ICSEI conference Individual Paper Proposal:
Becoming a Professional Learning Community: A case study of a special school in Australia
Abstract:
This paper examines the affordances and constraints that occurred within the implementation of Continuous
Professional Learning (Webster-Wright, 2009) in the context of one special school for students with severe
disabilities as it endeavoured to become a Professional Learning Community (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, &
Many, 2010). The study adopted a situative perspective (Borko, 2004). Within the case study context of a
single special school, the study seeks to find an in-depth understanding regarding the transformation of this
school in becoming a Professional Learning Community over an approximate 18 months period. Using staff
interviews and professional learning evaluations as the primary data sources, the researcher used pattern
coding (Saldana, 2009) to identify the key factors that generated and hindered educational change within the
Continuous Professional Learning process. This study is significant as it develops a conceptual framework
of Continuous Professional Learning relevant to a special school context.
Objectives
This presentation of early findings of doctoral research examines the affordances and constraints that
occurred within the implementation of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) (Webster-Wright, 2009) in
the context of one school for students with severe disabilities as it endeavoured to become a Professional
Learning Community (PLC) (DuFour et al., 2010). The broader study aims to identify the affordances and
constraints within the processes and the final outcomes of the CPL for staff, student and whole school within
a special school context. The key research question is how does a special school become a Professional
Learning Community? A special school is a different and complex context that contrasts in many ways with
mainstream educational settings. This study provides insights into the factors generating and sustaining
educational change within an innovative special school context.
Theoretical perspective
The study adopted a situative perspective (Borko, 2004), which is based in the epistemological frame of the
study. Situations are significant for qualitative research. Theorists (Greeno, 1997) utilised the word
‘situationality’ to refer to the attention given to particular places, times, social backgrounds, communication
styles, and other backgrounds for the activities and relationships being studied. The situation of the research
provides part of the meaning for qualitative phenomena (Stake, 2010, p. 52). ‘Situativity theory emphasis
learning as being connected to the situation, with individual cognition and meaning being socially and
culturally constructed. This involves working collaboratively, addressing contextualised authentic problems
and negotiating meaning through practice’ (Owen, 2004, p. 4). In this study, situativity has implications for
both the student and their learning, the teacher and their learning, and the way the researcher understands the
concepts of knowledge, teaching and learning in these contexts (Putnam & Borko, 2000, p. 4).
Methods
A case study is the ideal means to examine contemporary human phenomena, with a wide range of variables
in context (Gillham, 2000). Case studies “evoke images of the possible…not only documenting that it can
be done, but also laying out at least one detailed example of how it was organised, developed and pursued”
(Shulman, 1983, p. 495). This research employed the case study as a powerful tool to understand
continuous professional learning in one context. Within the case study context of a single special school, the
study seeks to find an in-depth understanding regarding the transformation of this school in becoming a
professional learning community over an approximate 18 months period.
Data sources
There were multiple data sources utilised within the research. In this study, the staff interviews and CPL
evaluations were the primary data sources. The data collection was informed by the situative perspective
(Borko, 2004) allowing for multiple conceptual perspectives and multiple units of analysis. ‘Situative
theorists conceptualise learning as changes in participation in social organised activities, and individuals use
of knowledge as an aspect of their participation in social practices’ (Borko, 2004, p. 5). This enables the
researcher to conceptualise learning as both individual and as socio cultural. In this case, the situative
perspective applies both to the classroom and CPL contexts.
Data analysis occurred in a two-step process using Nvivo 10 software (QSR International) that involved
segmenting activities and metadata activities (Patton, 2002, p. 446). Segmenting is a process of highlighting
text and applying codes to a segment. Metadata occurs though the creation of new data, such as creating
codes, comments, memos, annotations and visual representations of information. These two processes occur
iteratively to distil the patterns that emerged from the data (Saldana, 2009).
Findings
This paper focuses on the identification of the affordances and constraints within the CPL process within
one special school context. These are the factors that generate, or hinder, the educational change within the
school context. Affordances are the properties of an environment, specified by the information field, that
enable action (Young, Barab, & Garrett, 2000). These affordances represent the positive changes that
occurred in the school as it moved towards becoming a PLC. The affordances have emerged within seven
key themes: teacher knowledge, the development of a discourse, the professional learning (PL) content,
focus and context, collegiality and sharing, challenge and trust and identity. These are interrelated and
dynamic, and changed over the course of the CPL as teachers’ knowledge developed.
The constraints may be defined as the opposite of affordances, that is, that which constrains action (Wilson
& Myers, 2000). The constraints were the elements of the school’s traditions and structures that restricted
change in a range of ways. The constraining factors identified within the study were behaviourism,
superficiality of discourse, inappropriate materials, PL approach, content and focus, individualism, culture
and identity. Some of these constraints are the parallel to the affordance, for example identity may be
utilised by teachers either as an affordance or a constraint. Some are the counterpart to each other, for
example collegiality and individualism. This paper will explore the nuances of these complex factors as they
changed over time.
Educational significance
This study has potential to make original contributions to knowledge that will be of educational significance
for theory and practice. The study develops a conceptual framework of Continuous Professional Learning
relevant to a special school context. By examining a holistic picture of the specialist school environment
(school wide) to determine how to improve the learning outcomes for students with severe disabilities, the
model developed may be useful to education departments implementing whole school pedagogical change
within special schools.
Theme
The theme this research links to is ‘School Effectiveness, School Improvement and School
Transformation - What do they Mean in Different Contexts and Different Paradigms,’ and the relevant topic
is ‘Effective teachers and professional development in different socio-cultural contexts’. The socio cultural
of a special school context contrasts from mainstream education in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and
teacher and student learning outcomes. The setting of a special school for primary aged children with severe
disabilities is unique context and a unique paradigm particularly in terms establishing effective continuous
professional learning which is a central tenet of effective and self-sustaining PLCs.
References
Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and Teacher Learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational
Researcher, 33(8).
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by Doing A Handbook for Professional
Learning Communities at Work (2nd ed.). Bloomington: Solution Tree Press.
Gillham, B. (2000). Case Study Research Methods. London: Continuum.
Greeno, J. G. (1997). Response: On Claims that answer the Wrong Questions. Educational Researcher,
26(1), 5-17.
Owen, S. (2004). Situativity Theory and Emerging Trends in Teacher Professional Development. Paper
presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Melbourne, Australia.
Patton, M., Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Putnam, R., & Borko, H. (2000). What do New Views of Knowledge and Thinking Have to Say about
Research on Teacher Learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 4-15.
Saldana, J. (2009). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Los Angeles: Sage.
Shulman, L. S. (1983). Autonomy and Obligation: The remote control of teaching. In L. S. Shulman & G.
Sykes (Eds.), Handbook of teaching and policy (pp. 484-504). New York: Longman.
Stake, R. E. (2010). Qualitative Research Studying How Things Work
Webster-Wright, A. (2009). Reframing Professional Development Through Understanding Authentic
Professional Learning. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 702-739.
Wilson, B. G., & Myers, K. M. (2000). Situated Cognition in Theoretical and Practical Context. In D. H.
Jonassen & S. M. Land (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of learning environments (pp. 57-88). New
Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum associates Inc.
Young, M. F., Barab, S. A., & Garrett, S. (2000). Agent as Detector: An Ecological Psychology Perspective
on Learning by Perceiving-Acting Systems. In D. H. Jonassen & S. M. Land (Eds.), Theoretical
Foundations of Learning Environments (pp. 147-172). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.