IDEAL Future Work Package 2 Report

37 5.4.1 Collaborative culture Culture was mentioned throughout the interviews either in the context of innovation, leadership or mindset. For innovation the need for a collaborative culture was discussed at length. The creation of safe spaces, providing opportunities to share expertise and experiences and embedding it as the ‘norm’ is critical for innovation. I find teachers are inclined to want to show you, but maybe sometimes not show their peers. So it's kind of you have to create that. So what I do sometimes is I would create a pad that and I'd say pop up your resources that you have in there. So it's like I have to create the space for them, And they will happily do it when instructed, but not organically. (IE P27) You know people do need a kind of safe space to learn and practice it, you know, they're not going to be sharing if they're told to share. (IE P30) So they work with John who is on the digital committee. John calls into they and he asks them if he can show them something…they never say no. I think the culture thing needs to be worked on and normalized (IE P27) From the extracts it is evident that sharing and collaboration needs to be encouraged rather than directed. Opportunities for teachers to observer practices and give feedback is crucial. ….a really open kind of relationship in the school that people are very comfortable coming to each other with ideas or critiques or we're very, very open to peer observation and. Or peer assessment and helping one another.(IE P2) I asked the trainer to model lessons for teachers. So that he would have been taught classes and maybe three or four teachers observe a lesson for now. And then my teacher was watching that. And I didn't do it for the day IE (P25) One participant highlighted that smaller schools due, to resource constraints are often more innovative. This may be due to closer relationships and flatter organisational structures within these settings What I would say is those that would be most creative from going out to schools would be the two teacher skills and the reason that that is that they can't actually do everything, it’s impossible……it makes them very creative. (IE P27) 5.4.2 Professional learning Critical to supporting innovation is the role of professional learning and providing teachers with the skills to enable them to make change. As noted earlier the lack of professional learning is a challenge, due to the lack of opportunities or suitable models. we're trying to encourage looking at professional learning to support teachers to make change their practices and innovation and all of that and how leaders might support that. (IE P29) If you do it, properly CPD can be powerful (IE P25) we try to provide them with as many courses as possible. They can use TO engage with to with technology. IE (P2) However the lack of opportunities and time during the school day to engage in professional learning was seen as a barrier. mean to be honest with you, there is very few opportunities provided for in service for teachers during school day in terms of technology doesn't exist. OK, so to me, you're leaving people behind because we're expecting them at night. On top of every other subject, I want them to do something I'll be expected and asking them at night to go off and do more courses (P27)