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Teacher Professional Learning Conversations and Reflections

about Learning

April 2019

Produced by:Education and Training InspectorateEducation AuthorityCouncil for Catholic Maintained Schools for the Department of Education


about Learning

The Education and Training InspectoratePromoting Improvement

Teacher Professional Learning Conversations and Reflections about Learning

1Teacher Professional Learning Conversations and Reflections about Learning


INTRODUCTION

These resources have been produced by the Education and Training Inspectorate, in close collaboration with the Education Authority and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, on commission from the Department of Education, in support of its Learning Leaders Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning.

They represent a shared understanding about professional learning, reflective practice, school development and action planning, and self-evaluation (using first-hand evidence) all leading to school improvement, as seen in better outcomes for learners.

Underpinning Ideas

Shared values and beliefs underpin the resources: in a highly effective school, improvement is best advanced in an integrated and holistic way, rather than through fragmented efforts; and with synergy between the internal accountability of self-evaluation, on a continuing basis, and the external accountability of inspection; all in the best interest of the learner.

Using these Resources

These resources can be used to support conversations and reflections in a variety of different professional development opportunities designed to stimulate autonomous professional thinking. Learning through conversations promotes a greater understanding of the centrality of the learner in curriculum design and teaching, leading to better learning experiences.

The resources can be used in a variety of different contexts (individual schools, or clusters of schools, such as, for example, area learning communities and shared education hubs) and modes for learning leaders at all levels (whether student, recently-qualified, experienced teachers, middle and senior leaders).

Such conversations have the potential to grow the school’s capacity to develop ideas and practices, such as:

the centrality of the learner (the teacher and the pupil)

reflective practice

2 Teacher Professional Learning Conversations and Reflections about Learning

GTCNI’s teacher competences, code of values and professional commitments

enquiry-based and research-informed professional learning

implementing the Northern Ireland curriculum

capacity building for action planning

self-evaluation using first-hand evidence

mentoring and coaching

communities of practice: peer to peer; school to school

Revised March 2019



CONVERSATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ABOUT LEARNING

This is the integrated approach which brings together the work of the Department of Education, the Education and Training Inspectorate, the Education Authority and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools to support teachers, middle-leaders and senior leaders in professional learning, capacity-building, development planning, reflective practice and self evaluation leading to improvement, as seen in better outcomes for learners.

Importantly for schools, this work sits within the statutory framework of school development planning (SDP) (The Education (School Development Plans) Regulations 20101 (Schedule 2.d and 7) and DE Circulars 2010/222 and 2016-4).

In each of the conversations and reflections the learner remains at the centre of the work, as together you evaluate the extent, quality and impact of your arrangements for Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) on school development and improvement and the relevance of the Northern Ireland curriculum to learning in the 21st Century.

A measure of the effectiveness of the integrated approach will be the degree to which, as the Learning Leaders Strategy states, school leaders, having increasing autonomy in deciding delivery methods for professional learning, will be able to demonstrate through the SDP (including the use of first-hand evidence) that [the] school is better placed alone or collaboratively to provide professional learning opportunities for staff3.

Learning and learner-centred school improvement

1 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2010/395/contents/made2 www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/de/sdp-circular-2010-22-sdp-regulations-and-

guidance-english-version%20%281%29.pdf3 Learning Leaders: a strategy for teacher professional learning Department of Education p.24


WARM-UP CONVERSATIONS

Click on each of the five pillars in turn to explore the context of your own school. Click on The Learner capstone to explore the idea of the centrality of the learner.

Some common grains of thinking run through the professional learning and capacity-building conversations set out in these resources. This part of the resource enables you to explore them as a warm-up conversation.

To read how the five pillars above were identified, and ETI’s case studies of schools see the ETI’s evaluation of Learning Leaders.

Or go to explore the Conversation which uses the pillars for self-evaluation.

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https://www.etini.gov.uk/publications/learning-leaders-evaluation-department-educations-strategy-teacher-professional




Culture And Climate

• Thinkofyourownschoolcontextatthemoment.

• Exploreitscultureandclimateinthelightofthesequestions:

For example:

Culture and climate:

Who creates the environment in your school?

What effect does the culture of the school have on professional learning?

Where and When does professional learning take place – and with regularity or not?

Why is it undertaken – is there a shared sense of common moral purpose?

How does professional learning lead to improvement?

Impact – what difference does it make for the learners and for the teachers?

Return to Warm-up Conversations

Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Impact+ + + + + =


PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY


• Exploreprofessionalresponsibilityinyourschoolinthelightofthesequestions:

For example:

Professional Responsibility:

Who takes responsibility for professional learning?

What form does that responsibility take?

Where is it evident in the life and work of the school?

When – with regularity or not?

Why – do we share why it is important to take responsibility for improvement?

How does it manifest itself?






PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP


• Explorepedagogicleadershipinthelightofthesequestions:

For example:

Pedagogical Leadership:

Who takes the lead to create conversations about learning?

What form does reflecting on and sharing classroom practice take?

Where does it happen – in the staffroom, on training days?

When – regularly or not?

Why do we reflect on learning – do we have a shared understanding of the benefits?

How do conversations and reflections take place?





Effective Communication


• Exploretheeffectivenessofcommunicationsinyourschoolinthelightofthesequestions:

For example:

Effective Communication:

Who is responsible for sharing information about professional learning opportunities?

What form does it take – is it sufficiently proactive?

Where and how is information shared and opportunities promoted – are there equal opportunities?

When – is the time that is available identified?

Why do we reflect on and talk about learning?

How do we communicate with our colleagues and peers: – both face to face and online?






Accountability


• Exploreaccountabilityinthelightofthesequestions:

For example:

Accountability:

Who is accountable and to whom – are we primarily accountable to our learners?

What form does accountability take - do we use first-hand evidence?

Where does it take place? When – with regularity or only when we have test results?

Why is it undertaken – do we think that internal accountability is more important day-to-day that any external accountability?

How does accountability happen? Does it lead us to prioritise progress for each learner?

Impact – and what difference does it make for the learners and for the teachers?





These integrated self-evaluation resources are organised into three distinct conversations which are coherently inter-related with common connecting threads. While the conversations are directed variously (i) to teachers individually, (ii) to those working in groups (and middle managers) and (iii) to those setting the direction of the organisation (senior leaders and governors) all three are relevant to all school/organisation teaching staff.

While the conversations need not take place in a specific sequence you may wish to start with The Teacher as a Learner – the idea which is central to the Learning Leaders strategy.

Choose a conversation and click the button

The Teacher as a Learner

Teachers Learning Together

Senior Leaders and Managers Taking a Whole School View of

Learning



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THE TEACHER AS A LEARNER

Defining terms (CLICK below)

What does the Learning Leaders strategy say?

What does being reflective mean?

What does using first hand-evidence mean?

How can reflection promote school improvement?



WHAT DOES THE LEARNING LEADERS STRATEGY SAY?

The strategy document Learning Leaders4 sets out the intention to create an agreed framework for teacher professional learning.

What does a framework mean?

A framework can be thought of a basic, conceptual, supporting structure which can support progress in one’s personal professional learning.

But, to be useful for teachers and schools for the purpose of school improvement it needs to be clothed in the school development and action plans which reflect the current priorities in the unique context and circumstances of your individual school.

The Learning Leaders framework is intended to comprise:

• Clearpathwaysforprogressionbasedonpersonallearning

• Accesstopractice-ledsupportatallcareerstages

• Toolstohelpteacherstodeterminetheirlearningneeds

• Plannedopportunitiestoworkcollaborativelytosharebestpractice

• Opportunitiesfornurturingandbuildingleadershipcapacity,startingatinitialteacher education, for all teachers

Page 9 para. 1.10

What are the expectations on teachers and beginning teachers?

Pages 22 and 23 of the Learning Leaders strategy set out the opportunities which the strategy is intended to provide for teachers and beginning teachers and the responsibilities which they are expected to embrace. The most relevant of these are referenced throughout these resources.

4 https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/teacher-professional-learning-strategy


As a beginning teacher, I have a responsibility to understand the relevance of the Teacher Professional Learning Framework, which explains the continuity between initial, induction and career-long professional learning.

