learning about teacher professional learning: case studies of schools at work in new south wales

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Journal of In-service Education, Volume 31, Number 4, 2005 711 Learning about Teacher Professional Learning: case studies of schools at work in New South Wales NORMAN MCCULLA & JOSEPHINE GEREIGE-HINSON Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney, Australia ABSTRACT The extent of the human and financial resources that teachers have access to for their professional development, and the extent to which they have the capacity to determine when, how and with whom learning takes place, are key factors in determining the quality of professional learning that results. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), as an Australian state education system, is the largest employer of teachers in the southern hemisphere. In 2004 it introduced a 4- year, $144 million program supporting teacher professional learning, and a new policy framework for the area in response to needs identified by teachers and research. This article identifies some of the issues to be resolved in establishing policy frameworks for professional learning. It tells the stories of how schools in a variety of locations throughout the state are going about interpreting the new policy framework, the changes it is making to their practice and the implications that are seen for the immediate future of their professional learning programs. It identifies some of the implications for further research that arise. Introduction When considering the best ways to support teacher professional learning, education jurisdictions everywhere face the same key issues. Many of these can be distilled to fundamental questions of how best to resolve points of tension and balance in at least the following dimensions: Responsibility: where there is a tension between an employer’s responsibility to provide opportunities to learn and support for learning – especially in situations where strategic professional learning priorities have been set for the organisation – and the teacher’s

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Page 1: Learning about teacher professional learning: case studies of schools at work in New South Wales

Journal of In-service Education, Volume 31, Number 4, 2005

711

Learning about Teacher Professional Learning: case studies of schools at work in New South Wales

NORMAN MCCULLA & JOSEPHINE GEREIGE-HINSON Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney, Australia

ABSTRACT The extent of the human and financial resources that teachers have access to for their professional development, and the extent to which they have the capacity to determine when, how and with whom learning takes place, are key factors in determining the quality of professional learning that results. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), as an Australian state education system, is the largest employer of teachers in the southern hemisphere. In 2004 it introduced a 4-year, $144 million program supporting teacher professional learning, and a new policy framework for the area in response to needs identified by teachers and research. This article identifies some of the issues to be resolved in establishing policy frameworks for professional learning. It tells the stories of how schools in a variety of locations throughout the state are going about interpreting the new policy framework, the changes it is making to their practice and the implications that are seen for the immediate future of their professional learning programs. It identifies some of the implications for further research that arise.

Introduction

When considering the best ways to support teacher professional learning, education jurisdictions everywhere face the same key issues. Many of these can be distilled to fundamental questions of how best to resolve points of tension and balance in at least the following dimensions:

• Responsibility: where there is a tension between an employer’s responsibility to provide opportunities to learn and support for learning – especially in situations where strategic professional learning priorities have been set for the organisation – and the teacher’s

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obligation as a professional and as an employee to engage in continual learning.

• Resourcing: where there is the question of how and where to apportion funding for professional learning – to the individual teacher, to the school, to the local district or regional level, to jurisdiction-wide operational work or to combinations of these?

• Policy frameworks: where there is an accountability to assure appropriateness and cost effectiveness in the use of funds through regulatory policy frameworks, and transparent reporting requirements, while at the same time creating enabling conditions necessary for creativity, innovation and responsiveness to local contexts. Where there is also a need to promote both pressure for change and simultaneous support for change, and to build capacity, capability and sustainability, while at the same time assuring accountability. Where there is a need to demonstrate how policy intent actually does impact on school and classroom practice and, ultimately, on student learning.

• Focusing of professional learning: where there is the question of reaching a position on where the fundamental locus of decision making about teacher professional learning will lie – at the individual level, at the school level, or at the organisational level? Will it be centralised or devolved, or exist in a dynamic relationship between the two?

Questions of this nature acknowledge that there are broader centrifugal and centripetal tendencies that exist in all education jurisdictions that are shaped and resolved according to context, government policy, available resources, professional practice and research.

The New South Wales Context

The NSW public education system is the largest education system in the southern hemisphere. Consistent with other education jurisdictions, the history and evolution of its policy making around teacher professional learning can be traced and analysed through the above dimensions as it has responded to changes in the context in which it is set (McCulla, 1994; McRae et al, 2001).

In 2004, the latest iteration of this evolution saw a 4-year program established with the following features.

