A web of leading for professional learning – leadership from a decentring perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research shows that leadership is crucial for professional learning, often highlighting principals' or middle leaders' leading practices. However, in leading, professions with differing roles work together. With a decentring perspective on leadership, we shift the focus from the individual principal or middle leader to joint leading practices. Based on a practice theoretical perspective, this article explores how educational leadership unfolds in shared leading practices in a Swedish case where professional learning is led by principals, middle leaders, and an external development leader. The findings visualise a web of practices focusing on understanding roles, changing structures and changing content for professional learning. The shared leading practices are enabled by shared ideas, different positions, and common arenas for communication, but constrained by simplified assumptions and exclusion of teachers. In this web, single dilemmas are handled in different practices from differing perspectives, with changes in plans for professional learning as an outcome.