Building a Teaching and Learning Network from the ‘ground up’: A Case Study of a Family of Schools Network Driven from

1. Building a Teaching and Learning Network from the ‘ground up’: A Case Study of a Family of Schools Network Driven from School–Team Collaborative Inquiry Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat: The Research, Evaluation and Data Management Team

2. A Learning Experience • Take a moment to think of the last thing that you learned either professional or personal • With two or three people briefly describe the learning: • What was it? How did it occur? What caused the learning?

3. Effective learning… • occurs when the teacher is invisible • happens when people are willing to be vulnerable • occurs when students take an active role in their learning • happens after failure • does not need a teacher to give students knowledge • happens when the teacher throws out her plans • is when the classroom management brings about a positive atmosphere where students want to learn • Watkins, C., Carnell, E. and Lodge, C. (2007) Effective Learning in Classrooms, Paul Chapman Publishing, London, UK

4. Methods of study • Intention of study-to sketch a representative story of one attempt at a T and L Network • Case study of 17 schools within a family • Observation-field notes • Recorded- Transcription (meetings, interviews) • Selective-purposeful set of 4 divisional teams within two schools to follow across a 3 month period • All types of meetings observed-recorded-selectively transcribed

5. Beliefs about professional learning embedded within this T and L Network Learning is … • context specific-dependent • a dynamic process that involves peoples’ previous knowledge/experience and new knowledge/experience • a process which builds individual and collective confidence, efficacy as well as sets framework for more learning • a process which requires some form of application

6. Purposes of this T and L Network • To improve student learning and achievement by building: • individual teaching capacity and learning through the co-construction of new knowledge within team-based focused collaboration • team/individual capacity in assessment, instructional practices and curricular integration • school capacity to use and develop resources (of any kind) and individual knowledge through: • -developing coherent, relative and collaborative short and long term planning • -building collaboration, inquiry and risk taking for all school members • family of schools capacity through individual expertise within group interaction in the divisional team pathway process

7. General processes and themes • This network emerged as a way to leverage OFIP processes within the family of schools • It’s a ‘bottom-up’ strategy that uses family and school hierarchies to attempt to facilitate lateral, school team development • The network structure is dynamic and emergent • Pressure to improve is collective and located in teacher experiences-it is ‘owned by teachers’ • Privacy within practice is challenged-issues of vulnerability are constantly addressed • Network clusters support inter-school relationships and ‘cross-pollination’ of ideas

8. Key areas of professional learning that are dynamically at play with this family of school structure: • job embedded/integrated learning: learning while doing the work • professional collaboration within school: continual, ongoing and progressive • coach/coordinator role within change process: instructional leader, catalyst, facilitator • sharing/collaboration with other schools: as a means of developing divisional team focus, intentionality and skills • role of instructional leader: supporting, validating and challenging work

9. So when you ask me what is the intention here, there are several. One is to build instructional leadership capacity. Two is we all have common, shared learning experiences that becomes a common framework and there’s consistency of language and talking about our work right across the family. Otherwise you are doing little pockets and the larger pockets sort of let up. So you slowly begin to develop this consistency of language, of shared purpose, of talking about our work, of approach and a whole number of things. The other piece is, you bring people together and allow them to disagree and have a cross pollination of ideas across the levels in the school. In these meetings you find the Litco is there, the principals are there and the teachers are there. This cross pollination is very important. Mary (Superintendent of Family)

10. School team pathway process (usually divisional teams/2 to 3 cycles a year)

11. We have a better understanding through these conversations. As a staff, we aren’t stuck in our ways. We are really open. It’s through the conversation. ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ We got to these points quite quickly compared to the beginning and its because we are on board. We are all on the same path. We are individuals and do it in a different way but we are all working on the same pathway. That’s definitely evolved. Lisa (Grade 5 teacher) • The pathways are not separate entities. Each one is building on the previous one. So we are not forgetting what we did in the previous one. And that’s what I mean by ‘making sense’- each one is building from the previous one. We are bringing what we did in previous pathway to this pathway. Shelly (Grade 6 teacher)