Resourcing

Core funding of $AUD 36 million per annum has been allocated by the NSW Government to support teacher professional learning, a total of $144m over the period 2004-2007. Of this, $33m annually is provided directly to schools as a tied grant for teacher professional learning and $3m is preserved for the development of regional infrastructures

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supporting professional learning through teacher networks and professional development programs. Some schools receive additional funding for professional development through targeted equity programs (for instance, the Priority Action Schools Program, the Country Areas Program) or through programs supporting innovation such as the Australian Government Quality Teaching Program. Funding is allocated to the school, not to the individual teacher. The quantum of funding to each school is determined by the number of full-time teachers on the staff. Allocations range from $600 per teacher for schools in metropolitan areas to $1000 per teacher for schools in the more remote rural locations.

Policy Frameworks

The policy framework is established by the Department’s Professional Learning Policy for Schools (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2004). The policy was developed in 2003 from four major sources of information:

• research into teacher professional learning; • reference to recent reports specific to the NSW context and involving

extensive consultations with teachers and school groups (Ramsey, 2000; Vinson, 2002);

• identification of current good practice; • consultation with peak groups including the NSW Primary Principals

Association, the NSW Secondary Principals Council (both professional associations) and the NSW Teachers Federation (an industrial union).

The policy is accompanied by guideline documents outlining the accountability requirements surrounding the use of the funds.

The policy framework requires:

• the formation of a school professional learning team to determine the focus of the school’s professional learning program and use of funds;

• the alignment of the professional learning program with the overall school plan and strategic priorities;

• a consideration and integration of corporate, school and individual teacher priorities in determining the plan.

School plans, including the professional learning component are signed off by the area’s school education director.

An agreed, statewide framework provides seven broad priority areas against which schools record expenditures on teacher professional learning:

• beginning teachers; • use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching

and learning; • literacy and numeracy;

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• quality teaching; • syllabus implementation; • leadership and career development; • welfare and equity.

Each school has total discretion as to where it will apportion funds. An electronic financial reporting system in each school records the extent and nature of expenditures as they relate to the overall priority areas.

In August 2004, a framework for the presentation of 2005 school plans was declared, further strengthening the professional learning component. Developed in consultation with principals’ associations, the framework outlines the essential elements to be found in all school plans and provides sample formats for the presentation of the plan (details available at:

http://www.curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/teacherProfLearning/index.cfm?u=2&i=12)

Responsibilities

Under the policy, responsibility for professional learning is seen as shared between employer and employee, between school, and region (there are 10 regions) and system. In practical terms, this means that major professional development programs supporting the implementation of system-wide priorities for teaching and learning, and organisational change continue to be resourced and provided by the state office, and integrated with regional and school planning.

While the DET is to be seen as the ‘preferred provider’ of professional learning, schools do have the freedom to choose the provider that best suits a specific professional learning need provided that the choice can be justified as cost effective. This means that professional teacher associations and universities are playing a more prominent role in teacher professional learning.

Focusing

As can be seen from the above, the policy framework for teacher professional learning in NSW places the locus of decision-making at the school level with support from regional and statewide programs, as well as from external providers. The question arises as to the nature of schools’ experiences as they implement the policy framework. It is to this we now turn.

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Methodology

Feedback loops have been identified as particularly apposite to tracking professional learning in NSW given the nature of the school system (Hargraves et al, 1994). From a system perspective, the question arises as to how feedback loops might be created in a way that builds capacity and affords schools an opportunity to reflect on and evaluate their development in relation to work being undertaken in other schools. An over-riding research question, consistent with all research in policy-related areas, is indeed the extent to which the declared policy is, in fact, being reflected in school practice.

In the second semester of 2003, 12 schools were identified as having good (although not necessarily the ‘best’) practice in supporting teacher professional learning. These schools provided individual case studies of their current work and, in so doing, provided some entry-level data prior to the release of the new policy and funding at the commencement of the 2004 school year. The schools included large and small primary and secondary schools in metropolitan and rural contexts, central schools in rural areas catering for both primary and secondary students, and schools for specific purposes.

