Synopsis
Full paper below
Reference
Williams, Michelle (1997). Professional associations: supporting teacher
communities. Computers in New Zealand Schools. Volume 9, Number 2. In Print.
Professional communities of practice, communications technology and new look professional associations
Like caring families, professional associations are always there, dependable, unquestioning, supporting and available regardless of political and economic climates, moods and trends. Professional associations roll with the punches surviving Governments, employer initiatives, changing work practices, technology crazes and community pressures. They reflect the durability of the teaching force that needs to grow, mature and become increasingly responsible for its own survival. Within associations, volunteers ‘club’ together to support each other and contribute to the professional growth experience of themselves and their peers, despite shrinking professional development budgets, increasing prevalence of self-managing schools, changing teaching practice and increasing political and community criticism. Professional associations provide a way for the species of modern educators, to survive.
Lave and Wenger (1991) in their research of craftspeople use the phrase ‘community of practice’ to describe the behaviour of groups of people who share a common craft. They sought to understand the ways in which people participated in such communities and how the survival (and the growth) of the craft depended on the collective momentum of the group and the input of individual craftspeople. Their analysis revealed that participation in the dialogue of the community shaped the community as a whole and that a community of practice had patterns for working with newcomers and nurturing leaders. The comparison between the groups in Lave and Wenger’s work and contemporary teachers is striking. Teaching is not an at-risk craft (or is it?). However, the craft of teaching is changing, and the behaviours and concerns of communities of teachers are a response to volatile educational environments and increasingly complex teacher work.
Professional associations have similar characteristics to communities of practice as described by Lave and Wenger. They too contain structures that allow members to participate in the dialogue and build new craft. Nurturing newcomers, providing structures for leaders to shape directions, collecting the wisdom of the community and influencing associated crafts and communities are all part of the charter of most professional associations of educators. It is precisely this enabling process which is essential to support modern educators who do not wish to be puppets of an increasingly demanding community. This link between the work of professional associations and the necessary conditions for survival of teachers (in every sense of the word) is a powerful instigator of new directions for teacher groups.
Information and communications technology is the rationale for and
the means to that future. As readers of this journal will readily testify,
the use of information technology in the teachers’ workplace is altering
the lives of educators (Rhodes 1997). Technology not only changes what
we teach about, but how we teach and how learners learn. However, those
who understand technology, know that something else is at stake. Technology
alters the balances in the world and has a cultural dimension that can
not be ignored when helping students understand the changing world outside
of the school gate. (Postman 1993). Teachers (of all age students) have
a responsibility to understand the culture of technology and to ensure
their curriculum examples contain a healthy critique of a technology-laden
world. As is the case for threatened crafts, the teacher community contains
reluctant adopters and those people who use the tools but do not understand
the changing circumstances of their use. The craft of teaching has some
threats, mostly created by those who teach but who do not participate in
the community of practice. Technology is altering the balances in the teacher
communities.
The western world’s enthusiastic and blundering adoption of communications technology has created an urgent rationale for teachers to become ‘more savvy’. Connecting together millions of people is incredibly powerful, and represents new ways for people to participate in the rapidly globalising community. Where as once we created educational systems and market places (Kenway, Bigum and Fitzclarence 1994) because of a fear of a societal divisions between information rich and information poor, we now need to quickly understand the significance of the divisions between the connected and the disconnected. Education systems that claim to contribute to modern capitalistic economies with human-centred societies can not afford to have disconnected teachers who do not understand the new ways of their world. More than that we must develop a new kind of tolerance and charity - supporting the disconnected. Ironically, teachers are perhaps the most disconnected of all and yet we ask them to take responsibility for nurturing a connected youth.
Communications technologies are creating new ways for teachers
to work. They are not only changing how teachers work, but also changing
the very nature and definition of that work. This connected technology
arrives in schools at the same time that the definitions of schools are
altering. Self-managing schools with local decision making means that teachers
work outside of classrooms is becoming increasingly important in schools.
It has been proposed elsewhere that perhaps teachers can use communications
technologies to support their non-teaching work, as a strategy for understanding
the relationships between modern work and community development and information
and communications technologies (Williams 1997a). Then and only then might
teachers be able to make sensible curriculum decisions. It stands then
that teacher professional associations, who care about teachers while they
do their work, must also learn new ways of working.
