Hva fremmer et innovativt miljø i skolen, og hvilken betydning har det for læreres undervisning?

What encourages an innovative environment in schools and what does that imply for teaching? An innovative environment is important for a school’s ability to adapt to societal changes and for students’ ability to cope with future society. It is therefore crucial to find out what promotes an innovative environment in a school and what consequences an innovative environment has for teaching and learning. Certain aspects of teaching are especially important for students to learn how to cope with a society where, for instance, critical thinking and problem solving are required and where diversity is increasing. Such teaching practices include cognitive activation and inclusive practices. Using TALIS 2018, we employ two-level (teachers and schools) structural equation modelling to examine both direct and indirect effects of distributed leadership on teaching practices via an innovative environment. Results show that distributed leadership has a medium strong relationship to an innovative environment and that an innovative environment has a medium strong relationship to teaching practices. An innovative environment mediates the effect of distributed leadership on teaching practices. Overall, our study has implications for policy and practice as it finds that school leaders who employ distributed leadership can help promote an innovative environment and that an innovative environment in turn may encourage the type of teaching students need to acquire skills that are important in the 21st century