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CLI Presentation to PDST National Meeting
This document summarizes the Collaborative Learning Initiative in Ireland North West. It describes the purpose and methods of the initiative, which uses collaborative action research to help teachers solve classroom problems. Teachers identify issues, investigate them, take actions, and evaluate results. Findings are then shared. The initiative aims to build teacher capacity and drive sustainable improvements in practice and student outcomes. It is seen as effective because it is teacher-driven, collaborative, grounded in practice, and supported over time. Participating teachers remained engaged and want to continue the process.
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CLI Presentation to PDST National Meeting
- 1. Collaborative Learning Initiative IrelandNorth West Our journey so far
- 2. Collaborative Learning Initiative - Ourpurpose - Our reasons - Our assertion
- 3.
- 4. Collaborative Practice - LearningSchools Project. Online at: http://thelearningschoolproject.com/ - Action Learning Networks (Leadership Programme) - Physical Education National Programme: http://www.pdst.ie Kerry Education Service Urban Schools Initiative National Network of Teacher Clusters - Collaborative Learning Initiative: (Professor Howard Stevenson) Ireland North West – Action Research !!!!
- 5. Rationale The aim ofthe PDST is to provide high quality professional development and support that empowers teachers and schools to provide the best possible education for all pupils/students.
- 6. Defining Professional Development(PD) INPUT OUTPUT • Courses • Activities • Training courses • Inservice ‘synonymous with DES-led initiatives that teachers are expected to attend’ (O’Sullivan, 2011: 115) • ‘ PD is not defined by activities, courses or experiences but rather as an outcome from these courses, activities and reflections on day-to-day experiences in the classroom’ (Bubb and Earley, 2008: 26)
- 7. Defining PD the growthof teacher expertise that leads to a change in practices resulting in improved student learning (NSW Institute of Teachers, 2007: 3) a ‘third-order activity’ (Cordingley et al., 2003: 14)r
- 8. High Quality PD Desimoneet al., (2002) King (2012) Structure : • duration • collective participation Core : • active learning • coherence • content • Planned and Evaluated Support: • Leadership • PLCs • Advocate / external Initiative Design: • Structure • Success Teacher Agency: • Openness and willingness • Deep learning • Motivation Bubb and Earley (2008)
- 9. A salutary thought… Innovationafter innovation has been introduced to school after school, but the overwhelming number of them disappear without a fingerprint Cuban (1988: 86) Are we making a difference? (and how do we know?)
- 10. The real issue… Ithink the real problem is that in education we tend to develop innovation after innovation without really solving the problem of implementation. Sahlberg (2012)
- 11. Models of CPD:a framework for analysis Model of CPD Purpose of model The training model The award-bearing model The deficit model The cascade model Transmission The standards-based model The coaching/mentoring model The community of practice model Transitional The action research model The transformative model Transformative Increasing capacity for professional autonomy Kennedy (2005)
- 12. Collaborative Learning Initiative(CLI) A model for: •change •improvement •capacity building
- 13. Research ‘the triumphof evidence over anecdote’ (Mortimore, 1999). Improvement occurs when people are not put on the defensive. It starts with questions in your mind about what you are doing and accelerates when you share them with others engaged in the same enterprise (Brighouse and Woods, 1999). ‘What works?’ is not the right question. Everything works somewhere, nothing works everywhere. Under what conditions does it work? (Wiliam, 2006). CLI – made simple . . .
- 14. CLI Cycle Identify a problem Investigateit Do something about it See if it worked Share what you learned Start simple . . . because simple is still difficult . . . and then build . . .
- 15. Changes in practice •Changes in practice were at a ‘ critical’ level – necessary for sustainability (King, 2012) Learning outcomes reported by teachers • M0stly related to the process Learning outcomes for pupils - Enhanced pupil engagement - Pupil ownership of learning - Peer and self-assessment
- 16. Wednesday, June 12,2013 Event Name and Venue 16 CLI – effective because . . . • It engages with teachers – driven by their concerns • Involves collaborative working • Grounded in the classroom • Sustained over time • Driven from within, supported from without • Drives change from below, supported from above
- 17. More relevant • allparticipating teachers remained with the process throughout More sustainable • all groups wish to continue the process into the future More effective All groups indicated a change in - attitudes and beliefs - their practice - student learning outcomes
- 18. Going Forward? http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PS3KFFX • Arethere aspects of your work to which this process could be applied? If so, give details of the context? • What would appeal to you about working in this way? • What could present a challenge?
