LEAP International Seminar 2011 - The context of 21st century school leadership

Professor Steve Wilson School of Education

University of Western Sydney

Themes of the Seminar

Qualifications? Evidence of analytical thinking, breadth of understanding, capacity to use evidence: Masters level.

Accreditation? Based on key attributes and capabilities. Portfolio relating to leadership, innovation, change agency and student outcomes.

Selection? As above; discerning a capacity for pedagogical leadership. What this is about is the focus of my presentation.

Framing the context of pedagogical leadership

The key challenge of 21st century pedagogical leadership in schools is to facilitate the learning engagement of students so that they feel their learning is meaningful. At the same time, students need to experience intellectual challenge in their learning.

The key role of the pedagogical leader is to provide teachers with a supportive narrative that enables them to understand how, amongst confusing expectations, their work fits in with this goal, and how their work can be constructed to achieve these learning outcomes. This narrative needs to be around the evolving nature of 21st century learning.

Nature of 20th century learning

Strengths of 20th Century learning – research findings into learning engagement

The “signature practices”, as summarised by Carrington (2006, p.103), include:

Higher order thinking, holistic thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving and lifelong learning

Learner-centred (relevant and meaningful; connecting learning to students' lives outside of school)

Integrated and negotiated curriculumCo-operative and collaborative learningAuthentic, reflective and outcomes-based assessmentHeterogeneous and flexible student groupings

Weaknesses of 20th century learningCurricula not applied locally or contextuallyLearning decontextualised; not problematisedLow levels of intellectual challenge for studentsAcceptance of binaries – either / or; not sophisticated or

usefulLack of explicit teaching AND lack of student autonomy and creativityLack of student direction of their learningLack of student learning motivation and engagement

Nature of 21st century learning

Past and Future SchoolingLearning feature Past FutureWhere learning takes place Mainly in schools In schools (including studio

schools, learning villages and open campuses), cultural centres, businesses, virtual centres and other sites

Who we learn from Teachers Teachers, parents, other skilled adults, peers and social networks

Learning mode Instruction Interaction, collaboration. More learning by doing and discovery

When we learn In school terms and hours. The lesson

All the time, in different periods that more suit individual learning

Assessment End of the line. Focus on cognitive skills

During learning for better learning. More peer-to-peer evaluation and self evaluation against learning plans. More focus on non-cognitive skills

How we learn In classroom, from books, whiteboards

More real world learning. Schools as productive units

Funding To schools and school boards More to pupils, learning and networks

Standards/measures Top down More bottom-up targets and self evaluation

(Leadbeater, 2008, p.69)

Research into 21st Century LearningOnline Key resources: http://learning21c.wordpress.com/

UWS 21st Century Learning research BlogiNET (International Networking for Educational Transformation)iNET AustraliaCisco Global Education Leaders Programhttps://www.transformglobaleducation.orgNew Media Consortium Horizon Report– emerging technologiesCharles Leadbeater Home PageInnovation Unit, UK‘Personalised learning’ report from Futurelab

Books

Carrington, V. (2006). Rethinking middle years. Early adolescents, schooling and digital culture. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Leadbeater, C. (2008). What’s next? 21 ideas for 21st century learning. London: The Innovation Unit.

Miliband, D. (2006). Choice and voice in personalised learning. In Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Ed.). Personalising education. Paris: OECD.

Research into 21st Century Learning

‘Next practice’ pedagogies

Young people have the opportunity to:

Access and create knowledgeBuild networks and learning communitiesFrame learning around personal learning agendasHelp learning ‘come alive’ for children and young people.

Access and create knowledge

student-driven access to knowledge sites, and learning autonomyskills development in applying quality criteria to knowledge sitesresearch-based approachesproblem and project–based learningsynthesis, reconstructing and publishing

ideasuse of student-led blogs and wikis

Build networks and learning communities

group-based approachescollaborative approaches within and between

schools, and with community organisationstechnology-enhanced project-based learningemphasis on high level (quality) learning

productsteacher as ‘leader-networker’ (classroom leader,

co-learner, network facilitator)

Frame learning around personal learning agendas 1Personalised learning (Miliband; Leadbeater)

Diagnosis of individual student needs;Teaching learning strategies to respond to student needs,

including teaching students to understand their own learning needs and take responsibility for them;

Curriculum choice, including breadth and personal relevance;Reforming school organisation to accommodate above;School-community and school-parent partnerships to drive above.

“Many of the basic building blocks of traditional education: the school, the year group, the class, the lesson, the blackboard and the teacher standing in front of a class of thirty children, have become obstacles to personalised learning” (Hargreaves 2005, p.7).

Frame learning around personal learning agendas 2Expecting and maintaining academic quality AND

relevanceDiscussing learning as part of classroom activityListening to and incorporating student ideas about

what and how to learnBuilding learning on student prior knowledge,

experience and interestsFacilitating student decision-making about learningFraming learning as contextually meaningful and

appliedLinking conceptually challenging material to everyday

experience

Help learning ‘come alive’ for children and young peopleHaving students understand the purposes and

goals of learningAssist students in framing their own learning

goals, and makes their own judgements about progress

Framing learning as creative, and as a discoveryHaving learning be active, open-ended and

problematisedHaving personalised and networked approaches

outlined above

As school leaders, how do we achieve sustainable changes in learning and pedagogy?Innovation implementation is managed by a

comprehensive team/s within the schoolHas leadership with authority within the schoolDriven by implementation plan with clear goals;

embedded in school plan, including a component on how and when to scale up innovation if successful

External support strategically usedSchool (not externals) drives research and evaluation –

particularly evidence about learning outcomes for students

School has a vision and plan about how innovation will continue once external funding / support is discontinued