Eagle, Sue

French, Janet

Malcolm, Peter

English

Digital Education Resource Archive

ThinkingHeadteachers,Thinking SchoolsHow three headteachers are leadingtheir schools towards becomingcommunities of enquirySue Eagle, Headteacher, Tuckswood Community First School,NorwichJanet French, Headteacher, Heathfield Junior School,TwickenhamPeter Malcolm, Headteacher, Rayleigh Primary School, EssexS P R I N G  2 0 0 5S U M M A R Y  P R A C T I T I O N E R  E N Q U I R Y  R E P O R Twww.ncsl.org.ukThe first stepsWhen this research was started in the winter of 2002, ‘thinking skills’ was a phrase that held promise of a focus onhow children learn, as opposed to a focus upon the deliveryof centrally-prescribed lessons. A spark had been kindled intoa flame in our minds and we followed the collection of ideasthat clustered around the phrase. We sought to bring thesethinking skills to our schools, staff and pupils. Yet for thinkingskills to advance from a jumble of techniques to a clear wayof helping children learn, there needed to be a greaterunderstanding, and a vision for our schools in which thenotion could thrive. Part of this understanding was thatthinking skills on their own were not enough. The focusneeded to be on more than skills; it had to be on developingeffective learning – a far wider concept. Thus, the notion ofa ‘thinking school’ was born. This project is a search to putflesh on the bones of this term. The methodWe carried out interviews in our schools, which we recorded on digital video. This gave us speedy recall and access to bodylanguage as well as verbal content. Interviews were undertakenin each school with the following:headteachergovernor class teacher learning support assistantparent a group of childrenIn this way we explored how far the vision and the headteacher’sview of the school was shared, to assess the impact of the headon their school and to look at specific leadership issues. We eachexamined the data from the interviews for commonalities andemerging patterns. We looked particularly for indicators thatshowed a specific focus for each school on thinking and learningto learn. We increased the reliability of their findings by allowingothers to review our interpretations. In our case we groundedour interpretations by working independently then reviewingeach other’s work. We were fortunate to be able to use ProfessorRobert Fisher to review our ideas as we progressed, modifyour research through informed debate.Thinking schools – sustainingthe common mindWhen we were considering curriculum innovation in ourschools, we looked carefully at issues of sustainability. We found nine key themes related to sustainability emergingfrom the evidence of interviews, visits and debate with the three schools involved in this study.1. Whole-school effective thinking approaches have beenadopted that change habits and dispositions of thinkingand learning, rather than simply teaching thinkingstrategies and tools. All staff have an underlyingunderstanding of the pedagogy behind the approaches – they know why they are doing what they are doing. 2. Curriculum redesign has centred on the importance of developing children’s meta-cognitive awareness and on integrating new initiatives whilst maintaining thecoherence of the overall framework. Nothing has beenput forward as an ‘add-on’ to an existing curriculum. 3. Each school community values and demonstrates fullpupil involvement and accountability. Pupils are given an authentic voice in the school community. 4. There is a strong, central shared set of beliefs and values to work to in each school and all involved are fullycommitted to it. 5. All staff are, to varying extents, action researchers in theirapproach to learning and teaching – they are creative andcritical thinkers themselves. 6. Whole-school continuing professional development is a strong feature of each community and staff continue to develop and integrate appropriate strategies andapproaches into their work.7. There is evident trust between colleagues in each schoolcommunity.8. Staff are passionate about what they do – evidenced by the ‘fire in the eyes’ of staff members when they talk about what they do. 9. There is authentic community involvement in each of thethree schools. Those interviewed stressed the importance of including the local and wider community, and identifiedways in which this is practised. Those in the communityexpect the school to continue to work in an innovative way. Thinking schools – leadingyour communityWe propose that a key element in any definition of a thinking school is concerned with its ability to lead itscommunity. We conclude that community leadership can act as an appropriate initial stimulus to begin the journey to becoming a thinking school. The interviews with theheadteachers undertaking the study revealed three common themes. 1. Education is about personalised learning. One head spokeof their deeply held belief that many children deemedfailures within the education system were in fact goodlearners who could use academic skills to great effect intheir personal lives. Schools will be failing children if theyare unable to engage learners with the curriculum andteaching they value. 