Teacher Collaboration Networks in 2020-2025

1. Teacher Collaboration Networks in 2020-2025 Professor Marilyn Leask,Dean, Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism marilyn.leask@beds.ac.uk

2. Speaker Background • Dean of the Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism. • Researcher & teacher: universities, research organisations, schools • Research focus (25 years): the use of technologies to support professional learning and development • Instrumental in establishing TeacherNet, the European SchoolNet (!), the Teacher Training Resource Bank, Communities for Public Service and Education Communities. • Previously in central government with knowledge management roles: • responsible for improving quality and access to research and evidence in education then in local government • Member of central govt. network developing strategies to support research based policy and practice.

3. 2025 - 15 years in the future • Where are we now? • Where were we 15 years ago? University of Bedfordshire

4. Increased codification of knowledge – moving from 19th C to 21st C professional practice Adapted from Leask, M. (2004)

5. 1995 – 15 years in the past • European SchoolNet concept was born • web 2 tools were embryonic, mobile phones were primitive, IT literacy was low, connectivity in schools was limited • The concept of research-informed practice was not in general use. • Technology not in the hands of young people University of Bedfordshire

6. 2011 – today • High quality resources are increasingly available free of charge amongst a plethora of poor resources • Hand held devices owned by adults and young people combine phones, cameras, computers, TV and film, radio, email, music, e-books, podcasts, vidcasts etc etc • Fast speed low cost access to the internet is increasingly common • Personalised learning can be supported almost anywhere, anytime • web 2 tools support interconnected private and public professional communities of practice (e.g.www.communities.idea.gov.uk ; www.educationcommunities.org ) University of Bedfordshire

7. 2025 - 15 years in the future • Personalised professional development through blended, collaborative and independent just-in-time learning giving a better qualified deeply knowledgeable workforce. • An international education sector e-infrastructure exists which supports formal and informal learning through access to high quality research informed professional knowledge (presented in a range of media), collaboration through invitations to join international collaborative projects, exchange of ideas, building of new knowledge through teacher/researcher engagement on decisions about research topics and as co-researchers, rapid publication of new but well tested ideas, publications in forms most appropriate to the topic and easily usable to a range of users eg sound, print, video. • Knowledge Services at the same level as those provided to medicine and to other professions? http://www.cochrane.org/http://healthguides.mapofmedicine.com/choices/map/index.htmlwww.communities.odea.gov.uk • Further detail: Leask (2009) ICT tools for Future Teachers Project, Becta University of Bedfordshire

8. Publication methods use ICT effectively e.g. www.mapofmedicine.com/ health guides

9. Local govt. 1500 communities, 70,000 users linking policy makers, practitioners, researchers

10. www.educationcommunities.org

11. Forms of teachers’ professional knowledge – can networking help? 1. (Subject) Content knowledge... 2. General Pedagogic knowledge... 3. Curriculum Knowledge... 4. Pedagogical content knowledge... 5. Knowledge of learners and their characteristics... 6. Knowledge of educational contexts... 7. Knowledge of educational ends ... updated from Capel, Leask and Turner Learning to Teach in the Secondary School 2009:14) adapted from Shulman, 1987)  

12. Drivers and barriers for lifelong professional development of networked teachers Drivers • Internal motivation? • Professionalism (the children) and personal pride • Team spirit • ... • External motivation? • Finance • Performance review/Inspection • Publication of students’ grades • Continuing professional development points systems? • ... University of Bedfordshire

13. Drivers and barriers for lifelong professional development of networked teachers Barriers • Personal? • Other commitments – family, community • Lack of confidence in researching and sharing new knowledge • ..... • Professional? • Lack of support to try out new ideas eg for junior staff • Lack of understanding of processes for producing new, validated professional knowledge (ie lack of links with teacher-researcher networks • .... University of Bedfordshire

14. Mechanisms for disseminating practices within and across networks How do teachers learn? Informal learning: • From each other eg TeachMeets, tweets • From collaborative activities and from networking eg e-twinning • From their professional association activities, publications • From the media –web, press, TV – educational channels • From training new teachers Formal learning: • From conferences and courses • Accredited research projects – not necessarily courses University of Bedfordshire

15. Innovating new peer-learning approaches within European-wide teacher networks • What are the problems you are trying to solve? • Why just Europe wide? • What is the definition of teacher? Who can engage? • What are the levers for change in the system? • International competitiveness? Quality of teaching? Achievement of children? Innovation? • Don’t we need access to knowledge in emerging global powers? What about paired language partners projects between learners- each teaching the other their language? • In some countries, teacher educators/trainers are leading teachers who have moved to universities • Rogers theory of the diffusion of innovations – innovators, early adopters etc University of Bedfordshire

16. New ways of working: EU, govt, academics, teachers Expect 21st century models of research and academic practice Expect literature reviews and research to be reported in ways which mean they can be built on Judge productivity not on volume but on measures which include research impact and user value Ensure an independent e-infrastructure exists which supports • researcher networking • User engagement from the beginning on decisions about topics and as co-researchers • Rapid publication • Publication in forms easily usable to a range of users • Publicising of projects starting with invitations to join • Building on research which has gone before

18. 19th century models of research and academic practice • Sole researcher • Who decides the topic? - Funder or Researcher (tax payers funds) - Not usually the teachers • Long time scale for publication • Publications not in a usable form for users, small scale, can’t be built on

19. How to improve educational outcomes? • no direct link between expenditure and quality of outcomes in educational systems (McKinsey, 2007). • quality of teaching the critical factor in improved student outcomes. How to improve quality of teaching? • Elephant in the room: quality of the professional knowledge base i.e. • the quality of knowledge teachers draw on about how to teach; • the quality of research and evidence about effective practice • access to high quality up to date research and evidence about effective practice

20. ICT tools for professional practice • Online communities of practice • E-surveys e.g. Bristol Online surveys http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/ • Online research methods • Mind-mapping • Software to search across databases e.g. www.eep.ac.uk • Translational research

21. Translational research concept • Concept used in medical research: ‘From the bench to the bedside’ • Can we use this concept in Education? • BERA guidelines: http://www.bera.ac.uk/publications/guidelines/ • REPOSE guidelines: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=759

22. Forms of Professional Knowledge for teaching (updated from Capel, Leask and Turner (2009:14) adapted from Shulman, 1987)   • (Subject) Content knowledge • General Pedagogic knowledge • Curriculum Knowledge • Pedagogical content knowledge, • Knowledge of learners and their characteristics • Knowledge of educational contexts • Knowledge of educational ends (aims), purposes, values and philosophical and historical influences: and of a subject.