou make the most of facilitatingfactors?

• What appear to be the greatestchallenges to developing broaderlearning communities? How mightyou resolve these within yourcontext?

• How will you monitor, evaluate and note the impact?

• What are the next steps you needto take?

2 Professional Learning Communities: source materials

educators in other schools and communitypartners. We are using the term ‘broaderlearning community’ to refer to all the types ofcommunity referred to in the four thinkpieces.

Process for reading and engaging in dialogueabout the think pieces

We suggest a co-operative group jigsawapproach because we feel it is a valuablestrategy to promote and support communitylearning. Using this approach, readersfamiliarise themselves with different articles orexcerpts before sharing key points from theirreadings and then reflecting together onquestions. The power comes from blendingindividual expertise and group dialogue withina community context.

Co-operative group jigsaw instructions

Summarise your key learning in a whole-group dialogue. (Allow 15 minutes.)

From: John West-Burnham & George Otero, 2005, Leading together to build social capital. In What are we learning about…? Community leadership in networks, Cranfield and Nottingham, NCSL

… the time has come to explore alternativeavenues of enquiry as we strive to understandthe influences on student achievement anddevelop new strategies for maximisingachievement of all. One starting point inundertaking this task is to focus on the socialenvironment of the learner and the effectsthat deprived communities have oneducational outcomes. While socialdisadvantage is not an excuse for poorachievement, it is an explanation…

In considering this explanation however, it isimportant to be clear that such definitions ofdeprivation necessarily need to embrace morethan an understanding of the effects ofeconomic poverty. As we are reminded by Field(2003)1: ‘Social poverty is as negative anddestructive as economic poverty’. In theeducation sector, attempts to tackle the issueof social poverty within the schooling systemhave historically been characterised by schoolimprovement efforts. When schoolsconcentrate internally on improving their ownschool or organisational system, this createsbonding, introspection and institutionalintegrity. However, it also leads to detachmentand compromises engagement and networking– the very basis of social capital.

“On this basis alone, there is a strong case to bemade for shifting the emphasis of ourimprovement efforts – and by implication ourleadership practices in education – beyond aninstitutional or organisational focus, to onewhich acknowledges the relationship betweenthe building of social capital in a networkedcontext and its influence upon educationalperformance2.”

“By making connections with one another, andkeeping them going over time, people are ableto work together to achieve things that they

1 Field, J, 2003 Social Capital, London, Routledge2 Field, J, 2003 See previous reference3 Mulgan, G, 2000, The Prospect for Social Renewal, Paris, OECD

Professional Learning Communities: source materials 3

either could not achieve by themselves, or couldonly achieve with great difficulty… We can conclude with some confidence that there is aclose relationship between people’s socialnetworks and their educational performance2.”

… As Mulgan (2001)3 points out, learning willincreasingly take place beyond educationalinstitutions as policies for knowledge reach farwider than formal education, and issues suchas diet, housing and the effects of poverty areidentified as directly affecting cognitivedevelopment and educational performance. In this way of thinking, if academic standardsare to be raised in a sustainable way, thenschool leaders will be required to see their role in terms of a broader social functionwhich centres on their contribution to thecreation of social capital, as opposed to anarrow emphasis on improving classroompractice (p3).

The theory of social capital can be summed up in two words – ‘relationships matter’ (Field,2003). The importance of this relationaldimension is reflected in the core componentsof most of the models of social capital whichhave emerged from current thinking and practice.

The building blocks of social capital in most models include:• trust• engagement and connection• collaborative action• shared identity• shared values and aspirations

So, how do we actively create social capitalwithin school communities? By focusing onand improving relationships, schools can beginmaking a contribution to developing the entirecommunity’s capacity to learn (p4).

… This involves building bridges to changeattitudes, relationships and the deployment ofresources. Two powerful strategies for doing

Reading A

this are building relational trust andpromoting and practising dialogue (p5).

A ten-year study of Chicago school reformsconcluded that schools with a high degree of‘relational trust’ are more likely to make thekinds of changes that help raise studentachievement. Without trust and bridgingrelationships to support the community goals,improvement in schools is difficult to sustain4.

