Fred Astaire amid the group: A vision in teacher profdev
Darren Draper wrote a thoughtful post about the elements of effective edtech teacher professional development. As someone who has been there as both participant and leader in hundreds of profdev sessions, I find his list verifiable, both through my anecdotal experience and my reading. Every researcher has slightly different names for the elements, but they really describe the same must-haves that Darren summarizes.
Effective technology-related professional development:
- Is generally longer in duration (contact hours plus follow-up, not just drive-by)
- Provides access to new technologies for teaching and learning
- Actively engages teachers in meaningful and relevant activities for their individual contexts
- Promotes peer collaboration and community building
- Has a clearly articulated and a common vision for student achievement
- Helps in establishing a culture of technology integration
- Provides for the modeling of technology use
- Creates teacher leaders
- Culminates with the establishment of a teacher-led community of practice
- Is initiated by teacher-led groups with “strong ties” to design their own professional development and create their own PLCs
Looking back into the research Darren includes before this final list, I zero in on two elements he mentions before the final list. (One made the final list, while the other did not.) Both are deeply related to an individual teacher’s intrinsic motivation to try something new. I have seen each of these play out with huge impact, enough to elevate them high on my “list” :
the critical importance of prior “strong ties” among teachers that propelled their activism (cited by Draper from Jones-Chris-2006 via Larry Cuban)
a mentor can negotiate the interplay of multiple barriers (time, beliefs, access, professional development, culture) on teachers who are learning to integrate technology (cited by Draper from Kopcha 2010)
There is no question that profdev for a group of teachers held together by “strong ties” and a mission, e.g. a successful elementary grade level team, an Art department team grateful to finally have Art-specific inservice, or a middle school teaching team accustomed to collaborating, is exciting for the facilitator and the participants. The group already has established patterns of working together and established respect for each other. They know who will care about what, so they can delegate tasks and share laughs as they learn together. They also feel comfortable saying what they think out loud and questioning suggestions made by an outsider that might not fit their context. “Strong ties” also make teachers more likely to prevent each other from slipping into negativism if they believe the profdev offering has potential for their “mission.” When one slips, the others pull him/her along. They are social learners of the highest order. Profdev planners assume that the strong ties exist due to circumstance, however, will see their efforts backfire. Just because a dozen teachers work in the same department, that does not give them a “strong ties.” So we need to ask questions and seek out the “strong ties” before we plan profdev. In some school culture, there is little beyond individual survival, and no strong ties exist except the negative ones. And strong ties to negativity will propel negative “activism” every time.
The second descriptor conjures an image of Fred Astaire carefully tap-dancing through a room filled with barriers, hopping atop chairs and tables and off walls as he “recognizes” them, yet using each as a launch point for marvelous leaps and stylish moves. That’s what we profdev folks do when we listen to (and ASK about) what teachers perceive as barriers and then address them creatively. As the dance floor group watches — and even positions new barriers in Fred’s way to test his steps– Fred lightly leaps to a new clear space, spinning a member of the group to join him. The group members grab others, in turn, into the dance. Fred must quickly relinquish the spotlight so all dance. He teaches the steps; they mimic, then spin off on their own as the music rises. I dream of being an edtech Fred Astaire. I have had brief moments when I have heard the music rise, and it is exhilarating.
Darren gives us a good list. Each point deserves serious reflection and comparison to our own practice in profdev. For now, I will dream of Fred Astaire for the weekend, perhaps an edtech profdev dance marathon?
Good continuation if ideas, Candace. I hadn’t made some of the connections you have and appreciate your take. As a professional developer, I remember well zig-zagging through many teachers’ concerns about using technology. I also like the imagery of Fed Astaire, but have a few related questions for you:
1. Who is the dance floor group that positions new barriers to test your steps?
2. What do you do when the barriers that hold teachers back from using technology are the well-founded philosophies about pedagogy that some teachers possess? It’s not that they wouldn’t want to use technology in their curriculum, and it’s not that they can’t; instead, it’s that their instruction actually suffers from its inclusion?
I wonder: Are there some barriers that aren’t worth tap dancing around? If so, could you list them for me?
Comment by Darren Draper — October 16, 2010 @ 7:42 pm
Great questions, Darren. I will try to respond to each.
1. My experience is that in any inservice or grad class, as new ideas for technology are suggested, someone always has a “yeah, but” challenge. When I describe the barriers being pushed into Fred’s path, it is these barriers– from the minds of the teachers- that I think of. Other built-in barriers may already exist: filtering software, lack of common planning time, lack of access to computers or laptop carts, etc. As much as Fred can scope out the dance floor in advance, the other dancers will always throw some unforeseen (or perceived but not actual?) barriers in once the dance has begun.
2. Your second question makes me think harder. I do know situations where a really good teacher with solid pedagogy might actually break down a successful strategy by force-fitting technology into it. There are some incredible teachers who simply do not “need” tech to make a particular lesson/unit more effective. In this situation, I always suggest they try tech first in the lessons/units that frustrate them: What do you teach that is always like pulling teeth, that you always dread, where students often get their poorest grades? That is one place where their pedagogy MAY need a new look and tech may help. These incredible teachers are happy to have a new idea to try in such circumstances. And they may also concede that tech could be worth the effort simply to address today’s kids. The most important thing is to respect their expertise or they will not listen to you, anyway. It has to be their idea, and it is when pre-established groups seek profdev together.
Barriers not worth tap-dancing around? Hmm. If the barrier gets in teachers’ way, we must recognize it, even if our temporary solution is to use only a portion of the dance floor for NOW. The biggest one I hear is TIME, and it is a huge one, but it shrinks after teachers have more confidence and experience. Stretching the Astaire analogy a bit, if Fred and the dancers don’t have the fitness level yet, let them dance in a smaller space until they have build the strength to leap further together. Sometimes a dancer can jump higher when helped along by another, too. One way I have gained credibility is to share ways we can work together to remove barriers such as filtering. “Let’s propose a pilot and document its impact!” is one of my favorites. No administrator wants to be the naysayer to something that has been proven to work, so we win them over to help us get things unblocked…
Comment by Candace Hackett Shively — October 17, 2010 @ 8:26 am