Leading Professional Learning

1. LeadingProfessionalLearning Edinburgh Learning Festival 2013 Graeme Logan Assistant Director Education Scotland

2. Overview • Outstanding school improvement • Career-long learning for teachers: moving on from ‘CPD’ • National leadership developments • Questions

4. Key messages Looking inwards, looking outwards, looking forwards Smart, streamlined coherent approach which tells the story of the school in a clear and evaluative way Don’t spend all your time on the process of gathering and collating information Keep evidence proportionate, impact-based, focused Often the best sources of evidence are learning in action and talking with young people and staff Discuss and moderate content, standards and expectations within CfE levels at every opportunity

5. Key messages – strong practice is often… Precise, focused Forensic in the analysis of children’s progress Practice-based rather than just paper-based Able to generate specific strengths and areas for improvement, for example in relation to ‘active learning’ Prioritises time and energy on learner experiences and outcomes Ensures low internal variability in core areas

6. Peer-to-peer and school-to-school models of improvement, with the right sort of external interventions

7. Key question for all HTs… How are you building the capacity of your staff ?

9. Expectations for QI 5.9: • Blend, balance range of professional learning, identified through effective PRD • Evaluating the impact of professional learning • Engaging deeply and meaningfully with CfE • Assessing and tracking progress • Impact of quality assurance and moderation

10. Donaldson found that ‘teacher professional learning is down to chance’ • We need to get the right blend and balance of professional learning for all teachers • We want to raise the bar of professional learning for all, with more teachers experiencing masters-level learning

11. Professional review and development (PRD) is essential to getting it right for every teacher! • We are getting better at monitoring impact of teacher learning on pupil experiences, but not their progress and achievements. • We need to build on current strengths in CPD

12. TEACHINGSCOTLAND’S FUTURE Moving from continuing professional development to the concept of career long professional learning

13. TEACHINGSCOTLAND’S FUTURE Moving from being reflective practitioners to becoming enquiring practitioners

14. www.educationscotland.gov.uk/clpl

15. Enquiry-based improvement • Depth, rigour, impact • Our aspiration to be research-led or research-informed • High levels of engagement in theory, policy and practice and the relationships and influences between them • Forensic analysis of children’s progress and achievement leading to intervention • Sharing teacher-led research

16. legitimate knowledge creators Developing professional knowledge and understanding exposing beliefs, assumptions, values and practices investigating knowing & evidencing impact having a voice developing an enquiring disposition developing understanding being and becoming an enquiring professional leading and developing thinking being critical knowing why, knowing what, knowing how Teachers engaging in Practitioner Enquiry are: questioning

17. Masters level learning? • Significant numbers of teachers have skills in professional enquiry: do they continue to use and refresh these as a way of ‘being a teacher’ throughout their careers? • Improving the quality of learning for all • Accreditation at masters level: maximum accessibility and flexibility is needed • Accreditation of prior learning or current learning?

18. Professional dialogue Criticality Challenging, questioning, debating Identify, conceptualise and define Best practice or best problems ? Apply your skills in enquiry to professional dialogue in your school and cluster

19. Masters level learning? • Variety of possible routes, building on the concept of the ‘masters account’ • Features of learning at masters level (handout, SCQF level 11)

22. Transformational change New Journey to excellence materials and video clips of practice http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/openingupthefuture/transformation/index.asp

24. Leadership Developments Scotland’s College for Educational Leadership Improving support for experienced HTs Leadership Framework Review of routes to headship

25. Leadership Framework Pedagogical leadership Middle leadership School leadership Systems leadership

26. Key purpose of middle leaders Develop a range of strategies for individual and collective self evaluation which contribute to the school‟s improvement; Develop coherent approaches to professional learning which build and sustain teachers‟ practice; Lead and work collaboratively to enhance teaching which leads to high quality pupil learning experiences; Build and sustain partnerships with pupils, parents and other stakeholders to ensure pupil learning needs are addressed; Manage allocated resources effectively to meet learning and development priorities.

27. Key purpose of head teachers The head teacher acts as the leading professional in a school and as an officer of the local authority. Head teachers lead the whole school community in order to establish, sustain and enhance a culture of learning through which every child and young person is able to learn effectively and achieve their potential.

28. In line with the vision and values of the school, head teachers, supported by their staff: establish, sustain and enhance the culture of self-evaluation for school improvement; develop staff capability, capacity and leadership to support the culture of learning ensure consistent high quality learning and teaching for all pupils; build and sustain partnerships with pupils, families and relevant partners to meet the identified needs of all learners; manage and direct resources effectively in line with identified strategic priorities.