Middle leaders must manage many demands and distractions on their time and to ensure that running through their remit is a constant focus on Learning and Teaching. A key part of this should address the isolation that some teachers face.

Richard Elmore argues that:

'Privacy of practice produces isolation; isolation is the enemy of improvement." [1]

Some teams, and indeed schools, have a culture where privacy of practice dominates and staff rarely discuss their craft, observe one another or share ideas for improvement. The key question is:

'What can middle school leaders do to break down this privacy of practice in the areas for which they have responsibility, whatever their role?'

If we are passionate about all our children doing the best they can then we must ensure the conditions where we all are willing to open up issues around effective Learning and Teaching. This is about moving from an atomised culture, where teachers work in isolation from other teachers, to one where there is an emphasis on sharing and learning from one another. For instance:

  • If I am a teacher and something good is happening in another class I need to know.
  • If the child I am having difficulty with is making progress in another class I need to share ideas with that teacher.

Breaking the privacy of practice

Middle leaders can break down any privacy of practice they encounter in their area of responsibility in a myriad of ways. For instance:

  • talking informally about learning and teaching
  • modelling their interest in learning by talking to children and visiting classes to look and learn
  • leading discussions on practice
  • encouraging colleagues to lead on developments around Learning and Teaching
  • supporting and contributing to high quality training and development around Learning and Teaching
  • helping groups of teachers trial new approaches and be involved in action learning sets or learning communities
  • ensuring that there are regular opportunities in meetings to discuss Learning and Teaching so that it does not become marginalised by the pressures of administrative or other issues (often this can be achieved by having Learning and Teaching as a standing item)
  • encouraging staff to lead discussion on practice and be involved in groups addressing pedagogy
  • supporting groups of teachers trialling new approaches
  • identification and intelligent sharing of effective practice
  • encouraging colleagues to access research articles and the latest thinking on effective Learning and Teaching
  • developing effective coaching and feedback approaches around Learning and Teaching
  • supporting a culture of lesson observation

Quick reflection exercise

  • Where do you and/or your middle leaders help create opportunities for colleagues to discuss practice around Learning and Teaching?
  • How do you and/or your middle leaders help colleagues share effective practice from within their teams and beyond?
  • What opportunities have you come across, if any, where colleagues are supported in reading and sharing extracts of material from research around Learning and Teaching?
  • What opportunities do colleagues have to observe and discuss practice in each other's classes?  In what ways, if any, could these opportunities be made more effective?

[1] Richard F. Elmore, Building a New Structure for School Leadership (Washington DC: Albert Shanker Institute, 2000) p20.

 

Last modified: Monday, 8 October 2012, 10:28 AM