© State of NSW, Department of Education and Training Professional Learning and Leadership...

©State of NSW, Department of Education and TrainingProfessional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate, 2010

Team Leadership for School Improvement K-12

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Team Leadership for School Improvement

Core Session 3

Exploring Your School Context



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© State of NSW, Department of Education and Training

Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, in any material form or transmitted to any other person or stored electronically in any form, without the prior written permission of the Department of Education and Training – Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate, except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).



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This session focuses on you gaining an appreciation of your school’s culture:

Where is it at?

Where has it been?

Where do you want to go?

Where are people coming from?

Session Précis



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As a result of participating in this session, you will:•identify the current school context and how it evolved•develop a profile of your school’s learning environment it terms of its strengths and areas for development

Session Outcomes



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Professor Stephen Dinham, Research Director Teaching, Learning and Leadership at ACER, Professorial Fellow (University of Melbourne) and Visiting Professorial Fellow (University of Wollongong)



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Identifying a culture of successDinham, 2008

Focus on students

learning and teaching

External awareness,

engagement

Student support, common purpose,

collaborationBias towards innovation,

action

Personal qualities,

relationships

Vision, expectations,

culture of success

Teacher learning, responsibility

and trust



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Identifying a culture of success

• How does my school relate to each attribute/category?

• What evidence do I have?

• What are the emerging strengths?

• What are the emerging needs?



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Reflect on the following quotes:

...coming to an appreciation of your school’s culture is vital. You need to understand where it’s been, and where it’s at, if you are to take your school to where you want to go. Likewise, you need to understand where people are coming from if you hope to lead them somewhere else.

Dinham, 2008



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Enhancing learning also needs school leaders and teachers who can create school, staffroom and classroom environments where teachers can talk about their teaching, where errors or difficulties are seen as critical learning opportunities, where discarding incorrect knowledge and understanding is welcomed, and where teachers can feel safe to learn, re-learn, and explore their own teaching knowledge and understanding.Teachers must be able to openly discuss the three feedback questions: ‘Where are we going?’ How are we going?’ and ‘Where to next?’ Hattie, 2009



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Culture...is usually considered to comprise the behavioural norms, assumptions and beliefs of an organisation developed over long periods of time, sometimes generations and even centuries in the case of some long-established schools and other organisations. These norms, values and beliefs may be unspoken, largely unquestioned and constantly reinforced for people both consciously and unconsciously.

Dinham, 2008



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Tangible Elements Values and Beliefs Underlying Assumptions

Eg: Students’ work samples

Eg:Students learn best when their learning is connected to the real world

Eg:Teachers begin programming their teaching with the assessment of students

Where’s it been?How we do things around here in teaching and learning



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…..we need to step back and take a good look at our organisation. What we see, feel and hear will be important indicators of the culture and health of our school.

Dinham, 2006

Conduct a SWOT Analysis about teaching and learning



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Create a team’s view of the current state of play in teaching and learning in your school.



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List the strategies and curriculum initiatives your school has already undertaken in whole school priority areas and associated targets

Spring SummerTeaching Strategies Teaching StrategiesCurriculum Initiatives Curriculum Initiatives Autumn WinterTeaching Strategies Teaching StrategiesCurriculum Initiatives Curriculum Initiatives

The Four Seasons Analogy



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The Five Whys processWhat are the benefits of full participation in the

initiative for teachers and students?Ask ‘Why’ five times to draw out the full benefits in

greater depth. Three Top Knows

What are the three top ‘must knows’ to be successful in this initiative?

What are the three top ‘should knows’ to be successful in this initiative?

What are the three top ‘nice to knows’ to be successful in this initiative?



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My definition of the object of reform is improvement, ………… simply defined as increases in quality of practice and performance over time……… I don’t think that schools will improve without fundamentally challenging the culture that creates atomized practice and the institutional surround that supports and reinforces that culture…….. We cannot answer the question of ‘What next?’ if we continue to examine only the ‘What has happened?’

Elmore, 2009

What is the opportunity for improvement?What do we precisely want to improve?



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Where are people coming from?NSW Professional Teaching Standards

Professional Competence

Professional Accomplishment

Professional Leadership

Description Demonstrates a ‘rich’ understanding of subject content, curriculum, pedagogy and can address a wide variety of student’s needs within the classroom

Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of subject content, curriculum, pedagogy and can address a wide variety of student’s social & intellectual needs within the school & classroom context.

Demonstrates an expert theoretical knowledge of subject content, curriculum, pedagogy and can address a wide variety of student’s social & intellectual needs within the school & classroom context.

Evidence Eg. Displays excellent curriculum understanding and provides a differentiated classroom program

Across a grade/stage in a curriculum area

Leads a curriculum initiative across the school

Number of teachers at this stage

What do we know about how our teachers learn?What exactly do our teachers need to learn?What professional learning strategies will support this learning?



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Bringing it all together

“Enhancing learning also needs school leaders and teachers who can create school, staffroom and classroom environments where teachers can talk about their teaching, where errors or difficulties as seen as critical learning opportunities, where discarding incorrect knowledge and understanding is welcomed, and where teachers can feel safe to learn, re-learn, and explore their own teaching knowledge and understanding.Teachers must be able to openly discuss the three feedback questions: ‘Where are we going?’ How are we going?’ and ‘Where to next?’

Hattie, 2009



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Bringing it all together

To succeed, organisations must rely on the knowledge, skills, experience, and perspectives of a wide range of people to solve multifaceted problems, make good decisions, and deliver effective solutions. This is where dynamic, productive teams can make the difference. Teams create environments in which members can keep up with change, learn more about the organisation, and develop collaborative skills.



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Teams outperform individuals when:

The task is complex.Creativity is needed.The path forward is unclear.More efficient use of resources is required.Fast learning is necessary.High commitment is desirable.Cooperation is essential to implementation.Members have a stake in the outcome.The task or process involved is cross-functional.No individual has sufficient knowledge to solve the problem.

Scholtes, Joiner and Streibel, 2003

© State of NSW, Department of Education and Training Professional Learning and Leadership...

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