School Board of the Principality of Liechtenstein and Zurich University of Teacher Education, Center for Management and Leadership
The Center for Management and Leadership at Zurich University of Teacher Education is responsible for education and training, consulting, support and research in the field of school leadership. Its target group are leaders of and in educational organizations: school directors, teacher leaders, school authorities and school administrators. Accordingly, vignettes are used in education and training as well as in research in the field of school leadership.
In education and training, vignettes are used primarily in questions regarding pedagogical school management. Vignettes from research projects are read together in the sense of a reading and are linked to theoretical aspects of learning, teaching and leadership. On the one hand, this is intended to create a discussion between research and practice and to sensitize leaders to repeatedly draw on models and theories for understanding and analyzing (situations) based on practical experience. On the other hand, the joint reading of vignettes is intended to train the perception of leaders to adopt a "learning-side" approach to observation and to recognise things that normally remain hidden. With vignettes, leaders observe the actions of teachers during class visits less, but focus on the students on the learning side. They perceive possible learning experiences, form hypotheses about the connection between learning and teaching, and share and discuss them with teachers. Teaching observations from this perspective are not aimed at evaluating the teacher, but at understanding and developing so-called good teaching.
The next step is to train managers to write vignettes independently and discuss them with colleagues. Vignettes can thus be used internally for professionalization and school development.
Vignettes are used in various projects in which the Center Management and Leadership is involved. In his dissertation project "Learning and Leadership" Niels Anderegg investigates the phenomenon of "leadership". For this purpose he uses vignettes on teaching and leadership, which were developed at five schools awarded the German School Award during two field phases. The project deals with the connection between school leadership and learning. Together with Heike Beuschlein and Niels Anderegg, Nina-Cathrin Strauss uses vignettes in addition to individual and group interviews as a research method in the scientific accompaniment of a newly founded school. The focus is again on the connection between school leadership and learning of the students and the development of individual and shared pedagogical convictions based on the influence of school leadership.
Within the framework of the EU project ProLernen, participants from the School Board of the Principality of Liechtenstein, together with actors from Zurich University College of Teacher Education are developing a vignette methodology in the form of a handbook for the purpose of professionalization, as well as elaborating innovative didactic settings for prospective educational managers.
- Niels Anderegg, Zurich University of Teacher Education
- Heike Beuschlein, Zurich University of Teacher Education
- Rachel Nadine Guerra, School Board of the Principality of Liechtenstein
- Willi Kaiser, School Board of the Principality of Liechtenstein
- Nina-Cathrin Strauss, Zurich University of Teacher Education