1. Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit
Whole site approach to improvement Building Leadership Workshop 2 - for leadership teams in secondary sites
Please read through all the notes for slides to be aware of what resources are needed for this presentation.
This is workshop 2 of the three, and focuses on what participants see as the “ideal” or “desired future state” where everyone is “leading the learning”.
Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit

2. Whole site approach to improvement Workshops
PURPOSE: To…
build leadership capacity to implement a whole site approach to improvement
collaboratively determine the leadership capacities and site processes required for leaders to ‘lead the learning’ and successfully support improvement
provide a platform for development and team learning in 2011
This is a reminder of the purpose of the three workshops.
The digit in the year in the last line of the slide should be changed to suit the context/site.
Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness

3. Whole site approach to improvement Workshop 2
PURPOSE: To…
The extended Leadership team develops an understanding of:
Moving from the current state to the “desired future” (ideal state) where leaders here are leading improvement and leading the learning
“What is working” in ‘building leadership’?
These are the goals of this second workshop.
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4. Learnings from Workshop 1
Leading the Learning Diagnostic Tool
Baseline data
Opportunities at a site level
Opportunities at an individual level
What constitutes a good lesson?
Summary as a starting point
Hand back the participants’ ‘Leading the Learning Diagnostic Tool sheets. Hand out the summary (graphed) version for the team (see example at Go to the the side bar: Improvement Planning, follow the links to Whole site approach to improvement .
The team version provides an indication of the greatest opportunities for improvement of focus (i.e. the 4 lowest rated criteria). Following these workshops, the leadership team should discuss these 4 areas to determine what strategies they might collaboratively implement to build these areas, and to investigate how these strategies might be linked to leaders’ actions on the Site Improvement Plan.
By comparing the team version with their own individual sheets, participants can identify areas that represent opportunities for their own professional learning (e.g. those that are much lower than the collective perception) or areas where they might consider line manager or whole group dialogue (e.g. where the individual rating was much higher than the collective perception) to learn about the evidence or unpack the meaning of the criteria.
Also hand out the summary version of the team’s “Elements of a good lesson” – collated and refined by the ‘volunteer’ from the first workshop. Provide Table talk time for discussion of these data. Ask that one person from each table share one key point with the whole group at the end of the time you allow.
Before moving to the next slide, ask participants to open their notes from their homework reading.
TABLE TALK
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5. Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness
Using the Bone Diagram
The “BONE DIAGRAM” is a process that utilises a diagrammatic structure for the purpose of constructing a (strategic) plan.
It assists us in planning for the changes and transitions that need to occur to move from the current state to the desired state.
It is designed to help us to understand the big picture, by considering all factors.
How many people have used a Bone Diagram before? What is the Bone Diagram particularly good for?
This process can be used at whole staff level, at faculty level, at a class level – to help clarify where we are currently, where we would like to be and how we might get there – for any planning or visioning opportunity (e.g. introducing a change at a staff meeting, planning for improvement in pedagogy at a faculty level, class rules at class level, etc).
So what does the process look like, how does it work?
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6. Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness
What is a Bone Diagram?
It is called a Bone Diagram because of its shape (allowing for the imagination…)
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7. What is a Bone Diagram? The Ideal State- where we would like to be
Helping Forces/Factors +
Our Current Position – where we are now
Hindering/Restraining Factors -
We start with our current position, then determine where we would like to be – the “ideal state’. Then we consider the “helping factors” and the “hindering factors” – those things that are or might get in the way. Finally we consider the steps that we need to take to get from the current position to the ideal state, using the helping factors and minimising or eliminating the hindering factors. Sometimes groups find it easier to ‘backwards plan’, starting with the end in mind, and working back from the ideal state to our current position – or a combination of working from both ends…
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8. So what would be the “ideal state”?
Take 2 minutes to highlight your own top four points on the “desired future/ideal state”
Then spend 15 minutes sharing your points on what the “ideal state” would look like at xxHS if we were all leading the learning?
Finally write up the consensus version for your table (5 mins) – to hand up…
Put in the appropriate initials for the school in the above slide.
We have already spent time on our current state – in the first workshop, using the diagnostic tool, etc. Hand out the ‘Ideal state” section of the Bone diagram, copied onto A3 paper prior to the workshop, for each table group (available at Go to the the side bar: Improvement Planning, follow the links to Whole site approach to improvement).
So now we are going to work on the “ideal state”. Using the notes from their homework reading participants are to work through this process at their table groups…
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9. Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness
+ and - Factors
What would be the factors that would help to achieve this state? (10 mins)
What would be the hindering factors preventing us from getting there? (10 mins)
The next task would be to determine the first steps (strategies) in moving towards the ideal state? To be continued…
Hand out the + and – factors sheets (copied onto A3 paper prior to the workshop) for each group (available at Go to the the side bar: Improvement Planning, follow the links to Whole site approach to improvement).
Allow the times suggested – or modify, according to the context.
The ‘next task’ is one that the leadership group might want to undertake beyond the workshops, based on the collated versions of the work the table groups have just completed. Hence the “To be continued…” statement, but we will not be working on that today.
Collect the table consensus versions for collation before the next workshop – hint: staple each tables sheets together as you collect them.
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10. What is working … in ‘Building Leadership’?
Started by involving staff in deep analysis of achievement data from site to class and student level
Staff were asked to identify whole school priorities from data - a clear and agreed whole school direction  developed ownership & lifted accountability
Built staff understanding of why they needed to be involved in the development of Site Improvement Plan and then in the enactment of it at the curriculum area and classroom levels
Staff have been given time at sectional meetings to reach agreement and make commitment to go forward. Run by staff - leaders were participants - staff wanted a narrow focus
Teachers now WANT to be involved in whole school priorities, planning & strategies, WANT to understand how things connect
We are now going to have a look at “what is working” in sites across SA for building ‘leadership’ – this information comes from leaders and staff involved in the SILA Project schools, where the DECS QIE team have been supporting 32 sites to implement whole school approaches to improvement over the past two+ years.
Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness

11. What is working … in ‘Building Leadership’?
Site Improvement Plan – strategies are focussed on what teachers will do in their classrooms to enact the school priorities; staff set targets for (and with) their students to achieve the improvement outcomes that we’re looking for
Whole school-staff meeting time was allocated at beginning and end of term
All other meeting time was provided to support planning – run by staff
Year level/curriculum teams follow up on agreements, raise questions, share practice, generate ideas & resources, request professional learning. Leadership’s role now to guide, encourage & listen as needed
Continue to share these points… there will be a chance to discuss these in a few minutes time.
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12. What are teachers doing differently?
Started to run the meetings, do the planning… using their initiative to lead
Their focus moved to ‘learning’ rather than teacher needs
Rather than pockets of excellence, real sharing of practice occurring (much deeper than at the resources level)
Greater accountability to each other for the teaching and learning
Engagement in data analysis and ownership for outcomes
Ongoing involvement in determining whole school curriculum directions & learning
Willingness to engage in regular reflection to a higher and deeper level – critical collaboration
What about teachers – what are they doing differently?
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13. What are teachers doing differently?
Teachers started modelling practice for each other, observations focused on teacher practice – pedagogy
Started to openly work with others to improve practice
Started to base their Performance Management on teaching observations and discussions – teachers see observation as supportive, opportunity to be reflective, not challenging
Has led to range of inquiry groups – who share with whole staff  e.g. how to teach reading comprehension; how to use the assess-plan-teach-assess cycle; how to utilise assessment of, for and as learning; how to involve learners in determining and assessing quality writing across the curriculum…
(These statements have come from the SILA Project schools)
Continue to share these points – discussion to follow at end of slide 16.
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14. What are leaders doing differently?
Committing to a strong foundation of respect & trust – and how to sustain these, over time
Committing to shared leadership – building capacity within the school, shared responsibility
Ensuring everyone is clear of their roles and responsibilities and that there are structures to support them
Clarity and consistency in regard to high expectations around learning and teaching
Performance Management is really focused on improving teacher practice and pedagogy
Committing as leaders to not only talk the talk but walk it
And leaders – what are they doing differently?
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15. What are leaders doing differently?
Recognising that not everyone comes on board at the same time and accepting that change does not happen overnight - need to give people time to reflect but give a clear time-line
Leadership being willing to release power – allowing staff to lead and determine school directions based on student achievement outcomes
Leadership fostering the approaches with staff that they want staff to use with learners – differentiation, reflection and assessment for learning, modelling the learning/the practice we expect, using targeted approaches, acknowledging and sharing best practice…
Focusing on the big picture and “staying the course”
(These statements have come from the SILA Project schools)
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16. What are leaders doing differently?
TABLE TALK
Being on the same page with common understandings and common messages
Using each others’ strengths & experiences to move towards common goals
Modelling the school values and strong team work
Meeting to debrief, share approaches, build collegiality, and strategically plan
Having the honest conversations, asking the hard questions – and acknowledging that it’s OK not to have the answers
“WE ARE THE DRIVERS – WE LEAD THE LEARNING. NO-ONE FROM OUTSIDE CAN DO THIS – THE SOLUTIONS COME FROM US TOGETHER.”
You now have a chance to discuss any or all of these statements. Hand out the “ What’s working” sheet printed off for each participant prior to the workshop (available at Go to the the side bar: Improvement Planning, follow the links to Whole site approach to improvement). Allow whatever time permits here – there is a lot to think about and discuss; this is the last activity but bear in mind the time…
Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness

17. Moving to leading …improvement …learning
Homework:
Ongoing work together on “What constitutes a good lesson…” – gathering/collating the faculty area versions to make a whole school version
Ongoing work on the steps (strategies) towards the desired state where all leaders are ‘leading the learning’
Ongoing discussion of “What is working in ‘Building Leadership’?”
Read “What Content Area Teachers should know about Adolescent Literacy” National Institute for Literacy, 2007
Hand out the homework reading article : What content area teachers should know… (available at Go to the the side bar: Improvement Planning, follow the links to Whole site approach to improvement).
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