enquiring into entrepreneurial school leadership sue robson
TRANSCRIPT
Enquiring into Entrepreneurial School Leadership
Sue Robson
Overview of the yearOctober 5th Day 1
First inquiry cycleScoping study
March 18th Day 6 Second inquiry
cycledevelopmental
study
November 4th Day 2 April Second inquiry cycle
December First inquiry cycle May 25th Day 7
January 27th Day 3 June Reports for second inquiry cycle completed
February Reports /posters for first inquiry
cycle completed
July 4th (tbc) Day 8
project wide conference
March 3&4th Days 4&5Residential
first inquiry cycle presented
Session 1Overview of the year & Day 1Introduction to action researchInside/Outside circles The literature review and database The online community Entrepreneurial School Leadership: in search of
a definitionWhat do we mean by Leadership Enquiry? The structure of the enquiry in EC4SLT
Session 2 Learning technologies Peer Review Mix of Evidence: methodologies Learning-Teaching-Researching Learning-Leaders-Leadership
The Online Community programme support information links to useful resources e.g. articles and case
studies online discussions links to further information e.g. websites email communication to colleagues/project
team
Undertaking Entrepreneurial School Leadership Enquiry means that we
Ask significant and substantive questions
Problematise leadership
Take ownership of our own professional learning to impact on colleagues, students and other stakeholders
An enquiring philosophy
When we investigate our own leadership practice, to make sense of what happens, what works and why, we start to create new and useful professional knowledge.
An enquiring approach leads us into dialogue with colleagues and encourages us to innovate and evaluate.
We are able to make more informed sense of theory, policy and research in a way that can impact on our practice.
Leadership enquiry can lead to meaningful change and proactive cultures.
Enquiry Processes
Reflection on our own practical wisdom and experience
Collection and analysis of leadership practice-based evidence
Critical reflection on our own and others’ research
We often feel a tension between the need todemonstrate both academic and practical
knowledgeThis can be mediated through collaborative
practice,communities of practice and making our
work public.
9
Creating an enquiry cycle
Creating a need to know
Asking questions
Using evidence
& experienc
e
Making sense
of evidence
& experienc
e
Reflecting on
learning
To what extent have we
initiated an enquiry?
Enquiry cycles
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
PLAN
DO
REVIEWExploratory/ Inductive
Cycle
Negotiated/ Deductive
Cycle
Share findings
Triangulation
Collecting data on the same issue from a different perspective Hard to identify data
that will ‘prove’ something works
More than one source helps to strengthen the ‘case’
Think about how qualitative and quantitative data complement
RESEARCH QUESTIONHow will we
improve pupil achievement in Maths in Year 8?
METHOD 3
Record of homework
return rates and
grades achieved
METHOD 1
Analysis of teacher lesson plans
against learning
objectives
METHOD 2
Pupil and teacher
interviews targeting
perceptions of
learning
Data which can support learning and
teaching
Traditional data
additional for the purpose of enquiry
Data collected as
part of normal school routine
A way of engaging colleagues, students, parents
Example: Visual Methods
OutputsCYCLE 1PosterTo share at staff meetings,
parents meetings, conferences etc.:
Summary: inc. Project aims, key characteristics of context and 3 main findings and the main question emerging (for next cycle)
Main text: rationale, story of the intervention/exploration, tools (research and pedagogic), findings, conclusions
Contact details
CYCLE 2Papers Links between 2 cycles: how
question/innovation has developed and links with other priorities; aims and objectives
Links the literature to the immediate context (1st cycle) and broader field
Main text: rationale, intervention/exploration, tools (research and pedagogic), findings, conclusions
Section on own learning: what motivated you, what have learnt through the process.
Discussion of findings: critical reflection on process (pedagogy and methodology); key lessons learnt
Implications for context, network and wider HE teaching and Learning
Contact details Aimed at school
newsletter/website/professional journal/academic journal
Questions
Some questions to start the dialogue with colleagues:
• In what situations do you feel most confident in leadership? Why do you think this is?
• How would you describe the ideal conditions for leadership?
• When it works well, what do you think makes your leadership successful, and how do you plan for this?
• Can you give an example from your leadership experience during which you were entrepreneurial? How did you recognise this?
• What would you hope colleagues/students/parents say about your leadership?
• What do you find most difficult to achieve in relation to successful leadership?
Identifying the issue you would like to address through the project…
I would like to improve... I want to change … because I am perplexed by... Some people are unhappy about... I'm really curious about... I want to learn more about... An idea I would like to try out in my school is... I think … would really make a difference to … Something I would like to do is to change... I'm particularly interested in ...