Transcript Document
School Development Planning Initiative
“An initiative for schools by schools”
Planning for School Self-Evaluation and Improvement in Learning Regional Seminar 2009/10
Programme
Planning for school self-evaluation and improvement in learning:
An Approach for School Leaders
Focus on Second Years
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Who is a school leader in planning?
Principal / Deputy Principal…
In-School Management (AP, SDT, Y/Head..)
Guidance counsellor / SEN specialists…
Teachers with particular expertise
Subject coordinators and teachers…
Others…?
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What place is there for ‘leadership for learning’ or ‘instructional leadership’ in the current climate?
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Why plan? Why self-evaluate?
Sustained improvement in student learning, across all levels of ability and personal circumstance, as a result of: Improved classroom teaching Professional teacher collaboration Whole school improvement strategies.
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Our aim for this session . . .
to explore how leadership can foster a self evaluation approach to improving teaching & learning 6
Workshop 1
An experience of success in achieving sustained improved student learning through planning in your school 1.
What was it?
2.
What do you see in the classroom that tells you that it worked?
3.
Who helped it to work?
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‘Learning focused’ classrooms are …
Active…are students thinking and doing? Social…are students learning from one another?
Emotional…what feelings motivate their learning?
Assured…taking risks or protecting self?
Individual…are differences heeded & exploited?
Meaningful…do new ideas relate to old ones?
Independent…are they learning how to learn?
Powerful…is learning really improving?
(Black, Wiliam & Harrison et al. – 1998 – 2005)
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Example of school self-evaluation for improvement in learning
Collaborative teacher-led inquiry
Focus on student learning
Use varied data to interpret baseline Include many voices – partners Have regard to the cognitive and affective Draw on sound pedagogical knowledge Adopt improvement strategies with stated goals Change classroom practice systematically Measure impact on student learning
(See handout)
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Research: Planning for sustained improvement in student learning involves 1. Information / data – gathered and interpreted 2. Knowledge - know the theory and the skills and strategies 3. Demonstration …see how it works 4. Practice … 10 / 12 weeks – 50 classes 5. Collaboration / adaptation - work together in planning and reviewing 6. Peer Observation …Observe to see and learn without giving feedback 7.
Evaluate, share, apply and extend
(Joyce & Showers – adapted)
Leadership commitment & support and a collaborative & experimental culture are both essential
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The Subject Department as a ‘Peer Coaching’ Team
Teachers learning from one another as they work together on new approaches, share ideas and review student learning
Forge a common vision for department Develop commitment to collaborative learning Design lessons, strategies in common Report, discuss and amend Observe to learn from a colleague’s teaching Leadership commitment & support and a collaborative & experimental culture are both essential
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Research: How do leaders foster improvement in teaching and learning?
Personal authenticity is essential . . Is this central to my work as leader?
Commitment to development as a mainstream goal for school and motivating colleagues Recognition that significant change is needed Deep understanding of proposed developments to improve learning – knowing what works in the classroom Organisational supports in place – schedules, meetings, reports, sharing information Persistence… especially in ‘implementation dip’ Ensuring evaluation takes place… leading to next phase Celebration of achievement
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How does leadership foster a self evaluation approach?
Model SSE progress – collate and interpret data in the school and feedback to staff on
Encourage others:
Individual teachers
Subject departments Other groups
Use SSE as starting point for any initiatives
Ask the ‘right’ questions
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Examples from ‘The Learning School’ project Theme No. of schools 2 Focus of activity Development of support structures Learning needs of specific groups of students AfL 3 4
‘Buddy’ system
Peer Tutoring
JCSP
‘Gifted’ students Support for students working through Irish 3 Impact of the use of specific approaches Facilitation of the transfer of students to Irish medium schools Subject-focussed 3 Activities to support learning in Irish, Maths and modern languages
What opportunities for improving student learning are there in your school?
• • • • • • •
Unique context of one’s own school… Student and community background Teaching staff culture, skills and morale Actual and potential co-leaders School organisation and structures Planning history and focus Readiness for collaboration and change Perceived needs and threats
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Workshop
As a leader of planning in your school . . .
Can you see an opportunity for achieving a sustainable improvement in student learning ?
What approach can you take as a leader to develop this?
In relation to this opportunity what reference points might you consider for self-evaluation?
Would you anticipate any resistances?
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Building commitment to change
Foster ownership and involvement in decisions Share information Time information ‘Familiarise’ some elements of the change Demonstrate commitment
Provide positive reinforcement
Everyone is a learner in the process Be ‘Flexible’, accommodate the ripples Other?
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Our aim for this session . . .?
‘To explore how leadership can foster a self-evaluation approach to improving teaching and learning’
Rationale
Necessity
Example
Model
Opportunity
Resources What we hope you can take back to school from this session . . .?
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‘Educators are experts in professional self sabotage…!’ Elmore 2007 ‘The dominant culture of education tends to define knowledge and expertise as an attribute of the individual. When we’re talking about talented teachers or talented leaders we tend to say that these people have ‘gifts’ that other people don’t have.
Professionals talk about practices, not personal attributes. The challenge for the next generation of educators is to move away from a culture of personalized practice and toward a culture of shared practices that can be used as the basis for the construction of a profession’
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Self-Evaluation - the technical challenges?
Use of data / information
Variety (qualitative & quantitative - feelings & views/ facts & figures)
Interpretation…what is it telling us?
Judgment…what do we do in light of this?
Success Criteria
Describing improvement …what would success look like?
Providing focus for evaluation…how do we know what has worked and how?
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Assessment for Active Student Learning
Homework Class tests
Formative feedback after lesson
Self-assessment Peer assessment
Setting the learning aim(s)
Focus of lesson (What I will learn)
Framing the lesson around the learning intention
Success criteria (how I will show it)
Teacher – pupil interaction Intra / inter student activity
Effective questioning & answering