The Teacher Led Development Work (TLDW)

Programme

2013-14

Participants’ Handbook

Awakening the sleeping giant of teacher leadership

The HertsCam Network www.hertscam.org.uk

Contents

This handbook is for teachers and other education practitioners who have registered as participants in the HertsCam ‘Teacher Led Development Work’ programme. This handbook is intended as a source of guidance to support you in your participation in the programme.

Contents Key staff p.1 Key dates p.2 What do we mean by ‘teacher leadership’? p.3 What is ‘teacher-led development work’? p.4 Outline of the TLDW programme p.5 Aims p.5 Participation p.5 School-based sessions p.5 Supervision p.6 Network Events p.6 Annual Conference p.6 Assessment and certification p.7 Evidence in the portfolio p.7 Presenting the portfolio p.7 The publishable summary p.8 Criteria for assessing portfolios p.8 Portfolio assessment and moderation p.9 Progression p.9 Expectations (Participants, Tutors, Managing Group) p.10 The HertsCam Network p.11 Membership p.11

Knowledge building through networking p.11 The HertsCam Voice newsletter p.11 Web site p.11 International networking p.11 Subscriptions p.11 Directors / trustees p.12 Management and administration p.12 Steering Committee p.13

Quality assurance p.14

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Key staff - contact details David Frost - Director of Programmes for HertsCam Email: dcf20@cam.ac.uk Tel: 01223 767634 Postal address: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PQ Viv Wearing - HertsCam Network Manager Email: vwearing@hertscamnetwork.org.uk Tel: 07930 351488 Postal address: Alban TSA, Sandringham School, The Ridgeway, St Albans, AL4 9NX Vicki Kately - administrative support Email: vkateley@hertscamnetwork.org.uk Tel: 01727 759240 Postal address: Alban TSA, Sandringham School, The Ridgeway, St Albans, AL4 9NX The HertsCam Managing Group The HertsCam Managing Group is responsible for the operation of HertsCam. It currently includes: Caroline Creaby, Sandringham School David Frost, University of Cambridge

Clare Herbert, Woolenwick Junior School Val Hill, Birchwood High School

Tom Murphy, Sir John Lawes School Viv Wearing, HertsCam Network

From left to right: Caroline, Tom, David, Viv, Paul, Val, Clare

The managing group plus Paul Barnett – photo taken at the Annual Conference, April 2013

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Key dates

21st October Barnwell school, Stevenage HertsCam Network Event and registration for the TLDW programme

4th November Sir John Lawes, Harpenden

HertsCam Steering Committee meeting 3rd December Samuel Ryder Academy, St Albans

HertsCam Network Event 13th February Turnford School, Waltham Cross HertsCam Network Event 11th March Barnwell School, Stevenage

HertsCam Steering Committee meeting 17th March The Nobel School, Stevenage HertsCam Network Event 26th April Faculty of Education, Cambridge HertsCam Annual Conference 14th May Sandringham School, St Albans HertsCam Network Event 30th May Deadline for applications to the MEd 18th June Birchwood High School, Bishop’s Stortford

HertsCam Steering Committee meeting 1st July John Henry Newman School, Stevenage

HertsCam Network Event 7th July Barnwell School, Stevenage

Meeting for moderation of portfolio assessment 19th September Wolfson College

HertsCam Annual Dinner

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What do we mean by ‘teacher leadership’? The term ‘teacher leadership’ has been in common use for many years, especially in the USA where it has been promoted as a key lever for professionalisation. Initiatives often assume that the way to enact this is through designated roles, but in HertsCam we have adopted an alternative, more inclusive approach. We promote ‘non-positional teacher leadership’. We argue that, instead of selecting and appointing a few teachers to ‘teacher leader’ roles, it is possible to enable all teachers and other education practitioners to develop their leadership capacity in ways which suits their circumstances and professional concerns. This conviction has underpinned research and development over many years, most recently within the HertsCam Network and the International Teacher Leadership (ITL) project involving partners in 15 countries. The report on the ITL project presented evidence to support the following claim.

Teachers really can lead innovation; teachers really can build professional knowledge; teachers really can develop the capacity for leadership, and teachers really can influence their colleagues and the nature of professional practice in their schools. However, what is abundantly clear is that teachers are only likely to do these things if they are provided with appropriate support.

