Running towards a Learning Organization? Running towards a Learning Organization?

The Policies and Practices on ICTE in Two SchoolsThe Policies and Practices on ICTE in Two Schools

Tse Wing Cheung, AlexKowloon Rhenish School

九龍禮賢學校

Paper presented in IT in Education Symposium

July 10, 2004

Self introductionSelf introduction

Msc. (IT in Education) graduate, HKU

Chairman, IT Committee, Kowloon Rhenish School (九龍禮賢學校 )

Professional Member/ Member: HKERA, HKAECT, HKPERA, HKACE, AiTLE, CITE

Ex-QEF External Reviewer (IT in Education, Round 4)

Ex-QEF Project Leader (IT in Education, Round 4)

What do you think about the following What do you think about the following questions?questions?

Do you think that many teachers have tried very hard in implementing Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICTE)?Are there significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning afterwards?Do you think that some underlying factors, which fundamentally post as the impediments of implementing ICTE in the schools, have not changed?In this way, how can the policies and practices on ICTE be effective and sustainable?

This study reveals that…This study reveals that…Isaacson and Bamburg suggest that “quality won't be found through the same old systems. Educators must challenge traditional mental models and ways of visioning and teaming if they hope to create meaningful change.” (Isaacson & Bamburg, 1992, p.42) The issues like mental models, shared vision and team learning etc., in fact, are the essential “disciplines” of a Learning Organization (LO)This study uses this model of LO to analyze the policies and practices on ICTE in two schools Reflects the necessity of schools to transform them as LO so as to make the education reforms, likes those of ICTE, actually beneficial to the school development

About the 2 studied schools (S1 and S2)About the 2 studied schools (S1 and S2)

Many schools in Hong Kong deeply engage in implementing ICTEThe 2 studied schools are the good examplesE.g. QEF funded ICTE projects and various school-based ICTE initiativesLocal primary schoolsTried very hard and very best in implementing ICTEOnly minimal improvements in the quality of teaching and learning

About the 2 studied schools (S1 and S2)About the 2 studied schools (S1 and S2)

The ICTE team in S1 and S2The ICTE team in S1 and S2

The general background of ICTE The general background of ICTE implementation in S1 and S2implementation in S1 and S2

Purposes of this researchPurposes of this research

Case study: does not have significant value of generalization

Help to find out the impediments that other schools may encounter in implementing ICTE

Prepare for exploring a good model of practice for implementing ICTE for school development

Research frameworkResearch frameworkLearning Organization: an in-depth research Learning Organization: an in-depth research

framework for assessing school developmentframework for assessing school development

Senge suggests LO in his huge influential book: The fifth discipline, the art and practice of learning organization in 1990Put the model into the context of school: Schools that learn in 2000School should develop five “disciplines” (capacities) for better school development: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning and system thinkingAct as a framework for assessing school development of 2 studied schools in implementing ICTE

Research designResearch design

Deals with the issues of culture, ethos values and belief etc

Difficult to make use of the “objective instruments”

Uses qualitative methods

Research designResearch design

Findings and discussion: Findings and discussion: Do the schools run towards a Do the schools run towards a

Learning Organization?Learning Organization?

Adopts LO as guiding principle

Compare and evaluate the 2 studied schools’ policies and practices on ICTE for school development

The five disciplines are applied one by one

1. Personal Mastery and 2 schools1. Personal Mastery and 2 schools

Personal Mastery: Personal Mastery: School should rank staff development School should rank staff development

as an extremely high priorityas an extremely high priority

Taking staff development for ICTE as exampleIn S1 …Majority of funding spends on buying hardware and softwareJust encourage teachers to participate in the occasional training arranged by EMB

Personal Mastery: Personal Mastery: School should rank staff development School should rank staff development

as an extremely high priorityas an extremely high priorityStress on top-down approachWeak in encouraging staff development for implementing ICTETeachers’ initiatives are discouragedThe members of ICT team nearly design all the lesson plans, adopted in Information Technology Learning Centre (ITLC)The majority of teachers cannot participate or implement ICTE in their own wayOutcome: Difficult to build up their personal vision of implementing ICTE

Personal Mastery: Personal Mastery: Teachers should view personal vision as Teachers should view personal vision as

important and engage in pursuing itimportant and engage in pursuing it Staff development for ICTE in S2 is very different

Bottom-up approach is widely adopted

The ICT team encourages the teaching staff to implement ICTE by “autonomous ways”: Providing necessary technical support Informing teachers clearly that the available pool of ICT

teaching and learning resources Adequate chamber for the teachers to realise their own

teaching philosophies by implementing ICTE in their ways

Beneficial for the teaching staff to build up their personal vision of implementing ICTE

Personal Mastery: Teachers should develop Personal Mastery: Teachers should develop an awareness of current realities and an awareness of current realities and

encompass commitment to tell the truthencompass commitment to tell the truth

Taking school culture as exampleIn 2 studied schools …Unfavourable culture, which hinders the building up personal vision: Teaching staff, in some cases, do not commit

to tell the truth When some sensitive issues arise, it is rare

that the staff will bring up the problem and insist to find the truth

Do not want to rock the boat Not accustomed to be the critical friends of

the others

Personal Mastery: Personal Mastery: Teachers should develop an awareness of Teachers should develop an awareness of

current realities and encompass commitment to current realities and encompass commitment to tell the truthtell the truth