Three contexts
As teacher professional associations begin to consider how contemporary teachers will participate in their profession, Internet based applications will dominate the agenda. Professional associations will need to explore what to do with the Internet. The ‘sexy’ aura of being online will lure professional associations to build their home pages and promise to be more connected to members. It is easy to rush in building the online brochure and converting the paper-based publications to images of screen beauty, as first attempts at being ‘connected’. It will happen amidst the tired old arguments about people who pay for publications and services verses those who simply lurk and look up the ‘valuable’ stuff (Stokes 1996, Williams 1996a). There are however many more significant issues to consider when thinking about what ‘being connected’ means for a professional association. A stronger context around the decisions about what to do online may revolve around three issues: changing ways for teachers to work, a empowering definition of the Internet and the changing place of individuals and small groups in a globally connected world.
Changing teacher work
Generally the term teacher is associated with an adult who helps children between 5 and 17 years learn an ‘approved’ curriculum. Given the emphasis of life long learning as a goal of educational systems and the changing education industry, the definition needs to be broadened. Because learners are now all ages and abilities, teachers too are different and might teach babies, children, teenagers, young adults or mature adults (perhaps even ‘teachers’). All these teachers practice their teaching craft. Regardless of the class or curriculum, most teachers need to contribute to the tasks of running their workplace. This growing work practice is altering the roles of teachers who must now be valued in terms of their contribution to the school or institution as well as their contribution to the learning of their students.
Creating a list of the modern teacher’s tasks is an interesting exercise.
Jobs educators do
Skills behind the tasks
If teachers are to help their students prepare for the world of work, it is important they understand the processes of work. What is it like to work in a team developing a common report? How do teams of people manage projects? How do you plan and budget for activities? How do you motivate people to contribute to tasks? How do you play the political games of the workplace? Teachers recognise these characteristics of their work and consciously or unconsciously, use their experiences as a basis for deciding which stories to tell their students. They will also use these experiences to interpret curriculum, design learning activities and help nurture the work practices of future employees. Helping teachers understand the value of their work experience at school, is a valuable goal for professional associations.
What is interesting in thinking about this, is that most teachers do not use technology as part of the culture of their work. This is not to say that they don’t use it occasionally. It is saying that technology-embedded work is not a major and integral part of the culture of their workplace, as it would be in any business that can be named outside of the school gate. Perhaps, if teachers understood more about the interrelationships between the culture of technology and the culture of their work, they might be able to tell more truthful and first-hand stories to students as they prepare to enter the culture which is all about technology embedded in work. Technology must be integral to teachers work, if they are to sensibly interpret curriculum which has technology-embedded work as a core structure. This context may well provide professional associations with a strong platform for their advocacy (computers for teachers’ desks) and for designing new ways of supporting educational professionals.
Modern professionals (of any craft) contribute to their profession. Those who take responsibility for their own professional development usually contribute to the professional development of others and in turn contribute to the changing nature of their industry. For teachers, participating in the community of practice is not only a right, but also a responsibility. It is part of the work ethic of being an educator and necessary to the survival of the craft. Systems and employers provide less and less resources for teachers. More and more, teachers are taking responsibility for their own professional growth. Consequently participation in the profession is now part of teachers’ work. Given previous arguments in this paper, it seems logical and perhaps even imperative, to use communications and information technologies for this work. Perhaps this is the most powerful context for professional associations’ work in the immediate future.
Definitions of the Internet
Disconnected educators, especially those who often make decisions about what happens in the workplaces of teachers and classrooms of learners, usually believe and practice the information model of the Internet. This is evident in the determination to place Internet connections in school libraries, and in the stories about desirability for student access to information that dominates school technology planning (oz-TeacherNet 1997a). The fear of student access to undesirable information and other media dominating stories, is simply another indication of the dominance of the information model in the minds of administrators, parents and the community. Teachers too are bombarded with these narrow views of the Internet. Internet vendors, publishers and computer enthusiasts use the graphic imagery of world wide web pages as part of the attractive facade to persuade the disconnected to connect. The result of hearing half of the story, is that teachers then interpret curriculum and make use of the Internet according to the only framework they know. Supporting such a limiting understanding of the impact of this technology on the globe is indefensible. Professional associations must take care to tell their communities other sides of the story and help teachers experience different applications of the Internet for their work in and outside of classrooms.
