your school to excellent Lessons from research and from research - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The self improving system; taking your school to excellent Lessons from research and from research and development in GWE Philippa Cordingley and Eithne Hughes

This session will explore • Self sustaining improvement – concepts and models • Research underpinning effective use of evidence for school improvement • The role and nature of tools in supporting colleagues • Key building blocks for networked school self improvement through the lens of 11 months of Research and Development (R&D)work in GWE. • Practical implications, benefits and challenges • Illustrating outputs • A metaphor!

“At the simplest level, a ‘self - improving system’ might be defined as one in which school leaders and teachers have the skills, capacity and agency to continually learn and improve their practice so that every child achieves his or her potential and is prepared for life in an increasingly complex world .” Toby Greany, 2017 Michael Barber (2015) and others to argue that if we want our school systems to move from ‘good to great’ then we cannot drive this from the centre , instead we must ‘unleash greatness’ by asking teachers and leaders to play an ever increasing role in leading change.

• Hargreaves argues that clusters – or families - of schools working together in deep partnerships can realize benefits that individual self-managing schools cannot. • In Wales an emerging picture: • Isolation • Superficial and based on professional exchange is the first form of collaboration. • Co-ordinated organization where everything is connected and organized to be so. • Co-construction and research where there is focused collaborative culture of enquiry towards leading learning and around the principles of Alliance architecture

A case in point • Take a moment to identify: • A natural enthusiast colleague you like to use as a champion/ cheerleader for change • A convertible sceptic who always questions and challenges new approaches but, when convinced, tackles them well • A “Skilled disappearer ” someone whose role suggests they should be a champion for change but who seems to slip / keep below the radar • Keep them in mind through this presentation as a way of thinking through how you might apply it

Eight key CPDL processes to support change in classrooms Systematic reviews show that effective CPDL involves sustained, iterative, aligned combinations of evidence-rich : • access to specialist expertise e.g. via research, evaluation and illustration of excellence • peer supported dialogue re learner responses to changes • (sensitive)exploration of disruptions, assumptions & beliefs • development of practice and theory side by side

Eight key CPDL processes to support change in classrooms • Effective CPDL involves sustained, iterative, aligned combinations of evidence-rich : • Activities focused on aspirations for learners • Formative assessment support for teachers by CPDL facilitators to support and enable differentiation; • Support via professional learning tools and protocols • All contextualised for subjects and specific sub groups of pupils – NOT generic pedagogic CPD http://www.curee.co.uk/news/2015/06/developing-great-teaching- new-report-effective-teachers-professional-development

Effect sizes for leadership interventions • Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment • Establishing goals and expectations • Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum • Promoting and participating in teacher learning • Strategic resourcing- alignment and tools http://www.curee.co.uk/resources/publications/robinson-summary

Effect sizes for leadership interventions • Promoting and participating in teacher learning (0.84) • Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum ( 0.42) • Establishing goals and expectations (0.35) • Strategic resourcing - alignment and tools ( 0.34) • Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment (.27) http://www.curee.co.uk/resources/publications/robinson-summary

A metaphor for the role of tools and evidence Collaboration, tools and shared risk taking focussed on aspirations for pupils represent stepping stones... ... and the evidence generated and explored creates a handrail 11

Robinson’s notion of “Smart” tools • Benefit of tools is capacity to embody knowledge and ideas in ways that shape/scaffold actions for coherence • Tools with evidence of success are: • Underpinned by evidence/research based knowledge • Designed around sound theories re both goals and process • Define what good practice looks like • Take account of/manage the cognitive, practical and affective load on teachers and leaders • Scaffold navigation of complexity to focus effort on depth

Making this evidence based approach sustainable, manageable and visible

The core process • We built on school led policy to promote research and evidence informed practice via an on line research route map • We co-constructed priorities with Champions building on the: • Aspirations of Challenge Advisers and Subject Leads for the pupils and teachers they are supporting and their responses to the research • Research about effective CPD, leadership and development at scale in education • To build capacity for evidence informed practice to be sustained through Champions CPDL skills and tools and resources to embed/ systematise use of research based strategies, initially via micro enquiries and coaching

The rhythm of co-construction , CPDL and enquiry Intro to evidence Develop CPDL Try out Identify re school coaching/ skills for self and route map improvement enquiry others themes and CPDL tools Re fine plans with Develop , try Participants I ntroduce route map out & refine coach, learn from refine plans and resources & plan enquiry tools & each other and micro enquiries/ CPDL and start skills & agree guests for others strategies enquiries Participants Impact evn. & Support for Participants Complete conduct planning of continue &/or analysis & micro enquiries & offer CPDL & support research others’ write up enquiries CPDL to others or enquiry by use of route map others Key In session Between session Co- support activity construction

The different Route Map tools • The strategies explored through Route Maps are based on systematic reviews relevant to local priorities • There are four major types of resource on Research Route Maps: o Micro-enquiry tools o Research summaries of 3 different lengths/ depths – Bites, Digests, illustrated summaries of findings plus theory o Supported theory - illustrated by case studies for teachers o Quality assured, teacher or school leader-researched case studies; and now, studies from GWE! • ... supplemented with action planning and reporting frameworks focused on a particular topic.

Reflection • How could working with or appointing evidence champions- i.e. Subject Leads and Challenge Advisers who are working this way help your focus colleagues?

Literacy for genuine access to the curriculum Cross-curricular planning Supporting pupils in using language to solve problems Improving the quality of classroom talk including using technical vocabulary Using writing exercises to encourage explanation and reasoning Linking reading and writing effectively Using thinking skills to promote cross-curricular literacy Structured peer assisted learning of specific literacy techniques and skills to reinforce/ enhance access to the curriculum

Responses GWE • Most subject leads grasped the opportunity directly • coached others in micro enquiries early on • modelled evidence informed practice via larger scale enquiries designed using route map frameworks and resources • use coaching to sustain effort and role • Most Challenge Advisers worked more indirectly, through the school leaders they support, through coaching and • Building enquiries in to post ESTYN action plans • Setting up cross school enquiry groups • Biggest challenge has been contextualising research for Wales and the lack of prior experience of e.g. structured coaching • See the interim impact evaluation here http://www.curee.co.uk/node/5019

Completed examples from a primary and a secondary school in your hand out!

Contact details Eithne details philippa.cordingley@curee.co.uk www.curee.co.uk Twitter @PhilippaCcuree Twitter @curee_official CUREE, 8 th Floor Eaton House 1 Eaton Road Coventry CV1 2FJ 024 7652 4036