In the first 2 weeks of November 2004, the schools were invited to participate in a voluntary capacity in individual teleconferences to reflect on how and in what ways things were similar to or different from the previous year as an outcome of the policy and funding. The following questions were used as the basis for the teleconference:

1. How and in what ways is the new ‘Professional Learning Policy for Schools’ (2004), and the related funding for teacher professional learning, making a difference, if at all, to supporting professional learning in your school? 2. What has changed in your school’s practice in supporting professional learning since 2003, if anything, as an outcome of the policy and funding? 3. Using the (attached) evaluation grid, and reflecting on your professional learning program this year, in what areas do you feel you have made progress (if any), and why? 4. What do you see as the key professional learning priorities emerging in your school planning for 2005? What lessons will you take from 2004 in dealing with these? 5. (In summary) Is there any significant observation, trend or issue you wish to identify from the introduction of the new policy? 6. Is there any question that you feel you should have been asked in this area, or would have liked to have been asked, but were not? The composition of the school group was at the discretion of the principal. In some cases, principals chose to respond by themselves; in others they were accompanied by one or two members of the

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professional learning team and, in other instances, there were up to six members of the team present.

Conversations were recorded with a transcript being made available to the principal. Given each school’s continued willingness to be involved over time, the transcripts will provide the basis for a summative look over a 5-year period of the school’s development in this area. The schools were assured that any specific issues raised would not be identified with a specific school.

Using a grounded theory approach, the responses of each school were analysed to identify some initial themes. The responses across the schools were then analysed to identify recurring patterns that transcend issues specific to school context and, from these, some categories formed.

Findings

The following categories emerged from the study:

• confirmation of good practice; • transitional arrangements; • flexibility in and control over professional learning; • teacher engagement; • focused professional learning; • alignment; • responsiveness to contexts; • program integration; • networking; • school culture and morale; • sustainability; • regional support and co-ordination; • school accountability; • context-specific priorities.

Some quotes from the schools are included below as illustrative of each category.

Confirmation of Good Practice

The study showed that the Professional Learning Policy for Schools is being seen not so much as a ‘new’ policy to be implemented, but rather as confirmation of good practice. It is affirming good practice in schools for supporting teacher professional learning. In so doing, it is giving legitimation and credibility to school leaders for what needs to be done, and to how it should be done. This was the intention of the policy makers:

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There has not been a lot of structural change (in the school). The major change has been attitudinal allowing for a more confident approach to professional learning knowing resources are available plus a more innovative and pro-active approach. (School 1) The new professional learning policy has allowed flexibility to do what we are already doing giving our professional learning a higher priority. It allows us to do more things with more people (5) The policy is consistent with our practice. It gives professional learning credibility and it says to teachers it is legitimate to keep on learning for the rest of your career (10).

Transitional Arrangements

Schools already had their management plans in place for 2004 when the policy and funding for teacher professional learning were introduced. 2004 was seen as a transitional year wherein professional learning programs would be gradually aligned with school priorities. The new school year in 2005 was seen as the time when planning and professional learning could be more fully aligned remembering that this process starts in schools during second semester of the preceding year:

2004 has been a state of transition. Our school has modified our internal processes for application for funding to reflect the seven DET priority areas and school professional learning priorities (1)

Flexibility in and Control over Professional Learning

It is the provision of funding directly to schools that is making the biggest difference. The substantial increase in the quantum of funding available to each school for teacher professional learning and each school’s discretionary control over its use within the parameters of the policy framework, are enabling the school to more explicitly focus its professional learning program. Funds from each school’s global budget that would otherwise have been called upon to meet costs associated with teacher professional learning are now being used in other areas of school improvement:

With the funding we can now afford to do things. We have professional learning teams operating. Now we can release people to do things. We don’t have to rely on the goodwill of

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teachers. The Department is showing that it values teacher professional learning (8). The professional learning funding has facilitated forward planning and forward projection for professional learning. It has enabled possibilities to work with other schools (9)

Teacher Engagement

There seems little doubt that having a degree of discretionary control over teacher professional learning funds within the ambit of the professional learning policy has meant that there is a greater willingness of teachers to become more engaged in professional learning activity. As a consequence, there appears to be a greater commitment to it:

Our focus is on developing, not been given, professional learning plans within the scope of an overall plan. Ownership by teachers is important. We are talking about the bigger picture. (3) Classroom, curriculum, student welfare, career development. The professional learning plan is a melting point for what is coming up (from staff) and what is coming down (from the DET). (3) Inclusivity is an important part. Having extra funding has enabled us to include all teachers and support staff as well. It has given all teachers opportunities to be part of planning. (7)