The communities definition of the Internet is gaining prevalence in Australian communities of teachers (Williams and McKeown 1996). Telecommunications projects throughout the country are now connecting teachers and students to each other and providing new ways to integrate communications technology into curriculum and classroom experiences. (See the oz-TeacherNet, New Images and Aussie SchoolHouse collection of projects). Online teacher communities are growing in number and sophistication (Williams 1996b, Kendal 1997, Wild 1997), providing teachers with new ways of working together. Professional associations in Australia have explored the applications of the communities definition to their work (Potter and Williams 1997). All of these examples have shown that the communities definition is a powerful but simple understanding of the Internet that alters considerably what people do with it.
The communities definition says that the Internet is made up of communities of people and that these communities have a sense of place, build information archives to suit their purposes, and engage in dialogue which helps foster and nurture the community. The definition rejects the giant CD Rom in the sky model and draws attention to the importance of connecting people with people, as we learn how to live, learn and love in a globally connected world (Williams and McKeown 1996) It says that ‘looking up stuff’ is tourist territory. It points out that that building monuments in the sky, hoping people will come is futile and that connecting students (and their teachers) to a network that contains millions of people, but not letting them talk to anyone is simply a case of ‘missing the point’. This community model does not diminish the importance of web building and application, but rather returns it to its context as a tool in the whole process of sustaining a community. Careful investigations of community webs reveal clever articulation between providing information, supporting members of community, letting the community contribute to the web site and developing a dynamic place for people to meet and work. The communities definition is extremely significant as a core belief for professional associations who are discovering their new role in connected educational groups (Potter and Williams 1997).
The communities definition must be experienced to be understood. It is hard to describe the feeling of being helped by half a dozen perfect strangers who took time out from their busy lives to help a colleague because they could. It is difficult to portray what it feels like when you can help another teacher on another continent. It is wonderful to experience how excited students become about their writing and publishing when involved in projects with other students. Online communities as learning places for students and staff lounge rooms are not the sexy colourful images seen in the media. They are feelings that are experienced as people participate. These feelings alter teachers’ understandings of this technology. This means that providing opportunities for teachers to experience this is more compelling than telling them about it. This will guide professional associations in designing their work with will not be committed until they experience the feeling.
In the same way that connected teachers can feel that their online experiences have altered their understanding about the applications of communications technology to our culture and lives, (Williams 1995), professional associations need to help teachers understand that online experiences will alter how they apply communications technology to their work. For professional associations, helping teachers use this technology to participate in profession may well have more powerful influences on curriculum change and interpretation than hundreds of conferences and after-school workshops.
Local verses global - empowering individuals
The rationale for a changing structure for professional associations may be found in a reflection of the changing market place and community. Global politics and economics, multi-national companies, discussion of global environmental dependencies are enabled by telecommunications systems. It would be hard to imagine the western world surviving if the world’s computers could not talk to each other even for a day. This technologically determinist view is tempered some what by the increasingly humanistic way of shaping the world. In contrast to the large global initiatives there is a return to cottage industries, creative small businesses, home businesses, and local community and cultural pride. Amidst the centralisation of marketing groups, there is also a determination by customers to seek local support, increased service, specialised and contextualised help and just-in-time, cost effective advice. Teachers are part of this culture.
Communications technology connects ordinary folk to each other, providing millions of people with opportunity to harness the power of their collective voices. They can now choose their soapboxes and contribute their opinions without the mediation of the popular mass media. There are now different ways to speak out, to influence and to persuade. The dynamic online communities alter Government decisions, decide elections, influence environmental issues and change market places. They also persuade the ignorant, hurt the vulnerable and threaten groups. The disconnected teachers, who imagine the information model of the Internet is its future, would probably omit these stories from their curriculum.
