Andy Larson was one of 14 teachers nationwide to receive a Woolf Fisher fellowship. The fellowships allow leading New Zealand teachers to travel and examine different teaching practices around the world.
Mr Larson, who returned last month, said he was researching the topic of how principals were supported through ongoing professional development.
He said he was interested in how principals were supported beyond initial mentoring programmes.
''We set up a mentoring programme for young principals and so they're mentored through their first two years, but then what happens to principals after that?''
Over three months, Mr Larson had travelled to schools in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Canada and Harvard University in the United States.
Mr Larson said, during his travels, he had changed his mind on the concept of ''super-schools'', with one principal in charge of two or three schools.
''I had a negative connotation about it and I couldn't see how it would work,'' he said.
''After being away and seeing the fantastic work that some of these principals are doing by working 0.6 in one school and 0.4 in another school, I've had a change of heart and thinking on that whole concept. It's been shown to me that it can work.''
Mr Larson said he now also had a greater understanding of so-called ''deeper learning''.
While children could easily research a particular subject and find source material from the internet, the challenge of deeper learning was in considering secondary effects of that research, he said.
''It's looking at the 'what next?'. What effect is that going to have on them and their families?
''Looking deeper at how children are learning and what they're learning.''
A highlight of the trip was travelling to Harvard University which Mr Larson said was ''stimulating''.
joshua.riddiford@thestar.co.nz
