The workshop arose from a request from an executive team, who were all participants of my regional Ethical Decision Making Course (2012–2013), to provide a session at a term four school development day which addressed the specific needs of a K–12 special needs school. The workshop request involved the creation and presentation of Module 13: ‘The New School’ from the Ethical Decision Making Toolkit to a cross section of teaching and administrative staff. The scenario explored issues that would confront a newly-established special school in terms of health plans, duty of care, individual learning plans and
interactions between the school and its parent body. By calling the scenario ‘The New School’ and actively referring to a new local special needs school under construction, I set up a situation where participants could exchange ideas and not feel curtailed in their thinking by being seen to comment on areas of their own school’s professional practice.
The session lasted 120 minutes and there were over 30 participants in attendance. As a facilitator, this was not an easy workshop to facilitate as I had not met most of the staff and both the Principal and Deputy Principal were absent on the day. I spent a significant
amount of the early part of my presentation building trust and empathy with the audience, and encouraging as wide a range of comments from the workshop participants as was possible. I wanted to give all the participants a sense that I valued their expertise and needed to draw on this experience in terms of the issues that were to be played out in the scenario.
The responses from the workshop presentation were diverse and reflected the many backgrounds and professional experiences of the participants. The interactive nature of the presentation and format were valued by the participants. Data collection, recording of information, consistency of practice, communication and policy evaluation were all issues
which received comments from the workshop participants. It was interesting to note and raise in my role as the Facilitator, the significance of seeking advice from the Department of Education’s Legal Services Directorate and the inter-agency linked Child Wellbeing Unit to whom notifications relating to child protection are forwarded.
From the responses at the time, many of the workshop participants revealed that they had no real understanding that school leaders could seek assistance and professional advice from these sources when faced with difficult and complex matters. The value of these two sources of information was recognised in two of the participants’ written comments, one of whom also commented on the value of a group discussion in relation to school policy, ‘Have had policies but reviewing and discussing as a group clears up the mind’ (Zarina).
This response was also echoed in a longer comment made by Mika, another workshop participant. Mika confirmed the importance of transparency of practice, the sharing of ideas and the powerful way in which an open dialogue supported a whole school learning community.
Yes, it was really good to discuss issues which are occurring at schools, but aren’t open to large groups like this one. The many thoughts and ideas which were opened up were good to think about. We deal with many of them day to day but other people’s responses were very helpful (Mika).
Both sets of written comments highlighted the significance of an inclusive approach to decision making, so that processes were opened up for everyone who was part of the group. This allowed ‘other people’s responses’ to be heard and considered. For Zarina this group thinking and exploring process also provided clarity as it ‘clears up the mind.’ The use of ‘helpful’ in describing the nature of other responses also suggests that Mika felt the group experience enabled the staff through reflection to have greater clarity and focus of
the issues under discussion. In developing further scenarios and in collecting qualitative data on the impact of the professional learning, the aspect of the impact of group thinking on individual reflection is an area that I can explore in more detail.
When designing the scenarios, I endeavoured to provide opportunities for reflection and the development of critical thinking skills. This is a key aspect of ethical decision making, in terms of providing opportunities for exploring and considering a range of options for dealing with dilemmas and conflicts. In this context it was pleasing to read the following comment on the professional learning made by another participant. ‘[It] made me think about issues in a much broader aspect. Something I think I would have personally done, I realise [there are] many more steps involved’ (Nora). Nora highlights how critical thinking and reflection promote a more strategic approach to problem solving that takes into
account the broader contextual situation against which the problem needs to be considered and solved.
This greater level of strategic awareness was also recognised by Kaley who commented on being ‘more aware of the impact a decision will make on the people involved.’ Zarina saw the workshop as being extremely valuable as ‘it promoted deep thought on commonly used policies and procedures that we take for granted.’ Zarina commented as well on how her experience of the workshop scenario was leading her to rethink aspects of her role as the school Technology Coordinator for the coming new school year.
The use of the phrase ‘that we take for granted’ by Zarina in reference to the promotion of ‘deep thought’ on policy and procedures that are in common use within the school,
parallels some of the comments from the Lantos Schools presentation where participants commented on school decision-making processes and their empowerment by being part of
the process. The ‘taken for granted’ comment also highlights an issue I regularly pose in the workshops which addresses how often school policies are reviewed and evaluated. Much of the material that has been gathered for Module 14: ‘Building Strong Purposeful Workplace Cultures’ from the Ethical Decision Making Toolkit addresses the significance of regular school policy documentation review and evaluation39. In an era of increased localised decision making in schools and increased participation by stakeholders, regular reviewing and evaluation of policies is an indicator of a school embracing community and building a culture of trust.
The observation by Mika on the importance of openly discussing issues that are not normally ‘open to large groups’ highlights the positive values that can flow to a school community from an open dialogue on aspects of school governance and management that are not restricted to the leadership team or the senior executive alone. In an era of
unprecedented generational change, new practices and ways of developing leadership need to be considered. The concept of ‘field’ as employed by Bourdieu (1998) is useful in understanding how the ‘field of struggles’ with traditional division between school leaders and classroom practitioners is being broken down and reconfigured. Teachers are viewing themselves as having a critical role in school decision making which is not just restricted to pedagogy and classroom practice. Many teachers are seeking to transform and
restructure traditional school structures.
Conclusion
New models and configurations of professional learning are needed that allow for whole school communities to find ways of exploring and evaluating areas of school practice. In an era of greater localised decision making and school reform, this initiative is a sound
future investment. The concept of teacher leaders was one expression of this
reconfiguration at work. Tsahuridu has shown through her research that empowered employees are of higher value to an organisation displaying higher levels of a range of attributes including dedication, motivation and self-esteem (2006, p. 384). One of the participants at the Lantos Schools Workshop in November 2012 stated bluntly ‘It is
important for everyone in the school community to be informed about the expectations and process of decision making’ (Walcha). Without these expectations being met, it will be difficult in many schools to lay effective foundations within a school culture to empower individual employees and support constituent members.