Focusing Professional Learning

The confirmation of direction and processes established by the policy and the assurance of funding is allowing schools to focus on longer-term priorities. Within an experienced workforce, the tendency has been to ‘hasten slowly’ with a goal of setting in place a clearly delineated set of professional learning priorities that can be addressed in some depth:

The policy has allowed us to be more focused. It has allowed us time to plan effectively. It has allowed us to have people within the school to use time in school according to the needs identified through staff as legitimate professional learning. (6) Because we have a focus and direction provided by the policy we have more meaningful professional learning for staff. It has allowed for a more whole-school, integrated approach. There is

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a big picture plan and we are clearer on where we want to go. (6)

Alignment

One important outcome of the increased engagement of teachers in their professional learning and the focusing of the professional to school priorities has been a better alignment between professional learning and the overall school planning process. This alignment has been reinforced by the guidelines issued to schools for school planning for 2005:

There is a good alignment between what the school is doing in its school planning process and DET requirements. (4) Strategic alignment has benefited. We are good at organising whole-school priorities and we have clearly stated professional learning goals and outcomes. (7) Planning and professional learning link closely together. Everything is aimed at achieving school targets. Professional development is part of an ongoing thing of what we do everyday in the school. We could not have done this without the policy and the funding. (11)

Responsiveness to Contexts

There was clear evidence in the school responses that each school was responding to issues and challenges it had identified as important in the context in which it was set, as well as to statewide priorities. This was an intention of the policy makers:

[Our view is] if it doesn’t fit the context of the school, it doesn’t help with sustainability. The funding has enabled us to work smarter. Our planning, sharing, team building and in working together. (7) Teachers are applying the work in the school context. (8)

Program Integration

There was evidence in the school responses of integration and alignment of equity and other available program funding with teacher professional learning funding to achieve school goals so that one strengthened the other:

The bits are really fitting well together – Priority Action Schools, Teacher Professional Learning, the professional

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learning policy and the school planning. It is not a piecemeal bunch of things on an ad-hoc basis because it is all running well together. (9) Having the policy and funding has enabled us to link things more closely with our school plan. The Priority Schools Funding Program is also seen as a source of funds for professional learning. Everything links to the one plan. Professional learning is part of all that we do. (11)

Networking

Access to professional learning funding is helping to re-invigorate professional networks linking schools and breaking down isolation between schools:

The professional learning funding has facilitated forward planning and forward projection for professional learning and has enabled possibilities to work with other schools. The assurance of funding has given us the confidence to go in a direction, and to work with other schools in this area as a community of schools helping each other. (9) At school education area level, it (the funding) has allowed sharing of programs and expertise across schools. (5)

School Culture and Morale

There can be little doubt that, in the schools surveyed, the professional learning policy and related funding are promoting more positive school learning cultures and boosting teacher morale:

The Department is showing that it values teacher professional learning. (8) Morale has increased and enjoyment of the learning process has increased. (9) We have a culture that values professional learning, we don’t encourage one-offs. (8) It is a huge political statement: schools are doing a good job, teachers have a right to professional learning. The work they do is of value. (5)

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There is a renewed enthusiasm spreading through the staff. There is much more working together. It has given me enthusiasm. (7) Gains made in collaboration and collegiality will continue to support building the school culture. (9) I can’t remember feeling so good about things for such a long time now. (11)

Sustainability

The Government’s commitment to a 4-year program of funding schools for teacher professional learning has meant that schools have been able to plan and to plan ahead more confidently to sustain initiatives that are put into place:

The major change has been attitudinal allowing for a more confident approach to professional learning knowing resources are available plus a more innovative and pro-active approach. (1) A key feature of the school context is building and sustaining school culture and program continuity. (2) There will be more continuity for 2005. You can do your school planning confidently. We were heading that way. It is good to start the new year with these things in place. (8)

Regional Support and Coordination

There can be little doubt that schools are looking for a strong infrastructure of localised regional support for their professional learning. While schools have the freedom to determine the professional development provider that best suits their needs, it is on the understanding that colleagues in the DET will be considered as the first and preferred providers.