Learning Leaders page 23

What are the Department of Education’s policy commitments?

The Department of Education made policy commitments (page 13) that a framework will empower teachers to build on their strengths and access additional support, through combinations of learning approaches geared towards personal learning and career preferences and reflecting the needs of their pupils.

The framework is also intended to:

be underpinned by the GTCNI teacher competences;

As a teacher I have a responsibility to have knowledge of the teacher competences.


As a beginning teacher I have a responsibility to develop an understanding of the teacher and leadership competences and their relevance to my work.


build on established best practice and collaboration at all stages;

be supported, for Boards of Governors and Senior Leadership Teams, to deliver professional learning approaches;

provide access to support from a mentor or coach which will inform the development of tailored professional learning plans.



As a teacher I will have an opportunity to contribute to professional discussions with colleagues in a range of forums to evaluate professional learning and to improve professional knowledge and practice.

And I have a responsibility to support colleagues to identify and achieve personal learning goals.


As a beginning teacher I will have the opportunity to observe and be observed by peers and more experienced teachers as part of my professional learning and undertake joint lesson observations and access coaching and mentoring from peers and more experienced practitioners.


The Learning Leaders strategy also declares a vision:

Every teacher is a learning leader, accomplished in working collaboratively with all partners in the interests of children and young people.

Learning Leaders Page 4 Para 5

Reflect on what you understand by the terms:

• learningleader?

• accomplished?

• workingcollaboratively?

• allpartners?

• theinterestsofchildrenandyoungpeople?


Do we agree that the learner is the central leader of learning?

And, if we do, what does this mean in practice for teachers?

Do we agree that it means being reflective, with the learner at the centre?

Return to The Teacher as a Learner index



What does being reflective mean?

Being reflective is more than an instinct.

Reflection is an important human activity in which people recapture their experience, think about it, mull it over and evaluate it. It is this working with experience that is important in learning.”

Reflections turning into Learning, David Boud (1985)

Reflective practice is…

…learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and practice.

Reflecting on ‘Reflective practice’, Finlay (2008)

and is often done through the teacher’s critical evaluation of their own practice

and by questioning assumptions of ‘how things are done around here’.

But, there are different understandings of what reflective practice means:

formal or informal; on-going or at a given period in time; solitary or collegial.

All these approaches have value, but if reflection is a solitary, informal one-off exercise its impact may be limited.

To be impactful, for all the learners in the school, it needs to:

use first-hand evidence;

be deliberate, evaluative, critical and collegial;

be conducted in light both of your personal values;

and your understanding of how learners learn.

And, if successful it leads to a better – and shared – knowledge and understanding of effective learning.


Gibb R, Big Ideas in Education 2016

Reflective practice is

Reflective practice isn’t

About improving what you do

For all practitioners

Ongoing through your career

Challenging

Personal Criticism

Limited to trainee and newly qualified teachers

A ‘one-off’ event

A soft option



Reflective practice can be about:

improving what you do by reflecting as something is happening in the class – being alert to the first-hand evidence in front of you and ‘thinking on your feet’;

looking back and evaluating after something has happened and changing for the better next time.

(Schon, 1983 The Reflective Practitioner)

Reflecting as something happens

Consider the situation Decide how to act Act immediately

Reflection IN Action

Reflecting after something happens Reconsider the situation Think about what needs changing

for the future

Reflection ON Action


Share a time when you:

• reflectedinactionwithresultingimprovement;

• reflectedonactionwithresultingimprovement.

Getting started with reflective practice’ Cambridge Assessment International Education

Learn to reflect.

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

Sydney J. Harris

Reflection can be a cyclical process where a teacher evaluates current provision and outcomes, identifies the strengths and the areas that require improvement, implements new or revised ways of teaching and learning and re-evaluates the impact of change to decide if it is an improvement.

Gibbs

Action PlanHow will you improve?

FeelingsWhat were you thinking

and feeling?

ConclusionWhat do you need to

improve on?

EvaluationWhat was good and bad about the experience?

DescriptionWhat happened?

AnalysisWhat sense can you make

of the experience?



Reflective practice is core to all three areas of the 27 GTCNI Teacher Competences5, to GTCNI’s concept of the reflective and activist teacher who is both a moral agent and an informed, knowledgeable practitioner6 and notably to its GTCNI’s Code of Values and Professional Practice7 which sets out the commitment of teachers to the learner, to colleagues and others and to the profession as a whole.

The “Commitment to the Profession” states that teachers will as reflective practitioners, contribute to the review and revision of policies and practices with a view to optimising the opportunities for pupils or addressing identified individual or institutional needs; and in keeping with the concept of professional integrity assume responsibility for their ongoing professional development needs as an essential expression of their professionalism.

Professional development consists of all natural learning experiences and those conscious and planned activities which are intended to be of direct or indirect benefit to the individual, group or school, which contribute through these, to the quality of education in the classroom. It is a process by which, alone and with others, teachers review, renew and extend their commitment as change agents to the moral purposes of teaching; and by which they acquire and develop critically the knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence essential to good professional thinking, planning and practice with children, young people and colleagues throughout each phase of their professional lives.

Day, C (1999) ‘Developing Teachers: the Challenges of Lifelong Learning.’

For reflection to be effective long-term a teacher should be able to tease out and improve their understanding over time about….

their personal values, views and underlying beliefs;

the pedagogy of learning;

the statutory curriculum requirements;

the learners’ needs, interests and abilities;

the context of your school, families and the local community.

5 Teaching: the Reflective Profession, GTCNI Belfast6 Ibid pages 9 and 107 Ibid pages 44-46


J Hattie, Visible Learning, 2012

What are the benefits of reflective practice8?

If undertaken honestly and effectively, reflective practice can:

improve the teacher’s self-awareness and deepen their understanding of the strengths and areas for development in their work;

develop the teacher’s understanding of the learners, how they learn and what stops them from learning;

develop the teacher’s understanding of the learning process and their ability to model learning in action, which in turn develops the learners;

improve the teacher’s capacity to learn;

improve the teacher’s effectiveness;

improve the learners’ experiences and outcomes;

promote a collegial culture of reflective practice for improvement.

8 Reflecting on ‘Reflective practice’, Finlay (2008)



What are the challenges in reflective practice?

Reflective practice is part of the everyday business of teachers and school leaders, but there may be risks if not managed well.

We need to identify possible risks so we can avoid them.

Reflective practice can potentially:

be challenging and risky, especially when it questions accepted beliefs, roles and behaviours (how things are done around here);

be made time-consuming if turned into mechanical checklists viewed as an end in themselves as opposed to bringing clarity to learning;

reinforce poor practice which is the accepted norm of a teacher or a group; and could

leave a teacher vulnerable, if used inappropriately as part of a formalised accountability framework.



WHAT DOES USING ‘FIRST-HAND’ EVIDENCE MEAN?

The Learning Leader strategy states that teachers should:

develop collaboration and share best practice with stakeholders to build capacity; and

ensure that evaluation skills, including lesson observation, are integral to developing ‘next’ practice.

This means that reflection and self-evaluation cannot just be your description of what you have done.

It needs to use first-hand evidence of the depth of learning.

Evidence may qualitative or quantitative and may include, but is not limited to:

• learners’ questions and answers to your questions;

• learners’ written work;

• impact of your feedback on learners’ understanding and progress;

• performance data;

• first-hand observation of learning;

• video lesson observation;

• trusted colleague observation;

• learning walks;

• collaborative planning;

• action research;

• feedback from colleagues;

• feedback from learners, including from small groups;

• pupil questionnaire responses;

• feedback from parents;

• feedback from governors.




HOW CAN REFLECTION PROMOTE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT?

Effective self-evaluation can happen when teachers share their reflective practice to learn more about how best learners may learn.

Grigg’s rules for effective reflective practice:

1. We need to become familiar with a range of models for reflective practice, so that we can select the most appropriate for a particular purpose or a particular stage in our professional development. There is no one way to undertake reflective practice.

2. We need to understand that these models are catalysts and frameworks for the reflection process, and not something to be completed as an end in themselves.