Aim at attaining the dazzling achievements more than concrete advancement of school …

The school-based ICTE training for teachers mainly aims at fulfilling the requirements of EMB and

Providing a ground for raising fund of ICTE development

The course assessment is not so serious

Whether the teachers can really acquire certain level of ICT competency is a question

Staff have low motivation to be aware of current realities of school development

Outcome: the ICTE implementation may run on a wrong track in the long run as they fail to perceive the real picture of the school development

Personal Mastery and 2 schools: OverviewPersonal Mastery and 2 schools: Overview

2 schools apparently has certain distance from a LO

Can reorient the importance of the staff’s growth and learning

Critical for the overall success of the schools

Significant portion of total budget of ICTE development for staff development can be set aside

The staff can learn to be a critical friend of each other and commit to tell the truth

All these factors become the very important foundation of a successful, effective and sustainable implementation of ICTE

2. Mental Models and 2 schools2. Mental Models and 2 schools

Taking evaluation on ICTE implementation as example

In 2 schools, many teaching and learning initiatives

Poor culture to reflect on these initiatives

The innovations are usually confined to certain working groups of teachers

Too busy for the involved teachers (seed & pilot projects) to share their experiences and reflections with the their colleagues

Mental Models: Teachers should challenge Mental Models: Teachers should challenge the underlying principles, philosophies, the underlying principles, philosophies,

assumptions, strategies and definitions of assumptions, strategies and definitions of teaching and learningteaching and learning

Mental Models: Mental Models: Each school stakeholder should query the existing Each school stakeholder should query the existing

structures of school and roles of each poststructures of school and roles of each post

Teachers generally view that ICTE does not lead to significant change on teaching and learning style …

The adoption of interactive and student-centred learning are still very limited

Teachers still dominate the teaching and learning process

The curriculum remains highly restricted by the textbooks

Mental Models: Mental Models: Collaborative sharing, invention and application Collaborative sharing, invention and application

of new mental models among the teachersof new mental models among the teachers

S1: Half-day school

Difficult to set aside a regular period of time for the teachers to share their experiences and reflections with the their colleagues

Mental Models: Mental Models: Collaborative sharing, invention and application Collaborative sharing, invention and application

of new mental models among the teachersof new mental models among the teachersS2: whole day school

Possible to encourage sharing of teaching practices among teaching staff

Each Friday afternoon, there is a period of time called Teaching Research (TR)

The teachers will be grouped according to the subjects they teach

They can share, discuss and reflect on their teaching practices

It helps the emergence and application of the new mental models

Quite similar to Senge’s dialogue

Mental Models and 2 schools: OverviewMental Models and 2 schools: Overview

Active participation in numerous teaching and learning initiatives

Generated high potential for S1 and S2 to make reflection on the mental models that they stick on in the daily teaching practice for a long time

S1: Lack favourable adequate channels to build up the new mental models

Minimal improvement on the quality of teaching and learning is expected

Mental Models and 2 schools: OverviewMental Models and 2 schools: Overview

The opportunity of dialogue among the staff through various levels, approaches and ways can be encouraged for changing mental models

Need to develop new mental models on the roles of students as well as teaching and learning

Undoubtedly necessary for a successful implementation of ICTE in the schools

3. Shared Vision3. Shared Vision and 2 schools and 2 schools

Shared Vision: Shared Vision:

1. The teachers should view that the 1. The teachers should view that the visions of the school can comprise those visions of the school can comprise those

of the individualsof the individuals

2. The school vision of various policies 2. The school vision of various policies should be itinerant and ongoing among the should be itinerant and ongoing among the

teaching staffteaching staff

Shared VisionShared Vision

In 2 schools (especially in S1) …

The visions of different policies are mostly imposed from the principals

Teachers almost have no say in formulating the ICTE plan

Such culture of power centralization affects each level of school management

Shared VisionShared Vision

Inadequate chamber to develop shared vision in school

Widen the gap between the school ICTE plan and teachers’ personal ideal on it

Becomes an hidden impediment of ICTE implementation

Shared Vision and 2 schools: OverviewShared Vision and 2 schools: Overview

Can encourage “bottom-up” initiatives: mass formulation of school vision and mass participation of school policies etc.Help to promote the shared vision in schoolsInvolves the issues of change managementChannels and culture can build up Above measures are vital because ICTE implementation especially requires tremendous effort of teachers’ initiatives

4. Team Learning 4. Team Learning and 2 schoolsand 2 schools

Team Learning:Team Learning:

1. Teachers should believe in the 1. Teachers should believe in the effectiveness of collective learning in groupseffectiveness of collective learning in groups

