Effective professional

learning

Maine, August 2015

What the evidence tells us…..

Changing behaviours?Motivators for learning at

work?

Drivers of effective teacher

professional learning?How do adults learn best?

3

Assess

Evaluate

Develop

Student

learning

Effective professional learning

British Columbia

Shanghai Singapore

Hong Kong

Core of learning communities

4

Strategic directions: setting expectations for professional learning and recognition

Creating time

System

School

Developing Leaders Evaluation and accountability

Strategy and Policies

School improvement

organized around effective

professional learning

Recognise the

development of teacher

expertise

Teachers share

responsibility for their

own and others’

professional learning

Distinct roles to

lead professional

learning

throughout system

Professional learning built

into daily practice

Effective professional learning = school improvement

5

Strategic directions: setting expectations for professional learning and recognition

Creating time

System

School

Developing Leaders

Teacher professional learning

leaders in schools (school staff

developers) help identify needs

and create school-wide learning

plan

System-level professional

learning leaders (principal

master and master teacher) lead

in the research and design of

professional learning in their

subject area

School leaders work closely

with teacher professional

learning leaders, align their work

to school planning, and help

create conditions for

collaborative learning

Evaluation and accountability

Teacher appraisal is a key mechanism for

teacher growth. Teachers are evaluated on how

they develop themselves and others in

promotion

Career tracks have senior and lead teachers

play large roles in developing less experienced

teachers

School leaders implement school self-

evaluation reviews once every 2 years, and

are appraised on teacher development

Peer pressure in learning communities to

continuously improve own practice

Feedback loops on effectiveness of external

expertise

Deliberate policy to give

teachers extra time to evaluate

and develop practice during the

week

Generous funds to schools to

reduce teaching hours

Extra time for collaboration

during the week

Strategy and Policies

School improvement

organized around effective

professional learning

Recognise the

development of teacher

expertise

Teachers share

responsibility for their

own and others’

professional learning

Distinct roles to

lead professional

learning

throughout system

Professional learning built

into daily practice

Effective professional learning = school improvement

Effective leadership training

for school principals

Maine, August 2015

7

Thinking on what is effective leadership has changed over time

and current programs draw on a range of leadership theories

Great man theory

Trait theory

Behaviour theories

Contingency/ situational theories

Transformational leadership theories

Transformational Authentic AdaptiveDistributed

Transformational leaders display

the complex characteristics

needed for creating and

sustaining change in an

organisation. They achieve this by

using one or more of the following

factors:

• Charisma and inspiration

• Intellectual stimulation

• Individualised consideration

Authentic leaders have strong

articulated values that guide their

decisions and behaviours.

Followers are drawn to them

because they understand and

believe in these underlying

values. Authentic leaders are

great at tapping into their own

motivations and strengths,

building supportive teams around

themselves and motivating others

Adaptive challenges involve a

discrepancy between values and

circumstances and cannot be

solved by just good management

and expertise. They require

innovation and learning as

peoples values and beliefs come

into play. Adaptive leaders should

not try and solve the problems for

their followers but instead create

an environment conducive to

innovation and experimentation.

Distributed leadership theory

appreciates that an effective

leader does not have to be good

at everything. Instead effective

leaders know their shortcomings

and compensate by building

supportive teams that can

complement them.

Emotional intelligence is a linking theme in all contemporary theories of leadership. Without high levels of self-awareness,

leaders will be unable to be effective in the modern world.

1840s 1930s 1940s 1960s 1970s

8

School leaders today operate in a volatile, uncertain, complex

and ambiguous (VUCA) environment

Definition Leader intervention

Volatility Turbulent, unstable change • Clear vision

• Invest in risk management procedures

Uncertainty Inability to forecast what will

happen next

• Invest in new models of gathering information

• Communicate and collaborate with employees at all

levels to obtain new information

Complexity Volume and

interconnectedness of

information is overwhelming

• Shut out the noise

• Increase complexity of organisational structures

Ambiguity Little known about the situation

and its possible outcomes

• Quick decision making

• Experimentation

VUCA describes the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment that modern businesses

operate in. Originally a military term, VUCA gained traction to describe the post 9/11, post global financial

crisis world.

Sources: Kirk Lawrence (2013) Developing Leaders in a VUCA environment, Scott Berinato (2014) A Framework for Understanding VUCA

Leaders need less function-specific leadership and management skills (horizontal development). Rather, they

need to develop other cognitive capabilities (vertical development).