3. We need time, support and contexts in which to try out different models.

Keep it simple – it can be made complicated and bureaucratic but if it is, then it becomes a burden and is ineffective:

• Improve the one thing at a time that will make most difference

• If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any

• Decide at the start what success will look like

• Better intended learning outcomes

• And how you will recognize it

• With first-hand success measures

• Set a short timescale

• If it’s taking too long, stop and try a better approach

• It doesn’t have to be perfect - move on …

If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.

Ignacio Estrada (Director, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)


Here is a practical approach using several of the ‘lenses of reflection’9

Grigg R, Big Ideas in Education: what every teacher should know, Crown House. 2016

Consider the impact of each of these reflections:

• on your teaching;

• on the learners.

If undertaken by individual teachers at whole-school level, how could these actions contribute to school improvement?

Now Change the Conversation

9 Brookfield (1995, 2005)

Arrange to observe a respected

colleague in or beyond the school.

Arrange for one of your lessons to be video-recorded and reflect upon

what you see.

Each term

Choose one child and reflect upon a day in the class for

this child.

Talk to a colleague about one aspect of teaching that concerns you.

Each weekChoose one lesson for

learners to evaluate and provide them with a

template.

Read reliable research in relation to one of your school priorities and reflect upon how this

might help you to achieve this.

Each month



TEACHERS WORKING TOGETHER AS LEARNERS

(CLICK below)

What does learner-focused reflective practice look like?

What is the Self-evaluation Framework - ISEF?

What does learner-focused reflective practice through ISEF look like?

The Reflective Teacher: The Effective Learner

LEARNING LEADERSA Strategy For Teacher Professional Learning


WHAT DOES LEARNER-FOCUSED REFLECTIVE PRACTICE LOOK LIKE?

In the context of teacher professional learning, searching questions are more likely to promote effective reflection and effective self-evaluation by teachers, individually and collectively, if the conversation is directed actively:

As a teacher I have a responsibility to ensure that an integral part of any professional learning I undertake will focus on the implications for providing progressive learning opportunities for my pupils.


As a teacher I have a responsibility to support colleagues to identify and achieve personal learning goals.


How well do I lead learning?How well do we lead learning?

However, thinking about children and young people as the central learning partners, it is helpful for teachers – as a means of reflection - to ask the ‘How well’ questions in terms of questions which might be in the mind of the learner.

• Do I belong here?

• Am I important to someone here?

• Are these the right topics or the right courses for me to learn?

• What is motivating me to learn?

• Is this the best way for me to learn?

• Am I good at something here?

• Am I making the best progress possible?

• Am I growing as fully as I could as a person?

• And, as a citizen, as I mature?

• Is someone listening to me here?10

• Am I being helped to think self-reflectively and lead my own learning?

10 Adapted from David Geurin



It does not follow however, that these questions will be in the mind of the learner.

They are however, learner-minded questions which teachers should use as a filter to frame the ‘How do I’ and ‘How do we’ reflective questions so as to ensure that reflection remains learner-centred and learner-focused.

This approach stops the conversation drifting to focus solely on the actions of the teacher’s classroom performance, and thus become disconnected from the learning outcomes.

However, it is also important for a reflective teacher to consider effective learning and in doing so to prompt children and young people to think about how they learn.

The teachers should help the learners to frame and ask appropriate self-reflective questions that will help to make their learning even more effective – and in discussing them with the teacher - to make the teacher’s practice even more reflective.

In this process learning is a conversation among learners and not a monologue between teacher and learner.

Reflective practice is core to all three areas of the 27 GTCNI Teacher Competences11 and to GTCNI’s concept of the reflective and activist teacher who is both a moral agent and an informed, knowledgeable practitioner12.

Return to Teachers Working Together as Leaders Index

OR


11 Teaching: the Reflective Profession, GTCNI Belfast12 Ibid pages 9 and 10


WHAT IS ISEF (INSPECTION AND SELF-EVALUATION FRAMEWORK)?

The Education and Training Inspectorate’s ISEF13 is designed to support continuing self-evaluation in schools – and not a once-off activity only when an inspection is due. Its use supports an ongoing process of reflective practice.

It sets out a common set of three areas - outcomes for learners, quality of provision and leadership and management - each in turn comprising three components. There are three cross-cutting elements one of which is Care and Welfare.

All 12 components are shared openly and transparently between schools and the ETI.

For each component (and specific for each phase of schooling) there are:

characteristics of effective practice; and

self-evaluation questions.

INSPECTION AND SELF-EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

Overall effectiveness

Outcomes for Learners PL Quality of Provision PL Leadership and Management PL

Standards attained

S/AFI

Quality of curriculum (including breadth, balance and appropriateness)

S/AFI

Effectiveness and impact of the strategic leadership

S/AFIProgression

Effectiveness of guidance and support in bringing about high quality individual learning experiences

Effectiveness and impact of the middle leadership

Wider skills and dispositions/capabilities

Effectiveness and impact of planning, engagement/teaching/training and assessment in promoting successful learning

Effectiveness of action to promote and sustain improvement, including self‑evaluation and the development planning process

Governance (for schools) High degree of confidence Confidence Limited Confidence

Care and Welfare Level 1, C&W impacts positively on learning, teaching and outcomes for learners

Level 2, C&W does not impact positively enough on one or more of learning, teaching and outcomes

Safeguarding Level 1: Reflects the guidance Level 2: Reflects broadly the guidance Level 3: Unsatisfactory

13 https://www.etini.gov.uk/articles/inspection-and-self-evaluation-framework-isef



As a school leader I have the responsibility to be accountable to governors for improved outcomes for pupils as a result of investment in professional learning.


There is both a whole school version of ISEF and a version for school boards of governors both of which are designed to support self-evaluation in schools on a continuing basis. Both can enable an holistic view, bringing together individual self-reflections by teachers and leaders.

Core to effective reflective practice is to consider the effect of teaching provision on the outcomes for the learners (their social and emotional development as well as academic) and how the school manages and leads improvement.

Why should we use ISEF - and if we do - how?

ISEF is mainly designed to help schools focus on self-evaluation on a continuing basis

But it’s not mandatory – schools may, and do, use alternative sets of characteristics and quality indicators to promote improvement

ISEF provides a common language – in line with its commitment to transparency ETI shares the indicators it uses for inspection so that there is harmony between the process of continuing self-evaluation and inspection – to avoid inspection being a one-off event

ISEF is not a checklist, nor is its purpose compliance

Professional learning and school effectiveness should be considered in the round

A teacher may evaluate their provision and outcomes individually and share and collate their findings with colleagues

To help build a share understanding of effective learning and teaching


Individually and/or collectively, teachers may reflect on their existing skills, knowledge and expertise

To identify, determine and design for themselves their career professional learning and development

Working in teams with ISEF can help teaching areas to be more consistent in the quality and effectiveness of their provision

And thereby ensure more able progression and transition for the learners

ISEF is not one-size fits all

It is adaptive to enable teachers and schools to focus on their first-hand priorities

But above all, any reflective and self-evaluation questions asked should be learner-centred and reflect on learner-minded questions - those in the mind of the learner.




WHAT DOES LEARNER-FOCUSED REFLECTIVE PRACTICE THROUGH ISEF LOOK LIKE?

The charts on the following three pages suggest learner-centred, self-evaluation questions in terms of the three main PLs in ISEF (yellow for Outcomes for Learners, peach for Quality of Provision and blue for Leadership and Management) against the background of green for Care and Welfare.

As a school leader I have a responsibility to encourage professional dialogue that is informed by current research and practice to improve the educational outcomes of pupils.

As a school leader I have a responsibility to ensure sufficient time and expertise is allocated for the planning, delivery and evaluation of the impact of professional learning both annually and across the lifespan of the SDP.

As a school leader I have a responsibility to support my teachers who lead a particular aspect of pedagogy or the curriculum.


To ask learner-focused, how well questions through ISEF means asking:

• HowwelldoIknowall of my learners?

• HowwelldoIknowmysubjects/areasoflearning?

• Howeffectiveismyteachingforthebenefitofall of my learners?