(Frost, 2011: 57)

Our experience together with a series of evaluation studies continue to confirm the validity of this claim. Accounts of teacher-led development work are published in the Teacher Leadership journal which can be found on the HertsCam website:

www.hertscam.org.uk The journal has published edited versions of MEd since 2007. Read about the ITL project here:

www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/lfl/current/research/itl.html You can also download the ITL project report cited above at:

www.hertscam.org.uk/publications.php

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What is ‘teacher-led development work’? A key vehicle for teacher leadership is the ‘development project’ in which teachers and other education practitioners are given support to identify a professional concern, design an action plan and consult colleagues about its focus and method. This creates a sound foundation on which the teacher can confidently base their leadership of a process of innovation, evaluation and experimentation leading to improvement in an aspect of teaching and learning. This concept of teacher-led development work underpins both the TLDW programme and the MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning course in that it aims to enable participants to lead a process of innovation and change in their schools. A full explanation of the teacher-led development work methodology was published in 2013 as the first in a series of ‘HertsCam Occasional Papers’ and can be downloaded at: https://www.hertscam.org.uk/publications.php The term ‘development work’ is related to the guidance on ‘development planning’ sent to schools by the DES in 1990; this referred to the ‘management of innovation and change’ (Hargreaves and Hopkins, 1991). In HertsCam, development work is distinctive in that it focuses on the process of change; this involves a methodology that combines strategies and techniques which include collaboration, evaluation, data analysis, professional learning, classroom trials, joint planning, the design of materials and so on. This is emphatically not a research methodology; it is a development methodology in which inquiry is used to enable change to occur. Teacher-led development work aims to improve practice in tangible ways – for example by embedding innovations in routine practice in particular situations - but it also creates professional knowledge (Frost, 2013). Knowledge is of two kinds: one is about innovative teaching and the other is about how to exercise leadership and change practice in schools. The validity of this knowledge can be judged in two ways: one concerns the rigour and ethics of the process of development and the other concerns the utility of the proposals and practices generated. Such ‘pragmatic validity’ is distinctive (Kvale, 1995).

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Outline of the Teacher Led Development Work programme

Aims of the programme The TLDW programme aims to enable teachers and other education practitioners to: • take the initiative to improve practice • act strategically to develop practice in their classrooms and schools • lead a process of collaboration in order to embed change in the school’s routines • create and share professional knowledge These aims are realised through participants’ leadership of development projects. Participation in the programme The Teacher Led Development Work programme comprises a number of related elements, including school-based sessions, network events and tutorial support. Following registration at the first Network Event of the year (21st October), participants must attend at least 6 school-based sessions, 2 Network Events and the Annual Conference during the course of one academic year. The school-based sessions The sessions (normally 6) are designed to help you plan and carry out a development project and to develop your capacity to contribute to change and improvement of practice in your school.

Session 1 usually helps you to explore your professional concern and consider how your leadership of a project might make a difference, how you might consult colleagues, write an action plan and keep a portfolio.

Session 2 usually helps you to review your action plan, consider the activities that will help to take your development project forward and plan for maximum impact.

Session 3 usually helps you to review progress with your development work and adjust your plans in the light of the challenges that have arisen.

Session 4 usually helps you to reflect on what you are learning about learning and about leadership from your experience of leading development work and how you might begin to draw others into the process.

Session 5 usually helps you to review the impact of your development project and how this can be extended and helps you to take stock of your portfolio of evidence.

Session 6 usually helps you to reflect on what has been achieved through your development project, bring both your project and your portfolio to fruition and discuss how the development work can be sustained in the future.

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Good quality discussion in a TLDW group depends on group members attending regularly and taking part, so you need to prioritise the meetings and commit to full participation. Your portfolio must include evidence of your participation. Tutorial support In addition to the support provided in the school-based sessions, each participant will have one-to-one dialogue with a member of the HertsCam Tutor Team. It would be normal to at least two formal one-to-one sessions during the course of the year. During a tutorial you would have a conversation to explore your leadership of a development project. You would also receive further guidance on how to maintain and present your portfolio of evidence. Network events These events enable us to build professional knowledge. HertsCam members come together to share stories of their development work and to engage with each other. This is how we process and accumulate knowledge about how to improve teaching and learning. HertsCam Network Events are hosted by schools, usually beginning at 4.30 pm and closing at 6.30 pm. All currently registered TLDW participants are asked to attend the Annual Conference (26th April) and to participate in at least two of the Network Events. Participation can include any of the following modes. a) Simply attend and join in the discussions in sessions and in the open display areas. b) Bring a poster to put up in the open display area and be prepared to discuss it with people who approach. c) Lead a workshop by presenting a completed project or a work in progress, seeking critical feedback and advice from fellow network members. Participants are expected to contribute to these events in order to share and build professional knowledge together. The Annual Conference Participants are asked to attend this conference which brings the whole network together for a conference on a Saturday morning (26th April) in Cambridge. This high profile event has a keynote speaker and a programme of seminars that allow for more in-depth discussion of development projects.

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Assessment and certification Maintaining a portfolio helps you to plan your work and to reflect on what you are learning. It provides the basis for the award of the HertsCam Certificate in Teacher Leadership. Evidence included in the portfolio In the portfolio you need to include evidence of two kinds:

• evidence of participation in the programme • evidence of the leadership of development activity

Evidence of participation might include, for example, a record sheet completed at the end of each TLDW group session or when you have attended a HertsCam Network Event. Evidence of the leadership of development activity might include items such as an action plan, a guide sheet for the department, an agenda for a meeting or a plan for a staff workshop. Evidence should be collected from the very beginning of the programme. It is suggested that the proformas provided by the tutors should be used as guides. Evidence of development work should be accompanied by appropriate explanatory commentary to ensure that an external reader can make sense of the activity being portrayed. Presenting the portfolio Towards the end of the academic year, you are asked to make a careful selection from the evidence you have collected, put it in the right order (chronological is best), add explanatory commentary as necessary finishing with a reflective statement discussing what you have learned and what has been achieved. Finally, you should bind the portfolio (spiral binding is best), using the standard cover/title page provided. Further detailed guidance on how to maintain a portfolio is provided within the context of your TLDW group sessions.

Talking to pupils

as part of my

development work

has completely

changed the way I

plan my lessons

8

The publishable summary of development work The publishable summary is a document suitable for sharing with colleagues within the school and throughout the network. It may be an edited version of your final reflective statement in the portfolio. This should extend to 2-3 sides and should include:

• an informative title • a statement of focus • a description of the development process • an account of the benefits / impact • recommendations / proposals for practice • discussion of challenges / issues • reflections on what has been learnt / achieved • contact details • appendices

This summary plays a very important role in knowledge building within HertsCam and beyond. Criteria for assessing portfolios Portfolios submitted for HertsCam Certificate will be assessed in relation to the following criteria.

Participation Extent of participation Quality of engagement

Development work Effectiveness of project management Use of evidence for development

Impact The extent of impact in the current academic year The extent of potential impact in the future

Analysis and reflection Issues considered Application of literature Knowledge and understanding

Presentation Effectiveness of structure / organisation Accuracy / clarity of language Adherence to academic protocols

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Grades are not awarded, but comments from markers will indicate the strengths and weaknesses against the following criteria: • a secure pass • a pass with some areas for improvement • needs to be re-submitted after improvements Feedback for portfolios that ‘pass’ will: • clearly signal the degree to which the criteria are met, using the language above • make reference to each of the five areas of the criteria • suggest how any future work might meet the criteria more securely Feedback for portfolios that need re-submission should: • clearly explain what needs to be done in order for the work to become a pass Portfolio assessment and moderation TLDW group tutors will carry out the first marking. Portfolios are then moderated at a full tutor team meeting towards the end of the summer term. All assessments are checked by the Director of Programmes and the HertsCam Manager before being sent to schools along with the Certificates for award at the beginning of the Autumn Term. Progression Participation in a TLDW group leads to the award of the HertsCam Certificate in Teacher Leadership equivalent to Level 7. Many participants in the TLDW programme choose to go on to join the HertsCam MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning – a Cambridge masters. Some participants may choose to pursue the Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies. Further details about progression at Cambridge can be found at this web address: http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/courses/ppd/ It is also possible to achieve credit for the TLDW in post-graduate programmes offered by other universities. Further advice about this can be provided on an individual basis.

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Expectations Participants should: a) register for the programme at the first Network Event on 21st October b) participate in six school-based sessions c) participate in at least one further Network Event d) attend the Annual Conference e) maintain a portfolio of evidence and submit it for assessment at the end of the year f) be prepared to share accounts of their development work in a variety of forms Tutors will: a) arrange and facilitate school-based sessions b) provide one-to-one tutorial support c) assess portfolios d) participate in the Tutor Team meetings e) participate in the moderation process for portfolio assessment f) ensure that certificates are distributed g) assist in the organisation of Network Events and the Annual Conference The Managing Group will ensure that: a) the Tutor Team is provided with appropriate support and guidance b) portfolios of evidence are assessed and moderated c) Network Events are organised d) resources are provided through the HertsCam website e) the programme is evaluated f) the Steering Committee is provided with reports as required

