HRC0636/2 - Leading Educational Innovation ("Educational Innovation and Leadership" module of training)

Decision-makers at all levels of an education system: national and local government officials, university academic and non-academic staff, key players in non-governmental organisations, teacher educators, general education system representatives (e.g. school leaders, teachers).

To build their competence in leading an ongoing process of evidence-based educational reform suitable to the learner’s given context (including navigating leadership approaches, change management models).

Curriculum: Embodiment of the Vision: curriculum (defining the concept, comparing and contrasting formal non-formal, informal and hidden curricula); analysing intended content, language and learning skills outcomes (e.g. the characteristics of effective outcomes, determining the rationale for their use, producing SMART outcomes); assessment principles and strategies (exploring potential benefits and drawbacks of PISA and ways high-stakes assessment has undermined learning in several education systems, defining assessment for learning and core strategies used to building assessment literacy among students and teachers); making connections to own context (generating a draft plan). Teachers and Leaders: autonomy and accountability (exploring the role of teacher and school self-assessment and external assessments); standards and competence models (exploring how they are created, used or not used, navigating the content and undertaking self-assessment); professional development and competence building; leadership approaches including distributed leadership, instructional, curriculum leadership and collective efficacy (exploring key indicators); making connections to own context (honing draft plan). Leading Educational Renewal: change management modules (e.g. Kotter, Fullan, Shirley, Design Thinking, comparing and contrasting the models, weighing implications for own context); the role of data (e.g. validity and reliability, Estonia’s Education Eye), Future School framework and characteristics of whole-school change process; results-based and evidence-based planning (continuing to improve plans by returning to evidence and using feedback/feedforward).

Defines diverse types of curricula (formal non-formal, informal, hidden, highly prescriptive versus broad brushstrokes) and their implications; discuss, using examples and/or evidence, the benefits and drawback of how Estonia’s general education curriculum was developed; explains the role of values, competences and themes driving curriculum development; explains why related curriculum change processes have been a challenge to manage, yet still have prevented over-politicisation of education in Estonia; details how changes in school evaluation have helped to better support teacher and school leader professional development, as well as student learning in Estonia; discusses, using examples and/or evidence, effective teacher policies that are neither too controlling nor too restrictive, but nonetheless support high expectations and uphold high standards; explains how centrally created assessment tools can support the development of an assessment for learning culture, and student and teacher well-being whilst also detailing means for reducing the potential negative backwash effects of high-stakes assessment; details using examples how user-friendly reliable and valid data that are open to the public and/or only to a given teacher/school can help drive change; develops an evidence-based education development/ innovation project plan that has SMART intended impacts, outcomes, outputs and performance indicators and that is supported by stakeholders, and that includes ongoing monitoring and mechanisms to adjust plans based on newly apparent needs.

Belonging to the target group, higher education, English language skills (proficiency level B2)

Contact learning in Zoom-environment, Tallinn University rooms combined with study visits to other organisations. Contect learning is supported by the e-learning environment.

Main trainers have both PhDs. Assistant trainer is a PhD student.

Pre-reading assignments. Participation in webinars, interactive lectures and seminars requiring engagement with tasks. In addition to individual tasks there are group work tasks. Self-regulation, individual and group work is self- and peer-assessed. Learning is regularly summarised. The learner keeps a self-reflection diary and prepares an individual educational development/innovation project that she/he continues to shape/enhance throughout the module based on course learning, as well as peer, stakeholder and instructor feedback. Participation in final webinars to introduce individual projects.

TLÜ tunnistus