View
217
Download
1
Category
Tags:
Preview:
Citation preview
Supporting Communities of Practice AmongAmong Physical Education
ProfessionalsMary O’Sullivan, Ph.D.
Dean, Faculty of Education and Health SciencesCo-Director PE PAYS Research Centre
University of LimerickIreland
Jennifer Wall KeynoteAPEQ ConferenceMonteal, Canada, 2010
Outline of Presentation Why the need for investment in CPD? Shifting perspectives? AIESEP Consensus Statement Communities of Learners Teachers as CPD providers
The Lifespan of a Teacher
Preparing for Teaching: 1-5 years
Practicing Teaching:30,000 lessons over 35 year career
Worldwide support for CPD CPD vital to enhance teaching and learning
(OECD, 2005) World PE Summit demanded a policy priority
for continuing professional education (CPD) of PE teachers (2nd World Summit, ICSSPE, 2005)
AIESEP Consensus Statement on PE CPD (AIESEP, 2008)
Shifting Perspectives of CPD
Traditional CPD Offerings are one time sessions Mostly new national curriculum or assessment
practice Little or no follow up CPD unrelated to specific teaching
conditions/stage of career A Story…Ger’s CDP
Contemporary CPD approaches…
Involve teachers in identifying their own learning needs
Address knowledge, skills and attitudes (teacher context & stage of career)
School based Collaborative problem solving On going dialogue Focused on student learning
Definition of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)?
Process where teachers [alone or with others] review, renew, and extend commitments as change agents to teaching in their contexts
Develop knowledge, skills, and stamina for professional thinking, planning, and practice with children and colleagues during working life (Day, 1999).
Professional Development-CPD
Continuous, continuing…(sustained)
Professional (working closely with professional colleagues) …resulting in…
Development (progressive changes to school ethos, teacher practice, pupils and curricula).
(Armour & O’Sullivan, 2005)
AIESEP Consenus Statement noted…
Physical education teachers have both the rightright and the responsibilityresponsibility to be engaged in effective continuing professional development (CPD)
Being informed is a defining characteristic of an education professional
AIESEP Rationale for CPD
Enhance teacher and pupil learning Inspire and sustain teachers’ professional
curiosity Reduce teacher burnout and attrition
Marie’s story…27 years teaching
Purposes for CPD… Support teachers as learning professionals; Ensure competent and confident PE teachers in
position to inform and influence national debates Recognise teaching is complex & challenging so CDP is
a professional responsibility; strengthen the professional identity of PE teachers and
advocates for their pupils Dan’ story
expand teachers’ PE knowledge to meet pupils’ diverse learning needs
Effective CPD… Teachers need time to learn and integrate
learning into their practice; Teachers have different needs Address imperatives of government policies; Teachers can access, use and contribute to
knowledge base in physical education; PE teachers supported to develop communities
of professional learners
Effective CPD…
Aligns with teachers’ values, curiosity Enhances teachers’ knowledge and skills
they need for their work Focussed on improving student learning Delivered in variety of formats Begins with initial teacher education
Mike’s story…
AIESEP CPD Research Agenda…
How can learning communities be established and supported?
How can teachers be supported to learn throughout their careers?
CPD---New approaches…useful?
Action Research as CPD Communities of Practice/Learners Social Networking…
Emailing Blog Twitter
Community of Learners? It defines itself in the doingdoing,, as members are
involved in a set of relationships over time and work around things that matter to them.
They develop among themselvesamong themselves their own understandings of what their practices and profession are about.
A community of practice exists because it produces a shared practiceshared practice as members engage in a collective process of learning.
Structured gatherings that allow for informal and formal learning
Key Attributes… Teachers a key resource in supporting and
sustaining their own and colleagues’ practice Develop shared understandings of what their
practice is about Sustained by the value gained from group School leaders must have the vision to see the
value of such learning communities Allow/encourage teachers to take risks
Why Community of Learners?
Teachers more willing to… take risks, reflect on their failures share successful programs and practices
(Craig, 2004; Deglau, Ward, & O’Sullivan, 2006).
Nurturing Communities of Learners
1. Legitimate participation.
2. Negotiating context.
3. Attuned to real practices.
4. Fine-tuning organization.
5. Providing support. Marie’s Story…
Advocates for CoL?
Conditions for improving teaching and learning are strengthened when teachers collectively question ineffective teaching routines, examine new conceptions of teaching and learning… and engage in actively in supporting professional growth (Little 2002, p. 917).
