Leadership Training Program for Secondary School Leaders (PDF)
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2024
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This document is a training module for secondary school leaders in Ethiopia. The module covers topics such as school improvement, effective teaching, staff development, and the use of technology in education. It is designed for a special capacity-building program.
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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ministry of Education Special Capacity Building Training Program for Secondary School Leaders Trainees’ Module June, 2024 Ministry of Education...
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ministry of Education Special Capacity Building Training Program for Secondary School Leaders Trainees’ Module June, 2024 Ministry of Education Addis Ababa Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ministry of Education Special Capacity Building Training Program for Secondary School Leaders Trainees’ Module June, 2024 Ministry of Education Addis Ababa i Contributors: Part I- School Leadership Trainee Module Developers 1. Dr. Tadesse Regassa: Jimma University, Head of center of Excellence 2. Tigist Tefera: Education Development trust, School leadership Lead 3. Petros Melaku: Senior Expert in Ministry of Education, TELD Part II- Educational Technology-EdTech 1. Module Developer: Inku Fasil, EdTech Hub ET 2. Reviewer: Alemu Tesfaye, Senior Expert in Ministry of Education- GEQIP-E ii Contents Part I- Secondary School Leadership Module........................................................................... 6 I. Module Introduction.......................................................................................................... 6 II. Purpose of the Module....................................................................................................... 8 III. Pedagogical Approaches................................................................................................. 9 IV. Assessment Approaches.................................................................................................. 9 UNIT ONE: UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENT (11 hrs.)...................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 10 1.2 Unit Objectives.................................................................................................................. 10 Session 1: Leading School Improvement (3 hours)............................................................. 10 Session 2: Initiating and Facilitating Change (2 hours)....................................................... 20 Session 1.5. Building a Learning Organization (2 hours)................................................... 23 UNIT TWO: LEADING EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING (14 hours).............. 27 2.1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 27 2.2. Unit Objectives................................................................................................................ 27 Session 2.1. Effective Teaching and Learning (3 hours)..................................................... 30 Session 2.2. Updating your Knowledge and Understanding about Effective Teaching (3 hours)............................................................................................................... 33 Session 2.3. Facilitating Curriculum Based Assessment (2 hour)....................................... 37 Session 2.4. Creating a Continuous Improvement Cycle (2 hours)..................................... 39 Session 2.5. Observation and Feedback on Teaching and Learning (2 hours).................... 42 Session 2.6. Leading with Evidence: Monitoring, Evaluation and Resource Mobilization for Instructional Leadership (1 hour)......................................................................................... 47 UNIT THREE: LEADING EFFECTIVE STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (16 HOURS)................................................................................................................................... 54 3. 1 Introduction (45 minutes).................................................................................................. 54 3.2 Unit Objectives:................................................................................................................. 54 Session 1. Assessment of Staff Professional Development Needs (4 hours)....................... 55 Session 2. Prepare Competency Based Staff Development Plan, Implement and Evaluate (12 hours)............................................................................................................................. 58 UNIT FOUR: PROMOTING A DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP CULTURE (8 HRS)........................................................................................................................................ 63 4.1 Unit Introduction (40 minutes).......................................................................................... 63 4.2 Unit Objectives.................................................................................................................. 64 4.1. Building a Vision for Technology Integration (1 hours and 30 Minutes).................... 65 Session 4.2. Equipping the capacity of Teacher with Technology Skills (2 hours)............ 66 4.3. Building a Sustainable Technology Infrastructure (1 hours and 30 minutes)............... 67 iii Session 4.4. Building a Sustainable Technology Infrastructure (1 hour)............................ 69 Session 4.5. Advocacy and sustainability for Leading Change (1 hour)............................. 70 UNIT FIVE: CROSS CUTTING AND EMERGING ISSUES (9 hrs)................................... 73 5.1. Introduction (45 minutes).................................................................................................. 73 5.2 Unit Objectives:................................................................................................................. 74 Session 1. Facilitating Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (3 hours)....................................... 74 Session 2. Supporting Learners and Teachers with Disabilities (3 hours)......................... 76 Session 3. Psychosocial and Psychological Support (3 hour).............................................. 78 Part II – Educational Technology............................................................................................ 83 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 83 UNIT ONE: UNDERSTANDING EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY................................. 87 Learning Objectives............................................................................................................. 87 Key Topics........................................................................................................................... 87 Session One: Locally available digital resources and their function................................... 87 Session Two: The Concept of Educational Technology...................................................... 90 Key Ideas.............................................................................................................................. 92 Implication to Teaching....................................................................................................... 93 Self-Assessment (Unit One)................................................................................................. 93 Reference Materials............................................................................................................. 94 UNIT TWO: BASIC DIGITAL SKILLS................................................................................ 95 Learning Objectives............................................................................................................. 95 Key Topics........................................................................................................................... 95 Session One: Computers and Smartphones......................................................................... 95 Session Two: Using Web Browsers..................................................................................... 96 Key Ideas............................................................................................................................ 100 Implication to Teaching..................................................................................................... 102 Self-Assessment................................................................................................................. 102 Reference Materials........................................................................................................... 103 UNIT THREE: THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES....... 104 Learning Objectives........................................................................................................... 104 Session One: Social Media for Educational Purpose......................................................... 104 Key Ideas............................................................................................................................ 107 Implication to Teaching..................................................................................................... 108 Self-Assessment................................................................................................................. 108 Reference Materials........................................................................................................... 109 UNIT FOUR: ONLINE EDUCATIONAL TOOLS.............................................................. 110 Learning Objectives........................................................................................................... 110 iv Key Topics......................................................................................................................... 110 Session One: Virtual Communication and Collaboration Tools........................................ 111 Session Two: Assessment Tools........................................................................................ 114 Session Three: Creative Tools (Artificial Intelligence)..................................................... 120 Key Ideas............................................................................................................................ 122 Implication for Teaching.................................................................................................... 124 Self-Assessment................................................................................................................. 124 Reference Materials........................................................................................................... 126 UNIT FIVE: CREATE AND ACCESS TO DIGITAL CONTENTS................................... 127 Learning Objectives........................................................................................................... 127 Key Topics......................................................................................................................... 127 Session One: Digital Contents........................................................................................... 127 Session Two: Creating Digital Contents............................................................................ 129 Session Three: Open Educational Resources..................................................................... 133 Key Ideas............................................................................................................................ 140 Implication for teaching..................................................................................................... 142 Self-Assessment................................................................................................................. 142 Reference Materials........................................................................................................... 143 UNIT SIX: DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP................................................................................... 144 Learning Objectives........................................................................................................... 144 Key Topics......................................................................................................................... 144 Session One: Internet Risks and e-Safety.......................................................................... 144 Session Two: Computer and Smartphone safety............................................................... 147 Key Ideas............................................................................................................................ 147 Implication for Teaching.................................................................................................... 149 Self Assessment................................................................................................................. 150 Reference Materials........................................................................................................... 150 v Part I- Secondary School Leadership Module I. Module Introduction Globally, school leadership has become a priority in the continuous school improvement agenda. It is accepted that effective school leadership is a key factor to contribute to improved student learning outcomes. Given the complexity and dynamism of schools in Ethiopia, the roles of leadership are paramount. Pre-service education and in-service programs have been run in universities and teacher training institutes to provide teachers and schools that meet the demand of such a complex educational system of Ethiopia. The pre-service education program has made it possible for the education system to have qualified subject area teachers. The in-service programs that have taken such different forms as Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDT), Post Graduate Diploma in Traineeship (PGDSL) and Post Graduate Program in School Supervision (PGPSS) have all served to produce teachers, school principals and school supervisors that have been serving at different levels of the general education system in general and for the service in the primary and secondary in particular. Notwithstanding, the roles of pre-service and in-service education and training in delivering qualified and training teachers that have been serving in the education system, several challenges persist, particularly concerning teachers and school leaders’ competence, students’ learning outcomes and quality of education at all levels. Currently, there is a focus on implementing a new curriculum developed for the whole general education system that extends from pre-primary to secondary about which teachers and school leaders on job lack awareness and knowledge. Still the new curriculum incorporates cross- cutting issues like diversity, inclusion, gender, and technology in addition to the new subjects to be delivered in the school systems. Thus, realizing the new curriculum calls for rebuilding the capacity of teachers, school leaders and supervisors. To this effect, teachers need to update their subject matter knowledge and subject specific methodology while educational leaders need to build their capacity with special focus on instructional leadership for effective teaching learning to happen in schools and facilitate the professional development of teachers in view 6 of realizing the new curricula that consequently, improve schools’, teachers’ and, students’ performances at all levels. In addition to the demand posed by the new curriculum, there have been persistent challenges in the Ethiopian education system. For example, students’ performance on National exam was not only discouraging but also shocking as it was learned from the last two years students’ results. Similarly, teachers and school leaders licensing exam results and different assessments highlighted weak teaching skills and instructional leadership capacity as a crucial area for improvement. Consequently, ensuring all students achieve desired learning outcomes remains a significant challenge and addressing various challenges teachers face requires ongoing support and development. These backdrops set the stage for a deeper discussion of learning outcomes as a specific challenge within the Ethiopian education system. It highlights the complex context in which educators operate and emphasizes the need for innovative solutions to achieve quality education for all and at all levels of the education system, ultimately, the training contributes to what teachers and school leaders engage in to continuously develop teachers and improve school and student performances with broad-based participation of community. In Ethiopian context though there an interruption in the formal training school leaders, there were attempts made by education development trust. Education development trust (EDT) underlined that school leadership has become a priority in the continuous school improvement agenda. It is accepted that effective school leadership is a key factor to contribute to improved student learning outcomes. To realize school improvement, school leaders should have the know-how and skills for influencing, motivating, and building the capacity of teachers to improve the quality of teaching and learning, in addition to creating a conducive and inclusive school environment and strengthening the school‒community relationship. Impactful school leaders are those who can establish and realize the goals of the school and promote equity of education in the context of their schools. Therefore, school leaders should not only possess the required knowledge and skills to lead schools but should also be able to apply them to improve the school and learning outcomes. Research and the international context show that the role of the school leader is critical to improving learning outcomes and that the success of the school largely rests upon them. Thus, it is important to recognize that leadership is not only about having the required knowledge and skills but also the ability to apply these in the school context by deploying a cycle of review, planning, and targeted action. So, this special capacity building 7 program is an addition the actions taken by the EDT to strengthen school leadership and hence learning outcome. Our school today more than ever before requires leaders who understand and improve school and school environment, focus on classroom teaching and learning, effectively and continuously work on staff development and build a digital leadership culture in the school. Leaders today have to asquint themselves with the 21st century skills and expected to ensure inclusion, diversity, gender equality and facilitate psychosocial support in the school and classroom. Accordingly, this module is meant to address school improvement to enhance teaching and learning, continues teacher professional development, technology integration and emerging issues in schools. The module is composed of five units where the first unit presents how to improve schools and school environment. The second unit dealt with improving classroom teaching and learning. The third unit has presented staff professional development strategies and the fourth unit threats school leadership using technologies. Finally, the fifth unit is about cross cutting and emerging issues. II. Purpose of the Module The purpose of this training module is to acquaint school leaders with the new curriculum; to use technology for instruction; to address the declining quality of education; and above all to address the inadequacy of pre-service training. This special capacity building training is meant to equip school leaders with the skills that enable them to lead the implementation of the new curriculum while it also empowers educational leaders to champion and guide the integration of technology into teaching and learning, and leading instruction, and maximizing its potential for improved learning outcomes. This special capacity building training module is expected to foster the instructional leadership practice and provide educational leaders with the skill and knowledge to mentor and coach teachers and bridges the gap between pre-service training and real-world classroom needs. Thus, it is believed this module will contribute to improve the quality of education by capacitating educational leaders for maximum impact. 8 The delivery of this training module follows various approaches to clarify different school leadership and teaching-learning improvement practices. This includes engaging in various professional development activities which lead you to analyze the case studies in relation to your own school and other cluster school practices. Furthermore, the training will allow trainees to identify diversity, analysis emerging issues, and apply technology. The trainees are expected to capture the remedial actions they employed and the results obtained in to the portfolio by supporting it with relevant and tangible evidences in relation to gender equality, inclusion and diversity. Each unit begins with unit introduction, unit objectives and then followed by activities and tasks related to the knowledge, practical skills and personal experiences the school leader will acquire after successfully completed the topics and subtopics of each unit. At the end of each unit, there is a concluding remark that highlights the main ideas treated. Finally, assessment mechanisms are presented at the end of each unit of the module. III. Pedagogical Approaches Pedagogical approaches are the methods educators use in the practices of teaching, from course design to delivery. The forthcoming training encompasses multiple pedagogies, each stemming from a different philosophy of learning. The major pedagogical approaches include but not limed to be used in this training are the inquiry based approach, the reflective approach and the collaborative approach. IV. Assessment Approaches In this training the recommended assessment approaches are presentations, project work, tests and portfolio assessment. On top of these there are assessment approaches to be used depending up on the topic under discussion. 9 UNIT ONE: UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENT (11 hrs.) 1.1 Introduction This unit presents issues related to understanding and leading school improvement, school improvement planning, improving school and student’s performance, roles of schools and wider community in improving student’s outcome, fostering a positive and supportive school environment, creating a safe and supportive classroom environment. School Leaders have a leading and influential role in schools and communities. The values and vision leaders have determined the success of the school. School leaderships play an important role in the teaching-learning process, which authorizes the conclusion that they are key to strengthening a positive school environment, applying methodologies , techniques and strategies that implement motivation, values, content, active participation, aspirations, assertive communication and bonds of affection, to establish commitments related to the educational development of students. 1.2 Unit Objectives At the end of this unit, trainees will be able to: Reflect on the strengths and gaps of their school Develop clear school improvement plan Analyze how to ensure diversity accommodation in their schools Design and implement change management plan in their schools Foster a supportive and inclusive classroom environment Create a safe and supportive school environment for all school community Session 1: Leading School Improvement (3 hours) Introduction (30 minutes) Session one focuses on school self-improvement and the role of school leadership in improving schools. School improvement is about raising student achievement through focusing on the teaching and learning process and the conditions which support this. Continuous school 10 improvement is about establishing a culture that is focused on improving the achievement levels of students and increasing the overall performance of the school through a planned set of processes and strategies. School improvement is about putting in place a set of well-tested processes for identifying and addressing the developmental needs of each school. Effective school improvement is about change that is driven by commitment to increase the learning outcomes of every student (Australian Capital Territory, 2009). Effective school improvement refers to planned educational change that enhances student learning outcomes as well as the school's capacity for managing change. Effective school improvement is a major concern for both school effectiveness and school improvement theory and research. While school effectiveness is strongly focusing on student outcomes and the characteristics of schools and classrooms that are associated with these outcomes without automatically looking at the processes that are needed to bring changes about, school improvement is mainly concerned about changing the quality of teachers and schools without automatically looking at the consequences for student outcomes. In short, school effectiveness is trying to find out what is to be changed in schools in order to become more effective while school improvement is trying to find out how schools can change in order to improve. The model for effective school improvement must allow us to explain why improvement efforts succeed or fail. It must make clear which factors promote or hinder effective school improvement. Therefore, an effective leader of school improvement 1) understands the elements that contribute to student learning; 2) can assemble these elements into workable, coherent instructional programs; and 3) can work with faculty and other stakeholders to implement these instructional programs in a fashion appropriately tailored to particular students and local circumstances. In short, a strong educational leader (master teacher, principal, superintendent or school board member) skillfully can define, manage and improve curriculum and instruction. He or she maximizes student achievement by leading and shaping the daily practices of formal schooling (Hoachlander, 2001). Objectives At the end of this session, trainees will be able to: 11 Reflect on their own experiences of school improvement practices so far Demonstrate on why school improvement fail or succeed Link the theoretical knowledge and actual school improvement challenges Evaluate and judge the continuity of their school CPD Activities Form a group and discuss the following questions: I) Why is school improvement important? (45 minutes) a. To you as a school leader b. To the school? c. To the community d. To the pupils and parents? e. To the education system in Ethiopia? II) How do you identify what needs improving? (15 minutes) III) What do you need in order to begin to plan for school improvement? (20 minutes) Brain Storming Questions (30 minutes) 1. Who is responsible to ensure school improvement? As leader, why do you think schools are not improving? What do you think should be done to reverse this? 2. In today’s school reality in Ethiopia, are schools improving? Why and why not? Key Ideas (25 minutes) Scholars underlined that continuous improvement is based on the principles that making sustainable change takes time and involves collective effort; is context specific; and requires constant adaptation, data collection, and learning (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Bhuiyan and Baghel, 2005; Langley, Moen, Nolan, Nolan, and Norman, 2009). Effective school improvement refers to planned educational change that enhances student learning outcomes as well as the school's capacity for managing change. 12 Moreover, it is also said that international and national studies have shown that school leadership is a major factor in schools’ and students’ results (Robinson et al.2008, OECD 2013,Jarlet al.2017, Leithwood et al.2020), and thus also in school improvement (Fullan 2015). Basically, school improvement is a plan created to improve academic achievement and improve leadership, systems, and processes within a school. One way to improve school is through continuous self-checking as school self-evaluation can be a fundamental force in achieving school improvement. So, school leaders need to know what the key debates are in relation to school self-evaluation, what principles and processes are associated with it, and what the implications are for school self-evaluation as a means of leading school improvement. Themes that build success and encourage school improvement are: Data, professional development, role of leadership, and the importance of sustained support. Work in groups to think about, discuss and develop lists of what you already have in school to support each of these themes and what you need to do to ensure that you have these themes in place to support your planning and school improvement processes. Concerning the factors and action for school improvement, there are different views and opinions. Therefore, one essential requirement of strong school leadership is the ability to blend many practices into a balanced, well-managed package of school improvement. Data: What data is important to have, know, use and understand in school to inform your school improvement planning? How will to monitor and review data as you work through the process of school improvement? What will the data show/ tell you? The next session is about school improvement planning and how to do it in school. Implications (15 minutes) Based on the activities and key ideas given above where do you think is the bottleneck for our schools not improving? For a school principal today, the task of leading school improvement can be formidable; schools are large organizations filled with those most unpredictable of things like people. They are also places where there is a plethora of opinions about the methods that should be used to achieve success. 13 As leaders, what strategies do you have to overcome these multidimensional needs and views? Usually, the role of the school leader is seen as of prime importance in raising standards and promoting school improvement, how do you explain your roles from this perspective? What have you done and what is left to be done? One of the definitions of SI is “about putting in place a set of well-tested processes for identifying and addressing the developmental needs of each school”. Is it actually happening in your school? Who do you think is responsible for testing and choosing if a process of your school improvement is practically working for your own school context? Take Away Resources Cole , P. (2012). Linking Effective Professional Learning with Effective Teaching Practices. Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, Melbooune. MoE (2023). Leading School Improvement Part I: Education Development Trust , Ministry of Education, Addis Ababa Session 2: School Improvement Planning (2 hours) Introduction (35 minutes) A school improvement plan is a road map that sets out the changes a school needs to make to improve the level of student achievement and shows how and when these changes will be made. School improvement plans are selective: they help principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions “What will we focus on now?” and “What will we leave until later?” They encourage staff and parents to monitor student achievement levels and other factors, such as the school environment, that are known to influence student success. With up-to-date and reliable information about how well students are performing, schools are better able to respond to the needs of students, teachers, and parents. A school improvement plan is also a mechanism through which the public can hold schools accountable for student success and through which it can measure improvement. One of the first steps—a crucial one—in developing an improvement plan involves teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members working together to gather and analyze information about the school and its students, so that 14 they can determine what needs to be improved in their school (Education Improvement Commission, 2000). In general, the best school improvement plan: Puts students first by focusing on improving the level of their academic achievement. Involves the school board, PTSA, parents, the community, school leaders and teachers as drafters, implementers, monitors and evaluators of the plan. Honors the unique nature and characteristics of the school community. Adheres to the MoE and REB standards for students’ learning and achievement. Is based on reliable data. Follows research on what makes school effective. Is realistic yet aims high. Is easy to understand by everyone in the school community. Remains flexible to change Objectives At the end of this session trainees will be able to: Identify the phases of school development plan Articulate the strategy for preparing school improvement plan Design a school development plan Evaluate their schools and their own performance in line with the SI framework Activities 1. How do you understand the concepts of school improvement and school improvement planning? What are the expected qualities that make your school improvement plan is good? (10 minutes) 2. How do you find your understand that and now about the concepts of school improvement and school improvement planning? ( 5 minutes) 3. Who do you think is responsible for testing and choosing if a process of your school improvement is practically working for your own school context? Why? (10 minutes) 15 4. You have read about some of the qualities of a good school improvement plan. Looking back to your SI plan experience, which of them are qualities of your plan, and which are not? Why? (15 minutes) 5. What is the purpose of school improvement planning? (10 minutes) Individual Tasks (15 Minutes) By examining your past three years' SI plan documents, reflect on the purposes of SI plans using the following guiding questions. 1. Which of the above purposes of SI planning are the purposes of your school? Why? 2. Does your SI plan have different purposes other than those mentioned above? Why? If one of them is not your purpose of SI planning, do you have the intention to make it a reality in your next planning? Key Ideas (15 Minutes) The main purposes of SI planning are to: ▪ Improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school and ensure continuous progress of students learning. ▪ Provides a framework for analyzing problems and addressing instructional issues in a school that has not made sufficient progress in students’ achievement. ▪ Improve student achievement levels by enhancing the way curriculum is delivered, by creating a positive environment for learning, and by increasing the degree to which parents are involved in their children’s learning at school and in the home. Implications (5 Minutes) As a leader, how do you apply the school improvement planning as a strategy to transform your school? What do you do to ensure the continuity of the improvement process? How do you think and link this with the enhancement of student learning outcome? Not all problems can be tackled in one school improvement plan, so how do you prioritize and work on it to solve the most important and urgent problems first? What are the sources of evidences for you to correctly prioritize the problems? Can you think of and mention some of the criteria for prioritization? 16 Take Away Resources Cole , P. (2012). Linking Effective Professional Learning with Effective Teaching Practices. Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, Melbooune. Federal State of Micronesia (2009). School Improvement Planning: A Guidance for Departments of Education, Elementary and Secondary Schools, National Department of Education Session 1.3 Understanding and Managing School Environment (2 hours) Introduction (25 minutes) According to Hess and Smythe, (2004) the learning environment can produce conditions and mediate relationships that can positively influence student cognitive, social, emotional, and mental well-being, and increase student receptivity to teacher, content, exchange in the classroom, student motivation and study habits, and learning. School leaders can help students improve their emotional well-being and connectedness with others by: Carefully selecting or thoroughly developing activities that emphasize social and emotional competencies. Schools can identify and implement programs that are developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant for students. They are also integrating skill building, modeling, practice, and assessment that improve emotional well-being and school connectedness across all academic areas. They help teachers can incorporate opportunities for students to practice skills and develop competencies such as establishing positive relationships and understanding diverse perspectives through group learning activities. School leaders are strengthening teacher, staff, and administrator core competencies through professional development. Schools can provide staff training on role modeling and applying interpersonal skills to improve teacher-student relationships. They also foster safe, inclusive learning environments for all young people. Schools can establish a culture that emphasizes the importance of showing empathy in relationships, using effective communication, and demonstrating respect for diversity. Informing families and communities about school-wide initiatives and activities, school leaders promote healthy and supportive school environments and student and staff emotional well-being. 17 Objectives At the end of this session, trainees will be able to: ▪ Know to create a stronger school and classroom environment ▪ Understand what is considered as school environment ▪ Identify the roles of school environment in enhancing learning outcome ▪ Demonstrate the skill of creating an environment that empowers students and teachers Activities 1. What do you do to ensure a safe and conducive environment for students learning? Who is responsible to link school with internal and external school environment? (20 minutes) 2. As a school leader what is the futures of safe and conducive school environment? List down and analyze the benefits of creating a positive and supportive school environment? (35 minutes) 3. What are the benefits of promoting safe and supportive school environments? What are the components of school environment that leaders should take care? (25 minutes) Key Ideas (8 minutes) A school environment is broadly characterized by its facilities, classrooms practices, school- based supports, and disciplinary policies and practices. It sets the stage for the external factors that affect students. Creating safe and supportive environments (SSE) emphasizes aspects of the school environment that encourage students to be more engaged in their school life and feel connected to important adults at school and at home. School environments that are safe and supportive are successful in ensuring a better learning outcome. Researches have clearly indicated that school environment can significantly influence students’ academic performance. Students need a safe, healthy and stimulating environment in which to grow and learn and hence environment plays a crucial/critical role promoting better learning outcomes. School leaderships have a big role to cultivate such an environment where teaching learning is facilitated. The next session is about the roles of the school leaders in facilitating and initiating change. Implications (7 minutes) 18 School leaders, families, and communities should work together to build a safe environment for students at school and at home. Activities to improve school environments should aim to promote three protective factors like school connectedness, parental monitoring, and parental- adolescent communications. How do you evaluate your role in relation managing school environment? Schools are intimately linked to society as a whole and so how do you plan to address this in your future school leadership roles by working with community and the students? 19 Take Away Resources Daniel KK and Filex K. (2014). The Impact of School Environment and Peer Influence on Student’s Academic Performance in Vihige County, Kenya: Journal of Education and Practices, 5(11), 1-11 Sunday AA. (2012). The Relationship Among School Environment Students Approach to Learning and their Academic Achievement in Senior Secondary School in Physics. International Journal of Research in School Phycics 3(1), 21-26 Session 2: Initiating and Facilitating Change (2 hours) Introduction (20 minutes) School leaders as change agents can learn better attributes of implementing a change strategy in a school setting. Hence, they are expected to create a shared vision, mission and core values. Change management is the overarching approach taken in schools/organizations to move from the current to a future desirable state using a coordinated and structured approach in collaboration with stakeholders in this case mainly teachers. In initiating and managing change one important caution for school leader is risk assessment and risk management. In the process of considering the different aspects of the change we need to consider what might happen leading up to and implementing the change as well as what may be the unintended consequences of the change. Keep in mind that the larger and more disruptive the change the greater the risk whereby small and incremental change will have less risk. The Risk Matrix will allow you to assess the likelihood and consequences of the change to indicate whether the activity is low, medium or high risk to the project. The below diagram shows the major steps school leaders need to follow whenever they plan a change, implement, facilitate and decide if to continue to stop or continue the change. 20 Source: The University of Virginia Change Management Objectives At the end of this session, Trainees will be able to: Reason out why reforms in education succeed or fail Design a strategy of wining the commitment of school community Demonstrate the skills of change agent in schools Introduce new school improvement strategies Engage school community in the change process 21 Activities (80 minutes) 1. The trainers will ask the trainees to reason out and justify why many school reforms fail? The trainees then continue to ask, do Trainees have a line share to implement reforms? How? (12 minutes) 2. The trainer group the class in to a team of 5 people and ask them to identify the reforms introduced to schools in the last 3 years. Then inform to evaluate how far these reforms were effective. Were really the Trainees effective in facilitating these school improvement issues? Finally ask them to present in the class by including their suggestions and implications for the future. (15 minutes) 3. Are changes in school always planned? How? The trainees will list down their responses and present it to the class and trainer has to facilitate this. (12 minutes) 4. Also ask the trainees; what risks may occur upfront, during implementation and after implementation of the change? What tactics will you put into place to minimize these risks? (12 minutes) 5. One of the principal’s roles is managing curriculum change and its implementation for the provision of quality education. So, how do school leaders as internal change agents are expected to facilitate and implement curriculum changes? Can you list down the roles you will play in order to support teachers effectively implement the new curriculum and improve the learning outcome? (15 minutes) 6. Are you a coach or mentor of the school teacher? Why? (14 minutes) Key Ideas (12 Minutes) Change and change management is not an isolated concept that simply appeared out of thin air, nor is it the mere result of a simple decision taken at the top hierarchical levels. Change or transformation cannot be enforced from the top level down, but need to be understood and adapted by all involved in order to minimize resistance against changes, preventing the obstruction of these types of processes. We must not forget that to the individual, change and transition always pose a threat to his or her current status or even to his or her means of income unless that change is properly adapted or initiated. Involving a school organization in a process of change also means involving every person working for the school. 22 For a change or transformation to be successful in school, first good to define the objectives of change as precisely and clearly as possible and then develop a strategy aimed at innovation and change which can be either top down or bottom up. Change or innovation or transformation or innovations should be evaluated both in terms of their uptake and their impact on student learning outcomes. Implications (8 minutes) Why do most reforms and changes in school fail? Today more than any times before, school are expected to proactively respond to modernization, globalization, migration, displacement and diversity inclusion. Can you imagine what school leaders need to do as a champion to effectively lead school improvement and transformation by creating culturally responsive schools? Literatures recommended that students work better in a diverse environment, and hence what does this imply for the current and prospective school leaders? As leaders, the implication is a lot is expected to be done to enjoy the benefits of effective diversity management. In schools what kind of changes have you experienced? How have you handled it? Take Away Resources Mallinger, M. J. (2018). Positive School Culture: Facilitating Changes to Cultivate Learning and Change Perceptions [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.b Green, M. (2007). Change management masterclass: A step-by-step guide to successful change management. Kogan Page Publishers. Session 1.5. Building a Learning Organization (2 hours) Introduction (35 minutes) This session is about schools as learning organizations and how to build school where sustainable learning and improvement is a culture. The session also highlights the roles of school leadership in building and shaping the schools ready to share take best practices with other schools. 23 Today’s schools must equip students with the knowledge and skills they’ll need to succeed in an uncertain, constantly changing tomorrow. Schools as learning organizations develop processes, strategies and structures that allow the schools to learn and react effectively in uncertain and dynamic school environments. They institutionalize learning mechanisms in order to revise existing knowledge. Schools as learning organizations are expected to solve their school problems systematically (identify, evaluate, prioritize and act), learn from their own prior experiences and the best practices of others, transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently. Objectives At the end of this session Trainees will be able to: Apply systematic problem solving Try new approaches of school improvement strategies Learn from past experiences Learn from best practices of other through PLC and COP Measure and document changes and audit performance gaps Activities (50 minutes) 1. The trainer will ask a brain storming question, why improvement rates are low in our school system? Then, the Trainees will individually reason out why improvement rates in our school are not promising. (10 minutes) 2. The trainer also groups the trainees in to 7 each and asks them to identify how they learn from past experiences, from best practices of others and how they can support school improvement. As leaders do you believe you can get best practices from other schools? In what way? (10 minutes) 3. Ask the trainees to discuss on; do principals felt they had received the necessary professional development on how to be a leader of change? How? (15 minutes)) 4. As training alone may not make teachers and school leaders a complete professional, so what strategies do you have for sustainable learning and change for teachers and leaders? Do school leaders conduct CPD? Do you think it is possible to reinitiate school CPD? (15 minutes) 24 Key Ideas (20 minutes) As a school leader, it is always good to remember organizational learning as a process that unfolds over time and link it with knowledge acquisition and improved school performance. Schools as a learning organization need to be skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. Therefore, a school as a learning organization is an entity that fosters a culture of continuous learning and knowledge creation at all levels. It is an institutional paradigm that recognizes the importance of adapting to change, acquiring new knowledge, and leveraging insights to improve performance and achieve strategic objectives in terms of improving schools. Hence, learning schools are those that encourage adaptive and generative learning where teachers are motivated to think outside the box to solve school and societal problems. Therefore, school principals need to take an exemplary leading role in creating and sustaining a supportive learning culture. Implications (15 minutes) In today’s world, learning is a key for survival and hence knowledge should be continuously enriched through any form of learning. For this to happen, school leaders need to support and energize the school, the people and the technology for learning. As a transformative instructional leader, how far you focus on continuous learning as a road to developing the school effectiveness? Serrat (2010) underscored that the leadership of a learning organization is committed to the importance of learning and clearly communicates that learning is critical to organizational success. So, what is your plan to make your school a real learning organization? Hence, school leaders better ask themselves that how far they provide the coworkers, teachers and others the motive, the means and opportunities for continuous learning. Van der Westhuizen (2003) asserts that principals as instructional leaders are expected to initiate, facilitate and implement curriculum changes. Do you think that you helped your teachers to know and effectively implemented the reformed curriculum? 25 Take Away Resources Serrat O. (2010). Building a Learning Organization. Washington DC. Cornell University ILR School, Asian Development Bank 26 UNIT TWO: LEADING EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING (14 hours) 2.1. Introduction You are a pioneer in a new way of strengthening school leadership expertise. This unit focuses on supporting school leaders to recognize effective teaching and learning, and study the processes and tools used inschool to lead the improvement of teaching and learning. The concept of instructional leadership includes all those actions related to teaching and learning that a principal (or his/her delegate) takes on, to ensure the provision of quality teaching and learning. Huber and West (2002) posit that a principal is most often cited as the key person in school development, either blocking or promoting curriculum changes, acting as change agent, and overseeing the processes of curriculum growth and renewal. Chell (2011, in Marishane et al., 2011) concurs by stating that effective instructional leader exercises supervision, evaluates instruction, promotes teachers’ development activities, and oversees curriculum change development, initiates and implement teacher professional development, promotes action research, develops a positive school climate, and creates links between school and community. The unit will explore how school leaders effectively lead teaching and learning and study the processes and tools that will be used in schools to lead the improvement of teaching and learning. 2.2. Unit Objectives At the end of this unit, trainees will be able to: Take responsibility for leading the improvement of teaching and learning in their school. Update their knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning from research. Recognize potential barriers to improving the effectiveness of teaching. Create a draft continuous improvement cycle. 27 Create a culture of professional learning by involving teachers in the improvement of teaching and learning. 28 Alignment with school leaders Competency (20 minutes) Unit 2 outcomes Competencies Take responsibility for leading the Competency 1: The school leader will demonstrate improvement of teaching and learning in their commitment to driving improved student their school. outcomes and increasingthe inclusion of all students. Update their knowledge and understanding of Competency 2: The school leader willpromote effective teaching and learning from research. a culture of continuous, self- sustaining school improvement. Recognize potential barriers to improvingthe Competency 3: The school leader will model and effectiveness of teaching. guide leadership for learning andthe inclusion of all students. Create a draft continuous improvement Competency 4: The school leader will useevidence cycle. to plan, implement, and review improvements in inclusion and learning. Create a culture of professional learning by Competency 5: The school leader will work involving teachers in the improvement of collaboratively with all stakeholders to drive school teaching and learning. and system improvement. 2.3. Unit Sessions Session 2.1. Effective teaching and learning Session 2.2. Updating your Knowledge and Understanding about effective teaching Session 2. 3. Facilitating Curriculum Based Assessment Session 2.4. Creating a continuous improvement Cycle Session 2.5. Observation and feedback on teaching and learning 29 Session 2.1. Effective Teaching and Learning (3 hours) Introduction (30 Minutes) The only way to improve learning outcomes is by improving the quality of teaching. Teachers spend hours daily face-to-face with pupils and are the single strongest leverto improve learning. School leaders are the second strongest lever in improving learning, in their role as leaders of learning. The instructional leadership involves the role that principals assume to influence teachers to use their expertise and skills to implement curriculum or the changes hereof towards the attainment of improved learner outcomes. When principals adopt an instructional leadership role, they are most likely to develop a shared vision for the school, empower and inspire teachers, and initiate strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Effective instructional leaders motivate teachers to introduce changes strategically and effectively so that learners feel comfortable and motivated to achieve higher standards. Such school leaders can also facilitate the curriculum implementation and adaptation to the contexts of the school and students. Objectives At the end of this session Trainees will be able to: Take responsibility for leading the improvement of teaching and learning in school. Update their knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning from research. Recognize potential barriers to improving the effectiveness of teaching; Create a draft continuous improvement plan; and, Create a culture of professional learning by involving teachers in the improvement of teaching and learning Activities 1. Introduction to Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning (20 minutes) 30 As we have noted already, the primary way to improve learning outcomes is by improving the quality of teaching. Teachers spend hours daily with pupils and are the single strongest lever to improve learning. Therefore, improving the quality of teaching and learning is the most critical activity for school leaders in improving schools – but it takes time, effort, and commitment. Who is responsible and accountable for the improvement of teaching and learning? Look at the Ethiopian Standards for School Leadership and the competencies for the Ethiopia Foundational Leadership Programme. The responsibility and accountability rest with the school leader – the leader of learning. (15 minutes) Who can deliver improved teaching and learning each day in the classroom? The teacher ‒ but not on their own: as leader they need your guidance, expertise, and support. (5 minutes) 2. Group discussion: - How can we find time to lead learning? (25 minutes) What currently takes up most of our time and effort? How will we make time to lead teaching and learning? Identify 3 strategies/ actions/ideas you can adopt to carve out time to lead learning. Individually make a commitment to carve out 3 x 20 mins each week to lead learning in your school. Identify 3 strategies/actions/ideas you can adopt to carve out time to lead learning. (15 minutes) 3. Key actions that School Leaders Need to Lead Learning: - please read individually points listed below that inform you what is needed to do to lead learning in your schools.(25 minutes) Use research to update knowledge and understanding about effective teaching and learning; Understand the need to create an environment that supports professional learning for all teachers; Secure the understanding and engagement of all teachers; 31 Understand and draft a continuous improvement cycle to ensure that improvement to teaching and learning is continuous and incremental rather than a one-off; Create a timetable for each stage of the continuous improvement cycle to be actioned and, Recognize the importance of using a consistent set of tools and frameworks to support the process and capture improvements. Key Ideas (25 minutes) Effective teaching is an essential component of quality education. It refers to the ability of teachers to engage and inspire students, facilitate their learning, and promote their overall development. In general, effective teaching involves several key components: Knowledge and expertise: Effective teachers possess a deep understanding of their subject matter and pedagogical strategies. They are well-prepared and continuously update their knowledge to deliver accurate and up-to-date information to students. Communication skills: Teachers need strong communication skills to effectively convey information and ideas to their students. They should be able to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner, encourage student participation, and provide constructive feedback. Classroom management: Maintaining a positive and well-organized classroom environment is crucial for effective teaching. Teachers should establish clear rules and expectations, manage time effectively, and create a supportive atmosphere where students feel comfortable and motivated to learn. Differentiation: Recognizing and addressing the diverse learning needs of students is an essential component of effective teaching. Teachers should employ various instructional strategies, adapt their approach to cater to different learning styles, and provide additional support when necessary. Assessment and feedback: Regular assessment of student progress is vital to effective teaching. Teachers should use a variety of assessment methods to evaluate student learning and provide timely and constructive feedback to help students improve. Continuous professional development: Effective teachers are committed to their own professional growth. They actively seek opportunities to enhance their teaching skills, stay informed about educational research and best practices, and engage in 32 professional learning communities. Implications (20 minutes) This session will have a strong implication to the instructional leadership role of school leaders as it helps them to take responsibility for leading the improvement of teaching and learning in their respective schools. What have you done so far in your school to positively influence learning-teaching? The activities and recommended readings from research will help them to update their knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning which is one of the key characteristics for instructional leadership. What are the qualities of an effective instruction for you as an instructional leader? Take Away Resources Noonan J. (2023). Leaders of Learning. Adult Development, Teacher Learning and Leadership, International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Salem State University, USA Rag Mestry (2022). The principal’s role in managing curriculum change: Implications for the provision of quality education, South African Journal of Education, Volume 42, Number 4 Session 2.2. Updating your Knowledge and Understanding about Effective Teaching (3 hours) Introduction (40 minutes) This session is about models and dimensions of measuring teacher and teaching effectiveness. Studies generally define ‘effective- teaching in terms of pupil outcomes, particularly pupil achievement. It is now argued that effectiveness needs to go beyond impact on pupil achievement to include other observable pupil outcomes such as engagement and attitudes. Effectiveness includes the impact of teaching on such pupil behaviors as volunteering answers to questions, explaining their answers and ideas, and the time they spend on learning tasks. More recently it has been suggested that teaching effectiveness should also consider the impact on groups of pupils (for example, different ethnic groups, gender differences, and those with special educational needs and disabilities). 33 Objectives At the end of this lesion Trainees will be able to: Explain the roles of school leaders in leading effective teaching and learning Understand different aspects of leading teaching and learning at school Understand the benefit of leadership and engaging others for better learning outcomes Reflect on their own practices of effective teaching and learning leadership Activities 1. Individually read and understand the case study designed for this session and discuss in group on the discussion questions. Case Study: Transforming Teaching and Learning in Rural Ethiopia (15 minutes) Context: Addis Alem Elementary School is a rural school in Ethiopia. The school has limited resources, large class sizes, and a mix of experienced and newly qualified teachers. Despite these challenges, the school has seen a significant improvement in student achievement in recent years. This case study explores the leadership practices of Director Abebech and how they have fostered effective teaching within the school. Challenges: Large class sizes: With limited resources, Addis Alem struggles with overcrowding, making individualized attention difficult. Teacher experience: The mix of experienced and new teachers can lead to inconsistencies in teaching methods. Limited resources: The school lacks access to a variety of instructional materials and technology. Director Abebech’s Leadership Approach: ( 25 minutes) Instructional Leadership: Director Abebech prioritizes instructional leadership by: 34 Vision and Goal Setting: She collaboratively developed a clear vision for the school that emphasizes implementation of the new curriculum with student-centered learning and improved academic performance. Curriculum Implementation: Abebech works closely with teachers to ensure the national curriculum is adapted to the local context and effectively implemented. Classroom Observations and Feedback: She conducts regular classroom observations, providing constructive feedback and coaching to improve teaching practices. Professional Development: She organizes workshops and training sessions focused on active learning methodologies, classroom management, and integrating local knowledge into the curriculum. Teacher Collaboration: She fosters a collaborative environment by: Teacher Learning Communities (TLCs): Abebech established TLCs where teachers share best practices, discuss challenges, and develop lesson plans together. Mentorship Program: Experienced teachers mentor new teachers, providing guidance and support. Community Engagement: She recognizes the importance of community involvement by: Parent-Teacher Student Association (PTSA): She actively works with the PTSA to secure resources and generate support for the school’s initiatives. Local Expertise: Abebech incorporates local knowledge and cultural practices into the curriculum, making learning more relevant to the students. Outcomes: Improved Student Achievement: Test scores at Addis Alem have risen steadily in recent years, demonstrating the effectiveness of the implemented strategies. Increased Teacher Morale: Teachers report feeling more supported and motivated due to the collaborative environment and professional development opportunities. 35 Stronger Community Partnerships: The active involvement of the PTSA has led to increased resource availability and community support for the school. Discus on the following question in group (35 minutes) What leadership practices resonate with Director Abebech approach? How can school leaders adapt these practices to their own contexts? What are the challenges of implementing instructional leadership in resource- constrained settings? How can school leaders foster collaboration among teachers in their schools? How can school leaders build stronger partnerships with their communities? 2. Individual assignment: - Based on the learning from the above case study prepare an action plan which can help you to demonstrate effective leadership to plays a crucial role in transforming teaching and learning at your school (25 minutes) 3. So, how far did you strategically plan and address issues of teaching and learning in your school today? What are the expectations of the community on what their students should learn? (10 minutes) 4. As leader of teaching learning, you will manage to answer the following key questions as a self-reflection; do I use teacher evaluation for the purpose of improving teaching and learning? How teacher evaluation can best benefit both the teacher and the school leader? (5 minutes) Key Ideas (15 minutes) One of the key tasks of an instructional leader is evaluating teachers as part of their regular job of the school year which is a valuable moment for leaders to improve instruction and learning. One of the organizational policies and process that is intended to improve teaching and learning is teacher evaluation. Teaching and teacher evaluation have a great potential to improve instruction. Principals can spot strengths and weaknesses in instructional methods and classroom management and provide the teacher early opportunities to make adjustments. The variation in 36 teaching quality explains more of the variation in student achievement than any other school factors. Implications (10 minutes) In the past, education leaders were judged routinely on their effectiveness in managing fiscal, organizational and political conditions in their schools. The leadership of teaching and learning lacks attention. However, that does not work more today. Now leaders are increasingly being held accountable for the actual performance of those under their charge. Take Away Resources Sinnema C. (2007). The Leadership of Teaching and Learning: Implications for Teacher Evaluation. Leadership and Policy Schools, 6 (4), 1-25.Doi:10.1080/1570076001431603 Westbrook, et al. (2013). “Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries: Final report, Education Rigorous Literature Review, Department for International Development, UK Session 2.3. Facilitating Curriculum Based Assessment (2 hour) Introduction (25 minutes) This session introduces the role of school leaders in facilitating condition for assessment to be curriculum based. The essence of curriculum based is leaders need to ensure if the teacher made assessments are on-going and involves periodic monitoring of a student’s daily performance in relation to what is taught. Objectives At the end of this session trainees will be able to: Reflect on their role in student assessment Oversee how teachers made assessment is curriculum based Identify if the assessment mechanisms are competency based Ensure whether teachers apply multiple modes of assessment 37 Activities 1. Ask the Trainees, do you have roles in conducting student assessment? What are these roles and have you discharged your responsibilities? Ask each to reflect on their prior experiences and understandings to the class?(15 minutes) 2. Encourage the Trainees to be in group and discuss on what strategies they have for ensuring if classroom assessment is curriculum based, vary in its mode, timely and followed by feedback and then present their respective strategies to the class. (10 minutes) 3. Ask the Trainees, who is responsible for the failing of learners in state or national exams? How? (15 minutes) 4. As a leader, how do you cross check if assessment is relevant to the new curriculum, prepare students for national assessment, and cover the whole curricula? (20 minutes) Key Ideas (20 minutes) It should be under scored that school leaders are key, if not indispensable for the effective implementation of assessment for learning, of learning and as learning. Principal as teacher leaders need to ensure if the classroom assessments are curriculum based and the assessment design are fit for purpose as assessment impacts positively on teaching and learning practices. The main purpose of realizing curriculum based assessment is that it provides a measure of a student’s progress through curriculum and whether that progress is adequate. Curriculum based assessment (CBM) is repeated, direct assessment of targeted skills in basic areas using materials taken from the teaching curriculum. Implications (15 minutes) School leaders need to carry out a sustainable follow to ensure if the assessment practices of teachers emanate from the curriculum. If the assessment practices are not related to learning competencies in the curriculum it lacks relevance. Considering this, how do school leaders ensure portion coverage, the three domain of learning, competency based goal oriented? 38 Take Away Resources De Leeuw, J. (2016). Leading Assessment: The Triple-A Framework for Educational Leaders. In: Scott, S., Scott, D., Webber, C. (eds) Assessment in Education. The Enabling Power of Assessment, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23398-7_8 Session 2.4. Creating a Continuous Improvement Cycle (2 hours) Introduction (25 minutes) To improve teaching and learning we need to know the strengths and areas for development in teaching and learning in our classrooms. To do this we need to observe teaching and learning in all our classrooms and work with teachers to celebrate and share their strengths and support their areas for development. We need to keep celebrating and improving regularly to ensure that we are providingthe best possible learning opportunities for all children. Objective At the end of this session trainees will able to create a continuous teaching and learning improvement cycle they will understand how to set up a fair and transparent process that all staff can understand and trust. understand the stages of the improvement cycle Activities 1. Discuss in group and put in the right order each activity diagram and reflect about the cycle and insights you have gained from thinking about it. (15 minutes) 39 ? ? ? 2. Discuss with your peers the following activities. (15 minutes) How to create a continuous school improvement cycle for your school. Design strategies that help you to implement the continuous school improvement cycle. Identify the involvement of stakeholders in implementing the continuous school improvement cycle. Decide the monitoring and evaluation of the strategy that you will carry out during and after implementing a continuous school improvement cycle. 3. Create a culture of professional learning by involving teachers in the improvement of teaching and learning.(10 minutes) Develop a possible timeline for the activities needed to set up your timetable for each stage of the continuous cycle of improvement. Consider the activities you must do before, during, and after creating the timetable. Here are tips that you must consider to develop your timetable Questions to consider before creating your timetable: (10 minutes) When will you introduce the updated research on effective teaching? When will you explain the plan for continuous improvement? When will you share the process? How will you overcome resistance and build trust? Questions to consider when creating your timetable (10 minutes) What time of the year/term will you be introducing it? Have you allowed enough time between observations for teachers to act/practicenew skills? (1/2 term) Which class/standard will you begin with? 40 Why have you selected this? Which classes/standards will follow? Have you avoided holidays? Have you avoided exam times? Questions to consider after creating your timetable: (15 minutes) How will the timing fit with and support the School Improvement Plan and the School Self Review? Who will provide the support required to teachers? When will this happen? Are there any costs involved? Key Ideas (15 minutes) Understanding the focus areas of classroom observation and how you evaluate its effectiveness. From the session another key point includes evaluating your ability as a school leader to plan, execute and evaluate the teaching-learning process in your school. It also will help you to map key responsible bodies within the school who take part in teaching learning observation process in your school. School leaders obtain key skill to evaluate the contributions of classroom observation in improving the actual learning outcomes in their school and utilization of teachers practice tool. Implications (5 minutes) It will enhance instructional leadership practice and improve teaching and learning process with the ultimate goal of enhancing student leaning outcome. Take Away Resources Ko, J., Sammons, P. and Bakkum, L. (2013). Effective teaching: a review of research and evidence. Reading: CfBT Education Trust. Muijs, D., and Reynolds, D. (2018). Effective teaching: evidence and practice (4th Edition). Los Angeles: Sage. Rosenshine, B. (1983) Teaching functions in instructional programs. The Elementary School Journal, 83 (4). 41 Rosenshine, B. (2010). Principles of Instruction. International Academy of Education, Brussels. Session 2.5. Observation and Feedback on Teaching and Learning (2 hours) Introduction (20 minutes) This session is about how key leadership practices can have a stronger impact on student learning outcomes than others. Research have underscored that educational leaders influence a change and improved student learning outcomes by improving the quality of teaching. Teachers are the single strongest pedal to improve learning, while school leaders are playing the second strongest role as leaders of learning. Thus observation and feedback are key to improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. Objectives At the end of this session trainees will be able to: Review of the process for observing learning and teaching; Understand elements of the teachers practice tool; Recognize how teaching develops as described by the Quality Indicators inthe Teacher Tool; Become familiar with evaluating teaching using the graded/incremental scale;and, Recognize what makes feedback effective. Activities 1. Reviewing the Process for Observing and Teaching Learning which you have developed during session 2.3. above (10 minutes) 2. Observing Teaching and Learning Offers Benefits across the School, spend some time to read and comprehend the following key benefits. (10 minutes) Benefits to you as a school leader: (25 minutes) Privilege to be in the classroom with children – this is what our job is about; Learn strengths of the teaching team: you can share and build on these; 42 Identify areas where teachers lack confidence: you can use CPD to plan and deliver support; Informs your SIP and SSR: it helps you with these aspects of your leadership role; Builds trust and relationships; Allows you to practice coaching and mentoring; and, Allow you to see the impact of your efforts: improvement for learners. Benefits to teachers: Receive time and insights shared by the most senior person; Recognition of their efforts; Builds trust and relationships; Receive mentoring/coaching professional support; Engage in CPD relevant to teaching and learning; and, Creates role satisfaction: they can recognize the improvements for learners. Benefits for learners: Recognition of their efforts; Builds trust and relationships; and, As teaching becomes more effective their learning will be better supported. Learning observations are always worrying for teachers. All teachers want to show their best teaching and want to impress whoever comes into their room. It is critical to communicate with teachers throughout the process, so that all is clear and understood. This minimizes anxiety and emotion and can lessen resistance to change. Preparing for Observations Planning: Block out the time before, during and after the observation. Communicate – with the teacher being observed, and others so youare not disturbed. Resources: Have everything ready so you can arrive promptly – o Observation Form, Teacher Tool, scrap paper, pen/pencil, space/room to giveconfidential feedback. Getting the Most for Every One from Observations Agree, share, and remind the teaching team of the conventions for observing in a 43 classroom/learning environment. For example, the observer will: Enter the room quietly – learning should not stop; Find somewhere to sit (or agree beforehand where you will sit); maintain silence with relaxed body language; Minimize eye contact with teacher or learners; watch and listen rather than write sentences; jot down single words to promptyour memory; Focus attention on the learners – sit close enough to hear but to so as to inhibit children speaking; and, At end of the observation thank the teacher and children as you leave the room. Post Observations (15 minutes) Spend time drafting your observations. When you use any lesson observation tool,you are reflecting on what you saw and heard. Some things to think about: What happened in the lesson? What was the attitude/ engagement of the learners? What did you notice about the engagement of learners of different genders/abilities? Who spoke the most? The teacher or the learners? What questions do you have about what you observed? What surprised you? What would you like to check with the teacher? Could you identify an aspect that the team/teacher had been working to develop? Identify a positive feature of what you observed. 3. Discuss to identify important tools that help to Lead Effective Teaching and Learning (10 minutes) What do we need to do to lead learning in our schools? Specifically, what tools and frameworks will be needed to support the process and the continuous improvement cycle? These tools and frameworks might include the following: School Improvement Plan; School Self-Review; 44 Tools to observe learning; and, Feedback forms (focusing on the specific development area). 4. Teachers practice tool and how to use it at your school context, discuss in group on the following points (please refer to Appendix 1 Education development Trust teachers practice tool) (5 minutes) How do you plan to use the Teacher Practice Tool in school? How will you introduce the Teacher Practice Tool to the teaching team? When will you introduce the Teacher Practice Tool?What CPD will you provide so they understand each of the sections?How will you keep and build trust? 5. Giving Feedback to the Teacher Following an Observation. Discuss in group on the following points. (5 minutes) What do you want to achieve from your conversation with the teacher? What do you want to avoid? 6. Consider the following note to get more understanding while you give feedback to teachers (10 minutes). Practical thoughts on Feedback in School As a school leader, your role is very significant to teacher’s development. They will remember how they felt when you discussed their practice, and it will have a significant impact on their professional view of themselves. Bear in mind the following key points: Every teacher who has been observed needs and deserves feedback. Make sure the feedback meeting is held within 24 hours of the observation. Plan in time to give feedback so that it is not rushed and is given in confidence. Plan what you will say, the questions you want to ask, and what you want to check. Begin with thanks and recognition. Plan your key messages – what you want to recognize and praise. Identify ONE aspect you would like them to work on. Ask what support they would find helpful. Respect confidentiality and privacy – do not discuss one teacher’s performance with another. 45 Key Ideas (7 minutes) The ultimate goal of any education reform should be to improve the outcomes of students. A key element of this is ensuring high-quality teaching and learning. In order to measure the impact of our programs, we, therefore, need to evaluate their impact on the quality of teaching. It is not sufficient to evaluate the impact of the number of teachers reached or surface changes in teaching practice, however. Whilst this breadth (spread) of impact certainly needs to be evaluated, three other dimensions need to be considered: depth, sustainability, and ownership. Coburn (2003) suggests that three elements relate to the depth of reform: Teachers’ beliefs, in particular their beliefs about the subject they teach, howstudents learn and how they should teach. Norms of interaction: teachers’ and students’ roles in the classroom, and thepatterns of teacher and student talk. Enactment of pedagogical principles. The Teaching Practice Tool aims to help us to evaluate the impact in relation to norms of interaction (teaching dialogically) and teachers’ enactment of pedagogicalprinciples. The tool has been designed to support: ▪ benchmarking of teaching practice and evaluation of impact; ▪ program design and the identification of appropriate teacher professionaldevelopment activities; ▪ on-going monitoring and review of teaching practice, informing adaptiveprogram management; ▪ the identification of ‘bright spots’ and effective teaching practices; ▪ teachers and those working with teachers to develop teaching practices; ▪ a growing database of evidence relating to teaching practice. Simon & Tzur (1999). Argue that teachers’ practice can only be understood by considering the relationships between teachers’ beliefs and their behaviors’. This tool,when used alongside our Teacher Mind-set Tool, will support a comparative analysisof teachers’ espoused beliefs and their practice, and thereby allow for a morecomprehensive analysis of teaching quality. 46 Implications (3 minutes) The level of mind set determine to what extent school leaders feel confident that they can do and change reality in school. So, how do you see your mind set from this perspectives? How you usually decide if you can or you cannot manage/make a difference on what happen in the school? Take Away Resources Christopher C. (2016). The Impact of Leadership on Student Outcomes: How Successful School Leaders Use Transformational and Instructional Strategies to Make a Difference, Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 52, Issue 2. Coburn, C. E. (2003)Mov. ing beyond numbers to deep and lasting change. Educational Researcher, 32 (6), 3– 12 Simon, M. A. & Tzur, R. (1999). Explicating the teachers’ perspective from the researchers’ perspective: generating accounts of mathematics teachers’ practice. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30, 252–264 Session 2.6. Leading with Evidence: Monitoring, Evaluation and Resource Mobilization for Instructional Leadership (1 hour) Introduction (15 minutes) Each Monitoring, Evaluation Plan should contain specific activities with corresponding output and result indicators. Both have baselines and targets, data sources, disaggregation, and frequency of data collection. Performance Indicators: there are two types of performance indicators. Result Indicator (measures the extent to which a project objective is being achieved. Results indicators often measure change, and Output Indicator (measures the products of planed activities, but it doesn’t measure changes). Both are used to observe progress being made towards anticipated results. Performance indicators should be linked to the planned activities and objectives. Measures should be in quantifiable terms and clearly defined. Qualitative indicators are acceptable if they provide a reliable means to measure a particular phenomenon or attribute. Baseline measure for an indicator is collected before or at the start of a project and provides a basis for planning and/or assessing subsequent progress and impact. 47 Targets are reasonable estimates of the outputs or results to be achieved by the plan over its period of performance. Data Source is the collection tool by which the project will obtain result indicator or output indicator information throughout the program. Data collection tools should be easy. Data Disaggregation separates data into its component parts to look at how specific subgroups perform. It is important to consider only the information that you need to know as there are infinite ways to disaggregate information collected from program like in sex. Frequency of Data Collection establishes schedule of when data will be collected (e.g., monthly, quarterly, and bi-annually) and validates its feasibility for program design. Objectives Participants will understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in improving instructional practices. Participants will be equipped with basic M&E tools and strategies relevant to the Ethiopian school context. Participants will learn effective resource mobilization techniques to support school improvement initiatives. Participants will be able to connect M&E and resource mobilization to their role as instructional leaders. Activities: 1. Discusses in a pair a time when data helped you make a positive change in your school. Pairs share their stories with the larger group. (10 minutes) 2. Briefly define monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and its role in school improvement. Discuss the importance of M&E for instructional leadership - using data to inform decisions about curriculum, teaching practices, and resource allocation (10 minutes) 3. Discuss in a group on the given case study (Annex 2) and share your ideas and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. ( 8 minutes) Discussion Points: How did Ms. Alemitu effectively utilize data from monitoring and evaluation? 48 What challenges did Ms. Alemitu face in mobilizing resources? How can school leaders in similar situations adapt Ms. Alemitu's approach to their contexts? 4. Explain the difference between monitoring and evaluation (2 minutes). Comparison between M&E Undertaken by Schools leaders, teachers External evaluators from WEO, MOE etc. Supervisors, Community (beneficiaries), WEO Other Community (beneficiaries) School Stakeholders leaders and Supervisors Adapted from UNICEF, A UNICEF Guide for Monitoring and Evaluation: Makinga Difference 5. Introduce basic evaluation tools (e.g., pre- and post-tests) relevant your context See a sample monitoring plan template and discuss each step (5 minutes) Item Monitoring Evaluation Frequency Regular, on-going Periodic/intermittent Main action Keeping track/oversight Assessment Basic purpose Improving efficiency Adjusting work plan Improve effectiveness, impact, and future programming Focus Inputs, process outcomes, Effectiveness, relevance, outputs, work plans efficiency, impact, sustainability Information sources Routine systems, field visits, Same plus Surveys (pre-post stakeholder meetings, output planning) reports, rapid assessments 1st Column – insert your pre-determined time-bound objective. 2nd Column – insert your pre-determined Intervention and the associated 49 Result Chain Factor 3rd Column – list 2 or more of the indicators you selected for the specific intervention-results chain factor set. Try to include an outcome indicator as wellas process indicators. 4th Column - insert a performance target for each indicator – e.g., quantitativeestimate of the expected result by EOP 5th Column – insert the Means (HOW) you will gather the information 6th Column – insert the Frequency of data collection (WHEN) 7th Column – Insert the name of the party/agency/person who will be primarilyresponsible for collecting/ reporting the information Objective Intervention/ Indicator Target(Projected Means of Frequency Responsible Result on SIP of Collection Party Results the school) Chain Factor 5. Resource Mobilization: Building Your School's Capacity (3 minutes) Discuss the importance of resource mobilization for supporting school improvement initiatives identified through M&E. The school leader practices pitching an idea for a school improvement initiative and requesting support. 50 Key Ideas (5 minutes) M and E provides data to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning. Effective instructional leadership uses data to make informed decisions about school improvement. Resource mobilization allows schools to acquire the necessary tools and materials to implement changes. Building strong partnerships with parents, communities, and local stakeholders is crucial for successful resource mobilization. Implications (4 minutes) By integrating M&E and resource mobilization skills into their leadership practice, school leaders can become powerful agents of change, creating more effective learning environments for all students in their respective schools. Case Study: Leading with Data - Abay High School in Addis Ababa Context: Abay High School is a large public school located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The school faced challenges with low student achievement. Challenges: Low student achievement in science, especially in rural feeder areas. Limited access to technology and science resources. Difficulty engaging students in traditional, lecture-based science lessons. Ms. Alemitu's Approach: 1. Monitoring and Evaluation: Ms. Alemitu initiated regular classroom observations to assess teaching methods and student engagement in science classes. Pre- and post-tests were implemented to track student progress in key science concepts. She analyzed student data disaggregated by location (urban vs. rural) to identify specific needs. 51 2. Findings and Decisions: Data revealed lower science scores in rural feeder areas, suggesting a need for more targeted support. Observations identified a reliance on rote memorization in some science classes, lacking hands-on learning opportunities. 3. Instructional Leadership: Ms. Alemitu used data to guide professional development sessions for science teachers. She encouraged teachers to incorporate more interactive activities and