As a teacher I have a responsibility to ensure that an integral part of any professional learning I undertake will focus on the implications for providing progressive learning opportunities for my pupils.

As a teacher I have a responsibility to demonstrate that my professional learning has improved my practice and the standards achieved by my pupils.



In the next three pages of ISEF, which follow, we suggest learner-centred questions to be answered using first-hand evidence which are in your classrooms and your school about how well you learn professionally leading to improvement.

In the fourth page following, is a reminder of how to pose the questions, for the purpose of reflection, in terms of the questions that may be in the minds of a reflective learner.

Or, to put it another way

If they’re not learning the way we’re teaching – why don’t we lead learning their way?


If they’re not learning the way we’re teaching – why don’t we lead learning their way?



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eve?

PRO

VISI

ON

FO

R LE

ARN

ING

How

wel

l doe

s m

y pr

actic

e m

eet

the

need

s an

d as

pira

tions

of

all m

y le

arne

rs?

LEAD

ERSH

IP A

ND

MAN

AGEM

ENT

How

wel

l do

I con

trib

ute

to le

adin

g le

arni

ng in

my

scho

ol?

Stan

dard

s at

tain

ed•

How

wel

l do

I kno

w m

y cl

ass

as le

arne

rs?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

dapt

my

teac

hing

to

the

way

the

chi

ldre

n/pu

pils

lear

n or

do

I exp

ect

them

to

adap

t to

my

styl

e of

tea

chin

g?

• H

ow a

war

e am

I of

cla

ss a

nd in

divi

dual

ba

selin

es?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

et a

nd s

hare

hig

h ex

pect

atio

ns fo

r lea

rnin

g?

• H

ow w

ell d

o m

y le

arne

rs’ o

utco

mes

co

mpa

re w

ith o

ther

gro

ups

in t

his

orga

nisa

tion

and

agai

nst

othe

r sim

ilar

orga

nisa

tions

?

• H

ow a

war

e am

I of

the

bar

riers

to

lear

ning

in

my

clas

s? H

ave

I the

exp

ertis

e an

d kn

owle

dge

to h

elp

the

child

ren

over

com

e th

e ba

rrie

rs?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I m

otiv

ate,

eng

age

and

enth

use

the

lear

ners

in m

y cl

ass?

Qua

lity

of t

he c

urricu

lum

• H

ow w

ell d

o I k

now

the

sta

tuto

ry c

urric

ular

re

quire

men

ts fo

r my

clas

s?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

dapt

the

cur

ricul

um t

o th

e in

tere

sts

and

need

s of

par

ticul

ar c

ohor

t of

le

arne

rs?

• H

ow w

ell i

s m

y te

achi

ng in

form

ed b

y re

sear

ch?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e th

e cr

oss-

curr

icul

ar

skill

s of

lite

racy

, num

erac

y, IC

T an

d TS

PC

are

inte

grat

ed w

ith g

ood

oppo

rtun

ities

for

lear

ners

to

appl

y th

ese

skill

s in

a v

arie

ty o

f co

ntex

ts a

cros

s th

e cu

rric

ulum

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I d

eliv

er t

he c

urric

ulum

in a

re

leva

nt, e

ngag

ing

and

crea

tive

man

ner?

Do

I pr

omot

e cu

ltura

l div

ersi

ty a

nd s

ocia

l in

clus

ion?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I w

ork

with

col

leag

ues

to p

lan

shar

ed e

duca

tion

expe

rienc

es t

hat

prov

ide

lear

ning

opp

ortu

nitie

s an

d pr

omot

e be

tter

ou

tcom

es?

Clas

sroo

m le

ader

ship

•

How

wel

l do

I cre

ate

a st

imul

atin

g,

purp

osef

ul a

nd w

ell-

orga

nise

d le

arni

ng

envi

ronm

ent

for t

he le

arne

rs?

• H

ow w

ell d

oes

my

man

agem

ent

of t

he

clas

sroo

m fa

cilit

ate

lear

ners

to

beco

me

inde

pend

ent

thin

kers

who

hav

e hi

gh

leve

ls o

f sel

f-m

anag

emen

t an

d bu

ild t

heir

resi

lienc

e ba

sed

on c

onsi

dere

d ris

k an

d co

nseq

uenc

e?

• H

ow g

ood

am I

as a

role

mod

el a

s th

e le

ad

lear

ner i

n m

y cl

ass?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I l

earn

alo

ngsi

de m

y st

uden

ts?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e ef

fect

ive

com

mun

icat

ion

with

and

man

agem

ent

of

othe

r adu

lts (s

tude

nts,

clas

sroo

m/le

arni

ng

assi

stan

ts) i

n m

y cl

assr

oom

?

Prog

ress

ion

• H

ow w

ell d

o I i

dent

ify u

nder

and

low

ac

hiev

ers?

Do

I kno

w t

he ro

ot c

ause

of t

he

diff

icul

ty a

nd w

hat

step

s ha

ve I

take

n to

ad

dres

s th

e is

sues

?

Effe

ctiv

enes

s of

gui

danc

e an

d su

ppor

t in

bring

ing

abou

t hi

gh q

ualit

y in

divi

dual

le

arni

ng e

xper

ienc

es•

How

resp

onsi

ve is

my

past

oral

car

e in

m

eetin

g th

e ne

eds

of in

divi

dual

lear

ners

in

addr

essi

ng lo

cal a

nd c

onte

mpo

rary

issu

es

whi

ch a

ffec

t th

eir l

ives

?

Effe

ctiv

enes

s an

d im

pact

of

colla

bora

tive

wor

king

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

uppo

rt t

he s

enio

r lea

ders

hip

team

in p

rom

otin

g th

e et

hos,

visi

on a

nd

aim

s of

the

sch

ool?


• H

ow w

ell d

o I k

now

wha

t ap

prop

riate

pr

ogre

ss is

for m

y cl

ass

acro

ss a

day

, a

wee

k, a

ter

m a

nd a

yea

r?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I t

rack

pro

gres

s in

my

clas

s? D

o I h

ave

a ba

lanc

e of

qua

litat

ive

and

quan

titat

ive

data

and

do

I use

it

effe

ctiv

ely

to in

form

futu

re p

lann

ing?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I u

nder

stan

d ho

w t

o br

oade

n an

d de

epen

the

chi

ldre

n’s/

pupi

ls’

lear

ning

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I b

uild

on

prev

ious

lear

ning

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I b

uild

on

outc

omes

from

in

terv

entio

ns o

r with

draw

al p

rogr

amm

es?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de d

etai

led

info

rmat

ion

(qua

litat

ive,

qua

ntita

tive

and

past

oral

) abo

ut t

he s

tand

ards

and

pr

ogre

ss o

f ind

ivid

ual p

upils

in m

y cl

ass

to c

olle

ague

s to

ens

ure

prog

ress

ion?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I i

dent

ify a

ny s

peci

al

educ

atio

nal n

eeds

of t

he le

arne

rs a

nd

prov

ide

clea

r and

agr

eed

educ

atio

n pl

ans

that

pro

gres

s le

arni

ng. H

ow d

o I i

nvol

ve

child

ren

and

thei

r par

ents

in s

ettin

g an

d ev

alua

ting

targ

ets?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

the

lear

ners

to

cont

ribut

e th

eir v

iew

s on

re

leva

nt a

spec

ts o

f sch

ool l

ife, i

nclu

ding

le

arni

ng a

nd t

each

ing?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

eek

and

act

upon

feed

back

on

the

sta

ndar

d of

my

wor

k fr

om S

LT,

colle

ague

s an

d le

arne

rs?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I c

olla

bora

te w

ith c

olle

ague

s in

sch

ool a

nd in

oth

er o

rgan

isat

ions

an

d w

hat

impa

ct d

oes

this

hav

e on

the

ou

tcom

es fo

r the

lear

ners

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I h

ave

a sh

ared

sen

se o

f re

spon

sibi

lity

for t

he p

asto

ral w

ell-

bein

g an

d ac

adem

ic o

utco

mes

of a

ll th

e le

arne

rs in

my

scho

ol?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

eek

and

acce

pt

oppo

rtun

ities

to

prov

ide

lead

ersh

ip

in a

spec

ts o

f the

life

and

wor

k of

my

scho

ol?

