Share the Load

	Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education
	Share the Load

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More information ...

On being informed

Professional learning is a serious business with potentially significant costs and benefits. Thus it is worthy of informed decision making. The schools in the 2003 Pilot Studies established the following parameters for being informed:

Information and relationships

Gathering information requires the trust and confidence of the providers of the information, hence...

Establish rapport and build collaboration

Gather information – knowledge management is crucial !!

Who knows what?
Who wants to know what?
Who does what?
Confidence, hopes, intentions, needs…
Who can help others learn about…
And consider social, cultural and historical factors

Timelines are important

In gathering (Evandale Primary) aim to now enough to plan the next step with the long term in mind:

Where have we come from (history, culture)?
Where are we now - what is the present situation (current strengths, weakness, needs, opportunities, interests...)
how did we get here (more history and culture)?
in what direction would we best proceed (an ideal but feasible future)?
How will we get there (strategies)?
Our next steps (what to do next)?

Gathering information

Warning! - Surveys can be risky (best done in a workshop?) - (New Norfolk)

The purposes & processing of survey information need to be known
Survey questions can imply (unexamined) expectations
Getting the wording right can be a challenge!!

Share the information

Inform the learners about the realities and the possibilities

Seek understanding and meaning from those who provide information (they may be the only ones who 'really know'
Show the potential & range of ICT use by sharing situated samples, credible experiences...
Explain in the current context: start from here & now including needs, opportunities, resources, commitments...
Build credibility and be honest about ICT: expose the limitations as well as potentials

Comfort

Significant discomfort might get a person's attention but it also reduces the level at which their thinking can occur. The challenge of dealing with new possibilities should provide enough 'discomfort'.

Be informed about people's level of discomfort with ICT (generally and specifically)
Build comfort through familiarity and success. Initially familiarity and success will depend on being reliably informed and supported.
This in turn leads to confidence about possibilities and acceptance of the limitations (comfort)

In order to consider the available technology the learner will need to

Understand the concepts that are built into the ICT
Have some ideas of the knowledge and skills required– ‘there is always more to learn’
Be informed about possibilities and limitations
Relate possibilities to actual needs and purposes: WII-FM

Comfort, ICT and professional focus.

As demonstrated in the case studies

Comfort with ICT enables the focus to be on pedagogy
Lack of comfort causes the focus to be on ICT

Act on the information

It can be important to demonstrate that information will be used to help make the life and work of people easier and better. Share the information widely, especially with those who provided it.

[Recommendation - Go for 'easier first'!! That is, make the tasks (process steps) easier. This releases resources (time & energy) directly. Also rework & stress will reduce because people want to do a great job and it will be easier to do so. The resources released can then be used to achieve other improvements. - IW]

Use the information to share the load
Build collaboration on the basis of the available information, eg, arrange co-learners, tutors and mentors as a learning group. In professional learning

Everyone has something to learn
Everyone has something to teach & share

Learning Groups

And working in learning groups

Builds knowledge of available resources
Enhances available PL resources
Provides leadership opportunities

What knowledge and skills?

A challenge for the designers and developers of professional learning groups. It all depends !!

Who knows, or wants to know, what
And on the next step(s) in learning