Since our relationships are defined by thequality and content of our communications,one powerful tool schools can use to engageand work with the community is through aculture of dialogue. At its best, dialoguetransforms us as individuals, whilst increasingour shared understanding and emboldeningour collective will.

Developing skill in dialogue takes time andpractice. School leaders have an obligation tocreate spaces where dialogue can be learnt,valued and practised on an inclusive basisamongst all members of the network or school community.

Three types of conversation

1 Instructional conversation – most commonly seen in the classroom. This dialogue is about acquiring a skill, extra knowledge or guidance that is external to ourselves.

2 Learning conversation – closer to a conversationwhere our mutual growth is the end result. Therelationship and the task get equal attention.

3 Community conversation – a vehicle for people toexpress and share the diverse views that they hold, to negotiate and reaffirm directions and vision and to develop social capital. This type of conversationdepends on the art of dialogue the most.

Effective dialogue skills need to be taught at all levels of the community, from classroomdiscussions to council meetings. Using dialoguewill increase our capacity to learn from eachother through democratic discourse, despitemajor differences in experience and viewpointand can lead to decisive civic action thatpromotes social justice and mutual respect(p6).

To download the full think piece and otherrelevant think pieces, go to:www.ncsl.org.uk/nlc/wawla

From: John Craig with Julia Huber & Hannah Lownsbrough, 2004, Schools Out:Can teachers, social workers and health stafflearn to live together? Report commissionedby Hay Group Education from Demos aboutemerging practice in extended schools andits implications for public services andcommunities.

… Extended schooling has been part of thevocabulary of international education forperhaps three decades. In fact, the idea ofschools as places for whole families andcommunities stretches back to the origins offormal education itself. More recently,however, this idea has re-emerged in responseto demands for greater openness on the partof schools and school systems (p4).

To work successfully, extended schools have tobecome open institutions, alive and responsiveto priorities, cultures and resources that liebeyond the school gate… As a result, extendedschooling represents a challenge for everyschool; a challenge to create the openness,flexibility and dialogue needed to successfullyplay a broader role in community life (p5).

Extended schools raise questions about theroles that parents, pupils and differentprofessionals all play, demanding that theywork together to re-write the educational script (p7).

… helping people and professionals relate ashuman beings rather than representatives ofinstitutions is as vital as it is challenging. Open institutions lie at the heart of fosteringcollaboration between professions, andbetween professionals and the people thatthey serve (p7).


Reading B

For many professionals today, extendedschools suggest the prospect of an educationalempire. Changing this perception is not simplyan issue of professional courtesy; it will becritical to extended schools’ chances of success.As a result, schools need to be as open aspossible to the practices and priorities of otherprofessions, so that, rather than being lost in adestructive clash of cultures, the solutions theycreate can develop and travel (p8).

As an extended school creates trust and beliefin its potential (to help families achieve theirgoals), it is able to turn greater interest in itsactivities into community involvement. As thisinvolvement develops it can create a criticalmass, such that the school starts to makevaluable connections between differentservices and activities. In some cases, thisenables parents to become more involved intheir children’s education, to become co-producers of the services they receive (p16).

In helping families and children, most publicservices have to satisfy criteria – the child is atrisk, in medical need or has a specific learningdifficulty. These criteria can become embeddedin professional cultures, so that services canseem to take a partial view of complex familyproblems. The breadth and range of services inextended schools allows them to think of thewhole child and the whole family – againstboth positive and negative criteria. They canput together a flexible response based on thechild’s need, not their particular professionalperspective (p17).

For many teachers, building meaningfulrelationships across professional boundaries isa huge challenge. Opening up educationalpractice and thinking to doctors or socialworkers, for example, can seem to undermineprofessional identity and, while teachers cansee in extended schools an invasion of theirterritory, for many other professionals,extended schools can represent an educationempire… By creating opportunities andincentives for professionals to make their

practice public, and to reflect upon it together,whole communities may be able to build theopenness on which extended schoolingdepends (p20).

