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). 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