Schools as learning organizations: tips for the Model and its Assessment

Re-conceptualizing the Kools and Stoll Model on the basis of the research findings of the Learning Schools project

In order to bring about the changes in schools that will be needed to prepare our children for their future, we will have to think differently. While the concept of a school learning organisation may not be new, it’s time to give it a new lease of life: to draw on what previous studies and efforts can offer, but to connect this to a wider relevant knowledge base and the current context.

Deeper understanding is needed on how schools today can develop as learning organisations, and can be helped to do so. It is time to revisit arguments for reconceptualising schools as learning organisations (SLOs), a concept successfully practised in business and industry. SLOs have been seen as the ideal type of organisation for dealing with the changing external environment, for facilitating organisational change and innovation, and even improvements in students’ learning and other outcomes.

In this project, the effort to develop a measurement instrument for the school as a learning organization (LO) is based on the Kools and Stoll Model (What Makes a School a Learning Organisation?, 2016) that identified the following seven dimensions:

F I G U R E 1 - School as a learning organisation model. Source: Kools and Stoll (What Makes a School a Learning Organisation?, 2016), “What Makes a School a Learning Organisation?”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 137, OECD Publishing, Paris

The research and the best practices analysis carried out in the “Learning schools” project has better defined the practical “ways of doing” linked to the 7 main indicators and the proposed Model takes into account the findings and the ways through which the schools analyzed in the countries involved in the project are covering, through concrete actions, the seven dimensions.

In the research it also emerged that for the investigated schools, the structure of learning organization is generally seen as a multilevel concept and can be defined as ‘organic’ and as consisting of interrelations between four levels: individual, team, organisation and systemic levels ( the school within its community and external environment).

For this reason, we can link the seven distinct but interrelated dimensions to the four levels:

A. At individual level

1. Create continuous learning opportunities

2. Promote inquiry, dialogue and innovation

B. At team/group level

3. Encourage collaboration and team learning

C. At organization level

4. Establish systems to capture and share learning (embedded systems)

5. Empower people toward a collective and shared vision

6. Provide strategic leadership

D. At systemic level

7. Connect the school to its environment and community

In this perspective the SLO has to be seen holistically: the school as an organization in which people are aligned to a common vision, sense and interpret their changing environment, and generate new knowledge which they use, in turn, to create innovation in education. That means (see IO1): “develop shared goals; establish collaborative teaching and learning environments; encourage initiative and responsibility taking; implement a middle management system; regularly review all aspects related to and influencing the work of the school; recognise and reinforce good work; and, provide opportunities for continuing professional development” .

Furthermore, the role of the educating community (formal and informal educators that co-operate with the school) has to be taken into account. Adding the notion of community brings ‘heart’ into the concept of learning organisation. An ethic of interpersonal caring is central to the idea of school community (Giles and Hargreaves, 2006), permeating the life of teachers, students and school leaders. The community emphasizes mutually supportive relationships and develops shared norms and values.

So the building blocks for the SLO to be taken into consideration are the following:

A comprehensive concept of SLO has to take into account four perspectives:

Systems thinking perspective – the conceptual cornerstone of the LO is an open system which relates to and interacts with the environment. It’s able to scan, discover changes and respond in order to restore equilibrium (O’Connor and McDermott, 1997). An open system has an adaptive capacity enabling the creation of alternative futures. It does this by adopting the disciplines of learning as a team, sharing the same vision, internalising models, being focused at a personal level but thinking systemically. A systemic, thinking organisation can see the bigger picture by looking at the system’s interrelationships both internally and externally.

Learning perspective – this focuses on studying the learning processes of and within the organisation i.e. organisational learning and middle management. Learning is required at all levels of the organisation. Social interaction, context and shared cognitive schemes for learning and knowledge creation are significant. Pedler, Boydell, & Burgoyne describe the LO – as “an organization that facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself”.

Strategic perspective – this emphasises the strategy required to develop core learning competencies for the present and the future. As such, learning capacity has to be created through an understanding of the necessary strategic internal drivers. This perspective also foregrounds the search for new ideas through exploration and exploitation.

Integrative perspective - this pulls together other perspectives: common vision at individual and organizational level and integration of the school within the community in which it is located.

This perspective also explores the relationship with other variables such as student outcomes or staff well-being. In addition, recognising the potential of sharing good practices for promoting school improvements (OECD, 2013) can inspire and inform other schools in their change and innovation efforts. Each school would surely benefit from learning from other schools’ experiences in innovating teaching and learning.

The elements can be summarized as below:

Of course the different national contexts, the policy climate, locally, regionally and nationally, clearly matter. A school doesn’t transform into a learning organisation on its own. Teachers and school leaders need help. They need the right conditions and support to undergo this transformation. Time and other resources, including engagement in networked learning and collaboration across school boundaries, are essential. They require professional learning opportunities and materials. In some countries schools and their principals have considerable discretion over resources while in others, school boards, local or higher levels of government play a more prominent, and sometimes inhibitory, role.

Also, schools are not equal in terms of their resources and capacity to use these resources effectively. Government policies and support structures are needed that are sensitive to local and school differences if SLOs are to blossom and thrive.

Also, teachers and educators need to be open to the kinds of thinking and relationships SLOs demand, and we know this isn’t easy. Changing mindsets in an innovative and changing process is always very difficult. Changing the status quo and some “dysfunctional learning habits” , including mental models, doesn’t come without effort.

What the seven dimensions really mean for a SLO

Further understanding is needed on what the seven dimensions linked to the SLO really mean in terms of actions to be performed, changes to be implemented, innovation capacity enhanced and plans to be carried out.

