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

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Professor Alma Harris President ICSEI 2013

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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

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

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PISA The Bad, the Good and the Ugly

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Old v New Reform (Harris, forthcoming) Old New 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

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

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

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The Most Powerful Levers Leadership Capacity Teacher Quality

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

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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

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FIVE DIMENSIONS OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (Robinson, 2008)

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So Leadership Matters Leadership Matters

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

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But What Type of Leadership? Transformational Instructional Distributed Strategic System 15

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

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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

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

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

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Effective Leadership is Distributed and Collaborative

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

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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..

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

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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 Research suggests that professional development is most effective when:

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Professional Learning Communities in Action

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Whats in a name? Communities of Practice Professional Learning Communities Collaborative Learning circles Communities of Interest Professional Learning Teams

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

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

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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 ones own practice but that of others as well.

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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)

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

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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.

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

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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)

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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.

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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

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

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

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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. Refining7. Sharing Outcomes Implement Innovate Impact (Interchangeable )

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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

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Phases 1 and 2 Data informed

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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?

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

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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?

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

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

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Phase 4 New strategies and approaches trialled by the PLC team

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Phase 5 Keeping all staff informed of PLC activity and progress

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Phase 6 Practice and embed new strategies Assess impact

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Phase 7 PLC team reports findings and recommendations PLC team shares outcomes with other educators 1.Establish the Group 2. Identify a Focus 3. Action Enquiry Innovation 4. and Change 5. Trialling and Feedback 6. Refining7. Sharing Outcomes

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

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

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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

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Marco Polo Without stones, there is no arch.

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