At the beginning of 2004, 10 administrative regions, each made up of a number of school education areas, replaced the previous 40 district office structure. Each region was provided with funds for teacher professional learning in the second half of the year. As such, regional structures supporting professional learning were only emerging in most regions by the end of the 2004 school year. This was in anticipation of a more devolved delivery system wherein regional professional learning strategies, programs and courses would be developed. Guidelines required that these be responsive to local needs, but also reflect

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statewide frameworks in the relevant area and integrate the use of centrally-developed resources. An electronic database, the Professional Learning Exchange, is assisting teachers locate programs addressing their areas of need. The exchange gives details of forthcoming professional development opportunities that are available from a range of providers including regions and state office directorates of the DET, professional teacher associations and universities:

What has changed has been access to support because of the restructure. (Centralised or district) programs that I would have accessed have not been available. (4) The Professional Learning Exchange is a good centralised way of raising awareness of programs and sharing of these programs. (12)

School Accountability

Schools are conscious of the need to focus their professional learning and to show outcomes for their expenditure. Each of the schools had in place systems for monitoring and reporting:

Another area of progress has been in the use of data. There has been ongoing work with the (local) Chief Education Officer looking at standardised test results. This is a long-term focus. (4) We are quite high on the accountability domain but we need to address the evaluation domain a little better. (7) We use a variety of sources of evaluation but that could be widened (eg. through the use of teacher portfolios). (7) We will expand on feedback and follow-up at every second staff meeting reporting on across school projects to allow opportunity for more professional dialogue. (5) We have well established learning activities registers for each teacher. (11)

Context-specific Priorities

Schools in their response gave specific examples of some of the issues in professional learning that they were considering and resolving that were important in the contexts within which they were working. They included:

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• curriculum content areas (literacy; numeracy; Stage 4 and 5 syllabus implementation – schools 1, 2, 4 and 6);

• career path progression of teachers (new teacher development, newly-appointed staff induction, leadership development – schools 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12);

• support for professional learning (including availability of casual relief to create time in the school day for professional learning activities – schools 3 and 4);

• operation of the school’s professional learning team (schools 3, 6 and 12);

• determining the school’s position with regard to using external providers for professional development activities (schools 4, 6 and 7);

• special education (schools 8 and 10); • professional learning support for non-teaching staff (schools 2-6 and

10); • implementation of the Department’s Quality Teaching model (schools

1-5, 7-10 and 12).

Enabling each school to be more responsive to the context in which it is set was a goal of the policy makers.

Discussion

Given the disparate locations and nature of the schools in the study, there was nonetheless a strong congruence in the themes that emerged. It might be concluded that, if these schools are in any way illustrative of a wider sample, the implementation of the new Professional learning policy for schools is off to a strong start. It is demonstrating a degree of congruence between the expectations and aspirations of the policy makers and school practice.

There is no suggestion, of course, that the findings from these 12 schools can be generalised to all schools. As indicated above, the intention here was to undertake a monitoring process that provides a sense of what is happening in some schools. It was also to do so in a way that would help build capacity at a regional and across-regional level by promoting the sharing of observations, professional conversations and reflection on practice. It is anticipated that, out of this dialogue, will come an accurate perception of how things are in the specific contexts where the reflective process is undertaken. It is also anticipated that the approach will assist in addressing a commonly-asked question of principals: How is my school progressing in relation to the experiences of other schools in this area?

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Case-based Learning

In a related study the Department is undertaking with the support of an Australian Government Quality Teaching Program grant, staff from the Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate are working with regional school support staff and 27 school teams, to further investigate the dynamics of collegial professional learning relationships and school planning. Once again, the focus is on capacity building through a process of learning together (see http:// www.qtp.nsw.edu.au/flme).

Utilising action learning cycles and collegial networking, the fundamental purpose of the study is to enhance the leadership capacity of school executive in designing and developing the professional learning component of school plans. Emphasis is on identifying and responding to issues that occur in individual schools, yet may be common to a number of schools. It is a process of first identifying and clarifying an issue or concern to be addressed as the case, then undertaking an in-depth analysis of the case before identifying possible responses through utilising multiple sources of information. A key tool of analysis is the Department’s Leadership Capability Framework developed in association with the University of Technology, Sydney (see http://www. curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/leadership/index.cfm).

