Leading Collaborative Learning Karen Spence-Thomas [email protected] Programme Leader, CPD and Aspiring Leaders London Centre for Leadership in Learning Institute of Education
www.ioe.ac.uk/lcll
Key
questions
Explore how to:
turn a collaborative into a powerful learning
community;
move beyond sharing ideas and actually change
practice.
And thereby examine:
the key features of effective leadership of
collaborative learning.
Collaborative
learning
‘… (school) improvement, including the
contribution of CPD, is now seen as
essentially a collaborative exercise’ (Bubb & Earley, 2007)
‘The most effective CPD, which was clearly
linked to the strongest or widest ranging
positive effects for teachers and pupils, was
found to be collaborative’ (EPPI, 2010)
Effective and strategic
professional development
• establishes clarity of purpose at outset of PD activity
• specifies a focus / goal for PD activity aligned to clear timescales
• includes a focus on pupil outcomes
• participants’ ownership of PD activity
• ensures engagement with variety of PD opportunities
• includes time for reflection and feedback
• includes collaborative approaches to PD
• involves developing strategic leadership of PD
• an understanding of how to evaluate the impact of PD
Effective Practices in CPD. Lessons from schools
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/about/27793.html
The White
Paper
‘We expect schools to use their increased
autonomy to explore new ways of working
together – but collaboration in the future will
be driven by school leaders and teachers –
not bureaucrats.’
Schools White Paper- The Importance of Teaching
DfE (November 2010)
Teaching
Schools
‘We believe there is great potential for the
teaching schools concept to support a
school-led, collaborative system of
professional development that is ultimately
self-sustaining.’
www.nationalcollege.org.uk/teachingschools
With your neighbour, share a professional
development experience which you might
describe as ‘collaborative’.
What were the benefits?
What were the challenges?
Collaborative
learning
Peer support Structured discussion Safe
Sustaining motivation Challenge
New learning
Commitment
New ideas skills and understanding
Focus on pupil outcome
Sharing practices (EPPI, 2010)
Benefits
...simply sharing practice, however powerful this practice might be, does not equate with the professional learning of others.
Harris, A & Jones, M (2012) Connnecting Professional Learning (in press)
How do we move beyond learning and
sharing ideas, to developing, changing and
improving practice?
In other words… ‘to get people to act their way into a new way of
thinking rather than getting them to think their way
into a new way of acting…’ (Dylan Wiliam, GTC interview, 2010)
Socialization
Externalization
Internalization
Combination
Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995)
Tacit Tacit
Knowledge creation Ta
cit
Explicit
Exp
licit
Explicit
Exp
licit
Ta
cit
aa
Dialogue
Learning by doing
Socializationsympathised knowledge
Externalizationconceptual knowledge
Internalizationoperational knowledge
Combinationsystemic knowledge
Tacit knowledge Explicit knowledge
to
from
Tacit knowledge
Explicit knowledge
Sharing experience Networking
Professor Dylan Wiliam, Institute of Education,2008 After Nonaka & Tageuchi, 1995
Another take on
this….
Return to your examples of
collaborative PD.
Apply the knowledge creation
cycle.
Did practice change...was this
sustained?
What might you do differently?
Learning networks Children’s centres
Integrated service teams 14-19 collaboratives
Federations Leading Edge
Beacon School School improvement
partnerships
Your experience of these?
How can we ensure there is a focus
on learning?
Collaboration without reflection and
enquiry is little more than
working collegially
(Harris, 2002)
Professional
learning community
• An inclusive and mutually supportive group of people with a collaborative, reflective and growth-oriented approach toward investigating and learning more about their practice in order to improve [students’] learning.
Stoll (2007)
Harris & Jones (2011)
Effective PLC
Focus on learner
Data informed
Focus on learning
Collaborative processes
Enquiry driven
Supported by facilitator
Reciprocal responsibility
Harris and Jones (2011)
1. Establish the group
2. Identify a focus – baseline
data
3. Action enquiry -methods
4. Innovation and change
5. Trialling and feedback
6.Collect data and evidence
7. Sharing outcomes &
impact
Lesson study
Peer observation
Appreciative enquiry
Action / enquiry research
Learning walks Coaching mentoring
Collaborative
strategies
•Experience of these?
•Pros and cons?
•Implications for leaders?
Leading
PLCs
Leaders are focused on learning
for all
Trust-building and celebrating success
are prioritised
Leaders are enquiry-minded and
encourage this in others
Leaders model learning and coach
colleagues
Leadership of learning is distributed (Stoll, 2006)
From ‘practice transfer’ to ‘joint practice
development’
‘Badging’ hinders – agree goals together
and equally
Leaders understand and make time…
Fielding, M. et al (2005)
(Louise Stoll, referencing Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
A shared
vision
Effective professional development starts
with the end in mind
Fielding, M. et al (2005) Factors influencing the transfer of good practice
(London: DES)
Harris, A & Jones, M (2011) Professional Learning Communities in Action
(London : Leannta)
NCSL (2010) Getting started with networked research lesson study
Louise Stoll et al: Professional Learning Communities: Source material
for school leaders and other leaders of professional learning.
http://www.lcll.org.uk/professional-learning-communities.html
Resources
• What action will you take as a result of today?
• Who will you work with – what support will you need?
From professional
learning to professional
development
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