2. The importance of children’s self-image. In particular,they expressed the notion that education must beconcerned with building resilience within children toenable them to succeed in a rapidly changing world. This included ideas that children would need to learn,unlearn and relearn concepts, skills and knowledgethroughout their lives. Making mistakes should berecognised as external to the image of the self. Education should boost the self-image of learners and seek to minimise personal feelings of failure.3. The importance of teaching techniques that involved a great deal of negotiation and discussion with learners.The outcome of such negotiations should be that thecurriculum is no longer something for teachers to handdown to learners, but a communal task of effort wherethe teacher acts as model learner.Thinking schools – leadingthinking and learning The following summarises our findings in relation to leadingthinking and learning in schools:1. The need for fearlessness and moral purposeIn each of our project schools, it was found that the head was guided by values, beliefs and a strong moral purpose. All had entered teaching with a strong belief that they could make a difference and had become headteachers as part of this quest. In all three schools, staff described the headteacher’s lead in taking on new ideas and creating a climate where it was permissible to take risks. The teachers felt strongly that the headteacher’s lead had given them courage and had enabled them to develop their own skills and expertise. 2. Differing styles of leadershipIn the case study schools, quality of leadership was constant, but the styles of leadership varied according to the needs of the time and place. Leadership styles evolved as the expertise and responsibility for developing the ethos of the school became more widely spread. In each case, this spread varied as new members arrived and key figures left but, as the ethos was devolved throughout the organisation, there were more people to say ‘this is what we do around here’.3 The recognition of adults that they must model being an active learnerA common factor discovered in observation and interviewwas that all three headteachers believed themselves to be the lead learner and researcher, and felt the need for their staff to have access to high-quality professional development. All had arranged for teaching and other staff to attend a wide range of in-service training, both on a whole-school and an individual basis. Governors spoke of the importance of research and the lead the headteachers had given.  4. The recognition of pupils that they are active participants in their own learningAll three schools have long traditions of school and class councils. All pupils interviewed felt very strongly that theywere listened to by the adults in the school and that their views were often acted upon. Pupils from all three schoolsgave examples of changes that had come about because of school council proposals. Pupils were also involved in interviewing new staff and had input into the school improvement plan. Pupils could explain very clearly their meta-cognitive processes and strategies and preferences for learning; when they liked to learn alone and when in a group, for instance, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Children believed that school was preparing them well for their future lives by enabling them to become confident learners who were able to use their skills to discover new information. They were also aware of the wider range of skills they were developing. ConclusionsThe three elements in our model of a thinking school are: constructivist leadershipsustainability through community of enquiry as a way of lifelearning together through school and community enrichmentHaving begun the journey a while ago, we reflect back uponthe steps along the road. Our vision of a thinking school isproving to be achievable, part of the movement that seesschools moving from being respondents to centralised reform,to leaders of their learning community. If a community canlearn, it should be no surprise that a school can think. AcknowledgementsThank you for the patience shown by the staff of TuckswoodCommunity First School, Heathfield Junior School, RayleighPrimary School and Professor Robert Fisher, Brunel University.05S P R I N GTo order a copy of this publication please emailresearch@ncsl.org.uk quoting ref. RAS/EFM/05Research associatereports available inspring 2005: Far from the Madding Crowd? How can hard pressed headteachers find sanctuary to prepare for the future whilst coping with dailyoperational challenges? Trevor Lee, Headteacher, Northwood Preparatory SchoolLeading First-Age LearningHow 12 school leaders are applying the University of the First Age philosophy and methodology in Newcastle-upon-Tyne primary schoolsHelen Walker, School Improvement Adviser, Newcastle Local Education AuthorityLeading Islamic Schools in the UK: A challenge for us allThis report holds up a mirror to the world of Islamic faithschools so that the schools themselves, and those outsidethe Muslim community can see more clearly what ishappening in them. Ibrahim Lawson, Association of Muslim Schools in the UKSummary and full reports of these and previous research associate studies are available from the NCSLwebsite at www.ncsl.org.uk/researchpublications The research summarised here is part of NCSL’s ResearchAssociates Programme, which offers an opportunity forschool leaders to contribute towards the College’s research anddevelopment agenda. NCSL provides support for school leadersto undertake study, engage in enquiry and impact on practice. The programme includes: study visitsteam enquiriesindividual enquiriesresearchers in residenceuniversity project attachmentsWe welcome enquiries about the Research AssociatesProgramme. For details, please contact martin.coles@ncsl.org.ukFor an information pack and application form, please contactjo.denyer@ncsl.org.uk or telephone 0115 872 2040.£2, when charged forNational College for School LeadershipTriumph RoadNottingham NG8 1DHT: 0870 001 1155F: 0115 872 2001www.ncsl.org.uk Printed on environmentally friendly paperPB31

Thinking headteachers, thinking schools

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