ULearn'15 - "Professional Learning For Change"

"Teacher's perceptions of risk when engaging in professional learning for change" 
(ULearn'15 - Research Taster 3A)

Presenter: Tamara Jones 
(PhD student, UA Faculty of Education and Social Work)

Abstract: "Currently many positional leaders are investing in, and espousing a Modern Learning Practice (MLP) philosophy.  Yet ultimately the onus is on the classroom teacher to integrate learner-centric pedagogies and digital technologies in modern learning environments. This is likely to generate many reactions from teachers, including possible perceptions of risk.  This is worthy of attention because teacher perceptions of risk may be a fundamental barrier to changing teaching practice.

This presentation will first report on my recent study, which identified organisational factors that influenced teachers’ perceptions of risk and willingness to engage in professional learning for change.  Twenty-one primary teachers participated in this research. Data included a questionnaire to broadly situate perceptions of risk and was followed up with interviews.  Findings showed teachers perceived risk when they felt professional learning was lacking purpose or relevance, when it was mandated, or when it had vague implementation expectations.  However, teachers’ perceptions of risk could be mitigated with collaboration and consultation, and time and opportunities to engage in the new learning..."

Resistance vs. Risk
Education as we know it is changing - the environments, the way children learn, the way we teach. (Hargreaves, A. 1994; Hargreaves, A. 2005) The older / more experienced teachers get, the more resistant they become to change.

Current Understandings
(Robinson, 2011) Blaming teachers is counterproductive to developing a culuture of collaborative, sustainable improvement.
(Howard, 2013; Le Fevre, 2014) Teacher's perceptions of risk may be a fundamental barrier to change.

Defining Risk
Loss, which can e performance realted, social, psychological or status related... [etc-] (Ponticell, 2003) - refer to handout for references cited, can Email Tamara for more.

Research design

• Review literature
• Questionaire to situate perceptions of risk (21+ participants)
• Data analysis to idenitfy and neutral cases
• Semi-structured interviews (6 selected from the group that was modrate / on the fence)

Theories of risk taking

• Personal Practical Theory
• A teacher's age and career stage (Hargreaves)
• The individual teacher's risk attitude - most recent theory, which doesn't attribute risk aversity to anything other than individual preference...

The above theories all relate to individual - Tamara also looked at another contextual theory to explain broader patterns that she noted.
A domain-specific phenomenon = the school culture influences i.e.: Teachers can deteremine who takes risks and how. Organisational factors that affect engagement.

Findings
Collaboration and consultation with teachers allowed change implemeted more readily. Relevance in an authentic context; transparency etc
Provision of time and opportunitis to engage in the learning

Where to next
Change leading towards "Innovative Learning Environments" - research will be around the pedagogical core of these.

Call for Participants
Schools that are in the process of change - if they could get in touch with Tamara by Emailing her on tell005@auckland.uni.nz if they would be open to participating in this study.