The Function of Development Leaders in the Implementation and Sustenance of the Beginning Literacy Model in Iceland

Author(s):

Sigríður Margrét Sigurðardóttir(presenting / submitting)María Steingrímsdóttir Eygló Björndsóttir

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 07 B, Approaches to Middle Leadership in Northern European Countries

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-24

17:15-18:45

Room:

OB-E2.18

Chair:

Conny Björkman

Contribution

The findings presented in this paper come from a larger study on Beginning Literacy (BL) which is a development project aimed at literacy education in the first two years compulsory schools in Iceland. The purpose of the study is twofold; 1) to investigate the teaching and learning that takes place within the BL curriculum; 2) to study the professional development program designed to implement BL. This paper focuses on the latter, looking at the function of development leaders in the implementation and sustenance of the BL project.

Nations all over the world deal with the task of improving literacy education in their schools. In light of the international importance of literacy education it is important to research ways to develop it in schools.

In Iceland, primary schools have been able to implement BL in collaboration with the Centre for School Development at the University of Akureyri (CSDUA) (Eggertsdóttir, 2013). The BL project differs from the traditional literacy approach used in Iceland (the Phonics approach), which requires that teachers change their teaching styles and methods on a scale that has been claimed corresponds (Eggertsdóttir, 2013) to what Fullan (2007) and Hargreaves (2003) refer to as transformation of cultures.

The professional development program is based on the five-step school improvement program of Joyce and Showers (2002), on Gusky’s (2000) notion on staff development programs, and on the research of its author, Eggertsdóttir (2013). The focus of the professional development program is on support to the teachers in their adaptation of the BL project during those two years, through courses, workshops, support material and mentoring (see f.ex. Bartell, 2005; Feiman-Nemser, 2001). Simultaneously it focuses on building capacity within the school to be able to maintain the project when the CSDUA consultants withdraw their support (Eggertsdóttir, 2013; see also Guskey, 2000, 2014; Joyce & Showers, 2002), for example by training a development leader.

A consultant from the CSDUA works with each participating school. The school selects a development leader from the school, who takes on a key role in the implementation and in the sustenance of it, both as a mentor for the teachers and a leader of the model at the school. During the implementation period the development leader attends courses on the BL model and seeks guidance and feedback from the consultant through network meetings and the consultant´s visits to the school (Eggertsdóttir, 2013).

The BL project has been implemented in around half of all primary schools in Iceland. As being a new professional development program it is both interesting and important to research its function in the schools. In earlier findings from this research teachers have claimed to be content with the support they get from the program. Yet, the finding showed that it differed between development leaders how well they manage to support teachers and get hold on their role (Björnsdóttir, Steingrímsdóttir and Sigurðardóttir, 2013). Given the significance of the development leader in the implementation and sustenance of the BL model it is important to look further into his/her function. Therefore the following research questions are posed:

What is the function of the development leaders in the implementation and sustenance of the Beginning Literacy project? What conditions have been created within the schools to facilitate the development leaders’ work and how has this affected the development leaders’ work? What kind of development leaders’ actions seem to be most effective for the implementation and sustenance of a project like the BL procect?

Method

In this research case studies were conducted in six BL schools in 2012–2014. The data used in this paper are drawn from following interviews which where part of the data collection: In each school an individual interview was conducted with the development leader. Where there were more than one leader in one school an individual interview was taken with each them and that was the case in three of the six schools. An interview was also taken with the principal of each school. Additionally a focus group interview was taken with 4¬–7 BL teachers in each school. Furthermore the CSDUA consultant of each school was interviewed. The interview where 50–70 minutes each although the interviews with the consultants where around 40 minutes long. The interviews where all semi-structured and addressed professional and developmental issues where the aim was to gather information on the implementation of the BL model and the actions taken to sustain it. The interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim and all participants and schools given pseudo names. Then the interviews were coded and drawn into emerging themes with especial notion on the development leaders’ part in the process.

Expected Outcomes

The findings indicate that what shapes the functions of the leaders and how they manage to lead the progress of the project are 1) experience, knowledge, skills and interest of the development leaders on literacy education and the BL model, 2) inner support net of the school and how the decision on implementing the project where taken. The findings further indicate that the development leaders are sometimes assigned leadership roles and responsibilities without the necessary resources to fulfill it. For example time to observe teachers who are learning the method and to give feedback. This seems though to be more the case after the first two years of implementation time has passed and the consultants have withdrawn their support. The finding also indicate that how the development leader’s sense and act on their leadership role is sometimes vague and some of those who are teachers themselves find it difficult to act as leaders towards fellow teachers. The findings give deep and valuable insight into the function of a development leader. It provides insight into what elements and actions are important so that a development leader can function as they are meant to and sheds light to the complicated and delicate nuances of their work. It should therefore be useful, not only to those who are implementing BL, but others that lead and plan improvement work in schools both in and outside of Iceland.

References

Bartell, C. A. (2005). Cultivating high-quality teaching through induction and mentoring. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Björnsdóttir, E., Steingrímsdóttir, S. and Sigurðardóttir, S.M. (2013). Implementation of the Beginning Literacy Program: Attitudes and experiences of teachers. Netla – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education. University of Iceland – School of Education. Accessible at: http://netla.hi.is/greinar/2013/ryn/011.pdf Eggertsdóttir, R. (2013). Starfsþróun og varanlegar breytingar á skólastarfi: Byrjendalæsi í ljósi fræða um starfsþróun [Professional development and sustained change in schools: Beginning Lieracy in light of the professional development literature]. In R. Sigþórsson, R. Eggertsdóttir and Frímannsson (Eds.). Fagmennska í skólastarfi: Skrifað til heiðurs Trausta Þorsteinssyni [Professionalism in schools: Written in honour of Trausti Þorsteinsson]. Reykjavík: University of Iceland Press & the University of Akureyri. Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). Helping novices learn to teach: Lessons from exemplary support teacher. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(1), 17–30. Fullan, M. (2007). The New Meaning of Educational Change. 4th ed. New York, NY: Teachers College. Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Guskey, T. R. (2014). Planning professional learning. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 10–16. Hargreaves, D .H. (2003). From improvement to transformation (Keynote lecture). In: ICSEI, International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement? Schooling the knowledge society?, Sydney. Available at: http://www.icsei.net/index.php?id¼622 (accessed 25 February 2014). Joyce, B. and Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Author Information

Sigríður Margrét Sigurðardóttir (presenting / submitting)

University of Akureyri

Akureyri

María Steingrímsdóttir

University of Akureyri, Iceland

Eygló Björndsóttir