The project is using a constructivist approach to develop and pilot both processes and resources that result. The professional learning processes center on the development of cases that take into account the authentic contexts in which school leaders work. The project also incorporates an academic partner who acts as mentor and evaluator of the project.

Of specific interest to this article are the issues that school teams are identifying as the basis for their cases. They include questions of:

• how to make time to discuss, learn and reflect; • how to develop a culture of learning; • how to demonstrate the impacts of professional learning on student

learning outcomes; • how to reconcile school-based learning and outside expertise; • how to develop ownership and equity in school professional learning

plans; • how to build flexibility and sustainability in school professional

learning plans.

An underpinning theme is an exploration of leadership style and professional learning. As cases develop and responses are planned and tried out in schools, case studies will result. By mid-2005, both process and product will be made available to other teachers with responsibilities for developing the professional learning component of their school plan.

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The early responses from the project participants are encouraging and attest to the value of its methodologies in supporting school planning. Building on the findings of a previous AGQTP study in NSW in secondary school Mathematics and Science faculties, case-based learning as a methodology is being seen as a way to draw on collective insights. Case-based learning highlights the importance of reflection and professional discussion in developing creative solutions as an integral part of professional learning. The studies are reaffirming the domains from the NSW DET School Leadership Capability Framework as a useful framework in facilitating deeper analyses and understanding of professional learning issues, and in developing leadership skills for promoting cultures of professional learning.

Professional dialogue and discussion generated from the cases are highly valued. Participants comment that the cases promoted ‘honest dialogue’ and provided opportunities ‘to develop additional insights and realistic view of skills required for professional learning’. They see cases as ‘provocations that will generate authentic reflection and discussion among staff’ and allow for ‘collegial discussions and sharing of ideas’. The cases are viewed as a way of thinking more broadly and of ‘preventing old answers being applied to new problems’.

In Summary

As can be seen from the above, a focus within the NSW Department of Education and Training in 2004 was on a new policy framework and resource allocation to support teacher professional learning in the context of overall school planning. The two approaches that have been outlined are indicative of the work being taken with schools in creating the feedback loops that are essential to monitoring progress and to building further support for teacher professional learning.

With the passing of the NSW Institute of Teachers Act in July 2004, the formation of the NSW Institute of Teachers, and the articulation of a professional standards framework at four levels (graduate, competence, accomplished and leadership), teachers will have for the first time more explicit criteria against which to self-evaluate their teaching and professional learning needs (see http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/).

Among the key questions that will need to be addressed in later studies in this area are the following:

• How and in what ways will the emergence of the New South Wales Institute of Teachers and the promulgation of a standards-referenced framework for teacher professional learning impact on school professional learning programs and practice?

• How and in what ways will regional professional learning strategies and programs continue to grow and be seen as a positive support to schools?

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• As schools more clearly focus their professional learning programs on evidence-based priorities for student learning and school improvement, what preferences will emerge in the providers that are being called upon to address these learning needs- DET regional, state office, school-based colleagues, e-learning, university programs and academic partnerships, TAFE courses, professional teacher associations, etc? How and in what ways are these supplementing and complementing school-based and collegial programs such as mentoring, coaching, action learning?

• Above all, the key question, ‘What evidence will emerge at a school level that focused, school programs of professional learning are indeed impacting on classroom practice and the learning outcomes of students?’

Correspondence

Dr Norman McCulla, Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Private Bag 3, Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2112, Australia ([email protected]; [email protected]).

Note

An earlier version of this article was presented at the Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, University of Melbourne, 29 November-2 December 2004.

References

Hargraves, D. (1994) Professional Development, International Advisory Council on the Quality of Public Education in New South Wales, First substantive report. Sydney: NSW Department of Education and Training.

McRae, D, et al (2001) PD 2000 – a national mapping of teacher professional development. Canberra: Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

McCulla, N. (1994) The Changing Face of Continuing Teacher Professional Development in Australia, Unicorn, Journal of the Australian College of Education, 20(4), pp. 9-19.

