Leadership for teacher learning

1 Things that don t work Leadership for teacher learning GeAng smarter people into teaching Paying good teachers more Brain Gym Learning styles Copying other countries Dylan Wiliam (@dylanwiliam) www.dylanwiliamcenter.com www.dylanwiliam.org Things that might work Things that do work a bit Lesson study/learning study Social and emolonal aspects of learning EducaLonal neuroscience Growth mindset DifferenLated instruclon Grit Firing bad teachers Charter schools Vouchers Class size reduclon

2 Things that do work a lot Curriculum improvement FormaLve assessment Curriculum Myths about curriculum Why knowledge ma>ers Standards tell us what to teach Curriculum means textbooks Knowledge isn t important ( You can always Google it ) Students should be involved in authenlc tasks We should be teaching skills, not content Responding to students interests closes achievement gaps Target number: 127 The main purpose of curriculum is to build the contents of long-term memory 25 3 1 9 4

3 What determines how quickly children learn? EffecAve learning environments Student characterislcs School organizalon InstrucLonal quality The quality of the curriculum The Lme teachers have to plan teaching The size of classes The resources available The skills of the teacher All of these are important, but the quality of the teacher is especially important EvaluaAon vs. improvement So what should teachers get be>er at? EvaluaLon frameworks: of necessity, have to be comprehensive include all aspects of teachers work at best, incenlvize improvement on all aspects of praclce at worst, incenlvize improvement on aspects of praclce that are easy to improve Improvement frameworks: are seleclve focus on those aspects of praclce with the biggest payoff for students To maximize improvement, evalualon frameworks have to be used selec%vely

4 EducaAonal Endowment FoundaAon toolkit Why formaave assessment needs to be a priority IntervenAon Cost Quality of evidence Extra months of learning Feedback $$ +8 MetacogniLon and self-regulalon $$ +8 Peer tutoring $$ +6 Early years intervenlon $$$$$ +6 One to one tuilon $$$$ +5 Homework (secondary) $ +5 CollaboraLve learning $ +5 Phonics $ +4 Small group tuilon $$$ +4 Behaviour intervenlons $$$ +4 Digital technology $$$$ +4 Social and emolonal learning $ +4 EducaAonal Endowment FoundaAon toolkit EducaAonal Endowment FoundaAon toolkit IntervenAon Cost Quality of evidence Extra months of learning Parental involvement $$$ +3 Reducing class size $$$$$ +3 Summer schools $$$ +3 Sports parlcipalon $$$ +2 Arts parlcipalon $$ +2 Extended school Lme $$$ +2 Individualized instruclon $ +2 Ajer school programmes $$$$ +2 Learning styles $ +2 Mentoring $$$ +1 Homework (primary) $ +1 IntervenAon Cost Quality of evidence Extra months of learning Teaching assistants $$$$ 0 Performance pay $$ 0 AspiraLon intervenlons $$$ 0 Block scheduling $ 0 School uniform $ 0 Physical environment $$ 0 Ability grouping $ -1

5 Unpacking FormaAve Assessment Teacher Peer Where the learner is going Clarifying, sharing, and understanding learning intenaons Where the learner is now EliciAng evidence of learning How to get the learner there Providing feedback that moves learners forward AcAvaAng students as resources for one another What makes effecave teacher learning? Student AcAvaAng students as owners of their own learning Looking at the wrong knowledge Strategies for change (Heath & Heath, 2010) The most powerful teacher knowledge is not explicit: That s why telling teachers what to do doesn t work. What we know is more than we can say. And that is why most professional development has been ineffeclve. Improving praclce involves changing habits, not adding knowledge: That s why it s hard: And the hardest bit is not geang new ideas into people s heads. It s geang the old ones out. That s why it takes Lme. But it doesn t happen naturally: If it did, the most experienced teachers would be the most produclve, and that s not true (Hanushek & Rivkin, 2006). Direct the rider Follow the bright spots (malnutrilon in Vietnam) Script the crilcal moves (1% milk, 25 points) Point to the deslnalon (no dry holes) MoLvate the elephant Find the feeling (gloves on the table) Shrink the change (five-minute room makeover) Grow your people (mindset) Shape the path Tweak the environment (popcorn study, one-click) Build habits (don t tax the rider, aclon triggers) Rally the herd (free spaces in hospitals)

6 Strategies for teacher change Direct the rider Follow the bright spots (volunteers vs. conscripts) Script the crilcal moves (structured meelngs) Point to the deslnalon (NCLB) MoLvate the elephant Find the feeling (the moral imperalve) Shrink the change (small steps) Grow your people (all teachers can improve) Shape the path Tweak the environment (Lme for teacher learning) Build habits (create roulnes and structures) Rally the herd (make new mistakes) Professional learning communiaes Uses of school-based PLCs PLCs are likely to be effeclve for SituaLons in which team-work is likely to be more effeclve than individual aclvity Data-driven decision-making Lesson study Changes that require changing habits Classroom formalve assessment PLCs are likely to be less effeclve for Changes that require acquisilon of knowledge Changes that are relevant to a small number of people Teacher learning communiaes