A very different form of leadership development is required to develop these capabilities

9

The latest thinking on leadership development suggests that

leaders need both horizontal and vertical development

Vertical development

BRAIN

Horizontal development

BRAIN

Technical skills

Strategic skills

Interpersonal skills

Horizontal development refers to the acquiring of skills, knowledge or

competencies that can typically be learned in a classroom setting. The

breath of knowledge skills and competencies that can be learned

through horizontal development range from technical skills (eg.

finance) to interpersonal skills (eg. communication) to higher level

strategic skills (eg. strategic thinking).

Vertical development however refers to a change in the person’s

mindset and advancement in their thinking capability. Vertical

development results in the leader thinking in more complex,

systemic, strategic and interdependent ways. The process is usually

one of ongoing self-reflection and self-discovery to create changes at

a deep, cognitive level.

• Planning and budgeting skills / finance

• Identifying good instruction

• Setting directions / visioning

• Strategic thinking

• Strategic resoucing

• Communicating

• Conflict resolution

• Developing staff

5 Self-

transforming

Can critically evaluate ones own

ideology and appreciate it partiality

4 Self-authoring Holds a strong set of internal values

and beliefs that guide decisions

3 Socialised Opinions and sense of self are

shaped by the external environment

Sources: Nick Petrie (2014) Future Trends in Leadership Development, Robert Kegan (1994) In Over Our Heads

10

Leaders require a whole range of horizontal and vertical skills

to perform their role effectively

Horizontal

Vertical

Leading and

managing a

system or

organisation

Leading and

managing the self

Leading and

managing people

Technical skills

Transformation of

mindset

Interpersonal

skills

Strategic skills

Planning and budgeting skills / finance

Managing facilities

Talent management & HR

Technical expertise - instructional

leadership

Communicating

Collaboration skillsAligning people

Motivating and inspiring employees

Social skills

Obtaining buy-in / influencing

Setting direction / creating a vision

/ strategic thinking

Change management

Self-awareness

Self-regulation

Agility –

making

quick

decisions

Clarity – ability to identify

within chaos and make sense

of things that are happening

11

A range of leadership practices impact student learning

Leithwood et al Wallace foundationRobinson et al

• Establishing clear shared goals and

an academic focus

• Building social networks and

structures that enable goal

achievement

• Being directly involved in

instructional supervision and

support

• Building teacher capacity and

providing high-quality opportunities

for teacher learning

• Caring for staff as individuals

• Being skilled in problem solving and

conflict resolution

• Shaping a vision of academic

success for all students

• Creating a climate hospitable to

education

• Cultivating leadership in others

• Improving instruction

• Managing people, data and

processes

• Establishing goals and

expectations

• Resourcing strategically

• Planning coordinating and

evaluating teaching and the

curriculum

• Promoting and participating in

teacher learning and development

• Ensuring and orderly and supportive

environment

Sources: Kenneth Leithwood, Karen Seashore Louis, Stephen Anderson & Kyla Wahlstrom (2004) How Leadership Influences Student Learning; Viviane Robinson, Margie

Hohepa & Claire Lloyd (2009) School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why; Wallace Foundation (2013) The School Principal as Leader:

Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning

12

Pre- and post-program initiatives and issues

Pre-programProgram

Content addresses

the learnings that

create effective

leaders

Delivery methods

suitably match the

content

Post-program

Participant is able

to utilise and

continue learnings

from program

Level of

• Experience and

• Expertise

of participant is right for

the program

Evaluate program

13

Analysing a good leadership development program includes a

range of program and system variables

Selection Content SupportModes Evaluation

• Establish whether

applicants have the

relvant experience,

skills, motivations and

personal qualities to

get the most out of

the program

• Instructional

leadership expertise

• Management and

leadership skills

• Higher order

leadership

capabilities

• Consideration of

adult learning

techniques

• Collaborative

learning

• Varied learning

experiences

• Mentoring and

coaching

• Integration with

practice

• Ongoing mentoring

and coaching in

schools upon

completion of the

program

• All good leadership

programs should

have processes in

place to evaluate the

elements of their

program

Sources: The Wallace Foundation (2012) The Making of the Principal: Five Lessons in Leadership Training; Ben Jensen, Amelie Hunter, Anna Clark (2015) Aspiring Principal