The work of those within extended schools isbeginning to show how the dilemma ofprofessionalism can be resolved, and howprofessionals and whole organisations canwork together more openly and flexibly. Incontrast to the traditional emphasis on eitherdependence or independence, and theauthority of key individuals, they aremodelling recognition of interdependence andan increasingly distributed approach toauthority… Leading professionals are findingthe confidence to open up their values andpractices to those of other professions (p23).

Where schools and parents work together,parents become more involved in school life,and schools engage with the social networksthat surround them. To achieve this, schoolsfirst have to create processes through whichschools and parents can interact. In doing so,community networks and the resources thatthey hold can become part of the solutionrather than part of the problem. Havingachieved this, schools can harness the fullpotential of community networks, workingwith parents and communities to change views about the roles of both schools andparents… (p27).

The education system to which… innovations(such as extended schools) seem to point isone in which the public value a school creates,by helping communities to work together, is asimportant as the private benefits it creates forits students working alone (p51).

The full report can be found on the websites ofeither the Hay Group or Demos:www.haygroup.co.uk/education andwww.demos.co.uk


From: Tom Bentley, 2004, Networks andsystem transformation. In Tom Bentley,David Hopkins & David Jackson, Developinga network perspective. In What are welearning about…? Establishing a network ofschools, Cranfield and Nottingham, NCSL.

At the time of writing… public services areapproaching a crossroads… Targets are still anessential part of the toolkit, but setting linearimprovement goals and then pushing harderand harder to achieve them can no longer bethe dominant principle for reforming thewhole school system…

Politically, public services are the focus of awider struggle to prove that, amid growingdiversity and inequality, public investment andintervention are part of what holds societytogether. The contention is that a strong publicrealm can equip us all to thrive in a rapidlychanging society, and help make social fairnessand cohesion a reality. The stakes could hardybe higher.

That is why the growing use of transformationas a goal is so important. Recent reform hasshown that short-term improvements in keyareas such as numeracy and literacy scores,hospital waiting time and street crime arepossible. However, embedding higherexpectations and performance permanently inthe working of public service organisationsmeans changing ‘whole systems’, oftenradically, and equipping them to adapt moreeffectively to ongoing change.

Transformation will only occur by shaping andstimulating disciplined processes of innovationwithin the school system, and building aninfrastructure capable of transferring ideas,knowledge and new practices laterally across it.

Huge amounts of money, time and effort are

spent trying to spread good practice betweendifferent schools. Most of that effort is wasted,because what we already know about howsuch transfer occurs (which is not enough) is not used in the design of disseminationstrategies.

The organisational form which can give depthand scale to this process of transformation isthe network. With the right kind of leadershipand governance, the formation of networkscombining collaborative and competitiveendeavour could play a vital role in creating a system of world class schools.

The education narrative is already movingfrom an emphasis on ‘informed prescription’towards ‘informed professionalism’ as the basisfor improvement. But by what, or whom,should professionals be informed andchallenged to adapt?

… Many teachers still feel that if they couldjust be left to get on with the job, they wouldbe able to perform successfully. Unfortunately,this is not the case. Teachers, like any otherprofessional group, are just as likely to resortto self-protection in the face of disruptivechange as they are to embrace new and betterpractices. The challenge is to build professionalidentities and professional learningcommunities that are oriented towardsadaptation and radical innovation.

In this way, knowledge-based networks are notthe alternative to existing forms of publicprovision; they are an essential complement…transformation becomes an ‘emergentproperty’ of the whole education system as itlearns to generate, incorporate and adapt tothe best new ideas and practices that getthrown up around it (p3).


Reading C

Why establish a learning network?

Networks of schools are capable of making thisleap forward for four reasons.

1) Networks foster innovation

Good practice has never been somethingwhich can be defined and crystallised, butrather must be continually refined andupdated. As David Hargreaves (2003)5 hasargued, teachers already innovate constantly –and have always done so – through makingsubtle changes to their practice based on amixture of trial and error and their ownexperiences. But now the outcomes ofinnovation need to be spread further andfaster through the system. The model ofdistributive leadership practised in networks ofschools creates the conditions for the continualinnovation and renewal in schools that mightmake this possible.

