21st Century Leadership

Forbairt

Action Learning Network (ALN)a tool for

Leading School Self – Evaluation (SSE) of Literacy & Numeracy (L&N)

What?Why?

When?How?

School Leadership, ALN and SSE

Two Key Questions for School Leaders:

• How might we lead an ALN on Literacy or Numeracy (L/N) in our school?

• How might we utilise SSE to identify and support an ALN project on L / N in our school?

Three Leadership Questions

In Your School:

• Which self-evaluation processes are going to have most potential impact on pupils’ learning (L/N)?

• Who within the school community can take responsibility for carrying out these processes and identifying improvement actions from these?

• What structures (eg team-based approaches) will support this?

Dimeck, NCSL, 2006

Data Gathering Instruments (DES)

Self reflection by individual teacher

Group reflection by teachers/subject department/ Team planning and teaching

Collaborative teaching and review

Peer dialogue/sharing experience

Observation of teaching and learning / Peer observation/review

• Assessment data –formative and summative

• Learner and parent surveys (student/parent voice)

• Focus group discussion

• Interviews

• Whole-school reflection

• Review of students’ copies/files

Data Gathering:DES Instrumentsfor data gathering

• Which instruments might you use in your school and why?

• What data will you collect using these instruments?

• What will you find out about your school from using these instruments?

• What challenges/opportunities are presented in using these instruments in your school?

HHOW might we lead the SSE process?

• Who? (Link Teacher and ALN team)• Identify who will be responsible e.g.

• co-ordinating the overall process

• gathering and analysing evidence

• writing quality statements

• developing targets for improvement

• implementing improvement plan

• How / When?• Agree process and timeline (PDST Project Planner)

Forbairt will assist through the ALN process

Our School Improvement Plan

Summary of main strengths as identified in

last SSE:

Summary of main areas requiring

improvement as identified in last SSE:

Improvement Targets

Required actions

Persons responsible

Timeframe for action

Success criteria/measurable outcomes

Review date(s)

School Improvement

Plan

Describing the issue / topic

Receiving contributions from the

group in the form of questions, suggestions

and feedback

Reflecting on the discussion and deciding on

a course of action

Reporting back to the group on the results of

the action

Reflecting on the process

THEALN

PROCESS

Agenda for first group meeting

• Introductions and contact details.• ALNs• Each school will introduce its planned project,

including – reasons for the project, – actions to date, – issues to be addressed, – supports accessed or required.

• General discussion on each project.• Individual school planning.

How is an ALN conducted?

• LDS team member/Associate organises the venue-Ed.Centre/date/time/agenda.

• Based on the needs of the school: SSE, L&N.

• Sharing of experience and data.

• Openness to ‘other' ways of working.

• Genuine dialogue among professionals.

• Distributed Leadership in action.

• Develop good working relationships and form networks.

Forbairt Calendar ‘12/13

• Module 1: Residential P.&D.P. Sept 2012, Cavan; Oct 2012, Charleville

• Module 2: Evening/Ed.Centre-Week of Nov 5th . -four participants (P, DP +2)

• Module 3 Residential Jan 2013 (Cavan) /Feb 2013 (Ennis) P&D.P.

• Module 4: Evening/Ed.Centre-Week of Mar 4th

-four participants• Module 5: Sept 2013-all of the team

Forbairt Support (ALNs + School visits) throughout the life of the project.

ALN

• Questions, Concerns, Comments???