Principals
Leading Learning
&
Managing Change
Jan Coleman
2007
Traditional Models of
Leadership
Managerial / Transactional
Transformational
Interpretive
Instructional / Pedagogical.
Quality
Teaching
Leadership
Improved student
outcomes
If you want to go fast go alone,
If you want to go far go with others.
Al Gore on receiving the Nobel prize.
Think about changes you
have been a part of
What were the factors or influences
leading to effective change?
What were the factors or influences
leading to ineffective change?
How is ownership developed?
How do we overcome resistance?
What supports are needed?
Think about changes you
have been a part of
How to we ensure there is a balance
between drive/desire for change?
How do we ensure the successes
are:
seen
shared
celebrated
A framework for change
Values & Beliefs
Why?
Principles
How?
Practices
What?
Lessons on change
1. Moral purpose is complex and problematic
be inspired by moral purpose but not naive about it
2. Theories of change and theories of
education need each other programmes
include theories of action, no one change model fits all
circumstances
3. Conflict and diversity are our friends
problems are inevitable, you cant learn without them, it
is better to incorporate differences at an early stage
4. Understand the meaning of operating on
the edge of chaos get used to a degree of
uncertainty, this is also on the edge of order
Lessons on change
5. Emotional intelligence is anxiety provoking
and anxiety containing live with what cannot
be changed and take responsibility for those that
can
6. Collaborative cultures are anxiety provoking
and anxiety containing collaboration to be
effective must foster a degree of difference
7. Attack incoherence: Connectedness and
knowledge creation are critical create
mechanisms of integration, connect to what you
are doing
8. There is no single solution: craft your own
theories and actions by being a critical
consumer Change is too important to leave to
the experts, no one can solve your change
problems except yourself
Fullan, 1999, Change Forces: the sequel
School leadership
+
External leadership
is powerful
IF
The development of internal leadership
is clearly identified and planning for
sustainability is explicit
Principals and leaders
were seen as experts and
sources of solutions to
classroom problems in
high performing schools
What can you do?
Clarify priorities everything is important.
What are the relative importance?
Set goals and expectations vision is only
good if embedded in goals and developed
into action
Develop commitment and motivation
these are the most important.
(expertise is part of the discussion /
dialogue)
Principals have a key role in
leading learning through:
Provide strategic resourcing - $s
must support initiatives not drive
them
Provide a supportive and orderly
environment
BALANCE!
Care v accountability
Adaptive expert
Innovation
Frustrated
novice
or
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r
o
id
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a ac
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ti t sp
p
O rge
Routine expert
(Ta
(total efficiency)
Efficiency
Adapted from Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005
Learner Development (levels)
Traditional
content
Low risk
New
knowledge
Feelings (anger, discomfort, loss)
Generic
skills
High risk
Learning to be
(ideal place)
Learner Transformation (the Ahah moment)
Alfer Barnett, 2004 Learning for an unknown future
Expect troughs
How do we ensure
the troughs are short
and shallow?
Models of Change
Initiating
Envisioning
Playing
Sustaining
Appreciative inquiry
Barriers to change
Failure to recognise the need
Habit
Security
Fear of the unknown
Previously unsuccessful efforts
Threats to expertise
Threats to social /power relationships
Threats to resource allocations
Issues with change
Depth
Sustainability
Spread
Ownership
Deep reform takes time, requires
courage and is evidence driven
Evidence of change
Attitude
Teacher knowledge
Pedagogical content knowledge
Teacher practice (observation)
Student achievement
Distributed Leadership
- implications for professional
development in schools
Also known as:
Learning-Centred leadership
Pedagogical leadership
Distributed leadership is directed
towards improved practice and is
related to institutional change and
improvement
Key Understandings of
Distributed Leadership
Distributed Leadership is not new
There is an increasing advocacy for this
concept in recent times
Essentially, it is a sharing of leadership
A movement from the power of one
to the power of many
Distributed leadership
in action
Traditionally team / syndicate leaders
Heads of departments
Deputy / associate principals
Examples of teacher leadership
Timperley - South Auckland - early
literacy project.
Related leadership issues:
Senior leaders must let go
Need to hold individuals accountable
Multiple leaders requires coordination
Leader- follower:
Traditional relationship: saint, saviour,
charismatic leaders
Expectations under distributed
leadership
What exactly is
distributed?
Process
Focus
Content
Roles???
Why use this to enhance
Professional Development?
Ownership increased
Sustainability
Relationships established
Time
Proximity of support
Development of
Distributed Leadership
Leadership teams
Leadership of teams
Teacher-leaders
Support networks
Mentoring
Coaching
Formal change management training.
Issues:
Leadership is a function rather than a
hierarchical position
It supplements the traditional
hierarchical positions rather than
replacing these positions
Not for every school or every issue
Context and timing matter
Increasing distributed leadership is only
desirable if the quality of leadership activities
contributes to assisting teachers to provide more
effective instruction to their students, and it is on
these qualities we should focus.
(Timperley, 2004, p417)
Timperley, H. (2005) Distributed leadership: developing theory from
practice. Journal of Curriculum Studies, Vol 37, No 4, 2005
Issues
Lack of clarity around what matters
most in the role of principal
Easier to think of it as this job
rather than membership of
profession
Time out of the classroom issues of
currency
Multiple demands of the role of
principal
Goals
Identify important & critical goals
Goals are the outcomes of gathering
and evaluating evidence
Model goal setting and development
It does not matter who sets the
goals can be co-constructed or
taken up
Group dynamics
Stages of group performance
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Reforming / mourning
Personalised learning
Individualised
Customised
Programmed
Learner centred
Includes computer assisted
learning
References
Copland, M. (2003) Leadership of inquiry: building and
sustaining capacity for school improvement. Educational
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), 375-395.
Spillane, J. P. and Sherer, J. Z. (2004) A distributed perspective
on school leadership: leadership practice stretched over people
and place. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the
American Educational Research Association (Institute of
Policy Research, North-western University, Evanston, IL,
USA).
Timperley, H. (2005) Distributed leadership: developing
theory from practice. Journal of Curriculum Studies, Vol 37,
No 4, 2005