Building Teacher Identity via Community of PracticeDeglau & O’Sullivan (Under Review)
From Identities as Marginalized Staff to… Collaborators Leaders Experts Innovators and Advocates
Identities as Marginalized Staff• At the district level, we’re still combating the ideology
that it’s just gym. And we still have PE teachers who are calling it gym and so trying to get that focus away from rolling out the ball to actually what we are doing in the district, I don’t think people get it. And so it’s hard for us to get the support (Crystal)
• little appreciation for your subject area [and] viewed as a training ground for the athletes in the building” (Debbie)
Identities as Collaborators
And I just liked the opportunities for getting together; and there were relationships developed. .. That wouldn’t have occurred before, (Debbie)
I know ….of the people I really became close with, 7-8 of us, that you’ve got more than just your equipment. I think the phys-ed programs are set up better in [this district], with that core group and the support you have (Jim)
Identities as Leaders I believe I have a lot of knowledge at this point from
working with the grants and my responsibility is to help the teachers in the district which ultimately also affects the kids in the district any way I can (Dan)
Would I have been willing to assist other teachers with my program? No ‘cause I was kind of embarrassed of it. I wasn’t proud of what I was doing, I wasn’t sure of myself, I realized that I always wanted to teach but I just didn’t like where things were going…Through PEP, I know how to make my program [better] and now I’m not afraid to go share what I’ve done with these other teachers (Karen)
Identities as Experts Teachers took new content and made it their
own: Well, yes and no, I mean I used a lot of the[CONTENT]
you know, take bits and pieces and kind of make it your own, that’s what I kinda tried to do with the dance lesson. … I took pieces of that, you know, pieces of the writing things that we learned, the social responsibility, I just kind of put it all together and kinda made it my own
Identities as Innovators & Advocates
Teachers gained belief in advocating for PE profession and PE programme:
I would say the confidence and the passion that I’ve got for phys-ed and implementing it within the district. Like being a real advocate for it as opposed to, yeah this is what we need to do, but not really getting off your butt and doing it...
“I am more outspoken on issues that involve my profession and I fight others who try to disregard my class as not relevant and significant to a child’s education”
Community of Practice: How
teachers collectively question their practice, examine new conceptions of teaching and learning, actively support professional growth of peers examine own beliefs in dialogue with others build knowledge/skills of curriculum and pedagogy work on problems of relevance to them share what they know/have learned with each other
(Bechtel & O’Sullivan, 2006; Little 2002, p. 917).
Characteristics of Communities of Learning (CoL)
Focused on student learning Involve teachers in identifying their own
learning needs Provide theoretical & content knowledge Are school based & embedded in work lives Organized around collaborative problem
solving On going dialogue/sharing & on site support
CPD How:Teachers Working Together Across Time
Collaboration over time with personnel in schools… creating and sustaining communities of practice
(Parker, Patton, Madden, & Sinclair, 2010)• Missy, Kevin and Colorado PE teachers story…
Creating and Sustaining CoL A Catalyst…. Teachers---to create and develop K-5 PE
curriculum Missy--- I wanted it [new curriculum] to be
quality knowing full well that they didn’t know what quality was…my goal was an invisible structure that educated on the one hand and empowered on the other
The drivers to initiate effort..
Money----Even though it is not that big, it is just one piece that keeps you going
Nucleus of teachers---there was this small core group that said ‘this is something we need to do, so lets go for it
School level leadership---we got a more specific sense of what we want to accomplish
Importance of support & knowledge
The university [personnel] facilitated not directed and they listened and they had the same goal as we did (teacher)
It was great having people who specialise in curriculum development because I felt rather clueless [coming in]…also providing resources was wonderful (teacher)
The power of relationships
Relationships among teachers proved to be a vital factor in the process and supported their efforts..
they endured beyond the CoP---they have outlived the grant
Teacher empowerment is critical
The teachers creation of knowledge provided them with a sense of confidence and propelled them throughout the process…
they developed a sense of empowerment and it led to ownership, increased confidence, and a belief they could “do anything”
Tensions in Delivering Quality CPD Balance teachers’ needs/expectations with vision for
CPD initiative. knowing what rather than wanting to know why?
Attention to interface between focus on content, pedagogy, teacher beliefs, and student learning
Practical relevance and intellectual stimulation Politeness and/or critical discussion with peers about
teaching and student learning, and professional identity. Designing PD experiences where teachers can admit
deficits without being considered deficient
What makes CPD Effective?
“questions remain concerning how to conceptualize teacher learning and, correspondingly, about how to construct professional development so as to foster meaningful change” (Butler, el al., 2004 p. 436)
PD programs have limited success because they fail to consider the process of teacher change (Guskey, 2002)
Core Features of CPD it builds on what teachers’ have already learned; emphasizes content and pedagogy aligned with standards,
frameworks, and assessments within the context of teachers’ daily lives
supports teachers in developing sustained, ongoing professional communities with other teachers who are trying to change in similar ways (Garet et al., 2001, p. 927).
focused on sustained learning built on collective reflection, action, and ownership (West Ed, 2000. O’Sullivan, 2009)
Collaboration and multiple supports important structural features (Armour & Yelling, 2005; Ward & O’Sullivan, 2006
Questions for Discussion? What structures are
appropriate for engaging Quebec teachers in shared conversations about policy and practices of CPD?
How well do the values/needs of teachers align with those who arrange for CPD initiatives for PE teachers in Quebec?
Thank You
Questions, comments, challenges welcomed in a shared dialogue…
Jennifer Wall AddressAPEQ ConferenceMonteal, Canada, 2010
Contemporary CPD Research (1)Teacher motivation & capacity for reformHa, Wong, Sum & Chang (2008)
Examined receptivity of PE teachers to curricular reform and capacity to accomplish proposed changes
Differentiated CPD for novice and experienced teachers
Novices needed leadership & support Veterans more able and positive toward
change Deficits around student assessment, inclusive
pedagogies
Contemporary CPD ResearchCommunities of Practice
Parker et al (2010; In Press)
Research Question: What factors facilitated the creation and maintenance of community of practice?
Importance of catalyst to initiate effort Importance of a vision for the project Importance of support…knowledge The power of relationships Realization of empowerment as critical
Recommended