Wid

er s

kills

and

dis

posi

tion

s •

How

aw

are

am I

of t

he n

eces

sary

ski

lls,

disp

ositi

ons

and

attit

udes

tha

t th

e le

arne

rs in

my

clas

s sh

ould

be

deve

lopi

ng

as re

fere

nced

in t

he a

ppro

pria

te k

ey

stag

e N

IC o

r Cur

ricul

ar G

uida

nce

for P

re-

scho

ol?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I t

rack

and

eva

luat

e pr

ogre

ss

in t

he s

kills

, dis

posi

tions

and

att

itude

s?

Effe

ctiv

enes

s an

d im

pact

of

plan

ning

, te

achi

ng a

nd a

sses

smen

t in

pro

mot

ing

succ

essf

ul le

arni

ng

• H

ow w

ell i

s m

y pl

anni

ng re

flect

ive

of t

he

stat

utor

y re

quire

men

ts o

f the

NIC

and

co

nsis

tent

with

sch

ool p

olic

ies?

• H

ow w

ell i

s m

y pl

anni

ng s

peci

fic t

o th

e ne

eds

of t

he c

urre

nt c

ohor

t of

lear

ners

an

d do

es it

bui

ld o

n th

eir i

nter

ests

, ne

eds

and

prio

r lea

rnin

g w

hile

pro

vidi

ng

chal

leng

e an

d de

velo

ping

dee

per

conc

eptu

al le

arni

ng?

Effe

ctiv

e ac

tion

to

prom

ote

& s

usta

in

impr

ovem

ent

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

ccep

t a

shar

ed

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r the

impr

ovem

ent

proc

ess

and

activ

ely

cont

ribut

e to

the

sc

hool

dev

elop

men

t pl

an?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I u

se e

ffec

tivel

y th

e av

aila

ble

data

to

info

rm fu

ture

lear

ning

fo

r my

clas

s, in

clud

ing

in in

terv

entio

ns

for t

hose

requ

iring

add

ition

al s

uppo

rt?



• H

ow w

ell d

o I k

now

wha

t ap

prop

riate

pr

ogre

ss is

for m

y cl

ass

acro

ss a

day

, a

wee

k, a

ter

m a

nd a

yea

r?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I t

rack

pro

gres

s in

my

clas

s? D

o I h

ave

a ba

lanc

e of

qua

litat

ive

and

quan

titat

ive

data

and

do

I use

it

effe

ctiv

ely

to in

form

futu

re p

lann

ing?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I u

nder

stan

d ho

w t

o br

oade

n an

d de

epen

the

chi

ldre

n’s/

pupi

ls’

lear

ning

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I b

uild

on

prev

ious

lear

ning

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I b

uild

on

outc

omes

from

in

terv

entio

ns o

r with

draw

al p

rogr

amm

es?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de d

etai

led

info

rmat

ion

(qua

litat

ive,

qua

ntita

tive

and

past

oral

) abo

ut t

he s

tand

ards

and

pr

ogre

ss o

f ind

ivid

ual p

upils

in m

y cl

ass

to c

olle

ague

s to

ens

ure

prog

ress

ion?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I i

dent

ify a

ny s

peci

al

educ

atio

nal n

eeds

of t

he le

arne

rs a

nd

prov

ide

clea

r and

agr

eed

educ

atio

n pl

ans

that

pro

gres

s le

arni

ng. H

ow d

o I i

nvol

ve

child

ren

and

thei

r par

ents

in s

ettin

g an

d ev

alua

ting

targ

ets?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

the

lear

ners

to

cont

ribut

e th

eir v

iew

s on

re

leva

nt a

spec

ts o

f sch

ool l

ife, i

nclu

ding

le

arni

ng a

nd t

each

ing?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

eek

and

act

upon

feed

back

on

the

sta

ndar

d of

my

wor

k fr

om S

LT,

colle

ague

s an

d le

arne

rs?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I c

olla

bora

te w

ith c

olle

ague

s in

sch

ool a

nd in

oth

er o

rgan

isat

ions

an

d w

hat

impa

ct d

oes

this

hav

e on

the

ou

tcom

es fo

r the

lear

ners

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I h

ave

a sh

ared

sen

se o

f re

spon

sibi

lity

for t

he p

asto

ral w

ell-

bein

g an

d ac

adem

ic o

utco

mes

of a

ll th

e le

arne

rs in

my

scho

ol?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I s

eek

and

acce

pt

oppo

rtun

ities

to

prov

ide

lead

ersh

ip

in a

spec

ts o

f the

life

and

wor

k of

my

scho

ol?

Wid

er s

kills

and

dis

posi

tion

s •

How

aw

are

am I

of t

he n

eces

sary

ski

lls,

disp

ositi

ons

and

attit

udes

tha

t th

e le

arne

rs in

my

clas

s sh

ould

be

deve

lopi

ng

as re

fere

nced

in t

he a

ppro

pria

te k

ey

stag

e N

IC o

r Cur

ricul

ar G

uida

nce

for P

re-

scho

ol?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I t

rack

and

eva

luat

e pr

ogre

ss

in t

he s

kills

, dis

posi

tions

and

att

itude

s?

Effe

ctiv

enes

s an

d im

pact

of

plan

ning

, te

achi

ng a

nd a

sses

smen

t in

pro

mot

ing

succ

essf

ul le

arni

ng

• H

ow w

ell i

s m

y pl

anni

ng re

flect

ive

of t

he

stat

utor

y re

quire

men

ts o

f the

NIC

and

co

nsis

tent

with

sch

ool p

olic

ies?

• H

ow w

ell i

s m

y pl

anni

ng s

peci

fic t

o th

e ne

eds

of t

he c

urre

nt c

ohor

t of

lear

ners

an

d do

es it

bui

ld o

n th

eir i

nter

ests

, ne

eds

and

prio

r lea

rnin

g w

hile

pro

vidi

ng

chal

leng

e an

d de

velo

ping

dee

per

conc

eptu

al le

arni

ng?

Effe

ctiv

e ac

tion

to

prom

ote

& s

usta

in

impr

ovem

ent

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

ccep

t a

shar

ed

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r the

impr

ovem

ent

proc

ess

and

activ

ely

cont

ribut

e to

the

sc

hool

dev

elop

men

t pl

an?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I u

se e

ffec

tivel

y th

e av

aila

ble

data

to

info

rm fu

ture

lear

ning

fo

r my

clas

s, in

clud

ing

in in

terv

entio

ns

for t

hose

requ

iring

add

ition

al s

uppo

rt?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e th

at t

he le

arne

rs

know

the

ir ow

n st

reng

ths,

wha

t as

pect

s of

the

ir w

ork

need

to

be im

prov

ed a

nd

how

to

mak

e im

prov

emen

ts?

• H

ow a

ctiv

ely

and

mea

ning

fully

are

the

ch

ildre

n in

volv

ed in

set

ting

thei

r ow

n pe

rson

al g

oals

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I k

now

and

nur

ture

the

w

ider

tal

ents

and

abi

litie

s of

the

lear

ners

in

my

clas

s fo

r exa

mpl

e in

the

art

s, sp

orts

, ICT

, vol

unta

ry/w

ide

com

mun

ity,

youn

g le

ader

ship

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I u

se a

n ap

prop

riate

rang

e of

le

arni

ng a

nd t

each

ing

stra

tegi

es t

hat

suit

the

lear

ning

nee

ds o

f my

curr

ent

clas

s?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I c

ontin

ually

mon

itor t

he

child

ren’

s un

ders

tand

ing

and

prov

ide

high

qu

ality

ver

bal a

nd w

ritte

n fe

edba

ck?