Editor's Notes
- #3 Our purpose To inform – the rationale, the process and its impactOur reasons Consistent with PDST mission & goals – use strategy doc Supported by research – research informed and research engaged (teachers engaged in research and advisors researching and evaluating it as a model) We believe in it! Our assertion More relevant – meets their needs in their context More sustainable – teach people how to fish More effective – impacts on teacher beliefs and attitudes, teacher practices and student learning outcomes
- #5 Action research –unique aspect to this project
- #9 Ask participants what they think constitutes high quality CPD…….. Then put these up…more to add here…While the concept of structure may be reflective of that identified by Garet et al., (2001) it may also add to this debate as all participants commented on the structure of the initiative as being highly influential in their implementation and sustainability of the practice. One teacher reported finding the PD initiative or practice to be implemented as ‘feasible, focused and very structured’ While none of the teachers engaged with the initiative because it was collaborative per se, some reported finding the collaborative team teaching aspect influential in its sustainability, as teachers felt they learned from each other. Surprisingly, the fact that it was a self-contained initiative for a certain block of time helped secure teacher support, as it reduced teachers’ fear of committing to long-term change. Perhaps this was an influential feature for principals too, as there is also less risk with a short-term initiative. However, this was not reported by any of the sample. Nevertheless, this short sharp approach to PD initiatives may be persuasive for others who are seeking to effect change in their schools, because while the initiative itself was time bound, the effects seeped through to other aspects of teachers’ practice on a longer-term basis. The success of the initiative on pupils’ outcomes was highlighted by all teachers, albeit at different levels: cognitive, affective and psychomotor, as outlined on the PD evaluation framework. This paper will explore the significant role of leadership in the change process. It will demonstrate how a professional development initiative levered change in five urban disadvantaged schools in the Republic of Ireland and it will outline the principals’ role in this change process. The findings reflect an agentic form of leadership where leadership from above was used to generate leadership from below for implementation and sustainability of change. This agentic leadership was characterized by building capacity for an ‘organic leadership’ where teachers initiated and lead change in a bid to collectively improve pupils’ outcomes. This research may add to current understandings around implementation of policy in a way that, is meaningful for teachers and principals as the mediators of policy changes and, maximizes impact. Teacher Agency: Teachers are the change-agents or gatekeepers of change in the PD process (Guskey, 2002; Bubb and Earley, 2010; NCCA, 2010) and their openness and willingness to engage with and sustain the practice was significant in its survival. Notable too was evidence of ‘deep learning’ where teachers understood the pedagogy behind the initiative and were able to adapt it to suit the needs of their pupils in their context. Similarly teachers reported the practice meeting their personal and professional needs as an important factor in its sustainability. Underpinning this was evidence of teacher agency, that is, teachers acting in intentional ways to ‘shape their own responses to problematic situations’ (Fallon and Barnett, 2009: 12). Desimone et al., 2002: Structure: These structural features include the form or organization of the activity-that is, whether the activity is organized as a Duration – of the activity, including the total number of contact hours that participants spend in the activity, as well as the span of time over which the activity takes place (over a semester or over 20 hours contact time- summer plus semester)Collective participation – of groups of teachers from the same school, department, or grade level, as opposed to the participation of individual teachers from many schools.Reform - reform type, such as a study group, teacher network, mentoring relationship, committee or task force, internship, individual research project, or teacher research center, in contrast to a traditional workshop, course, or conference;Core: or characteristics of the substance of the activity: the extent to which the activity offers opportunities for active learning-that is, opportunities for teachers to become actively engaged Active learning - in the meaningful analysis of teaching and learning, for example, by reviewing student work or obtaining feedback on their teaching...observing expert teachers or being observed with feedback thenCoherence - in teachers' professional development, by incorporating experiences that are consistent with teachers' goals, aligned with state standards and assessments, and encourage continuing professional communicationamong teachers (Desimone et al., 2002). The extent to which teacher learning is consistent with teacher knowledge and beliefs. Also consistent with school, district, and state reforms..... (Desimone et al., 2009). (FK- Aligned to teachers’ needs / pupils’ needs School - Linked to organisational aims -Self-evaluation – School Improvement Plans)Content- the degree to which the activity is focused on subject matter content and how students learn that content improving and deepening teachers' content knowledge in mathematics and science. Links between this focus on content and how students learn the content and increases in teacher knowledge , skills, improvements in practice, and to a lesser extent improvements in student achievement. (FK- Focused on content of the subject / pedagogy / PCK)Aligned to individual needs also....
- #11 http://www.pasisahlberg.com/blog/
- #12 The framework allows us to analyse the intentions and likely outcomes, but does not allow us to analyse participants’ engagement or otherwise….. engagement)
- #15 Go to CLI on private blog… ‘About us’ Read….from blog…if not available use next slide.Next bit on 6 contexts……from private blog. If not available use the next slide.
- #16 : reflective practice, collaborative practice, collective responsibility, research informed /engaged
- #18 17 schools 52 teachers
- #19 Started in January. Continuation of CLI until January 2014 with support from advisors ( One full year of facilitation and then teachers will be able to do this themselves - Groves & Ronnerman 2013)New advisors to CLI process to shadow existing advisors for a cycle and also receive support from Howard Stevenson (“tight but loose framework”)