Whole school responsibility for
teaching and learning is, in my opinion, the most important role within any
school. Recently I have been thinking about how schools can best improve the
quality of teaching and learning. Just like Peter Drucker suggests; I am focusing
more on developing a culture where teachers can thrive rather than on any one
particular strategy.
Investing in our teachers is key, it they who we rely on to continually drive our schools forward. As Ken
Robinson suggests ‘there is no system in the world or any school in the country
that is better than its teachers. Teachers are the lifeblood of the success of
schools’. It is concerning that research, conducted in recent
years, has indicated that in school variation is wider than between school
variations. This was recognised by the National College who stated that; if in each school in England, the
least effective teachers and departments were as effective as the best in that
school – NOT the best in the region or country, JUST the best in that school –
then outcomes for pupils overall would be transformed. With this in mind it is
hoped that the following vision can be one that we all share for the teaching profession.
‘Imagine a school in which you taught better simply by virtue of
teaching in that school – what would such a school be like?’ (Judith Warren Little)
This quote is on the wall in my office;
it keeps me focused on what really matters. It informs any decisions I make in
relation to school improvement; it reminds me that culture is more important
than any one strategy. I aim to create a culture whereby the teachers get
better simply as a result of teaching in my school. That is the vision.
What would such a school be like?
Would
it be one where the development of teachers follows the following CPD
characteristics?
• Top down approach
• Theoretical
• Isolation
• One of Training event or activity
• Delivered beyond the school
NO, it wouldn’t! It is more likely to to be one
were teachers’ development is based on the following Joint Practice Development
(JPD) characteristics?
ü Bottom up approach
ü Theoretical and practical
ü Collaboration
ü Ongoing
ü Happens within the school
I must admit, as I write this I
am unsure how to label professional development. Should I call it Joint
Practice Development or Joint Professional Learning? To be honest, I don’t think it really matters. As
long as we understand that as a school and a teaching profession, we need to
move away from the traditional characteristics of what is known as CPD. Pete Cole, in his paper ‘Professional
Development; a great way to avoid change’, outlines ten ‘contentions’ that
challenges what schools consider as professional development. He claims that
much of what is classed as professional development, actually, develops no one. Schools need to broaden their
understanding of what drives teacher improvement and what has the greatest
impact on pupil learning.
Despite what we label the development of our teachers as, I
would like to emphasise the word ‘joint’. Joint practice is more than just increasing collaboration between teachers; it is, having your head up and looking at your staff and
giving them more freedom to develop their own practice and make a contribution
to the school. It is, having your head up and looking for the research that can inform teaching practice. It is, having your head up and
looking at other schools and education systems across the world and identifying
what works, why it works and considering how we can apply this to our own context. Most importantly
having your head up means
exposing yourself, having a growth mindset approach where our teachers engage
in meaningful conversations about their practice and school development.
Does the development of your
teachers resemble that of an ostrich, with its head in the sand or is it more
like a meerkat, with its head up in order to gain a broader understanding of
what drives teacher and school improvement?
I know I will take on the characteristics of a meerkat in the pursuit of our vision for T&L; to create a school
where by the teachers get better as a result of just teaching at our school. To help realise this vision I will focus on
three overlapping principles; our morals, our social structures and our knowledge.
Our ethos is that no one person has all
the answers. Teachers, at every level, have a part to play in the development
of teaching and learning through a bottom up approach. A culture of
professional learning cannot occur with a top down approach, otherwise professional
development feels ‘done to’ and teachers become un-responsive. We will expect staff to engage in
professional learning and to take collective ownership where by the school
presents challenges and the staff consider the best way in moving forward.
We aim to establish an ‘open door
policy’ by giving teachers the
freedom to identify their own needs, feel safe to take risks
and by eradicating the fear of failure. Having an ‘open door policy’ is not just about teachers being happy
for a colleague to walk into one of their lessons. If it exists, openness and
transparency should be evident, allowing teachers to become more reflective with their colleagues. It is also hoped that teachers will change their emphasis and become more concerned with their day-to-day practice and focus less on a one off perfect lesson (if such a thing exists).
Secondly, and most importantly, it is all about
the pupils! Anything we invest in has to impact on pupils’ learning. If it does
not impact on learning then it is not worth pursuing – this allows us to
prioritise the pupils whilst reducing meaningless tasks that might contribute
to teachers’ workload.
As a school we need to develop an
infrastructure to support our ethos. Traditional CPD can have a ‘one size fits all’ approach that teachers devalue. Our evolved approach will create the social conditions for individualised
professional learning. Our approach will become more agile; worrying less about
having T&L developments planned out across the year and more on being
responsive to the needs of our teachers.
Coaching sessions will become a regular feature
of our work, providing more time and opportunities for our teachers to engage
in professional dialogue with colleagues from across the school. It is hoped
that these conversations will become custom and practice and will continue into
the staff room, on to the corridors and beyond.
I am certain moving from CPD to JPD will provide a more effective professional learning offer for our teachers. However, I am also aware of the danger of creating a fragmented system. To truly realise our vision we
require a more systemic infrastructure that underpins school improvement.
Otherwise we are in danger of replacing one broken system with another. The
professional learning opportunities that we provide must be
carefully aligned with how we monitor the quality of T&L and our Performance Management structure. This should provide teachers at all levels with the knowledge
to answer the following three key questions in relation to T&L; where am
I, where do I
need to be, and how do I
get there?
Each year our teachers should be directed and given the tools to reflect on their own
performance and to create their own targets. Line mangers should offer support, professional challenge and ensure that teachers select and engage with professional learning that
meets their individual needs. Any monitoring system should then become a
progress indicator where staff and the school can consider how professional
learning has improved practice and contributed to gains in pupils’ learning. Conversations, such as those post-lesson observation, should focus more on what is next (for the
pupils and the teacher) rather than on giving a judgement.
Thinking about improving the quality of
teaching and learning?
- What is
your vision and ethos for JPD?
- How will
you provide an infrastructure that not only develops your staff but drives
school improvement?
- What conditions do you need to create a culture of professional learning?
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