12. Within Pathway process… • Language is collaborative not directive between all members/roles • Work is drawn from classroom not brought to the classroom • Work integrates teaching strategies with curriculum documents and assessment strategies organically • Challenge and risk taking • Instructional leadership-monitoring by participating-support, challenge, authorize, re-state and re-think • Students construct alignment and coherence within the work at team, school and network levels

13. Family of School Organization of School Clusters

14. Structures and Functions within the T and L Network • Family of Schools Network meetings- Occur 3 to 4 times a year. Are collective sessions that focus on the Pathway process designed to share, celebrate and develop relationships • Network clusters- Primary organizational unit for literacy coach support and family of schools network meetings. Are a sub-structure which helps communication and organization within the network processes. • Literacy coach PLC- Occur monthly. Are check in points for Superintendent. Used as a way to gauge school Pathway processes, leadership, emergent ideas and teachers’/students’ learning and action. • Principal PLC-Occur 3 to 4 times a year. Are check in points for Superintendent. Used as a way for principals to learn, share, collaborate around leading Pathway processes. • Divisional/Grade team PLC- Occur bi-monthly. Are formal teacher team meetings in which the core work is planned, assessed, critiqued, adapted. Serve as the core unit which all structures are meant to support. • The Classroom- Point zero

15. Roles within the network Teachers- Collaborate within a PLC, share experience and classroom teaching of pathway, challenge collective work, share within a cluster, defend, disagree, authorize and own progress Principals- Lead divisional teams, participate in principal PLC, work one- on-one with coach-coordinator and Superintendent Coach-coordinator- Facilitates school team PLC, participate in their own PLC, work one-on-one with Superintendent Superintendent- Coordinates entire network, leads principal and coach-coordinator PLC LNS SAO-Operates as external support for whole process in flexible ways

16. Teachers • Teachers’ expectations of student learning limits or enhances their own professional learning • The most effective learning occurs through a dynamic relationship between individual classroom experience and collective action • Learning becomes intentional and integrated within participation • When individual learning occurs, the experience also brings confidence, sense of ownership and energy towards the pathway process

17. Within school teams • A norm of participation is the core expectation of the work • Collaborative levels vary from sharing-narratives to critical-reflection and group challenge • Depth of collaboration progresses through ongoing concrete collective and individual action • This progression is not linear

18. I was at a school were you go into your own classroom and do your own thing. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with that but I think that what’s improved my teaching, by getting other people’s perspectives and input, you look at things in a different way, right? You are getting perspective and maybe you think of something that you haven’t thought of before or tweak what you are doing and add to it to make it better. If you are just going into your own room and doing your own thing, you don’t have the benefit of getting that outside experience. Sarah (Grade 6 teacher)

19. Formal Leadership within the network Superintendent: • Coordinates at all levels of the network • Instrumental in re-positioning hierarchies to support lateral capacity process • Cultivates and uses both formal and informal leaders Literacy Coach: • Operates in insider-outsider roles • System catalysts for emergent ideas, communities and direction

20. Formal Leadership within the network cont… Principals: • Participation is instrumental in their growth as instructional leaders • Develop deeper understanding of school and staff through participation • Operate as insider-leader to pathway process SAO: • Works at all levels and plays all leadership roles mentioned • More outsider than insider but often uses the language of ‘we’ • Serves as a coach to the Superintendent, literacy coach, the principal and the teachers

21. So often we build capacity of teachers and we assume the principal knows it and we assume the vice principal knows it. My assumption is not that they do not know but that they need to be part of the conversation. They need to have shared experiences to have a deeper knowing. It’s not that do not know about literacy or they do not know how to lead the school but if they are part of it, it levels out. It’s lateral capacity building and not vertical capacity building. Mary (Superintendent)

22. Team dialogue within the pathway processes Dialogue shifts across several inter-related ways of communicating • Validation, authorization and narrative • Transition and movement to next steps • Challenge and progression of thought/ideas/actions • Introduction of new ideas, resources, experiences Both resistance and challenge: • Occur most effectively as a team- ‘hand-offs’ are an important tool within team dialogue • Ownership of social space is dynamic-voice and authority of action is negotiated

23. Comparing to your own work Share with 2 or 3 people -points of interest -areas that you are already working on or that connect to your work -areas of challenge for models like this one in terms of your board-school context -Group discussion