Comenius: Future School Leadership

What is leadership?

Raphael Wilkins

Sub-brand to go here

Leading Whom? Leading Where? Leading How? Leading What?

If ‘leadership’ requires followers, and

If ‘education’ helps people to make up their own minds, then

Is ‘Educational Leadership’ a contradiction in terms?

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Through what activities do ‘leaders’ ‘lead’?

• Influencing policy-making• Contributing to governance• Management• Professional practice• Administration• Symbolic actions and personal example• Communication: oral/written, external/internal, formal/informal, conscious/unconscious

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A quality teacher is one who enables quality learning

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Educational Leaders

Must be primarily concerned with leading learning.

Leaders of learning are involved in planning, doing, monitoring, analysing, evaluating and improving the quality of teaching and learning… and then

taking effective action

Introduction to the (UK) National Standards for

Headteachers (i) Published in 2004 by Department for Education and Skills

ref: DfES/0083/2004

ISBN: 1-84478-314-6

Can be downloaded from: www.nationalcollege.org.uk

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Introduction to the (UK) National Standards for

Headteachers (ii) The Standards are set out in six key areas which represent the role of the headteacher:

• Shaping the future• Leading learning and teaching• Developing self and working with others• Managing the organisation• Securing accountability• Strengthening community

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Introduction to the (UK) National Standards for

Headteachers (iii) For each of the six key areas, the Standard sets out:

• Explanation of the Standard• Knowledge: knows about:• Professional Qualities: is committed to:• Professional Qualities: is able to:• Actions (and expected outcomes)

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Leading Learning: UK National Standards (iv)DfES/0083/2004 (extract)

Is committed to:

•Raising standards for all in the pursuit of excellence•Continuing learning of all members of the school community•Entitlement of all pupils to effective teaching and learning•Choice and flexibility in learning to meet the personalised learning needs of every child

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Leading Learning: UK National Standards (v)DfES/0083/2004 (extract continued)

Is able to:•Demonstrate personal enthusiasm for and commitment to the learning process•Demonstrate the principles and practice of effective teaching and learning•Access, analyse and interpret information•Initiate and support research and debate about effective learning•Develop relevant strategies for performance improvement•Acknowledge excellence and challenge poor performance

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A fundamental question

Should people working in schools try to do so in ways which are consistent with educational beliefs and values?

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Some purposes of educationPassing on culture from one generation to the next

Making society more open to new ideas and knowledge

Personal and social improvement

Economic development

Social justice

Which purposes have greater priority in your context over the next five years?

For any one purpose, how will you know it is being achieved?

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‘Schooling is implicated in the making of particular

sorts of people, as well as in the making of educational and social exclusions.’

Deborah Youdell (2011)

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Two agendas for education• Socialisation and training - transmitting customs and culture and producing a workforce suited to the current known economy

• Educative empowerment - enabling each child to develop to the full extent of their aptitudes

Both agendas are necessary but they represent contrasting mindsets and convey contrasting messages to the next generation.

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The core agenda for education

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To enable each child to achieve their full potential

The core agenda for education

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To enable each child to achieve their full potential

How? Where?

‘Potential’ as defined by whom?

Within what contextual limitations?

Dimensions of educational innovation

Aims and purposes: changing aspirations

The nature of interpersonal relationships: from fear to student voice

‘Technologies’ of teaching and learning, including ICT

Curriculum development

Changes to buildings and organisations17

Dimensions of educational innovation(+COSTS)

Aims and purposes: changing aspirations Free

The nature of interpersonal relationships: Free

from fear to student voice

‘Technologies’ of teaching and learning, including ICT High

Curriculum development High

Changes to buildings and organisations High

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Leading by affecting people’s thinking

Collect data – analyse it

What data would persuade people that your route of travel is needed?

Present the information logically to change people’s thinking

Changed thinking can lead to changed behaviour

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Leading by affecting people’s feelings

Create surprising, compelling and if possible visual experiences

Get ‘real people’, including students, to tell their stories

Show real examples of ‘where it is already working’

These experiences change how people feel about a situation

A change in feelings can lead to a significant change in behaviour

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Leading change means creating for others:Leading change means creating for others:

1. A sense of desirable destination

2. A sense of motivation to reach that destination

3. A sense of navigable steps and milestones

4. A sense of ability and confidence to do what is needed

5. A sense of permission to work differently

6. A sense of support from the organisation

7. A sense that success will be recognised

Professional and Managerial approaches

Strategies for improving teacher quality often make different assumptions about whether teachers should be treated as ‘professionals’ or as ‘operatives’.

This can send confusing messages about the level of responsibility teachers should take for the quality of their work.

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A ‘Managerial’ view of teaching

• Teachers are technical operatives• They conduct lessons which should be designed by experts• They need strong line management to ensure they conform• Professional development (CPD) is the training needed to correct faults and deficiencies• Creativity and innovation by teachers should be discouraged

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A ‘Professional’ view of teaching • Teachers are self-motivated professionals• Their main job is to design lessons which will meet their students’

needs, using their experience and judgement• Teachers work best within a supportive professional peer group• Professional development (CPD) is an integral part of being a teacher• Creativity and innovation by teachers are encouraged

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Reasons for embracing professionalism • People are the main resource used in the work• The work requires a high level of knowledge and expertise• The work is inter-personal in nature• The ‘service users’ are children• The work requires many judgements to be made• The work cannot be supervised in detail

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How does professional learning happen? • Listening to and observing experienced colleagues• Professional reading including through internet• Individual reflective practice and action research• Working collaboratively in teams• Receiving informed and constructive feedback• Job rotation, enrichment, secondments• In-house meetings, briefings and training events• Professional learning communities• School-based training events with external inputs• External training through distance learning• Attending external courses

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How does professional learning happen? (+ Costs) • Listening to and observing experienced colleagues Free/low

• Professional reading including through internet Free/low• Individual reflective practice and action research Free/low• Working collaboratively in teams Free/low• Receiving informed and constructive feedback Free• Job rotation, enrichment, secondments Free/low• In-house meetings, briefings and training events Free/low• Professional learning communities Free/low• School-based training events with external inputs Medium• External training through distance learning Medium• Attending external courses High27

Infrastructural support for professional learning • Senior leaders reinforce importance of CPD at all times• Developmental system of performance management• Coaching culture• Encouragement of action research• Staff reference library• Discussions about educational matters• Staff observe each other’s work• Internal dissemination of new learning and development• School invests in the staff development skills of its senior leaders• Leaders understand how to increase the impact of CPD• School has an effective and clearly written CPD policy

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The cost of quality? The factors that account for most of the differences in school effectiveness are:

• The quality of classroom teaching• The quality of school leadership• The quality of relationships with students

Assuming common salary scales apply, which is more expensive:• A good teacher or a poor teacher?• An interesting lesson or a boring lesson?• An excellent headteacher or a mediocre headteacher?• Positive relations with students or negative relations?

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