2) Networks are a test-bed for new ideas

No school can be expected to innovate inevery area of school life. Apart from beingvirtually impossible in practice, the disruptioncaused by such an approach would cause moredamage than good. Networks offer a platformfor segmented innovation, allowing differentschools to innovate in different areas of schoollife – but for all to benefit from their work.This kind of process distributes the risks andthe workload between schools.

3) Networks provide challenge and discipline toteachers’ learning

As Charles Desforges (2004)6 has argued, muchof the knowledge about how to refine andupdate practice is held by teachers themselves.He argues:

4 Bryk, A S & Schneider, B, 2002, Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for Improvement, New York,Russell Sage5 Hargreaves, D, 2003, Education Epidemic: transforming secondary schools through innovationnetworks, London, Demos6 Desforges, C, 2004, Collaboration for transformation – why bother?, Nexus, 3, Summer, 6-7

“We need the informed help of professionalsbeyond our parish… because they share ourgoal, understand our context, but are notblinkered by our assumptions about ourimmediate settings.”

Through transferring knowledge laterally,networks are capable of offering teachersspeedy access to innovation taking place in theclassroom next door, or in the school in thenext town. As a result, teachers are no longerleft to tinker with their practice basedexclusively on their own experience, but areable to take decisions based on a wealth ofprofessional knowledge drawn from a widercontext.

4) Networks help integrate services

It takes more than one teacher to educate achild. The expertise and knowledge required tomeet the needs of every child are distributedamong a wide range of people includingparents, peers, and teachers. Networks offerthe opportunity for teachers to draw on theknowledge of other teachers, parents andprofessionals including those from the healthand social services (p4).

The full document is available to download atwww.ncsl.org.uk/nlc/wawla


From: Lorna Earl & Steven Katz, 2005, Whatmakes a network a learning network? Somekey messages for network leaders from Phase 2 of the external evaluation ofNCSL’s Networked Learning Communitiesprogramme, Nottingham, NCSL, InnovationUnit DfES and Aporia Consulting Ltd.

This summary document is designed to distilsome key messages emerging from (Phases 1and 2) of the evaluation (of the NetworkedLearning Communities programme) for leadersof learning networks and those who supportthem. These are interim findings of anextensive three-year study. However… there isa significant audience for the outcomes of theevaluation now, and… there is a need to getthese insights and ideas out into the systemwhilst they are at their most useful (p1).


Reading D

figure 1: Key features of learning networks

Key features

Phases 1 and 2 of the evaluation identifiedseven ‘key features’ of learning networks thatappear to be significant (p1) see figure 1.

What are the key features and why are they key?

… Each of the key features has a role to playand… the ways in which they combine andinteract are innumerable and cannot bepredicted in any particular context… A changein any one invites changes in the rest. Forexample, the nature of collaborative enquirywill depend also on the quality ofrelationships; capacity building and supportwill depend on the kinds of leadership thatexist; the role of accountability will depend on the focus and purpose, and so on.

At this interim stage, we (the evaluation team)think we are learning that together these sevenkey features are essential ingredients ingenerating the interim outcomes of (i) creatingand sharing professional knowledge and (ii)changing practice. In turn, these two areessential in generating the final, desiredoutcome – which is impact on pupil learning,engagement and success (p2).

from experts and from each other, in supportof decision-making and problem-solving.Collaborative enquiry involves thinking about,reflecting on, and challenging individual andcollective experiences, in order to come to adeepened understanding of shared beliefs andpractices (p6).

Key feature 5: Leadership

Leadership in networked learning communitiesis both far-sighted and pragmatic and isdifferent throughout the life-cycle of thenetwork. Leaders in networks develop thevision and focus, provide support (intellectualand instrumental), monitor development,disseminate information and provide buffersfrom challenges posed by the largerenvironment. Networked learningcommunities encourage a broad-base ofleadership in schools and across the network,with many people – with and without formalpositions of authority – providing a range ofleadership functions (p7).

