Leading by Learning
Strengthen conversations and teams to improve outcomes for learners.
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
What is the food of the leader? It is talk, it is communication, it is dialogue.
Our Leading by Learning approach helps educational leaders build trust and work together to solve problems of teaching and learning. Develop your practice through an introductory workshop, tailored in-school support, or individual coaching.
Strengthen your leadership conversations
Leading improvement means working through complex problems with others. These conversations can be challenging, particularly when you need to address an issue while maintaining strong relationships.
Leading by Learning helps you make progress on the problems that affect learner outcomes while strengthening trust and shared commitment. It supports aspiring leaders, middle and senior leaders, principals, and system leaders to:
lead more effective problem-solving conversations and meetings
discuss difficult issues openly and respectfully
examine assumptions and test the information informing decisions
build shared understanding and commitment to action.
What makes Leading by Learning different?
How you think shapes how you lead. Leading by Learning helps you examine the motivations and assumptions that influence your conversations and recognise how these affect others.
Through practice, coaching, and feedback, you learn to approach challenging situations with respect for yourself and others, seek and test different perspectives, and make decisions people understand and commit to.
The approach draws on the work of Argyris and Schön and their research into how leaders build trust, honesty, and collective commitment to solving important problems. It combines theory with practical opportunities to reflect on and strengthen your leadership.
Expertise behind the approach
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Viviane Robinson, internationally recognised for her research in educational leadership, has partnered with Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga and Dr Jacqui Patuawa to develop Leading by Learning. Jacqui brings over 25 years’ experience in education and a PhD exploring how leadership conversations affect student achievement.
Building on Viviane and Jacqui’s work on leadership conversations, the programme helps leaders put learning-focused principles into practice. All Leading by Learning facilitators are accredited through their work with Viviane and Jacqui.
Choose your learning option
Begin with a two-day introductory workshop or support designed for your school. Continue to deepen your practice through tailored professional learning and one-to-one coaching.
Get started
Register your interest in a Leading by Learning workshop. We schedule workshops around the country based on demand. Schools can also join together to host a workshop in their area.