How

do

I kn

ow m

y fe

edba

ck is

eff

ectiv

e an

d m

akin

g a

diff

eren

ce?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de re

leva

nt a

nd t

imel

y ev

iden

ce t

o th

e se

nior

lead

ersh

ip o

f st

anda

rds

of w

ork

and

prov

isio

n w

hen

requ

ired?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

ctiv

ely

seek

to

exte

nd a

nd

rene

w m

y pr

ofes

sion

al c

apac

ity t

hrou

gh

rese

arch

and

dev

elop

men

t op

port

uniti

es?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I b

uild

the

pro

fess

iona

l ca

paci

ty o

f col

leag

ues

and

in p

artic

ular

su

ppor

t th

ose

teac

hers

with

less

ex

perie

nce?

Care

and

Wel

fare

-

Im

pact

s/do

es n

ot im

pact

pos

itiv

ely

in le

arni

ng, t

each

ing

and

outc

omes

•

How

wel

l do

I ens

ure

that

beh

avio

ur fo

r lea

rnin

g is

pos

itive

ly a

nd c

onsi

sten

tly p

rom

oted

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e th

at re

latio

nshi

ps fo

r lea

rnin

g ar

e m

utua

lly re

spec

tful

, ope

n an

d tr

ustin

g?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e th

at w

orki

ng re

latio

nshi

ps w

ith o

ther

sch

ools

and

the

wid

er c

omm

unity

sup

port

the

hol

istic

dev

elop

men

t of

the

le

arne

r?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I a

ddre

ss c

once

rns

rais

ed w

ith m

e by

the

lear

ners

, par

ents

or m

embe

rs o

f the

sch

ool c

omm

unity

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I e

nsur

e th

at a

ll ch

ildre

n ar

e re

ceiv

ing

the

supp

ort

need

ed t

o ov

erco

me

pote

ntia

l bar

riers

to

lear

ning

?

• H

ow e

ffec

tivel

y do

I m

onito

r lev

els

of a

tten

danc

e, p

unct

ualit

y an

d en

gage

men

t by

the

chi

ldre

n so

tha

t is

sues

can

be

iden

tifie

d an

d ad

dres

sed

prom

ptly

?

Safe

guar

ding

• H

ow w

ell d

o I p

rovi

de a

saf

e an

d se

cure

env

ironm

ent

for t

he c

hild

ren

to le

arn

by

atte

ndin

g re

leva

nt t

rain

ing

and

ensu

re t

hat

I fol

low

all

scho

ol p

olic

ies

with

rega

rd t

o sa

fegu

ardi

ng a

nd c

hild

pro

tect

ion

incl

udin

g th

e le

arne

rs’ o

n-lin

e sa

fety

?

• H

ow w

ell d

o I m

ake

seni

or le

ader

ship

aw

are

of a

ny b

reac

hes

in s

afeg

uard

ing

or g

aps

in

polic

ies

in li

ne w

ith d

epar

tmen

t re

gula

tions

?


Now Change the Conversation

How do you learn alongside me ?

How do you learn with other adults and from studying to make things

better for me ?

What do you know about me: my personality,

my interests, my talents, the things that hold me back and

how I learn best?

What do you know about how children and

young people think and learn?

How do you use the information you have about me to help me make the best progress? How do you

help me to do this ?

How well do you use different teaching

approaches to help me learn best? How do you know ?

What do you know about the community I come from? How do you show that

you respect it ?

How do you know that I’m doing as

well as I can ?

How do you speak and write about me and my

learning for other people ?

How do you model good learning for me?

How do you help me to be safe and responsible

online?

How do you use what you know to plan for

next stages in learning ?

How do you help me to aim high, to

believe in myself and persevere in my learning ?

How do you help me to improve my literacy and

numeracy ?

How do you help me to become an independent

and critical thinker ?

How well do you know my curriculum what you

need to teach me ?

When I make mistakes, what do you

and I learn ?

How do you make our learning environment reassuring and safe? How do you help me

contriubute to this?



SENIOR LEADERS AND MANAGERS TAKING A WHOLE-SCHOOL VIEW OF

LEARNING

(CLICK below)

How does effective improvement work across our whole school?

OR


LEARNING LEADERSA Strategy For Teacher Professional Learning


How well does improvement work across the whole school?

This guide is a conversation to help your school reflect on, talk about, review and evaluate the effectiveness of its approach to teacher professional learning (TPL) in support of the strategy Learning Leaders: A Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning14.

The Education and Training Inspectorate, through discussions in schools and scrutiny of next practice, has identified five common elements of leadership (below) which collectively, make a difference by successfully connecting professional learning to school improvement15.

14 https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/teacher-professional-learning-strategy15 ETI evaluated innovative approaches to TPL in almost 35 schools and organisations.

Findings are analysed and reported, along with a range of case studies, and are available at https://www.etini.gov.uk/news/learning-leaders

Culture and

Climate

Accountability

Effective Communication

Professional Responsibility

Pedagogic Leadership



1. Culture and climate: organisational leadership, with the vision and inspiration to create and sustain a culture and climate which links professional learning to school improvement.

As a school leader I have the responsibility to use my knowledge of the teacher competences to plan, participate and lead my own learning and the learning in my school as a research rich self-improving school community.


As a school leader I have the responsibility to support my teachers who lead a particular aspect of pedagogy or the curriculum.


As a teacher I have the opportunity to contribute to professional discussions with colleagues in a range of forums to evaluate professional learning and to improve professional knowledge and practice.


2. Professional responsibility: learning leadership shown by teachers who regard professional responsibility for improvement in pedagogy as an entitlement, as well as an obligation, and act in ways which lead to improvement in the outcomes for the learners.

As a teacher I have the responsibility to demonstrate that my professional learning has improved my practice and the standards achieved by my pupils.


As a beginning teacher I have the responsibility to understand the importance of career-long participation in professional networks and communities of practices to broaden knowledge and improve practice.



3. Pedagogical leadership: research-informed and inquiry-based approaches to professional learning, which recognise that an intrinsic focus on pedagogy is the main means of improving the quality of learning and teaching.

As a teacher I have responsibility to ensure that an integral part of any professional learning I undertake will focus on the implications for providing progressive learning opportunities for my pupils.


As a school leader I have a responsibility to support my teachers who lead a particular aspect of pedagogy or the curriculum.


4. Effective communication: collegial and collaborative approaches which, through effective communication both within and beyond the organisation, including through the use of social environments and e-portfolios, leads to professional sharing through communities of professional practice.

As a school I have the opportunity to initiate collaborative relationships and be supported in developing communities of effective practice within and beyond my school.


As a school leader have the responsibility to encourage professional dialogue that is informed by current research and practice to improve the educational outcomes of pupils.


5. Accountability: for improvement, based on use of assessment evidence (not just data) to evaluate the progress being made.

As a school leader have the responsibility to be accountable to governors for improved outcomes for pupils as a result of investment in professional learning.




In the context of School Development Plans ((The Education (School Development Plans) Regulations 2010 (Schedule 2.d and 7) and DE Circulars 2010/22 and 2016-4) the questions below ask Learning Leaders, at all levels including governors, to consider each of the five leadership aspects from the perspective of the learner, to evaluate the extent, quality and impact of TPL on school improvement in your school and to set targets for development.

It is not the purpose of this guide to lead your school to create a stand-alone TPL policy action or document in isolation from existing school development and improvement action planning arrangements.

School development planning regulations require all schools to provide an evaluative and evidence-based account of key aspects of the school’s provision in order to set appropriate targets for improvement. School self-evaluation can empower a school community to take ownership of their development and improvement.

Self-evaluation can take many forms and occur at different stages and at different levels in a school. Schools have different contexts and will be at different stages of developing self-evaluative practices.

There are a range of self-evaluation tools, frameworks, models and accreditations to choose from. Many schools, support services and employing authorities have created their own tools, often based directly on the Inspection and Self-evaluation Framework (ISEF) or its predecessor Together Towards Improvement (TTI) both used successfully to identify their strengths and targets for improvement.

The use of any self-evaluative tool or framework is not an end in itself but a catalyst to support effective reflective practices across the school.


As t

he L

earn

ing

Lead

ers

Stra

tegy

sta

tes

(4.2

) Lea

ders

hip

is s

econ

d on

ly t

o te

achi

ng a

s th

e fa

ctor

mos

t lik

ely

to in

fluen

ce

outc

omes

for

pup

ils.

