Transcript Tafla 1 Afstaða skólastjóra um áhrif af tilfærslu grunnskólans til

Teacher Development and Supervision
– The Role of Principals in Icelandic
Compulsory Schools
Börkur Hansen and Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir
School of Education, University of Iceland
ENIRDELM September 16-18, 2010
University of Szeged, Hungary
Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management
Doees Leadership Matter? Implications for Leadership Development and
the School as a Learning Organization
Context in Iceland
• Limited research
• The OECD Teaching and Learning
International Survey (TALIS) in
compulsory schools (age 6-16):
• TALIS – some findings
– Principals:
• 37% of principals never conduct appraisal
• 56% of them claim that teachers are never
appraised by other staff
Context in Iceland
• Talis – some findings:
– Teachers:
• 30% teachers at the lower secondary level never
receive any appraisal or feedback from their
principals
• 23% of teachers at the lower secondary level never
receive any appraisal or feedback from their peers.
• 17.5% of teachers at the lower seconday level and
19,5 at the elementary level say that principals or
other managers inspect their teaching
Questions
• This raises questions concerning
instructional leadership in compulsory
schools in Iceland:
– How is supervision of teaching and
learning implemented?
– What is the role of principals in that
context?
Supervision
• Traditional meaning
– Direct, watch over, oversee, superintend,
appraise
– To control the behaviour of teachers by
giving feedback on their work
A shift in emphasis
– Congenial (conventional) supervisory model
• Direct, watch over, oversee, superintend, appraise
– Collegial supervisory model involves the following:
• A collegial rather than a hierarchical relationship between teachers
and formaly designated teachers
• Supervision is the province of teachers as well as designated
supervisors
• Emphasis on growth rather than compliance
• Teamwork concerning instructional improvement efforts
• Involvement of staff in ongoing inquiery
– Glickman et al. (2010). Supervision and instructional leadership. A
developmental approach (8. edition). Boston: Pearson.
Major technical tasks
Collegial
supervision
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Direct assistance
Group development
Professional development
Curriculum development
Evaluation of practice
Glickman et al. (2010). Supervision and instructional
leadership. A developmental approach (8. edition).
Boston: Pearson
The study on teaching and learning in
Icelandic schools
• Overview
– Comprehensive study – six pillars:
• Internal structures, learning environment, attitudes towards student
learning, teaching strategies and practices, student activities and
reseponsibilities, parental involvement
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Research team concerning each pillar
20 schools participate in the study
Overall research team consists of about 50 people
Data collection: Interviews, questionnaries, classroom
observations, focus groups, documents, pictures,
– Data collection is almost completed in 10 schools
Study on teaching and learning
• How is supervision of teaching and learning
conducted?
• Two major types of practice surfacing from the
data; two schools selected as cases in point
– Type A
– Type B
Type A
• Structure
– Principal
– Middle manager
– Special eduaction
teacher
– Block leader Grades 1-6
– Block leader Grades 7-10
– Team teaching in
the lower grades
Activities
Staff meetings
Administrative team meetings
Administrative team meetings with block leaders
Block leader meetings with teachers
Various developmental projects in operation (group
leaders)
Interviews with staff by administrative team the basis
for professional development
Evaluation is conducted annually (administrative
team)
External evaluations conducted by central office –
examine direct teaching in classrooms
Principal
• Direct assistance (appraisal):
– “No, we do not have a formal appraisal system, not
at all. I have always wanted to establish such a
system. Before I came to this school, I appraised
my teachers. This is the stage I am at in this
school.”
Assistant principal
• Collaboration:
– “Yes, we are doing extremely well, .., we
somehow connect well with one another in this
school and these connections are based on trust.
The principal is really doing well in creating
this team spirit, she really is, you know.”
Study on teaching and learning
• Type A
• No direct assistance to teachers based on classroom observations
• Teachers group development is to a large extent limited to the
teachers in the two blocks – teachers who teach in Grades 1-6;
and the teachers who teach in Grades 7-10 – and the teams that
are responsible for various developmental projects
• Professional development is planned in accordance with school
needs and teachers interests based on interview and collaboration
with teachers
• Curriculum development is to a large extent conducted by the
teachers who teach at each level
• Evaluation of practice is usualy carried out by aswering
questionnaries and participating in internal review panels
Type B
• Structure
– Principal
– Assistant principal
– Student adviser
– All teaching conducted
by team teaching
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•
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•
Grades 1-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-7
Grades 8-10
– Teaching methods and
student grouping is
variable
Activities
Staff meetings
Administrative team meetings
Meetings with teams – observation of teaching a
part of daily management – coaching of teams
Various developmental projcets in operation
Evaluation is carried out by several means all
year around
Strategic interviews with staff tvice a year
Interviews with staff the basis for professional
development
External evaluations conducted by central office
examine direct teaching in classrroms
Principal
• Team work:
– “We work in teams – there is never one teacher or member of
staff in this school with a group of students.”
– “There are collaborative meetings every week and the teams
are in constant development concerning their instruction.”
• Supervison:
– “I have myself experimented with many aspects of team
teaching, so I can provide considerable guidance. I go around
the school every day and visit the teams in order to make
observations and provide feedback, usually in a meeting a
little later”
Principal
• Staff interviews and direct assistance:
– “I have a fixed system – fall interviews in October and
winter interviews in February.”
– “I prepare the day before by noting down everything I have
observed, things they do well and things they need to
improve. ... This works extremely well.”
– “They like this form, I use it to praise them, outline their
style, and talk about areas that need improvement.”
Assistant Principal
• Collaboration:
– “I think we have managed quite well to become a
collaborative group in this school – all ideas are
appreciated and welcomed – they are discussed and
devloped in one way or another. We try to involve all
and give them opportunities to develop their ideas.
Some may turn into develeopmental projects ... We,
the principals, are of course the leaders, but I think we
have managed to involve all the staff in what we are
doing.”
Study on teaching and learning
• Type B
• Considerable direct assistance to teachers – based on
team observations and strategic interviews with staff
• Teachers group development is an integral part of the
team teaching approach, coached by the principal
• Professional development is planned according to
observations of teaching by principals and strategic
interviews and collaboration with staff
• Curriculum development is conducted by teams of
teachers in collaboration with principals
• Evaluation of practice is an integral part of daily
activities
In conclusion
• The role of principals in the
exemplary schools!
• Direct supervison by principals is
limited in type A, but strategic in
type B
• There is considerable group
development, professional
development, curriculum
development and evaluation of
practice that take place in both
the schools, i.e. type A and B
Supervisory
practices in
Icelandic
schools are
larger in scope
than outlined in
TALIS