Designing Professional Development for Distributed Instructional Leadership Within Schools

• In Event: 51.060 - Learning to Improve Professional Development for Distributed Leadership in Chile's Public School Sector

Abstract

Purpose and Perspective
School leadership has a greater influence on student learning outcomes when is widely distributed (Leithwood et al, 2008; Harris, 2013). This type of leadership focuses more on interactions rather than actions paying attention to what, why and how various school actors relate and speak with each other (Spillane, 2006).
Taking this perspective, we have developed a four-year professional development (PD) program in partnership with 80 public schools distributed across four regions in Chile. From each school the principal attends a PD course every year, the school’s curriculum coordinator during two consecutive years and department or cycle heads for one year.
During the year 2018 three PD courses have been implemented: one for the school principal, one for the curriculum coordinator and one for department or cycle heads. All are focused on developing an understanding of a deep learning approach to curriculum, pedagogy an assessment (Fullan, Quinn & McEachen, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to discuss how these three courses were designed to address challenges observed in the courses implemented in 2016 and 2017: collaborative work and situated learning principles for professional development were not being transferred into the professional development activities designed by these school leaders.
Courses are tailored to the distinct roles each leader has within the school; however we have created a learning structure for joint work. Schools were clustered into micro-networks of three schools each to complement whole group sessions held on a monthly basis separately for each type of leader. Micro networks meet once a month and are attended by all three school leaders. In these meetings each team spends time in conversations about the evidence they have collected at their school. From this conversation, a product is developed that is shared with the other school teams. These teams act as “critical friends” providing feedback that can be used by the presenting team to improve the product. For example, the teacher (department head) can plan a lesson to promote deep learning, the curriculum coordinator provides feedback and the principal will observe the lesson as it is taught to pupils. Transfer activities implemented by each school leader, therefore, are interdependent.
The school principal plans and leads a portion of the micro-network meetings in order to develop skills to facilitate collaborative work. The role of the facilitators is to model the mediation of collaborative work. Leading conversations about learning provides the PD facilitators with information to provide feedback that can enhance principals` instructional leadership skills.
Data Sources
The results of these innovations are documented by comparing how participants understood the vision for learning, the extent to which these vision were shared within schools at the beginning and at the end of the courses. Additionally, findings will be reported to account for changes in how principals enact collaborative skills during the work they do as they lead the micro-network meetings.
Scholarly Significance
This model for professional development designed to enhance distributed instructional leadership brings together three leadership roles. This integrative model shows an innovative approach to develop capacities for distributive instructional leadership.

Authors

• felipe aravena, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

• Monica Cortez, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso