OER4Schools/LfL/Introduction
Leadership for Learning - Introduction
Leadership for Learning (LfL) is a programme of school leadership/headship developed at the University of Cambridge over a period of 10 years, originating from the international Carpe Vitam Leadership for Learning project.
Leadership for Learning is a way of thinking, doing, communicating, working, and reflecting about educational leadership in schools for the singular purpose of promoting the activity of learning.
Five principles of Leadership for Learning are as follows:
- Focus on learning
- Conditions for learning
- Learning Dialogue
- Shared Leadership
- Shared Accountability
In this unit you will explore the five LfL principles in practice with a view to contributing your own ideas about Leadership for Learning through interactive learning opportunities.
This unit adopts the principles of LfL within its curriculum and pedagogy: creating the conditions for learning at a pace, time, and level of interaction of your own choosing.
You will have opportunities for discussing/sharing ideas about your learning and the learning experience.
LfL is not something that can be implemented or done-to a school or imposed on a person. LfL provides a framework that creates an opportunity for change; for expanding leadership capacity in schools and improving the quality of learning.
LfL is operates in an ‘assessment-free’ setting where both the unit itself and you, the learner, will share the successes.
This unit is presented in 7 sections or sessions. You can work through each at your own pace.
What is LfL?
Introduction to LfL: It's all around
Leadership for learning is happening all around you.
If you know what to look for you will see elements of LfL in schools and classrooms in your own community, and even in the university where you might be doing this unit!
The first question you might have could very well be something like, “If Leadership for Learning is all around me already, why am I doing this unit?” Well…the short answer is that even though the LfL principles are common attributes of many classrooms and whole schools, they are not present, coordinated or sustained at levels that support consistently positive learning effects.
The aims of this session are to:
- Explore a metaphor for describing how we can start to ‘see’ Leadership for Learning in classrooms and schools
- Identify and explore the 5 LfL principles
- Watch a teacher in action, and identify if some or all of the 5 LfL principles can be seen/are present.
Practical: Seeing is believing
Practical
Let’s start by consider a few ideas about LfL, its 5 principles, and how we might observe and identify these in classrooms and schools.
We like to think about ‘seeing’ the LfL principles by using what we have come to call an ‘LfL Lens’ or set of ‘LfL Lenses’. What do we mean by lens? Figure 5A depicts a familiar image of spectacles or glasses that we can use to depict or stand in as a metaphor for what we mean by an LfL Lens.
Stimulus (11 min). What do you think we mean by an LfL lens as illustrated in Figure 5A.
Pedagogy: Whole group brainstorm – Think, Pair, Share
THINK: Suggest each person works independently for 1 minute and identifies/thinks of 1 -3 responses/contributions. Participants make a mental note of each (or preferably, written down to support recall and reference).
PAIR: In pairs, participants discuss and compare ideas.
SHARE: The whole group comes together, with each pair contributing one or two ideas from their discussion.
Sample responses: “It helps you see things differently”, “An LfL lens makes you focus on LfL”, “It’s a way of describing how we look at the world differently depending on our attention or interests.”
Practical
Let’s take our metaphor of the LfL lens a step further, and suggest that there are 5 different LfL lenses (spectacles) needed in order to ‘see’ all 5 LfL principles:
- Focus on learning
- Conditions for learning
- Learning Dialogue
- Shared Leadership
- Shared Accountability
Consider Figure 5B.
- What are the kinds of things you might see in a classroom if you were looking through the LfL lens ‘Focus on Learning’?
- What are the kinds of things you might see in a classroom if you were looking through the LfL lens ‘Conditions for Learning’?
- What are the kinds of things you might see in a classroom if you were looking through the LfL lens ‘Learning Dialogue’?
- What are the kinds of things you might see in a classroom if you were looking through the LfL lens ‘Shared Leadership?
- What are the kinds of things you might see in a classroom if you were looking through the LfL lens ‘Shared Accountability’?
Pedagogy: Jigsaw (small group work – coming together to share ‘expert’ knowledge as a whole group)
Extending the lens metaphor from the previous exercise, create an opportunity for groups to choose 1 LfL principle to discuss ‘what are the kinds of things you might see…”. Bring the groups together and share outcomes of each discussion, respectively. Identify natural overlaps and links across the 5 LfL principles and re-direct new questions back to the group for elaboration. This is a purely exploratory exercise, with no incorrect answers.
Practical
Thinking ahead, you are probably already wondering why we don’t simply put all the LfL lenses together, in one! This way we could see all the 5 LfL principles at once in classrooms and schools.
Consider Figure 5C
- What do you think might be the benefits of combining all LfL lenses into one?
- What do you think could be the drawbacks of looking at classrooms and schools with a single, combined lens?
Pedagogy: Debate preceded by Think, Pair, Share.
Firstly, divide group equally and request a representative from one of the two groups who decides whether they would prefer to explore and discuss either the ‘benefits’ or the ‘drawbacks’ as introduced for this practical.
Each group now undertakes the think, pair, share process.
THINK: Suggest each person works independently for 1 minute and identifies/thinks of 1 -3 responses/contributions. Participants make a mental note of each (or preferably, written down to support recall and reference).
PAIR: In pairs, participants discuss and compare ideas.
SHARE: Each half of the group comes together (the ‘benefits’ group and the ‘drawbacks’ group), with each pair contributing one or two ideas from their discussion with their respective group.
DEBATE: Gain the attention of the two groups by requesting that each identify the top 3 benefits or drawbacks, respectively, that they will share with the whole group in an effort to make a case for their side/position. Give the groups adequate time to agree their top 3 items. Moderate a turn-by-turn-debate about the benefits and drawbacks of observing/reviewing classrooms and schools through a single, combined lens.
Sample responses: Participants will begin to understand that there are benefits of focussing on one thing (one LfL principle) at a time: ‘You can identify how often or effective a person is at attending to each of the 5 LfL principles”. Participants will also begin to recognize that people, classrooms, and schools are complex, and that the LfL principles don’t naturally occur in isolation of the others. A global view is also an essential component of observing the effects and effectiveness of pedagogical tools/procedures in action.
Practical
Let’s try putting this idea of looking at classroom teaching and learning through an LfL lens into practice.
We are going to watch a short teaching/classroom video.
Before we do, choose only 1 LfL lens that you will use as your ‘critical lens’ to ‘see’ the practices in this classroom. By choosing your 1 LfL lens, you should only ‘see’ and note down those things that your lens helps you to focus on.
For example, if you choose, ‘Conditions for Learning’, then try looking only for those things that you believe contribute to promoting conditions for learning in the video.
OK, watch the video now, with your chosen LfL spectacles on!
Watch the video.
VIDEO
Is a bat a bird?
Is a bat a bird?
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Pedagogy: Observe and Reflect (Small Group)
Invite participants to work in pairs or small groups. Each group agrees which LfL lens they will adopt as their critical lens for watching the video. Suggest each pair/group draw a round circle representing their chosen LfL lens viewing the lesson – writing this in the middle of the circle/lens. Suggest each pair/group write down/brainstorm ideas on, in, and around this circle as they watch. Emphasize that there are no wrong answers, and groups should try their best to focus their attention using their chosen LfL lens.
Sample responses: Participants will produce a circle/chart that has notes and ideas related to the LfL principle.
Extension: If the note taking/circle chart is made on a paper and can be collected, these can be used to demonstrate overlap across the LfL principles using a Venn diagram schematic that the instructor/course leader can prepare. This concept could also be explored directly with the group by way of the instructor drawing the 5 overlapping circles (LfL principles) as a visual on a blackboard/whiteboard – indicating unique and shared observations across all 5 LfL principles.
Reflecting and Sharing your Learning
Congratulations. You have successfully completed the first LfL session.
You now understand that LfL is all about learning. But also it is about seeing the component parts that contribute to creating learning opportunities in schools and classrooms.
By seeing things differently, through the 5 LfL lenses (or all at once with a combined lens when you are ready to give it try) we are better able to understand what it is we do as practitioners in support of the activity of learning.
It is only through insights and knowledge of the contributing factors to learning that we are able to reflect upon and share our experiences and understandings with our colleagues.
Practice using the LfL lenses when you are in your own schools, or even when you are watching others in the act of teaching and learning.
