Development of teachers in the workplace

Dr. Paul HennissenProfessor in School-Based TE

Technical University/Eindhoven:

“A smart regio does not depend on technical aspects only. ..But people make the difference. Innovation must be encouraged by cooperation of all stakeholders.”

“Eindhoven, the smartest region of the world” (June 2012)

Focus: Developing teachers’ excellence within learning communities

What?

Why?

How & what do we learn?How can we realize?

1

2

3

4

Learning communities

An example

‘a mentor says’

1. What are learning communities?

Theory

Learning Communities is a container concept

Specific forms are:

Community of Practice (CoP)

Community of Learning (CoL)

Professional Learning Community (PLC)

2. Why learning communities?

Changing professions

Hargreaves (2000): new professionalism

1993: DutchGovernment paper

4 yearsold

66 years old

Initial Training

Pre & In-service teachers

“Serving the School” (2001)

More handsAction research Collegial learningFeedback

OpportunitiesShrinking population

Idea

• The more theory they know, the better they perform in practice

• Doesn’t work

Gap between theory and practice

• Strong preconceptions• Feed-forward problem• Different kind of knowledge• Socialisation• Different place of storage

Gap T & P

Solutions• More time in the

workplace, but ..• Integration is necessary

The final exam or assessment should be: working together in finding solutions for problems and developing new knowledge.

Knowledge develops by social interaction (Vygotsky)

Social-cultural perspective

• Changes within profession• Reinforcing innovative capacity• Vitalising the teacher profession• Life-long Learning (LLL)• Shrinking population• Reducing gap between theory & practice• Perspective on workplace learning

So Why learning communities?

3. How and what do we learn in learning communities?

How do we learn?(Bolhuis & Simons, 2001)

Formal Informal

Intentional Implicit

Outside the context Within the context

vv vvvv

From the water Practical knowledge

perspectives

vv vvvv

From the side

From the water

Practical theory

Practical knowledge

perspectives

Externalization (Nonaka, 1995)

vv vvvv

From the air

From the side

From the water

Theory

Combination

(Nonaka, 1995)

Practical theory

Practical knowledge

perspectives

Autonomous behaviour

What do they learn?

What do we learn? What not?

Practical knowledge

Theory, conceptual development and

analytic skills

Knowledge base

Too instrumental

Workplace-specificroutines

Results pupils

When is ‘schooling’ effective?

Feedback

Dissonance

Context-specificity

Integration theory-practice

Active own learning process: Cyclic Systematic

Collective learning processes

Shared leadership

When is ‘schooling’ effective?

So what & how do they learn?

What?

• practical knowledge, routines, autonomy

Necessary: link with theory

How?

• reflection dissonance• feedback• dialogue• working together• cyclic ressearch

4. How to realize learning communities?

Cooperation requirements:

Professional Development Schools (PDS)

Research effects: after 10 years PDS95% stays within the professionbetter teachers

Reason: Improved cooperation

School requirements

Capacities:

Personal

Interpersonal

Organizational: culture, structure, leadership

(Verbiest, 2008)(Mitchell & Sackney, 2000)

pupils

Integration of practice – theory: Integration works (Brouwer & Korthagen,

2005) Who decides on curriculum:

Department (competence-based curricula) Learner (learning communites)

Curriculum requirements

CoP requirements: cyclic

Reading

1. Topic

2. Current situation

3. Analysis & Expectations

4. Actions for improvement

5. Results

6. Quality assurance

Interpretation by collegues

Together analysing

results

Joint practice

CoP requirements: cyclic

Reading

1. Topic

2. Current situation

3. Analysis & Expectations

4. Actions for improvement

5. Results

6. Quality assurance

Which theory can we use?

Interpretation by collegues

Together analysing

results

Can we use theory to choose the right action?

Possible explanations from

theory

Joint practice

CoP requirements: cyclic

Reading

1. Topic

2. Current situation

3. Analysis & Expectations

4. Actions for improvement

5. Results

6. Quality assurance

Pre-service teacher

Mentor teacher:

SB-teacher educator

UB-teacher educator

Teacher educators requirements:

The Skilled Mentor

So, which requirements?

PDS Professional learning communities Integration Theory & Practice CoPs: cyclic Teacher Educators

Learning communities

A lot of conditions are important Research Program topics:

Learning communities Curriculum Teacher educators

Maastricht, the smartest region of the world

in 2025

Thank you