Setting the Stage - Alma Harris
Overview:
Dr. Harris from the University of London
In this presentation, Dr. Alma Harris discusses the importance of creating a new form of leadership practice. She emphasizes the need for distributed leadership and the conditions that are essential for distributed leadership to occur. Harris believes that one must always ask the question, “What difference does it make to student learning and how do we know?”
The basic argument presented is that leadership for learning is widely distributed and involves teachers as leaders. Alma Harris shares the latest research evidence demonstrating the power of distributed leadership, looking at how schools build capacity for leadership and learning.
Segments:
- Introduction
- What Makes the Difference to Student Learning?
- What Influences Teachers’ Ability to Learn?
- Teacher Working and Student Learning Conditions
- Leadership
- Abandonment, High Trust and Accountability
- How Do Teachers Maximize Their Own Working Conditions?
- What Does Distributed Leadership Look Like?
- What Kind of Leaders Do We Need?
- Essential Conditions for Teacher Leadership
- What Would a System of Distributed Leadership Look Like?
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Part 1 - Introduction
Harris introduces the topic of leadership and the importance of the relationship between leadership and learning in securing high performance and high achievement. Through her experience, she feels “Leadership research is relatively easy to do; writing about leadership is relatively easy to do; but undertaking leadership is really rather hard. It is relentless, challenging and is the best job there is.”
Think about:
- “Leadership research is relatively easy to do; writing about leadership is relatively easy to do; but undertaking leadership is really rather hard. It is relentless, challenging and is the best job there is.” Do you feel as Harris does? Why or why not?
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Part 2 - What Makes the Difference to Student Learning?
Harris begins this segment by stating and briefly describing the three things that influence student learning.
Think about:
- What are the three factors that influence student learning?
- What steps have you taken to ensure that you are continuing to develop professionally?
- What plans do you have for future professional development?
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Part 3 - What Influences Teachers’ Ability to Learn?
In this segment, Harris explains the three factors that impact teachers’ ability to learn.
Think about:
- Harris states the three factors that influence teachers’ ability to learn:
Do you agree with the three factors that Dr. Harris lists? - How have these factors impacted your ability to learn? Are there any other factors not mentioned that have affected your ability to learn?
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Part 4 - Teacher Working and Student Learning Conditions
Harris begins this segment by touching on Dr. Ken Leithwood’s work. She then goes on to mention her first big message, “Leadership influences learning.” Harris believes that we know how to improve schools, but the biggest challenge is how to sustain improvement over time. She feels that if you are involved in any activity in the school, you must ask the question, “What difference does this make to student learning and how do we know?” Harris mentions how the world has changed so much, especially given technological advances, and questions whether we can still rely on the same organizational structures and forms of leadership.
Think about:
- Harris states that we know more about how to improve schools but know less about how to sustain improvement over time. What are you doing or planning to do in the future to expand your understanding of how to sustain improvement over time?
- Respond to Harris’ question: “What type of school leadership maximizes and enhances student learning?”
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Part 5 - Leadership
Harris begins this segment by discussing the nature of leadership for the future. She then talks about the importance of shared or distributed leadership and the need for leadership to create new knowledge about instruction.
Think about:
- Harris mentions the importance of shared or distributed leadership in schools. Is leadership shared or distributed in your school or board?
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Part 6 - Abandonment, High Trust and Accountability
In this segment, Harris describes the importance of the concept of abandonment in order for teachers to be freed up to do what they need to do. She also explains the concepts of high trust and accountability.
Think about:
- What needs to be abandoned or radically changed in your school culture in order to transform leadership?
- What does high trust mean to you? What does it look like/sound like?
- Why are high-trust environments necessary for distributed leadership?
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Part 7 - How Do Teachers Maximize Their Own Working Conditions?
Harris begins the segment by stating that teachers need to be proactive rather than reactive in their own professional development. In her opinion, the professional development that makes the greatest difference to teachers’ working conditions is teachers working together. She encourages teachers to resist other forms of professional development that do not result in teacher collaboration. She also believes that teachers need to have a voice in decision making. Harris believes that from a structural standpoint, schools have to offer a space where teachers can meet and work together.
Think about:
- Harris asks if she were to take you into any school in England, what one question would you ask of a teacher or a pupil in that school that would give you an immediate purchase on the culture of that organization?
- Respond to the following question that Harris asks teachers and pupils: “How involved do you feel in your organization?”
- What would you need in order to feel more involved in your organization?
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Part 8 - What Does Distributed Leadership Look Like?
Harris outlines her hypothesis, “As leadership is distributed more to teachers, so students achieve more.”
Think about:
- How can Harris’ hypothesis and evidence be used to challenge current organizational structures and cultures?
- How far is leadership distributed in your organization?
- How could leadership be a more collective, shared, and distributed activity?
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Part 9 - What Kind of Leaders Do We Need?
Harris talks about the importance of aptitude, not density, in our leaders. She goes on to describe the characteristics needed in today’s leaders. She again emphasizes the point that everything should come back to the question of “What difference is this making to student learning and how do we know?”
Think about:
- Of the characteristics of leaders that Harris mentions, which one do you think you need to improve the most?
- Are there any other characteristics not mentioned that you think would be important in today’s leaders?
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Part 10 - Essential Conditions for Teacher Leadership
Harris believes that there are two fundamentals in teacher leadership: the agency both to influence change and to involve teachers in decision making. She then goes on to describe the essential conditions for teacher leadership.
Think about:
- Do you agree with Harris’ essential conditions for teacher leadership?
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Part 11 - What Would A System of Distributed Leadership Look Like?
In this segment, Harris states that the pattern of distribution of leadership in the school matters. She explains that there is no model for distributed leadership because it is dependent on the organizational context and its conditions. She concludes by stating that she believes that we do need a new form of leadership practice.
Think about:
- Think about the culture of your school and respond to Harris’ question, “Are we really committed to forms of leadership practice in our schools that improve teaching and learning?”
- Again, relate the following question to the context of your school: “Are we really developing leaders at all levels of the organization, not just preparing those for the formal leadership structures and practices?”
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