7 SupporAve accountability What is needed from teachers: A commitment to: The conlnual improvement of praclce Focus on those things that make a difference to students What is needed from leaders: A commitment to engineer effeclve learning environments for teachers by: CreaLng expectalons for conlnually improving praclce Keeping the focus on the things that make a difference to students Providing the Lme, space, dispensalon, and support for innovalon SupporLng risk-taking Teacher learning communiaes Plan that the TLC will run for two years. IdenLfy 10 to 12 interested colleagues: ComposiLon: Similar assignments (e.g., early years, math/science) Mixed subject/mixed phase Hybrid Secure insltulonal support for: Monthly meelngs (75 120 minutes each, inside or outside school Lme) Time between meelngs (two hours per month in school Lme): CollaboraLve planning Peer observalon Any necessary waivers from school policies A signature pedagogy for teacher learning AcAviAes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6: Bookends Every monthly TLC meelng should follow the same structure and sequence of aclviles: AcLvity 1: IntroducLon (5 minutes) AcLvity 2: Starter aclvity (5 minutes) AcLvity 3: Feedback (25 50 minutes) AcLvity 4: New learning about formalve assessment (20 40 minutes) AcLvity 5: Personal aclon planning (15 minutes) AcLvity 6: Review of learning (5 minutes) For each of these five aclviles, the process is exactly the same at each TLC meelng This provides a familiar structure for teachers to get beqer together As the structure fades into the background, The learning comes into the foreground Teachers come to the meelng knowing what is expected of them

8 AcAvity 1: IntroducAon AcAvity 2: Starter Sharing learning intenlons for the meelng A variety of warm-up aclviles to get parlcipants minds to the meelng: Think of something you are looking forward to this year 30-seconds to get things off your chest about what infuriates you about your job 30 seconds to tell the group about something that happened within the last month and made you feel good Think of something that happened in a lesson this year that made you smile Think of something that one of your colleagues did last term that supported you Go back to the TLC ground rules AcAvity 3: Feedback AcAvity 4: New learning RouLnes need to be established, expectalons shared, and structure maintained. Similar expectalons regarding preparalon and engagement. Coming to the meelng knowing they will be sharing their own formalve assessment experiences. Being prepared to offer construclve, thoughsully conceived feedback to colleagues. Being prepared to challenge ideas that may be good classroom praclce but are not necessarily Lghtly related to formalve assessment. Drip-feed of new ideas, to increase knowledge, and to produce variety Watch videos of classroom praclce Book study (one chapter each month) New formalve assessment techniques

9 AcAvity 5: Personal acaon planning AcAvity 6: Wrap Each teacher updates his or her personal aclon plan Makes a specific commitment about what they will do over the coming month Arranges any support needed from colleagues Specific date and Lme for peer observalon Did the meelng meet its intended objeclves If yes, great If no, Lme to plan what to do about it Every TLC needs a leader Peer observaaon The job of the TLC leader(s): To ensure that all necessary resources (including refreshments!) are available at meelngs To ensure that the agenda is followed To maintain a collegial and supporlve environment But most important of all: It is not to be the formalve assessment expert. Run to the agenda of the observed, not the observer: Observed teacher specifies focus of observalon: E.g., teacher wants to increase wait Lme. Observed teacher specifies what counts as evidence: Provides observer with a stopwatch to log wait Lmes. Observed teacher owns any notes made during the observalon.

10 We ll know when it s working when How will we know if it s working? Leading indicators of success Teachers are given Lme to meet, and do so Teachers increasingly act as crilcal friends to others The prevalence of classroom formalve assessment praclces is increasing Students are more engaged in classrooms Teachers modify the techniques in appropriate ways, indicalng an understanding of the underlying theory There is a shij in the ownership of the reform Lagging indicators of success Increased student achievement Possible foci for Learning walks Key stakeholders reacaons Clear, valuable learning intenlons for lesson Success criteria understood by students Students chosen at random QuesLons that make students think Students, not teacher, dominate discussions At least 80% students involved in answering queslons All-student response system used Teacher waits three seconds ajer queslon Students support each others learning Students take responsibility for own learning Teacher gives oral formalve feedback Evidence of comments that advance learning Teacher finds out what students learned Teaching adjusted ajer evidence colleclon Departmental sub-cultures Unions Professional associalons Teaching assistants Parents School Board members Community leaders

11 Managing disappointments To find out more Failure: opportunity for learning or blame Falling down: failing or learning? High-reliability organizalons embrace failure $1m dollar club A complaint is a gij Group-work is hard for teachers, and for teachers of teachers www.dylanwiliamcenter.com www.dylanwiliam.net Thank You www.dylanwiliam.net