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

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More information ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Professional Learning Cycle.

The action research projects enabled a professional learning cycle to be discerned. While no participating schools completed the cycle there is a strong intention in each case to do so.

 

At each step, the roles, responsibilities and tasks change according to the intentions, opportunities and capacities of the group. Management of the cycle is shared and collaboration allows for customisation to meet the needs of particular learners. Management is more a matter of leadership and facilitation rather than direction.

 

The results include greater knowledge of. and access to, available knowledge resources. In many ways the process is one of knowledge management rather than simply training and skill development.

 

The following model is an attempt to summarise the professional learning cycle:

 

 

Focusing the professional learning

The engagement of the learning group relies on 

  • being informed about the cultural and historical factors in relation to the members of the group, that is their knowledge, interests, experiences, concerns ... in order to be able to answer (at least tentatively) WII-FM ('What's in it for me?)

  • focusing the learning intentions in a way that is meaningful for members of the group,

  • contributing to their individual success as professional learners and their success as a learning group. This latter aspect will require...

  • situating the learning task in such a way that participants are 'novices' and 'experts' with respect to different components of the task

 

Continuous improvement of professional practices

A cycle is continuous. And professional learning is aimed at improving professional practices through

  • introducing new practices

  • making previous practices easier and/or more effective

Hence the above represents a process for the continuous improvement of professional practices. In short, the professional learning cycle has four steps: Learn -> Do -> Study -> Act

 

Step 1 - LEARN (in collaboration with others)

  • Clarify the focus of the learning (ICT & professional practices)
  • Create/identify opportunity (engage with learning group, sources...)
  • Learn about ICT: concepts, operation, intended uses, case studies...
  • Plan trial use 
    • intentions and expectations: activities, experiences, knowledge...
    • context and arrangements
    • action plan:  actions, resources, timelines, support, products, experiences

Step 2 - DO (in collaboration with others)

  • Make arrangements
  • Carry out plan
  • Observe 
  • Gain insights into the activity -> technology, experience, knowledge, products...

Step 3 - STUDY

Step 4 - ACT (in collaboration with others)

  • Act on practices:  
    • refine and enhance existing practices
    • create and develop new practices
    • integrate (embed) new or improved, 
    • reduce less effective, 
    • cease or replace  ineffective
    • extend use of effective practices and transfer to new contexts
  • Revisit from time to time or as required. 
  • Contribute to a community of practice
  • Identify emerging opportunities and needs

 

Professional Learning v2.1

Clearly this cycle involves a redefinition or new version (v2.1) of the professional learning process.  While it may represent what has been intended by most professional learning initiatives the above model specifically incorporates steps that might otherwise not be carried out. The typical one-off workshop may enable the teacher to Learn about ICT but the remaining steps are often a matter of like.  Much workshop learning is largely about abstract concepts for the learner and unless supported by action and experience will not be complemented by spontaneous concepts.  Isolated abstract concepts are rapidly lost.  

 

Ancient Chinese wisdom may apply here

  • 'I hear and I forget' - abstract concepts

  • 'I see and I remember' - if the observations are of real phenomena situated)

  • 'I do and I understand' - hence the need to take the learning into actual classroom practices

 

 

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