More in detail:

Shared vision

Definition:

The whole school staff is involved in establishing, owning, and implementing a joint vision; responsibility is distributed so that staff are motivated to learn toward what they are held accountable to do.

Specification:

• A shared and inclusive vision aims to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of all learners.
• The school’s vision focuses on enhancing learners’ cognitive and social-emotional outcomes (including their well-being), encompasses both the present and the future, and is inspiring and motivating.
• Learning and teaching are oriented towards making the vision a reality.
• The school’s vision is the outcome of a process involving all staff, including governors and other stakeholders.
• Learners, parents/carers, the external community and other partners are invited to contribute to the school’s vision.

Creating and supporting continuous learning opportunities for all staff

Definition:

Learning is planned and opportunities are provided for ongoing professional growth.

Specification:

• All staff engage in continuous professional learning to ensure their practice is critically informed and up to date.

• New staff receive induction support.

• All staff have access to coaching and mentoring support.

• Professional learning is focused on the learner’s learning and the school’s goals.

• Staff are fully engaged in identifying the aims and priorities for their own professional learning.

• Professional learning challenges existing thinking as part of changing practice.

• Professional learning connects work-based learning and external expertise.

• Professional learning is based on assessment and feedback from a range of sources including the learner.

• Time and other resources are provided to support professional learning

• The school’s culture promotes and supports professional learning.

Promoting team learning and collaboration among all staff

Definition

Teachers and school staff are expected to learn together and work together; collaboration is valued by the culture and rewarded.

Specification
• Collaborative working and collective learning – face-to-face and/or using ICT – are focused and enhance learning experiences, learner outcomes and/or staff practice.
• Staff reflect together on how to make their own learning more significant.
• Staff learn how to work together as a team.
• Staff feel comfortable seeking advice from each other.
• Trust and mutual respect are core values.
• The school allocates time and other resources for collaborative working and collective learning.

Establishing a culture of enquiry, innovation and exploration

Definition

All the school members gain productive reasoning skills to express their views and the capacity to listen and inquire into the views of others; the culture is changed to support questioning, feedback, and experimentation.

Specification

• Staff are willing to take risks and experiment and innovate in their practice.
• The school supports and recognises staff for taking initiative and risks.
• Staff engage in forms of enquiry to investigate and extend their practice.
• Enquiry is used to establish and maintain a rhythm of learning, change and innovation.
• Staff are open to thinking and doing things differently.
• Problems and failures are seen as opportunities for learning.
• Learners are actively engaged in enquiry.

Embedding systems for collecting and exchanging knowledge for learning

Definition

Systems, also technology based, to share learning are created and integrated within the school; access is provided; systems are maintained

Specification

• Systems are in place to examine progress and gaps between current and expected impact.
• Structures for regular dialogue and knowledge exchange are in place.
• Examples of good and failed practices are made available to all staff to inform learning.
• Sources of research evidence are readily available and easily accessed and are used by staff to improve their practice.
• Staff have the capacity to analyse and use multiple sources of data for feedback, including ICT, to inform teaching and allocate resources.
• The school’s development plan is based on learning from continuous self-assessment and is updated at least once every year.
• Staff regularly discuss and evaluate whether actions had the desired impact and change course if necessary.
• The school evaluates the impact of professional learning.

Learning with and from the external environment and wider learning system

Definition

The school is an open system, welcoming approaches from potential external collaborators.

Specification

• The school scans its external environment to respond quickly to challenges and opportunities.
• Staff collaborate, learn and exchange knowledge with peers in other schools through networks and/or school-to-school collaborations.
• The school collaborates with parents/carers and the community as partners in the education process and the organisation of the school.
• The school forms partnerships with higher education institutions, businesses and/or public or non-governmental organisations in efforts to deepen and extend learning.
• Partnerships are based on equality of relationships and opportunities for mutual learning.
• ICT is widely used to facilitate communication, knowledge exchange and collaboration with the external environment.

Modelling and growing learning leadership

Definition

The leadership in the school uses learning strategically for gaining better results and innovation

Specification

• School leaders ensure that the organisation’s actions are consistent with its vision, goals and values.
• School leaders model learning leadership, distribute leadership and help grow other leaders, including learners.
• School leaders are proactive and creative change agents, with a strong focus on improving learning and teaching.
• School leaders ensure the school is characterized by a ‘rhythm’ of learning, change and innovation.
• School leaders develop the culture, structures and conditions to facilitate professional dialogue, collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• School leaders promote and participate in strong collaboration with other schools, parents/carers, the community, higher education institutions and other partners.
• School leaders ensure an integrated approach to responding to learners’ learning and other needs.

From the model to its application

In order to apply the Model and assess the level of a school in the process of becoming a LO it’s important to know the perception of the seven dimensions and what each one of them look like in each school.

These elements can be assesses through a questionnaire that is related to all the SLO dimensions. It will contain at least 5 items for each of the learning organization’s seven dimensions.

The implementation of the questionnaire in the schools has to give a view about where the school is positioned, like a spiral, being the process toward becoming a learning organization a dynamic one.

And it can also give a view of the level of “learning oirganization maturity” as the following graphic:

The measurement of the “learning oirganization maturity” will be done through a 4-Point Likert Scale that will allow to check the extent of some strategic variations such as frequency, quality, importance, likelihood, etc. We will also analyze the interval data, that means the aggregate data in which measurements of orders and distances will be made: that means the measurement of the distance from a “optimum level” for each of the parameters under scrutiny.

Assessment of the Model

Shared vision

Definition:

The whole school staff is involved in setting, owning, and implementing a joint vision; responsibility is distributed so that the staff is motivated to learn toward what they are held accountable to do.