Dissonance as a Catalyst for Improvement
Ngā Tukitukinga hei Whakapakaritanga
“We did that professional development, but nothing’s changed.”
The focus of this case is supporting teachers to improve their practice by modelling ways of working that:
- “walk the talk” (i.e., that align with the content of the professional development);
- use dissonance as a catalyst for improving practice;
- support in-depth, self-directed change for teachers;
- are based on the appropriate use of evidence and data.
Case participants
Delwynne Stevenson
Delwynne Stevenson is a facilitator (primary literacy, te reo Māori in the mainstream, and Māori-medium literacy) with The University of Auckland, Team Solutions.
Kathy Cotching
Kathy Cotching is the teaching principal at Waiharara School, Northland.
Geraldine Herdman
Geraldine Herdman is a teacher at Waiharara School, Northland.
Nyree King
Nyree King is a facilitator with The University of Auckland, Team Solutions. She and Delwynne have been members of a group of facilitators who have worked together inquiring into their practice.
Background
Delwynne was working in Waiharara School, a small, rural, decile 3 school in Northland with a staff of 2.5 and a roll of 24 students, of whom 50 percent identified as Māori and 50 percent as Pākehā. For two years, the school had taken part in a literacy cluster of nine schools spread across a large region and with a wide range of needs. Professional development for the appointed literacy leaders had been through workshops and in-class support from Team Solutions at Auckland University.
Delwynne had completed regular in-class observations over the two years and felt that teaching practices had changed little during that time, despite the professional development and a strong focus on assessment for learning. Students had made some gains but were below national norms. Whole-class teaching remained the norm and the learning of students was primarily passive and dominated by what Russell Bishop calls “traditional discursive” classroom teaching.
Delwynne was concerned that here, and in other schools, her usual practice wasn’t really making much of an impact. Schools were only making minor changes, and even these were not being sustained.
For the teachers at Waiharara School, the situation was equally unsatisfactory. Kathy and Geraldine felt that their learning needs were not being met within the literacy cluster. They wanted professional development that was focused on their needs and the needs of their students. They wanted to work with someone who would walk alongside them and give them feedback as they taught.
Hence the opportunity for Delwynne to explore her own practice while working in this school was mutually beneficial: it provided Delwynne with a challenging context for her inquiry, and it gave the teachers a chance to engage in professional learning tailored to their school’s specific needs.
Commentators
Helen Timperley
Professor Helen Timperley works at The University of Auckland. She was the lead author of Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis. Her recent research has focused on the ways in which facilitator practice can enable teachers to be self-regulatory.
John Loughran
Professor John Loughran is based at Monash University in Melbourne. He has a particular interest in the importance of reflective practice within teachers’ and teacher educators’ learning.
Leading ISTE learning for this case
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