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The HertsCam Network Membership When you join the TLDW programme you automatically become a member of the HertsCam Network. The network has evolved from a partnership established in 1998 between the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and Hertfordshire local education authority. It is now an independent social enterprise entity directed by Headteachers and guided by the HertsCam Steering Committee which has representation from schools in the region. Membership entitles you to attend all Network Events, the Annual Conference and the Annual Dinner. You are also entitled to receive the newsletter and to access the private section of the HertsCam website. Knowledge building through networking The network aims to support teacher and school development and to build professional knowledge through network events and publications. In 2013-14 there will be seven Network Events at schools across the region and an Annual Conference on 26th April in Cambridge. There is also an Annual Dinner at Wolfson College which coincides with the first MEd Residential Conference of the year. Accounts of teachers’ development work are highlighted in the Teacher Leadership blog: www.lflteacherleadership.org. The HertsCam Voice newsletter The newsletter is published each term. It is designed to keep Network members in touch with developments and to publicise particular events. Each edition carries brief accounts of Network members’ development work projects. Members’ contact details will enable you learn more about and build on their work. Web site At the beginning of 2013 we launched a new website, created and hosted by Birchwood High School: www.hertscam.org.uk This site includes a private section for the TLDW programme allowing us to share documents and resources. The website also enables us to publish papers that support your work and celebrate teacher leadership in our network and elsewhere.

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International networking Since the launch of the International Teacher Leadership initiative in 2008, there have been many opportunities for members of HertsCam to participate in networking events in other countries. In 2012-13 for example, TLDW participants were involved in events in Braga in Portugal, Fruska Gora in Serbia and Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina. HertsCam is committed to creating further opportunities in 2013-14. Subscriptions The fee paid by your school includes the cost of subscription to the network for each participant in the TLDW programme. The level of the fee is discussed and agreed by the Steering Committee. Directors / trustees The HertsCam Network is a registered company with charitable status. Its registration number is 8337179. The directors / trustees are:

• Chris Ingate, Headteacher at Birchwood High School • Claire Robins, Headteacher at Sir John Lawes School • David Frost, University of Cambridge

Management and administration HertsCam is supported by the Alban Teaching Schools Alliance (led by Sandringham and Sir John Lawes schools) and Birchwood High School. Administration is provided by Vicki Kately, based at the Alban TSA, Sandringham School. Her email address: vkateley@hertscamnetwork.org.uk The Network Manager is Viv Wearing whose responsibilities include finance and the organisation of network events. Her email address is: vwearing@hertscamnetwork.org.uk The Director of Programmes is David Frost who provides overall leadership, guidance and support. His email address is: dcf20@cam.ac.uk.

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The HertsCam Managing Group is responsible for the operation of HertsCam as a whole. It currently includes:

Caroline Creaby, Sandringham School David Frost, University of Cambridge Clare Herbert, Woolenwick Junior School Val Hill, Birchwood High School Tom Murphy, Sir John Lawes School Viv Wearing, HertsCam Network

Steering Committee The Managing Group is accountable to the HertsCam Steering Committee which is chaired by one of the headteacher trustees. Membership of this committee always includes representatives from the TLDW groups. It receives evaluation reports and committee members are invited to raise issues on behalf of their peers. The committee meets every term and the dates are identified on page 3 of this document. This photo was taken in Sarajevo at the conclusion of a HertsCam trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina to take part in a teachers network event in June 2013.

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Quality assurance Programme evaluation You will be asked to complete an evaluation online in February and again in June, commenting on your experience of the TLDW programme. You will also be asked to comment as part of your final reflective statement at the end of your portfolio. Members of the HertsCam Managing Group will visit TLDW sessions in order to observe and give written feedback to the tutor. Issues and innovations captured through these observations will be gathered together and discussed at Tutor Team meetings. Steering Committee Information from the evaluations and observations mentioned above will be presented to the Steering Committee in the form of an annual report. This will allow the committee to advise the Managing Group on action to be taken to improve the programme. The Managing Group will ensure that the tutor team is able to consider and respond to the advice from the Steering Committee. In this picture Jo Mylles, Deputy Headteacher at Sir John Laws School talks at the Annual Conference about the longevity of the TLDW programme at her school. Jo initiated the first HertsCam TLDW group in 2004. References Frost, D. (2011) Supporting teacher leadership in 15 countries: the International Teacher Leadership project, Phase 1 - A report, Cambridge: LfL, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education Frost, D. (2013) Teacher-led development work: a methodology for building professional knowledge, HertsCam Occasional Papers April 2013, HertsCam Publications, www.hertscam.org.uk. Hargreaves, D. H. and Hopkins, D. (1991) The Empowered School: the management and practice of development planning, London: Casssell Kvale, S. (1995) The Social Construction of Validity, in Qualitative Inquiry, 1 (1) pp. 19-40.

Talking to pupils

as part of my

development work

has completely

changed the way I

plan my lessons