Leading Collaborative Learning Karen Spence-Thomas k.spence-thomas@ioe.ac.uk 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