Transforming PracticeJean Dourneen

GTE Conference

25th January 2008

ContextJean – MSc assignment– observation of Sasha’s ICT session with

English PGCE students

Assignment suggested needed to observe students to see if they

transformed the principles of the activity – Jean observed their

lessons and interviewed them

Decision to use the data for writing a paper – collaboration to

‘scaffold’ Jean’s introduction to research

Overview of ProcessViewed video recording of university session together

Read/reread literature-Cope and Kalantzis, Laughran

Sasha – wrote reflections of her session

Jean – wrote about Alex and Tess’s lessons and interview

Discussed each other’s notes – decision to focus on one

point in activity

Jean – analysis of similar instances in students’ lessons

Sasha – closer analysis of one point in activity

Discussion of first draft about session and lessons and what

we found out from them Jean – put drafts together to create first draft of paper

Sasha – did more literature research

Discussion of findings/conclusions

More drafting and literature reading

The university session

Objectives• to learn ICT skills• to consider the creative use of ICT in English• To consider the balance between talk about ICT and talk about poetry

FrameworkImmersion (in paradigmatic activity)

Critical Framing

TransformationOvert Instruction

Activity

Students worked in pairs to create Powerpoint slides to give an interpretation of a poem of their own choice. While students worked, Sasha circulated and suggested how students might extend their learning. In a plenary, the group reflected on their outcomes and on the activity as a teaching and learning tool.

Cope and Kalantzis (2000)

The students’ lessons and interview

• Observations audio recorded• Alex’s session first, then Tess• They discussed work because they knew I was

researching it• Their lessons used the activity and there was

some transformation, mostly of management rather than learning – use of ICT suite; working in pairs; planning lesson; assessment

• Interview with both students

Alex’s lesson

• Focus on one intervention:‘(Following discussion of the need to focus on one word)A. What’s the most important word in that stanza?P. DingyA. OK so what can you do with those words to make them

effective?P. We could have a dark coloured backgroundQ. I think that’s a good idea’

• Alex’s pupils’ PowerPoint

Tess’s lesson

• Focus on one intervention:

T. So what’s going to be on your first slide?

B. The first slide we’ve got the green lake was big so we’re expressing how big it was

T. Can you tell me what’s going to happen with the words on your screen?

B. Yeah, it’s gonna get massive

• Tess’s pupils’ PowerPoint

The Interview – students’ perceptions of how they adapted the activity for the classroom and issues raised

‘I gave my students a whole lesson planning…Then I gave them a very detailed task sheet…I wanted them to be writing about what they were doing and why they were doing it’ Tess

‘They were all completely engaged for the entire hour’Both students

‘I think it’s a fantastic way of getting them into a text, getting them to do very close reading without necessarily realising that they are’ Tess

‘I think I would use it again, especially for revision giving them themes to look at or sections of chapters’ Alex

‘It didn’t allow for a reading or writing level particularly’ Alex

Main findings about students’ transformation of the activity

• Students enjoyed the activity in the university session and were keen to use it in their own teaching

• Students adapted the activity for their own teaching, mostly in management and content rather than learning aspects

• They saw it as a summative activity, rather than a formative one

• They did not fully appreciate the learning potential of the teacher intervention

• They equated pupils’ engagement with successful learning

• They were vague about the potential of the activity for learning and assessment

Theoretical Framework

Situated practice Phronesis Paradigmatic activity

Overt instruction Tacit –explicit

Multilayered teaching

Critical framing Episteme Pedagogical subject knowledge

Transformed learning Episteme/ phronesis

Transferred pedagogy

New London Group 2000 Loughran 2006 reflections

Our Conclusions

• We could place more emphasis on critical framing perhaps by focusing on a problematic moment in the paradigmatic activity

• We could build in time to discuss students’ transformations of particular activities

• Collaborative work between student teachers and teacher educators gives the opportunity to develop reflection on practice and an introduction to action research

• Using video to record observations focuses discussion on the details of teaching and learning

What have we personally gained from this work?

• A critical framework for discussion of teacher education as a distinctive practice

• Close analysis of our practice in sessions

• An evolving practice of teacher education

• Research development opportunities

• A stronger focus on students’ transfer of learning (‘impact’ is a problematic term?)

How has this research changed our practice?

ForStudents

Changes

For Us

‘disturbing practice’

Clear idea of problematic moment in ‘Paradigmatic

activity’Focus on students’ learning and work

in school

Need for critical framing

Videoing sessions

Planning and evaluating sessions together

Peer observation

Links strengthened between sessions

Making the tacit explicit Videopapers

Team teaching

Beware the well-managed, busy session with little learning