NSW Department of Education and Training (2004) Professional Learning Policy for Schools. Available at: www.curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/teacher ProfLearning

Ramsey, G. (2000) Quality Matters. Revitalising Teaching: critical times, critical choices, report of the Review of Teacher Education, NSW. Available at: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/teachrev/reports/

Vinson, T. (2002) Report of the Independent Inquiry into Public Education in NSW. Available at: http://www.pub-ed-inquiry.org/reports/final_reports/ FIRST_REPORT.pdf

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APPENDIX. School Professional Learning Self-evaluation Guide

Area Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Strategic alignment

The school has a plan with clearly stated professional learning goals, outcomes and strategies. These are clearly linked to the school’s priorities and targets. Professional learning strategies are detailed. School priorities align with broad strategic directions for the system.

There is some reference to professional learning in the school plan, which may be linked to some targets, but it is not fully integrated into the major priorities and targets of the school and there are no detailed outcomes.

There is little or no reference to professional learning goals, strategies or anticipated outcomes in the school plan.

Collaboration collegiality and commitment

There is a strong sense of involvement by teachers in their professional learning. Teachers apply/use their learning in their school context. Teams are engaged in a variety of professional learning activities eg problem solving activities, collaborative action research planning, developing materials, organising workshops, mentoring, coaching, supporting other staff in the classroom, using information and communication technologies for learning and

There is involvement by teachers in their professional learning. There are some collaborative activities but they involve a small number of teachers.

There is no evidence of collaborative activities with a few individuals making all the decisions.

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supporting student learning, liaising with consultants and presenters, designing and adapting courses, prioritising needs, and reporting back to staff. There are regular team meetings and extended times for planning and unit development as required.

Culture The school has a culture that values professional learning, encourages staff participation and sharing of innovative practices for improved student learning. Time is created for teachers to engage in positive working relationships, teamwork sharing and dialogue that are linked to whole-school priorities. Trust is encouraged and supported among the school community. Teams are organised to work collaboratively to achieve common goals. There is effective communication to facilitate access to learning opportunities and resources, human and material. Teams provide ongoing

There is some awareness of the importance of participating in and sharing innovative practices with individual teachers or small groups. The school realises the need for change and there is some planning to facilitate positive working relationships, teamwork, sharing and dialogue. There is some collaboration and teamwork but it is ad hoc and not necessarily linked to whole school priorities or system-wide strategic directions.

There is little encouragement to share innovative practices. There is little teamwork sharing and dialogue. Time is not built into the school structure for teams to work collaboratively to achieve common goals. Professional learning in the school is one-off; teachers do their own thing.

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collaboration with and feedback to staff. Professional learning strategies drive change in the school as a large component of the school’s plan.

Resource allocation

Professional learning funds are allocated through collaborative decision-making and are directly linked to priorities and targets embedded in the school plan.

Focus is on individual needs and some whole-school needs with some teachers joining together to address common needs.

Decisions are dictated more by individual teacher requests than coordinated strategic planning.

Ongoing learning feedback and follow-up

Planning for professional learning is centred on reflection on practice and its impact on teacher and student learning. Research is valued. Professional learning is data driven and based on evidence. There is an ongoing review of targets and outcomes. Regular dialogue about targets is encouraged to assess progress. Longer-term professional learning programs are viewed as more effective than short-term. Support is both from within the school and external.

There is evidence of some school programs engaging a few staff in regular dialogue and reviewing of their program outcomes.

Planning for professional learning is ad hoc and based on attending whatever is available eg one-off, one-day courses.

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Range of school-based strategies

A wide range of professional learning strategies is utilised by the school to address individual, team and whole- school needs in accordance with the school plan and targets. Professional learning content focuses on what students are expected to learn, and on effective teaching strategies based on research and experience. Professional learning is predominantly school-based and built into the day-to-day work of teaching. Teachers have a good understanding of the theory behind practices and programs and adapt what they learn to their context.

There is some variety in professional learning strategies. Not all are directly linked to the school plan.

There is a limited range of professional learning strategies used in the school centred mainly on one-off courses external to the school.

Multiple sources for evaluation

Evaluation of professional learning is based on multiple sources of information on teacher and student learning including teacher portfolios, professional learning journals, student learning journals, observations of teachers, peer evaluations, student surveys, executive planning days, collegial dialogue,

There are several sources of evaluative data but they are limited to a particular type.

Evaluation is very limited in the nature and range of sources

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examination of value-added data and trends, external examination and test results. Also included are faculty/grade action plans and evaluations, annual school reports, monitoring and evaluation of student achievement of outcomes (formal and informal; qualitative and quantitative).

Source: Professional Learning Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, 2004.

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