Preparation

14

Case study selection within sectors is challenging given the

range of programs offered by providers: executive leadership

programs offered by INSEAD

INSEAD

Executive education

General management

Strategy Programs

MBA program

Global Exec MBA

Leadership

programs

Marketing & sales

• Advanced Management Programme

• Transition to General Management

• Management Acceleration Programme

• Asian International Executive

Programme

• The Challenge of Leadership

• AVIRA – Awareness, Vision,

Imagination, Role and Action

• LEAP – Leadership Excellence

through Awareness and Practice

• The Challenge of Leadership

• Leading the Business of Sustainability

• The Leadership Transition

• Leading for Results

• High Impact Leadership Programme

• Learning to Lead

• LEAP: Leadership Excellence through Awareness and

Practice

• Leading Successful Change

• Management Skills for International Business

• Managing Global Virtual Teams

• Achieving Outstanding Performance

• Negotiation Dynamics

• Strategy Execution Programme

• AIMS: Advanced Industrial Marketing Strategy

• Strategic Marketing Programme

• Powering Growth

• Leading the Effective Sales Force

• Negotiation Dynamics

• Leading the Business of Sustainability

• Competitive Strategy

• INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy

• M&As and Corporate Strategy

• Managing Partnerships and Strategic

Alliances

• Strategy Execution Programme

• Powering Growth

• Strategic Marketing Programme

• Business Strategy for HR Leaders

• International Management in Asia

Pacific

• Strategic R&D Management

15

Data collection and analysis of programs will be detailed in

order to answer the research question and hypotheses

Participant SelectionProgram structure

Data collection

methodINSEAD

Annual enrolmentsDesk Research 160

Program length Desk Research 12 weeks

(spread over 14-

17 months)

Program cost to

participants?

Desktop

Research

$110,000 US

Data collection

methodINSEAD

What is the ideal

candidate for the

program?

Interview

At what age do people

complete the program?

Desktop Research Average age of 37

At what career stage do

people complete the

program?

Desktop

Research/Interview

After 13 years of work

experience, At least 3

years in a

management role

How are people

identified for the

training?

Interview/Survey

What entry requirements

are there?

Desktop Research,

Interview

GAMSAT,

What percentage of

applicants are accepted

into the program?

Interview

16

Program design and delivery data: INSEAD EMBA

Program content Program delivery

EMBA

Management

dimensions

Operations X

Financial Management X

Data Analysis X

Ethics

Leadership

dimensionsPeople Management X

Communication

Strategy X

Culture and Change

Management

Program design

Which delivery

methods are

used? Which

methods are used

to develop which

skills?

Coaching, 360 degree

feedback

Does it include

coaching, peer

learning,

shadowing or

‘acting’?

Are

placement/Interns

hips involved?

Program cohort –

do participants

study with people

from other

sectors?

Who are the

stakeholders involved

in the program?

INSEAD, Employers,Employees

Who designed the

program?

What is the cost of the

overall program?

Who pays for the

program?

Individuals/Their

employers

How are the programs

chosen?

How many providers

are available?

Many

Is the training aligned to

employer Performance

Management systems?

Subject knowledge in elementary

maths, science and literacy

teachers

A review of high-performing systems

18

Key questions

• What does effective teaching in elementary school require in terms of

subject understanding in math, literacy, and science?

• What does great initial preparation in math, literacy, and science

subject knowledge look like for elementary teachers?

• How do high-performing systems ensure that their beginning

elementary school teachers have sufficient subject knowledge in math,

literacy, and science? E.g registration exams, selection criteria for

entrants into the profession post-ITE

• To what extent do elementary teachers in high-performing systems

specialize, and what does that specialization look like in terms of initial

training and job design?

19

What we know about elementary teacher

subject knowledge

• Teachers need many kinds of knowledge – including content knowledge (in-

depth, accurate knowledge of the content itself) and pedagogical content

knowledge (knowledge of how to teach specific content)

• Having a masters’ degree or major in a subject area is not necessarily

enough – there is a wide variation in course quality and relevance to the

content taught in schools.

• Maths and science are particular areas of weakness for many elementary

teachers, and have been for some time.

• Well-designed ITE content courses can improve teacher subject knowledge

but we know relatively little about ideal program content, structure and

delivery.

• Common Core standards present additional challenges for ITE providers and

education systems.

20

Fieldwork and analysis

We will work with several systems

with excellent teacher knowledge

with different sorts of ITE

systems:

• Japan

• Singapore

• Finland

• Hong Kong

• Shanghai (potentially)

In each system, we will attempt to

speak with ITE providers, school

leaders, teachers, and

policymakers.

Some questions for fieldwork

• Who sets the elementary ITE

curriculum and what does it look

like?

• Is there a specialist curriculum

option for elementary teachers?

• What do subject knowledge-

related filters look like along the

pathway?

• Do teachers specialize in their

jobs, and what does that look

like?

• What evaluative structures are in

place to improve beginning

teacher subject knowledge

preparation?