Key feature 6: Accountability

Accountability within networks includes bothproviding transparent and informative‘statements of account’ to others, and activeself-monitoring to support and challenge thework of the group, in the process of striving forimprovement. Accountability in a learningnetwork also implies a sense of responsibilityfor the quality of work and of value for pupilsacross all the schools (p8).

Key feature 7: Building capacity and support

Significant change in schools is a function of‘high pressure and high support’. Networkinginitiatives require planned strategies forbuilding capacity for change and improvementwithin schools and between schools. Whennetworks are focused on learning, theyintentionally seek out and/or create supportingactivities, people and opportunities to pushthem beyond the status quo within theirschool and network development needs (p9).

The full document is available to download at www.ncsl.org.uk/nlc and click on ‘NetworkResearch’.

Key feature 1: Purpose and focus

Establishing an explicit statement of purpose about classroom practice, school improvement and/or student learning moves a professional network towards clear and purposeful actions. The process of identifying a focus can involve challenging, reconceptualising and making changes to existing practice and structures; legitimating the change process; making the status quo more difficult to protect; andoffering opportunities for joint attention toissues that are relevant for all of the schools in the network (p3).

Key feature 2: Relationships

Networks are a function of the ongoing anddynamic interactions between members of thegroup. These learning relationships contributeto the establishment, development andmaintenance of the professional culture.Strong group cohesion is based on andengenders trust, mutual accountability and anagreed upon sharing of power, which in turnstrengthens relationships and commitment toshared goals and social norms (p4).

Key feature 3: Collaboration

Collaboration within networks is intended toengage practitioners in opening up beliefs andpractices in order to provide them withopportunities to participate actively in thedevelopment of their own practice and that ofthe profession. This interaction allows forsharing within schools and across systems; itspreads innovations beyond discrete sites; itcreates a dynamic process of interpretationand evaluation of practice between colleaguesand it fosters identification with the largergroup, extending commitment beyond thesingle classroom or school (p5).

Key feature 4: Enquiry

Enquiry is a fundamental tenet of networksthat focus on learning. When networks ‘needto know’, the members are prepared routinelyto investigate their work. Enquiry is the processfor systematically and intentionally exploringand considering information from research,



Expert group questions

What have you learnt about learning communities from this piece? Why are they seen to be important and necessary? What do the writers say are key features of the learning communities they describe?

How does this relate to what you know about professional learning communities within schools?

What are the key messages you want to share with your home group?

Home group questions

What might be the benefits in developing broader learning communities?

How can you plan for and broaden your current learning communities?

What is likely to facilitate the development of effective broader learning communities? How can you make the most of facilitating factors?

What appear to be the greatest challenges to developing broader learning communities? How might youresolve these within your context? (You may want to use a force field analysis to help you with this7.)

How will you monitor, evaluate and note the impact?

What are the next steps you need to take? (You may also find it valuable to look at the activity onExtending your community through networks and partnerships in booklet 10, Developing yourprofessional learning community.)

7 Lewin, K, 1947, Frontiers in group dynamics, Human Relations, 1 (1): 5-41


© Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Thomas, Wallace, Greenwood and Hawkey, 2006

National College forSchool LeadershipTriumph RoadNottingham NG8 1DH

T: 0870 001 1155F: 0115 872 2001E: [email protected]: www.ncsl.org.uk/nlc

General Teaching Council for England Whittington House19-30 Alfred PlaceLondon WC1E 7EA

T: 0870 001 0308F: 020 7023 3909E: [email protected]: www.gtce.org.uk

DfES Innovation UnitSanctuary BuildingsGreat Smith StreetLondon SW1P 3BT

T: 0870 000 2288E: [email protected]: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unit

Effective Professional Learning Communities University of BristolGraduate School of Education8-10 Berkeley SquareBristolBS8 1HH

W: www.eplc.info

Familiarisation and deepening understanding

Creating and sustaining an effective professional learning community

Setting professional learning communities in an international context

Broadening the learning community: key messages

Exploring the idea of professional learning communities

To order a copy of this publication, please email [email protected] quoting reference number DfES-0187-2006 or download from www.ncsl.org.uk/nlcwww.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unitwww.gtce.org.uk

DfES-0187-2006

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