The

follo

win

g pa

ges

are

desi

gned

as

follo

ws,

build

ing

from

left

to

right

16:

The

five

pilla

rs: t

he

com

mon

ele

men

ts o

f ef

fect

ive

lead

ersh

ip

deriv

ed f

rom

ana

lysi

s by

the

ETI

of

next

TPL

pr

actic

e in

lead

ing-

edge

sch

ools

Lear

ner-

min

ded

ques

tions

abo

ut

effe

ctiv

e le

arni

ng a

s a

filte

r fo

r te

ache

r’s

purp

osef

ul r

efle

ctiv

e pr

actic

e

‘How

wel

l do

I’ qu

estio

ns f

or t

each

ers

to c

onsi

der,

usin

g th

e pe

rspe

ctiv

e of

the

le

arne

r, in

ord

er t

o re

flect

and

impr

ove

‘How

wel

l do

we’

que

stio

ns

for

mid

dle-

lead

ers

who

ar

e re

spon

sibl

e fo

r te

am

colle

gial

ity, d

evel

opin

g a

sing

le s

ense

of

purp

ose

and

shar

ing

effe

ctiv

e ap

proa

ches

to

prov

ide

for

cons

iste

nt le

arni

ng

expe

rienc

es

‘How

wel

l doe

s ou

r sc

hool

’ qu

estio

ns f

or s

enio

r le

ader

s an

d go

vern

ors

resp

onsi

ble

for

dire

ctin

g th

e sc

hool

, dev

elop

ing

a gr

owth

min

d-se

t, ca

paci

ty-b

uild

ing

and

prio

ritis

ing

and

paci

ng

impr

ovem

ent

in t

he

inte

rest

of

the

lear

ner

Cultu

re a

nd C

limat

ePe

rspe

ctiv

e of

the

pu

pil a

s th

e le

arni

ng

lead

er

Teac

her

as t

he le

arni

ng

lead

er

Mid

dle

lead

ers

(i.

e. s

ubje

ct, k

ey-s

tage

and

cu

rric

ulum

man

ager

s)

Scho

ol le

ader

s

(i.e.

sen

ior

scho

ol s

taff

le

ader

s, m

anag

ers

and

the

gove

rnor

s)

Cultu

re a

nd c

limat

e:

orga

nisa

tiona

l le

ader

ship

, with

th

e vi

sion

and

in

spira

tion

to c

reat

e an

d su

stai

n a

cultu

re

and

clim

ate

whi

ch

links

pro

fess

iona

l le

arni

ng t

o sc

hool

im

prov

emen

t.

Do I

belo

ng h

ere?

Am I

impo

rtan

t to

so

meo

ne h

ere?

How

am

I en

cour

aged

to

iden

tify

my

prof

essi

onal

le

arni

ng n

eeds

?

How

wel

l am

I m

eetin

g m

y pr

ofes

sion

al

deve

lopm

ent

need

s?

How

wel

l do

I dev

elop

m

y ow

n pr

ofes

sion

alis

m

and

thro

ugh

wor

king

ef

fect

ivel

y w

ith m

y co

lleag

ues?

How

do

we

deve

lop

a co

llegi

al

appr

oach

to

gath

erin

g fir

st

evid

ence

abo

ut o

ur le

aner

s an

d us

ing

it ev

alua

tivel

y fo

r im

prov

emen

t?

How

do

use

our p

rofe

ssio

nal

lear

ning

to

driv

e sc

hool

de

velo

pmen

t pl

anni

ng fo

r im

prov

emen

t?

How

do

we

know

tha

t ou

r ap

proa

ches

to

teac

her

prof

essi

onal

lear

ning

are

fit

for p

urpo

se a

nd e

ffec

tive?

How

wel

l doe

s ou

r TPL

re

flect

the

vis

ion,

eth

os,

valu

es a

nd a

ims

of o

ur

scho

ol –

and

how

do

we

know

the

y ar

e sh

ared

ac

ross

the

sch

ool a

nd it

s co

mm

unity

?

How

do

we

iden

tify

staf

f with

in o

ur s

choo

l as

pot

entia

l lea

ders

/fa

cilit

ator

s (e

.g. c

oach

es/

men

tors

)?

16 T

he fi

ve p

illar

s are

der

ived

from

ETI

insp

ectio

n ev

iden

ce a

nd th

e fiv

e ke

y ar

eas o

f Lea

rnin

g Le

ader

s: a

stra

tegy

for t

each

er p

rofe

ssio

nal l

earn

ing

pp.4

-5



Prof

essi

onal

re

spon

sibi

lity

Pers

pect

ive

of t

he

pupi

l as

the

lear

ning

le

ader

Teac

her

as t

he le

arni

ng

lead

er

Mid

dle

lead

ers

(i.

e. s

ubje

ct, k

ey-s

tage

and

cu

rric

ulum

man

ager

s)

Scho

ol le

ader

s

(i.e.

sen

ior

scho

ol s

taff

le

ader

s, m

anag

ers

and

the

gove

rnor

s)

Prof

essi

onal

re

spon

sibi

lity:

le

arni

ng le

ader

ship

sh

own

by t

each

ers

who

rega

rd

prof

essi

onal

re

spon

sibi

lity

for

impr

ovem

ent

in

peda

gogy

as

an

entit

lem

ent,

as w

ell

as a

n ob

ligat

ion,

and

ac

t in

way

s w

hich

lead

to

impr

ovem

ent

in

the

outc

omes

for t

he

lear

ners

.

Are

thes

e th

e rig

ht

topi

cs o

r the

righ

t co

urse

s fo

r me

to

stud

y?

Wha

t is

mot

ivat

ing

me

to le

arn?

Is t

his

the

best

way

for

me

to le

arn?

Do a

ll m

y te

ache

rs

mod

el le

arni

ng?

How

wel

l am

I en

cour

aged

to

thin

k ab

out

my

expe

rienc

es

so fa

r, m

y st

reng

ths

and

curr

ent

know

ledg

e, m

y ca

reer

sta

ge a

nd m

y as

pira

tions

?

How

wel

l do

we

refle

ct

on h

ow t

o co

nnec

t th

e ne

eds

of m

y le

arne

rs t

o im

prov

ing

my

teac

hing

?

How

wel

l am

I en

able

d to

tak

e pe

rson

al

resp

onsi

bilit

y an

d id

entif

y m

y ow

n pr

ofes

sion

al

lear

ning

nee

ds?

How

cle

arly

do

I spe

cify

th

e be

st w

ay fo

r me

to

deve

lop

my

prof

essi

onal

kn

owle

dge

and

skill

s in

a

way

whi

ch s

uits

me

best

?

How

wel

l do

all o

f use

re

flect

on

how

to

conn

ect

the

need

s of

our

lear

ners

to

impr

ovin

g ou

r tea

chin

g m

ore

cons

iste

ntly

?

And

are

the

outc

omes

goo

d en

ough

for a

ll of

our

lear

ners

?

How

wel

l do

our

appr

oach

es t

o TP

L pr

omot

e sh

ared

in

nova

tion,

cre

ativ

ity a

nd

prob

lem

-sol

ving

– a

nd

the

shee

r enj

oym

ent

of

lear

ning

- in

pra

ctic

e?

How

wel

l do

the

syst

ems

with

in o

ur s

choo

l pro

vide

cl

ear p

athw

ays

that

of

fer c

oher

ent

care

er-

long

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r pr

ofes

sion

al le

arni

ng a

nd

capa

city

bui

ldin

g fo

r all

of

our t

each

ers?

How

wel

l do

we

crea

te

oppo

rtun

ities

and

giv

e pr

actic

al s

uppo

rt fo

r te

ache

rs t

o cr

eate

the

ir ow

n le

arni

ng p

athw

ays

to im

prov

emen

t in

the

ir pr

actic

e?


