Post on 21-Dec-2014
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Teacher Agency and Education Policy Change
Paul Campbell – (Twitter: @PCampbell91)I disagree.
Why research? Why policy?What’s your inspiration?
Scotland is setting an example (in policy) to the rest of the UK encouraging teachers to use academic studies to improve their lessons…but there may be a gap between
aspirations and reality.
- TESS 13th June
‘Even in Scotland, there was the danger that the findings of the Donaldson review, which has laid the policy foundations for a
‘research-engaged teaching profession’, would not be regarded as a priority by
teachers…’ the report warns.
- TESS 13th June
Why?
Commitment to professional learning and development that has a meaningful contribution to my own development and children's learning and achievements.
Recognition and understanding of wider policy area and implications on practice.
Engagement with the wider education debate.
Share, discuss, challenge ideas, engage with a wider demographic of partners in education.
Share what I see as important and key next steps for progression and improvement.
The Context Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) – Building the Curriculum
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
Advancing Professionalism in Teaching – McCormac
Teaching Scotland’s Future – Donaldson
Commission on School Reform
Quality and Improvement in Scottish Education Report
Curriculum for Excellence Impact Reports
On-going work of the National Partnership Group
CfE Implementation Plan 2014-15
Establishment/ Authority Improvement Plan
Implications
• The Journey from Good, to Great, to Excellent…(?)
• The approach, the involvement, the expectations of, the practice and the rights of those involved in the education and learning of our children and young people
WHO?CONTEXT?
WHAT/HOW?
Agency and Policy
Biesta & Tedder (2007) argue that the concept of agency is the actions people take by means of their environment rather than simply just acting in their environment. It’s the actions that are a result of an interplay between individual effort, resources one has access too and contextual or institutional influences that come together in what can be unique situations for each individual.
Policy being the stated principles and actions that underpin organisation, structure practice etc.
Scottish Education Policy Context
Do we currently have effective and meaningful ways for stakeholders, particularly teachers/lecturers, beyond trade union representation, to share and express new ideas and views on systemic practices, and for these views to have a genuine and recognizable impact on the outcomes from policy debates, recommendations and subsequent implementation and evaluation (Boyer, 2010).
Why is it relevant? It has serious implications for the effectiveness and impact of policy change and ultimately how policy is translated into meaningful and positive outcomes for learners (Spillane, 1999).
Policy Development Process
Rationale behind the change? (Dye, 2005)
Predominant absence of teachers in this process, results in numerous agencies consulting on and redeveloping policy in an attempt to guide teacher’s practice in a way that will make the change intended, however due to the often ambiguous objectives of policy redevelopment, inconsistencies between what related bodies advocate as a result, practice isn’t changed, rather, the policy change facilitate what Spillane (1999) describes as ‘local inattention’ – the goal of making policy change fit in or merge with current institutional or professional practice and cause minimal disruption.
ITE/ Career Long Professional Learning
Despite the collective representation of teachers through professional associations and trade unions, many teachers are not aware of the reforms to career-long professional learning and the implications for their professional practice, never mind the rationale behind them and the expected outcomes (Beck, 2014).
Professional Update
New curriculum = new pedagogy
GIRFEC – responsibilities and protocols
New Professional Standards
Masters level profession?
Shrinking budgets/ devolved leadership
…the day to day job
What does literature already tell us?
The lack of involvement of teachers and their understanding of policy development has implications for the involvement and impact of teachers in the reform or change process and thus the engagement in the implementation and evaluation process based on pre- determined policy goals and importantly, the perception and reality of policy success (McConnell, 2010).
Research in the area of policy change and systemic improvement in education has predominantly looked at how well equipped teachers are to ‘make the change’ or make a policy reform a reality as well as how the institutional or systemic context is ready for such a change or why it is needed at all (Bell & Stevenson, 2006; Boyer et al, 2010; Christie, 2008; Menter, 2008; Mourshed et al, 2010; Oancea & Orchard, 2012; and Smith 2010).
The current gap in the research field is looking at how teachers are involved in the early phase of policy development and the implications that has for the success, sustainability and scalability of a policy change or reform.
What have I learned from my research so far?
More involvement in decision making and policy development for teachers is one of the strongest predictors of both teachers’ sense of efficacy and professional satisfaction (Sarafidou & Chatziioannidis, 2013).
However, teachers’ willingness to participate in different decisions varies depending on the context or topic of the decision and their beliefs about the rationale or value of the potential change (Smylie, 1992).
Despite this, what is made clear across the literature is that policy and legislation can often not be sufficient to realize a discernable and sustainable change at institutional level (Mourshed et al, 2010; Nudzor, 2012).
(Today’s discussion – what do we do? How do we change the process from the ground up?)
The knowledge and ideas held by individuals as to what constitutes their professional role, their remit and the impact they can have on policy development, change and implementation, how this is conceptualized in policy, social structures or the relationships between groups within and across hierarchies, and the physical resources and spaces teachers have access to all impact a teachers capacity for agency (Priestly, et al, 2011).
Professional Learning and Development –
Next Steps for Policy and Practice Establishing effective practice at local levels with mechanisms to
collaborate a share between professionals, parents and community partners, devised, developed and sustained locally.
Broader range of communication tools and mechanisms advocated and in place; harnessing the full potential of technology and social media.
Move beyond the ‘call for evidence’, ‘opportunities to respond’, ‘representatives from all parties’ to a model of localised community partnership working/implementation (and interpretation)/review groups (e.g. curriculum, qualifications, assessment, reporting, partnership mechanisms) …with regular meaningful opportunities for feeding back to national groups/bodies.
Professional Initiated
Recognising Potential
Facilitating Opportunity
Trust, Support, Celebration
Effectiveness
Leadership
Management
Responsibility
Ownership
Lifelong learning
Commitment
Dedication
Improved outcomes
Children’s Learning and Experiences
Practice and Achievements
Professional Growth and
Personal Development
21st Century Professional and
Learner
National Education Bodies/ Agencies
Continually growing/inquiring(?) professional
OR
National Education Bodies/ Agencies
Continually growing/inquiring professional
Key Challenges – Practice/ Policy
Time
Family circumstances
Geography
Lack of confidence
Unfamiliarity
With barriers come ideas and approaches that can overcome them. But it takes time, as well as active and sustained dialogue between relevant stakeholders with a practical focus on improving experiences, achievements and outcomes of all learners.
Discussion Point
Teacher involvement in the policy development process.
Teachers/lecturers setting the agenda for policy change.
Lasting, wide scale positive change for the experiences and outcomes for our children and young people.
Utilising the experiences and expertise of all those involved.
What are the next steps for your own context, institution or sector?
What are the biggest challenges? What are the biggest opportunities? What is the next step in the journey?
Why?
We know it’s right.
Our children deserve the best; better than we are doing.
Reconceptualising the learning process – there is still work to do. Not just at policy level, but practically and meaningfully.
There is an abundance of excellent examples to learn from, but how do we ensure people can learn from them and use elements of these to initiate their own approaches?
- Japanese Proverb
‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.’
There isn’t a panacea, there
aren’t answers to all the challenging
questions. But there are actions to go with visions we
have.
Reflection.Ideas.
Communication.Action.
Evaluation.Revolution.
Transformation.
A final thought…‘Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’
W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)
"He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven"
from the Collected Works of W.B. Yeats