The Arena of Change - Described
To create my change model i have adapted the Davis (2013) Arena of Change to suit my own situation. I am looking at the present situation of how we use collaborative online tools to carry out planning in the primary school i work at. The model shows people driving the change, those that want to be involved, those that are reluctant, those that receive the benefits of change, the keen observers and those that are providing support via information or application.
Davis (2008) describes innovative teachers as being a great agent of change, and our school is no exception. At the heart of my model are a group of teachers (A) that have introduced collaborative tools into their own classrooms; they use them with their students and with other teachers. Their classrooms are dynamic places of learning where the students are highly engaged and are actively involved in directing their education. The Senior Management team (D), who are also teachers, are part of this cohort but have also looked at how online collaboration can be used to support some of the backbone planning and reviews that are a necessary part of a school's infrastructure; to this end they have involved the Principal (P). The Principal has engaged in the process some time after its initiation and that is why he is on the side of the field of play.
The Learner (L) are the students at the school and while they are not engaged in the online collaborative planning they are, ultimately, its beneficiaries and that is why they are surrounding the field of play. Also standing on the side of the field are the teachers who are keen to implement the change (K), they have observed the positive outcomes that have been reaped thus far. These teachers are digitally literate but will require a small level of professional development and scaffolding to enter the field. There are other teachers who are reluctant to make the change (R), they have positioned themselves away from the field. These teachers, generally, find technology difficult and/or have been through multiple pedagogical and planning changes in their career.
In the first tier away from the field is also the school's Board of Trustees (B). They are supportive and see the benefits in the school 21st Century approach to learning; however they are mindful of results - they need to be assured that all of their strategic goals with regard to student achievement will be met, regardless of change.
Within the wider community our parents (P), who can be wary of change and who have predominately grown up within a traditional model of schooling themselves will observe and reserve judgement. On the whole the parents have embraced learning at the school but are also concerned that their child meets their potential (this is often gauged by measuring against the National Standards). Also on this tier are our other local schools (S), who will watch with competitive interest. Some may choose to join in the conversation about online collaboration, while others will be derisive.
In the top tier we have ERO and the Ministry of Education. As the Principal, I wonder how they will perceive the direction in which we are moving. We need to make sure any changes are running smoothly before their next review of the school.
Also in the top tier are the choices we have in service providers; those that provide the applications. Our school has traditionally used the Microsoft Office Suite for planning and self review, but we are now moving towards applications within Google Drive.
Lastly in this tier are the places we will gain information to underpin our decisions - UC EDEM630 will serve the school well in providing the opportunities to achieve this.
References
Davis, N.E. (2008). How may teacher learning be promoted for educational renewal with IT? In J. Voogt and G. Knezek (eds.), International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, (507–520) Amsterdam: Springer
Davis, N.E. (2013). The Arena of Change. Retrieved from UC Learn EDEM630
The Learner (L) are the students at the school and while they are not engaged in the online collaborative planning they are, ultimately, its beneficiaries and that is why they are surrounding the field of play. Also standing on the side of the field are the teachers who are keen to implement the change (K), they have observed the positive outcomes that have been reaped thus far. These teachers are digitally literate but will require a small level of professional development and scaffolding to enter the field. There are other teachers who are reluctant to make the change (R), they have positioned themselves away from the field. These teachers, generally, find technology difficult and/or have been through multiple pedagogical and planning changes in their career.
In the first tier away from the field is also the school's Board of Trustees (B). They are supportive and see the benefits in the school 21st Century approach to learning; however they are mindful of results - they need to be assured that all of their strategic goals with regard to student achievement will be met, regardless of change.
Within the wider community our parents (P), who can be wary of change and who have predominately grown up within a traditional model of schooling themselves will observe and reserve judgement. On the whole the parents have embraced learning at the school but are also concerned that their child meets their potential (this is often gauged by measuring against the National Standards). Also on this tier are our other local schools (S), who will watch with competitive interest. Some may choose to join in the conversation about online collaboration, while others will be derisive.
In the top tier we have ERO and the Ministry of Education. As the Principal, I wonder how they will perceive the direction in which we are moving. We need to make sure any changes are running smoothly before their next review of the school.
Also in the top tier are the choices we have in service providers; those that provide the applications. Our school has traditionally used the Microsoft Office Suite for planning and self review, but we are now moving towards applications within Google Drive.
Lastly in this tier are the places we will gain information to underpin our decisions - UC EDEM630 will serve the school well in providing the opportunities to achieve this.
References
Davis, N.E. (2008). How may teacher learning be promoted for educational renewal with IT? In J. Voogt and G. Knezek (eds.), International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, (507–520) Amsterdam: Springer
Davis, N.E. (2013). The Arena of Change. Retrieved from UC Learn EDEM630
Chris
ReplyDeleteIn relation to your research and finding relevant resources, you may want to consider a case study? Warrington School here in Otago has been using open collaborative planning for some time -- perhaps a mini case study -- I'm sure Warrington's would be keen to share their experiences - see: http://wikieducator.org/Warrington_School