Peda

gogi

cal

lead

ersh

ip

Pers

pect

ive

of t

he

pupi

l as

the

lear

ning

le

ader

Teac

her

as t

he le

arni

ng

lead

er

Mid

dle

lead

ers

(i.

e. s

ubje

ct, k

ey-s

tage

and

cu

rric

ulum

man

ager

s)

Scho

ol le

ader

s

(i.e.

sen

ior

scho

ol s

taff

le

ader

s, m

anag

ers

and

the

gove

rnor

s)

Peda

gogi

cal

lead

ersh

ip: r

esea

rch-

info

rmed

and

inqu

iry-

base

d ap

proa

ches

to

prof

essi

onal

lear

ning

, w

hich

reco

gnis

e th

at

an in

trin

sic

focu

s on

pe

dago

gy is

the

mai

n m

eans

of i

mpr

ovin

g th

e qu

ality

of l

earn

ing

and

teac

hing

.

How

goo

d ar

e m

y te

ache

rs a

t he

lpin

g m

e to

lear

n?

How

ade

pt a

m I

at

perf

ectin

g m

y cr

aft?

How

rigo

rous

and

de

man

ding

am

I of

m

ysel

f in

resp

ondi

ng

to m

y le

arne

rs n

eeds

an

d in

rais

ing

thei

r ex

pect

atio

ns?

How

do

we

ensu

re t

here

is

a fo

cus

on c

onsi

sten

t im

prov

emen

t on

eff

ectiv

e pe

dago

gy w

hich

rais

es

stan

dard

s?

How

do

we

ensu

re t

here

is a

co

llect

ive

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

ho

w c

hild

ren

lear

n (a

nd fa

il to

lear

n) a

nd a

cqui

re n

ew

know

ledg

e an

d ap

ply

new

sk

ills?

How

do

we

ensu

re t

hat

TPL

is in

form

ed b

y cu

rren

t re

sear

ch, i

nclu

ding

act

ion

rese

arch

, on

effe

ctiv

e le

ader

ship

, lea

rnin

g an

d te

achi

ng?

How

oft

en a

nd w

ell d

o w

e le

ad c

onve

rsat

ions

abo

ut

effe

ctiv

e le

arni

ng?

How

wel

l do

we

valu

e pe

dago

gica

l lea

ders

hip

in

prac

tice?

How

do

we

eval

uate

the

qu

ality

and

eff

ectiv

enes

s of

the

lear

ning

and

te

achi

ng a

cros

s th

e w

hole

sc

hool

?



Effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unic

atio

n

Pers

pect

ive

of t

he

pupi

l as

the

lear

ning

le

ader

Teac

her

as t

he le

arni

ng

lead

er

Mid

dle

lead

ers

(i.

e. s

ubje

ct, k

ey-s

tage

and

cu

rric

ulum

man

ager

s)

Scho

ol le

ader

s

(i.e.

sen

ior

scho

ol s

taff

le

ader

s, m

anag

ers

and

the

gove

rnor

s)

Effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unic

atio

n:

colle

gial

and

co

llabo

rativ

e ap

proa

ches

whi

ch,

thro

ugh

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unic

atio

n bo

th

with

in a

nd b

eyon

d th

e or

gani

satio

n, in

clud

ing

thro

ugh

the

use

of

soci

al e

nviro

nmen

ts

and

e-po

rtfo

lios,

lead

s to

pro

fess

iona

l sha

ring

thro

ugh

com

mun

ities

of

pro

fess

iona

l pr

actic

e.

Is s

omeo

ne li

sten

ing

to

me

here

?

How

eff

ectiv

e ar

e m

y te

ache

rs in

ask

ing

me

abou

t ho

w I

can

lear

n be

tter

?

How

oft

en d

o I m

ake

and

take

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

tal

k to

col

leag

ues

with

in m

y sc

hool

- a

nd b

eyon

d m

y sc

hool

(fac

e to

face

and

/or

onl

ine)

– a

bout

the

ch

alle

nges

whi

ch I

face

in

the

clas

sroo

m a

nd h

ow t

o re

solv

e th

em?

How

wel

l do

we

mot

ivat

e al

l pr

actit

ione

rs t

o co

ntrib

ute

to p

rofe

ssio

nal d

iscu

ssio

ns

in a

rang

e of

foru

ms,

incl

udin

g on

line,

to

eval

uate

pr

ofes

sion

al le

arni

ng

and

impr

ove

prof

essi

onal

kn

owle

dge

and

prac

tice?

How

wel

l do

we

shar

e ou

r und

erst

andi

ng o

f the

ch

arac

teris

tics

of h

ighl

y ef

fect

ive

clas

sroo

m p

ract

ice?

How

do

we

know

tha

t sh

arin

g is

mak

ing

a di

ffer

ence

?

How

wel

l do

we

faci

litat

e th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

co

llabo

rativ

e re

latio

nshi

ps

and

prof

essi

onal

lear

ning

co

mm

uniti

es w

ithin

our

sc

hool

and

bet

wee

n sc

hool

s (in

clud

ing

for

exam

ple,

thr

ough

soc

ial

med

ia, o

nlin

e le

arni

ng

envi

ronm

ents

, etc

)?

How

do

our p

aren

ts

know

tha

t ou

r tea

cher

pr

ofes

sion

al le

arni

ng is

im

prov

ing

our s

choo

l by

rais

ing

stan

dard

s?


Acco

unta

bilit

yPe

rspe

ctiv

e of

the

pu

pil a

s th

e le

arni

ng

lead

er

Teac

her

as t

he le

arni

ng

lead

er

Mid

dle

lead

ers

(i.

e. s

ubje

ct, k

ey-s

tage

and

cu

rric

ulum

man

ager

s)

Scho

ol le

ader

s

(i.e.

sen

ior

scho

ol s

taff

le

ader

s, m

anag

ers

and

the

gove

rnor

s)

Acco

unta

bilit

y: f

or

impr

ovem

ent,

base

d on

use

of a

sses

smen

t ev

iden

ce (n

ot ju

st

data

) to

eval

uate

the

pr

ogre

ss b

eing

mad

e.

Am I

mak

ing

the

best

pr

ogre

ss p

ossi

ble?

Am I

grow

ing

as fu

lly

as I

coul

d as

a p

erso

n ..a

nd, a

s a

citiz

en, a

s I

mat

ure?

Is s

omeo

ne li

sten

ing

to

me

here

?

Do a

ll of

my

teac

hers

kn

ow t

hat

they

are

ac

coun

tabl

e to

me

for

how

wel

l I le

arn

and

prog

ress

?

How

do

I eva

luat

e th

e im

pact

of m

y pr

ofes

sion

al

lear

ning

on

impr

ovin

g th

e qu

ality

and

eff

ectiv

enes

s of

my

pupi

ls’ l

earn

ing?

How

wel

l do

I use

fir

st-h

and

evid

ence

to

rela

te m

y pr

ofes

sion

al

lear

ning

to

evid

ence

of

impr

ovem

ent

in t

he

outc

omes

for a

ll of

my

lear

ners

?

How

goo

d ar

e w

e as

lear

ning

le

ader

s?

How

eff

ectiv

ely

do w

e m

anag

e fe

edba

ck t

o co

lleag

ues?

Do m

y co

lleag

ues

rece

ive

feed

back

on

prac

tice,

obs

erve

th

e pr

actic

e of

oth

ers

and

chan

ge p

ract

ice,

thr

ough

for

exam

ple,

coa

chin

g, m

ento

ring

and

refle

ctio

n?

As a

n or

gani

satio

n, h

ow

do w

e ke

ep t

he le

arne

r at

the

cent

re o

f our

str

ateg

ic

plan

ning

and

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g?

How

doe

s ou

r pro

gram

me

for p

rofe

ssio

nal l

earn

ing

prom

ote

the

invo

lvem

ent

of t

each

ers

and

lead

ers

(incl

udin

g go

vern

ors)

in

its d

esig

n, it

s de

velo

pmen

t an

d its

eva

luat

ion?

Now

Cha

nge

the

Conv

ersa

tion

OR

Retu

rn t

o W

arm

-up

Conv

ersa

tions



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Teacher Professional Learning · 14 Teacher Professional Learning &RQYHUVDWLRQV DQG 5HÀHFWLRQV DERXW /HDUQLQJ As a beginning teacher, I have a responsibility to understand the relevance