Fostering collaborative teacher learning: A typology of school leadership |
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| Authors: | Patrick van Schaik Monique Volman Wilfried Admiraal Wouter Schenke |
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| Institution: | 1. Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands;3. Kohnstamm Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Previous research indicates that supportive school leadership is a key condition of collaborative teacher learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a typology of how school leaders foster collaborative teacher learning. We adopted an integrative perspective on leadership by examining both learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices that are supportive of collaborative teacher learning. Data were gathered by means of interviews with ten school leaders and a questionnaire that was completed by 39 teachers from six secondary schools in the Netherlands. The aim of the interviews was to identify to what extent school leaders applied learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices. The questionnaire measured teachers' perceptions of the role of school leaders in teacher learning. As an outcome of this study, we constructed a typology that provides insights into how school leaders foster collaborative teacher learning. Four types of school leaders were distinguished: (a) integrators of teacher learning, (b) facilitators of teacher learning, (c) managers of teacher learning, and (d) managers of daily school practice. Our findings suggest that integration of learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices can help school leaders to support collaborative teacher learning. |
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