School Leadership and Pedagogical Reform: Building Student Capacity

Main Focus Of The Chapter

Through a focus on research the chapter moves beyond the typical description of a social constructivist approach to learning to one that is in keeping with that of Mayer (2012) who exemplifies a more in depth portrayal of the democratic classroom. The notion of third space is utilized to help illuminate the resultant construction of ‘GAMMA pedagogy’. The objectives of the chapter are to describe the school’s change process, show how it impacts on leadership and pedagogical reform, investigate the nature of students’ learning and engagement, and synthesize emergent messages for reconceptualising pedagogy as a capacity building phenomenon. The chapter provides the essential background context of the research in terms of understanding the need for and kind of school reform in the context of Australia, and the nature of and role of the education system applicable to the school under study and the kind of leadership involved. It will conclude with a discussion of how the notion of GAMMA pedagogy is reflective of the kind of change in school practices that will more effectively equip students to embark on a lifelong learning journey. By elevating the discussion to hypothesise the notion of ‘a third space’ (Moje, Ciechanowski, Kramer, Ellis, Carrillo, & Collazo, 2004; Oldenburg, 1999; 2000) in which to reconceptualise pedagogy and learning for the 21^st century, the nature of the change needed becomes clearer.