2. The school should develop a favourable 2. The school should develop a favourable environment for emerging insightful environment for emerging insightful

reflections among the teachersreflections among the teachers

Team LearningTeam Learning

Taking teaching of Computer Literacy as exampleIn S1:ICT team has strategically arranged co-teaching in the subject of Computer Literacy for several yearsICT-experienced teachers lead “fresh” colleagues to teach with the support of ICTBuilding up many staff’s confidence to use ICT tools to teachThe lesson observations are arrangedUseful to facilitate sharing about ICTE implementationMore useful than the one-off ICTE seminars in motivating the teachers to integrate ICT in their teaching practicesRealising the effectiveness and importance of collective learning

Team LearningTeam LearningIn S2:Teachers of Mathematics spend much time on sharing their experiences in implementing ICTEA favourable atmosphere for promoting team learning among the teaching staffBeneficial for implementing ICTE

Team Learning and 2 schools: OverviewTeam Learning and 2 schools: OverviewBegin to realise the importance of collective enquiry

Various sort of formal and informal groups

Encourage team learning among the teachers to implement ICTE

Opportunities of team learning can be more effective, especially when they can learn how to discuss together productively and achieve its unique objectives effectively

Teaching staff should accept that learning is not only an individual phenomenon but also happen in collective experience of groups

If the capacity of team learning grows gradually, the schools will develop favourable environment for emerging insightful reflections about integrating ICTE in teaching and learning

5. System Thinking 5. System Thinking and 2 schoolsand 2 schools

System Thinking: System Thinking: The school should perceive what are the The school should perceive what are the underlying patterns, which impede the underlying patterns, which impede the

advancement of schooladvancement of schoolTaking contributions of various school stakeholders as example

In S1:

Under the policy of EMB, the Parents-teachers Association was formed a few years ago

A functional body with limited authority of school management

Parents can share their view to facilitate the school development

Parents become a potential source of outsourcing for ICTE implementation

But it takes time to develop the culture

System Thinking: System Thinking: The school should perceive what are the The school should perceive what are the underlying patterns, which impede the underlying patterns, which impede the

advancement of schooladvancement of schoolIn S2:

Private school: free from the pressure of establishing Parents-teachers Association

Principal dominates the decision-making process of the schools

So-called Parents-teachers Association is just the occasional gatherings between parents and teachers

Principal did not think parents with school management authority is beneficial for the school development

Parents cannot contribute to the development of ICTE for that school

System Thinking: System Thinking: The school should consider the goals and The school should consider the goals and

issues of a particular project as part of issues of a particular project as part of larger entirety and not isolated problemslarger entirety and not isolated problems

Taking coordination of ICT policy with the master school plan as example

Both schools work out their school plan and ICTE plan separately

Principals, teachers and even members of ICT team also view that the ICTE plan is an isolated issue and does not closely relate to the master school plan

The school should view each issue from an integrated perspective

System Thinking: System Thinking: The school should consider the goals and The school should consider the goals and

issues of a particular project as part of issues of a particular project as part of larger entirety and not isolated problemslarger entirety and not isolated problems

A successful ICTE implementation should closely inter-relate and interact with various levels and parts of the school development

Alignment of the ICT plan with the master school plan is very important

System Thinking and 2 Schools: OverviewSystem Thinking and 2 Schools: Overview

S1 has a better performance to link up with her stakeholders for the school development

Both schools still have a distance from a LO in terms of system thinking

Consider the ICTE implementation as an isolated issue of school development

The school should be an integral system instead of a sum of separate parts

System Thinking and 2 Schools: OverviewSystem Thinking and 2 Schools: Overview

For S2, the knowledge of various stakeholders can be linked upEffort can be put to draw them closely cooperate with one another so as to maximize the overall performance of a schoolOutcome: teachers and principal will no longer narrowly dominate the decision-making process in school development

ConclusionConclusion

For better ICTE implementation, principals and teachers should take their role to transform their schools and themselves…

ConclusionConclusion

For principals…Link up various school stakeholders togetherBuild up their shared vision and apply the discipline of system thinkingTry to change their own model models about staff developmentCreate more chamber and opportunity to help their teaching staff to:Challenge the old mental modelsEngage in team learningDevelop their personal mastery

ConclusionConclusion

Teachers:Change their model models about teaching

and learning as well as team learningView personal vision as important and

engage in pursuing it Develop an awareness of current realities

and encompass commitment to tell the truthChallenge the underlying principles,

philosophies, assumptions, strategies and definitions of teaching and learning

ConclusionConclusion

Teachers:Active participation in collaborative

sharingView that the visions of the organization

can comprise those of the individualsBelieve in the effectiveness of collective

learning in groups

Final remarksFinal remarks

No any prescriptions for successInformation age discourages homogeneityTo make successful transformation of a school, the change agents (especially teachers and principals) of the school can embed everyone in the change processThe changes can target on one or two new priorities for change in the initial stageOrganizational learning can be implemented on all three levels - classroom, school, and communityBy an in-depth adoption of the concept of LO, a successful ICTE implementation can no longer be a distant dream in campus

Question & Answer SectionQuestion & Answer Section

Correspondence:Correspondence:Email: alexwctse@sinaman.com