ICT and Professional Learning: towards communities of practice

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ICT and Professional Learningtowards
communities of practice

• Ivan Webb, Dr Margaret Robertson Dr Andrew
  Fluck
• From action research in-school observations
  made in
• Children, Online learning and Authentic Teaching
  Skills (COLAT)
• An Australian Research Council Linkage Project

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Professional Learning ICT- the current context
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ICT use in schools current situation

• Major systemic initiatives in relation to ICT
• Considerable history of ICT in schools (30
  years)
• Consistent hope ICT as a catalyst for change
• But.mixed responses within and across schools !
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------
• Issue Transfer of ICT use into in-class
  practices
• What is possible and under what conditions ?
• What is feasible and how ?
• What is desirable and why ?

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ICT and professional learning

• Becta report ICT and Pedagogy (Cox et al., 2004)
  
• further substantial support for continuing
  professional development is necessary in order
  that teachers integrate the use of ICT and
  improve pupils attainment (p.5)
• however
• little is known about the relationship between
  their experiences within professional development
  and their subsequent pedagogies when using ICT.
  ( p.36).

Subsequent?
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Background COLAT

• Children, Online Learning Authentic Teaching
• ARC Linkage project
• Partners Utas, DoE, CEO, Telstra
• From 2 to 4 days observations
• in each of 27 classrooms
• in 18 schools

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ICT - three levels of consideration

• ICT is a whole school responsibility!! Consider
  ICT in
• Governance purposes, leadership management
  (policies provision)
• Class the use and contribution of ICT
• Activity - using ICT in teaching learning
• --------------------------------------------------
  -
• Nb. Consideration of ICT use should aim to
  achieve alignment and consistency across the
  school.

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Four key success factors (?)

• Purposes rationale for using ICT are shared
• Matching technology is available for use
• Working knowledge - select, operate
  troubleshoot ICT
• Cost effectiveness - worth time, effort,
  investment
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------------
• Nb Teachers observations confirm the above
  order of importance.
• Q Where is most professional learning focused?

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Other COLAT findings

• It is about practices !!
• Reliability is complex - includes window of
  opportunity
• Professional learning ????
• Collaboration leads to success
• Shared purposes rationales ? meaning (PL)
• Technology is better matched and available
• Knowledge and resources available
• More cost effective

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COLAT - summary
Practices using ICT
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Action research projects

• Four in-school projects were undertaken
• In October- November 2003
• To meet local needs
• To check on COLAT findings
• Allowing for local circumstances
• Lead by school team of principal ICT leaders

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This study six overlapping steps

• Action research (knowledge-based improvement)
• Introductory workshop (proposal COLAT)
• Plan project focus, investigation, initiatives.
• Implement plan (4-6 weeks)
• Monitor and learn from the implementation
• Share learning with other project participants
• Apply knowledge gained (short and long term)
• --------------------------------------------------
  -----
• Research team collate case studies ? findings

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Sample Case Study

• Professional learning initiative at School L

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Sample Case Study School L
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Sample Case Study School L
Our program
Online journal
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Sample Case Study School L
Spell checker
Corridor walk
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Findings
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Professional Learning Cycle (emergent)
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The emergent PL process

• Be informed
• Engage the learners as a group
• Focus the learning using IT in situ
• Learn about the ICT application/device
• Plan new/improved practices incorporating ICT
• Apply practices in class programs (asap)
• Observe experiences ? insights
• Share refine knowledge, experiences insights
• Extend embed practices
• Revisit as required

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Findings - Roles in PL

• Several discerned (not just expert-novice!!)
• Learners all participants
• Co-learners confirm and validate experiences!!
• Tutors ? How to ?'
• Mentors ? What to do?' and Why?
• Facilitators ? opportunities and processes
• Supervisors acknowledge endorse learning and
  new or improved practices
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------------------
• NB. Roles are situational and dynamic!!

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Recommendations (from participants)

• Keep timelines short and the focus specific
• Link possibilities of ICT with meaningful
  products, examples of use, credible experiences
• Build collaboration within the learning group
  throughout, eg, match tutorslearners ? how to
  use manage ICT
• Involve learners in planning preparing ICT use
  in class
• Arrange in-class support ? maximize chance of
  success
• Learn and apply ? new or improved practices
• Learn, share take it forward (revisit later)

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Some on-going challenges

• Building collaboration between staff groups
• Accommodating staff changes ? start with
  induction
• Selecting arranging the most appropriate
  technology
• When and how to upgrade (development is
  disruptive!!)
• Inclusion of all staff in PL (equity of
  opportunity?)
• Performance management vs professional learning,
  ie, individual vs collaborative professional
  learning

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Build communities of practice !!

• Focus on new or improved practices
• Be informed ? who knows, or wants to know, what?
• Build PL into the culture through collaboration
• Extend collaboration to teaching, technical
  other staff
• PL is an on-going process (NOT an event !!)
• Start with situated examples and credible
  experiences
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------------------
• NB. Not a deficit model !!

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Communities of practice (cont.)

• Keep timelines short and the focus specific
• Share the load several roles dynamic!!
• Take ICT into the classroom with modelling
  support.
• Learn in meaningful groups and focus on their
  practices
• Share review the experiences within learning
  group
• Share experiences results beyond learning group

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Thanks toProject website

• Project schools and their generous staff members
• COLAT schools and participants
• Numerous colleagues who have provided
  encouragement, knowledge insight