CPD Team

Many of you have been in touch following the recent articles in TESS and in Teaching Scotland about the Learning Rounds. It felt like a good time to give you a bit of an update on what’s happening.

 

 

 

Why all the interest in Learning Rounds?

 

 

 

Because it makes a difference.

In a range of schools and in a number of authorities, Learning Rounds has delivered high quality, sustainable improvements in the learning experiences of pupils. It has helped develop collegial practice and a positive ethos.  

Because it’s affordable

Learning Rounds does not require the services of visiting experts. It builds on the learning and experiences of the establishment staff. Teachers learn from teachers, and learning is shared and collegiate. Costs lie in releasing teachers from their classrooms to observe colleagues. Enthusiastic school leaders have found different ways to achieve this.

Because it’s sustainable

Learning Rounds is not an event, but a process that can become embedded in practice. In one school it is now the starting point for the school  improvement plan; in one authority headteachers are being encouraged to use Learning Rounds to develop the quality of provision; a third authority is promoting it as a tool for faculty heads to support their teams

           

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The model continues to attract interest from many educators, schools and authorities. The pilot programme is in its final stages in:

•  North Ayrshire, where the focus has been on learning at headteacher and officer level across schools,
• West Lothian which has taken the learning across clusters as the theme,
• Angus where the Learning Rounds team has been composed of Faculty Leaders and Principal Teachers across the secondary sector
• Dumfries and Galloway where we have been looking at Learning Rounds in the context of candidates on the Flexible Routes to Headship.

In addition, the team has been supporting Learning Rounds in South Ayrshire, in Scottish Borders and in Edinburgh (including work in the special school sector). We have made presentations about our work at headteacher meetings in a number of other authorities, most recently in Perth and Kinross.

In our team plan, we have  identified four tasks remaining to us. We will:

• complete the pilot programmes
• reflect on, evaluate, and share our experience of Learning Rounds to date
• we will continue to explore Learning Rounds, particularly in an inter-agency context
• we will produce and publish a “How to do Learning Rounds Self Help Guide” by the summer.

Tags: collegiality, innovative, pilot, self help
Categories: Angus rounds, Learning rounds