Professional learning networks (PLN) of teachers and others (such as university researchers) collaborating outside of their everyday community of practice are considered to be an effective way to foster school improvement. At the same time, to generate change, PLNs require effective support from school leaders. Such support should be directed at ensuring those participating in PLNs can engage in network learning activities; also that this activity can be meaningfully mobilised within participant's schools. What is less well understood however are the actions school leaders might engage in to provide this support. To address this knowledge gap, this book presents a case study of how senior leaders attempted to maximise the effectiveness of participating in PLNs for one learning network: the New Forest Research Learning Network (RLN) - a specific type of PLN designed to facilitate research-informed change at scale. In-depth semi-structured interviews with RLN participants, as well as impact data and policy documents, have been used to ascertain the types of leadership practices employed and their nature (i.e. whether geared towards prioritising, formalising or mobilising the work of the PLN). Also presented is an assessment of the perceived effectiveness of these practices and suggestions for the type of leadership activity that appear to maximise the effectiveness of schools engaging in professional learning networks more generally.

lgli/Formalise, Prioritise and Mobilise_nodrm.pdf

lgrsnf/Formalise, Prioritise and Mobilise_nodrm.pdf

zlib/Education Studies & Teaching/School Education & Teaching/Chris Brown, Jane Flood/Formalise, Prioritise and Mobilise: How School Leaders Secure the Benefits of Professional Learning Networks_17576183.pdf

Emerald Group PUBL

Emerald professional learning network series, Place of publication not identified, 2019

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

producers:
Adobe PDF Library 9.9

Contents 10
List of Figures 12
List of Tables 14
About the authors 16
1. The Emergence of Professional Learning Networks 18
What are Professional Learning Networks? 19
The Role of Leadership in Supporting Plns 22
Research Learning Networks 24
Mobilising RLN Activity 28
Our Research Questions 29
A Note of Terminology 31
Notes 31
2. Researching the New Forest RLN 32
Findings from the First Set of Interviews 38
Maintaining a Focus on PLN Activity
Once Back in School 38
Providing Resource to Support
Engagement 41
Brokerage to the Whole School 43
Notes 46
3. What Actually Happened Across RLN Schools? 48
Using Theories of Action to Both Develop Interventions and Ascertain Their Impact 49
The Coding Structure from the Second
Set of Interviews 51
Formalising RLN Activity as a Priority 53
Keeping Participating Staff on Track 57
Time 60
Informing Non-RLN Staff 61
Providing ‘How to’ Support 64
Whole Staff Engagement 65
Who Brokers? 67
4. Exploring the Actions of Individual Schools 70
School ‘A’ 71
School ‘D’ 84
School ‘G’ 86
School ‘N’ 87
School ‘Q’ 89
School ‘X’ 91
5. Discussion 94
Formalising, Prioritising and Mobilising 98
Literature on Knowledge Brokering to Support ‘How To’/Bespoke Support Approaches to Mobilisation 107
Literature on Plcs to Support Whole School Approaches to Knowledge Mobilisation 108
Implications of the Study 112
Limitations of the Study 114
Note 115
References 116
Index 128

Professional learning networks (PLN) are considered to be an effective way to foster school improvement. In order to generate change PLNs require effective support from school leaders, but these leaders might best support PLNs is currently little understood. To address this, this book presents a case study of the leadership of one PLN in England.

2021-10-18