My professional community

Interestingly, I have changed schools this year and have found the culture at my new school very different. I hadn’t necessarily had a negative response to the culture at my previous school, although reading Stoll’s (1998) description of the impact of ‘age’ on a school’s culture did resonate. My previous school could be described as ‘mature’ and its culture well-embedded – and a common complaint was that change was very slow to happen. I am now at a relatively new school (in its 6th year) where there has been a lot of work on clarifying and sharing identity. ‘Branding’ and values are clearly on display around the school, and these are on the table again this year for discussion to evaluate their relevance as we have become more established. As the school has gone through significant growth and personnel change since opening, ‘the way things are done’ is explicitly shared with newcomers, and change is ‘a given’.

What is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins my practice? How would I contribute to fostering a positive professional environment in my community of practice?

My school has purpose-built modern learning environments and all teachers teach in ‘power teams’ of 2 or 3. Within our power teams, collegiality is developed through shared planning and collaborative (team) teaching. This is a good example of Little’s (1990) fourth form of collegiality – joint work. Being new to collaborative teaching this year, I have personally found the experience to be enriching for my own practice. The shared sense of commitment and responsibility is quite empowering – as is the feedback received from colleagues. Moreover, I see it as mutually beneficial that we share our strengths, providing opportunities for colleagues to learn from each other. As a team leader, it has been important for me to be open about our goals and responsibilities this year, so that the team can have shared ownership and then hopefully partake in our success. To address specific needs, we have all been prepared to try something new in our teaching practice, and are supporting each other with these changes. We also make time to have fun in our team too, as we see our relationships as key to being an effective team.

What changes are occurring in the context of my profession? How would my community of practices address them?

The most significant changes happening in schools at the moment are around the changing environments – the imposition of ‘MLE’ – and the pedagogical changes needed for teaching ‘21st Century skills’ in ‘21st century’ environments. Having been at a school that was still ‘talking its way’ through the idea of MLE and MLP, I understand the huge shift in mindset that this change requires for some people. In my current school, ‘MLE’ was there ‘first’, so it has been staffed by teachers who were open to this way of teaching, and a drastic change in mindset wasn’t needed, although adapting pedagogy is an ongoing need. Due to significant roll growth (the school roll has grown from 170 at opening to 750+), change has been continuous. To address the constantly changing numbers (students and staff!), the school focusses heavily on professional development to ensure staff have access to relevant research and resources to support best practice. We are encouraged to ‘blog’ all our professional learning on a shared space with colleagues and also observe each other teaching. I have found most staff are open to new ideas and there is a general willingness to try new things when looking at problem solving. We continue to refine the practices that make an MLE work and reflect on our use of the space. When speaking to colleagues who have been at the school for a while, they confirm that the spaces have been used differently / flexibly each year due to the changing state of the school and the reflections of the staff on what is / isn’t working.

As a community, I value the positive mindsets and collegiality that exist at my school. When I consider the 10 cultural norms described by Stoll and Fink (1996), I can find examples of all of these within my community – both at a team level and a school level.

References

Little, J.W. (1990). The persistence of privacy: Autonomy and initiative in teachers’ professional relations, Teachers College Record, 91 (4), pp.509–36.

Stoll (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

Stoll, L., & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Buckingham: Open University Press