These changing influences are the context around which professional
associations must shape their future. Teachers need to be connected. They
need to take control, to participate and to contribute to the future of
their professional community. As the complexity of teacher work increases
in breath and complexity, teachers will demand just-in-time help, local
support, highly specialised and relevant advice, peer support and broad
opportunities for new ideas. Conversely they will want greater opportunities
to influence decision-makers, control their local environments, participate
in professional opportunities and access a different ‘local’ community
of peers. Professional associations will need to understand this changing
behaviour of educators. For them, mixing online and face-to-face support
will become important as groups and individuals find new ways of working.
Local and global initiatives will match how teachers see the world. Providing
structures for participation will become important. Responsive professional
associations will need to help teachers learn about and excel in the new
professional environments where teachers work.
One example: the QSITE model
Same ol’ story….
The Queensland Society for Information Technology in Education (QSITE) is a professional association of educators who use information technologies in their work. It has a traditional history of a centralised management committee located in the capital city of the state, Brisbane. Members pay their annual dues causing some to measure their subscription in terms of the national and state journals they receive and the monthly newsletter. The group organised an annual conference in the capital city and supported the national body (Australian Council for Computers in Education: ACCE) by hosting national conferences periodically. This centralised history is in sharp contrast to the geographic distribution of teachers throughout the state and the increasing pressure on teachers to use IT in schools.
In the last four years, QSITE has changed in spirit. It feels dynamic, has a participatory community of teachers and is part of the everyday life of its members (and their friends), rather than simply being the once-a-month reminder when the newsletter arrived in the mail. Two major structural changes have caused a number of shifting emphases. Firstly the society developed a number of autonomous regional chapters which have altered how decisions are made and what decisions re considered. Secondly it developed a number of online communities to support its regional and centralised work. This has created a different association for its management team, its members and for the communities which complement QSITE activity.
QSITE has developed seven regional chapters. These chapters have their own local management team, their own bank account and conduct their own events and initiatives. They are encouraged to meet local demands and to develop local pride. They have opportunity to contribute to the publications of the organisation, publish separately, develop their own online presence and take leading roles within the association. Chapters do not have members. They are local structures for QSITE members to meet local needs. Chapters are supported with seeding funds, grants for special projects and events, and assistance for locals to attend Brisbane based events. This is QSITE’s attempt to provide teachers with local control in a broader global context. QSITE has found that this local group structure is paramount to enabling leading edge teachers throughout the state take significant roles in their community and gain professional recognition for their expertise.
QSITE also supports specialist communities bound by their interests rather than their geography. Specialist communities of computer studies teachers, primary teachers and network managers host events, support online communities and collect resources. These networks of teachers are cooridinated by QSITE management which contains representatives of all communities. These groups have a momentum of their own and have provided considerable opportunity for individual contributions. Although dialogue in the community of practice is enabled through a variety of strategies, the online community amongst these members is the cornerstone of their work with each other.
These diverse groups have necessitated some structural changes for management. The management committee has representative positions on the team to support these communities, financial management procedures are complex and diverse, the rules and articles of the associations have been tightened and updated, while now insurances, registrations and legal issues are a substantial part of the management team’s responsibilities. Most significantly the decision-making processes within the society are different. Not only is the management team the largest ever, it is the most active. More than this, decisions are made in the context of the geographic and professional diversification of the membership and management. This has altered what QSITE does and has resulted in online management, distributed conferences and regional training programs.
The development of specialist and regional groups has been complemented by the development of a significant online community. QSITE established an email list almost as soon as public access was available in Queensland, and deliberately exploited the community metaphor, naming the list QSITE-community (Bushnet 1997). Establishment of the list was complemented by a scheme to provide cheap access to members through universities and supported by a year of intense training workshops. It was a case of connecting members, anyway possible. QSITE-community thus emerged as the premier list for Queensland teachers and has become a powerful and important part of the infrastructure in teachers’ lives. Since then QSITE has developed a number of specialist communities which serve to ease the traffic on the general list as well as meet specific needs. It is an experiential process. QSITE is learning constantly about the dynamics of list communities and how to manage this infrastructure.
Most importantly for the society, email lists have become a cornerstone of management structures. The executives are able to respond to issues between meetings, be proactive with political issues, deal with routine administrative matters and be more informed. This has resulted in a much more participatory management committee where all people have opportunity to take leadership roles. Online communities of members have meant that management can not act in isolation from its membership. In a similar way that other communities of the world have learned of the importance of the Internet lobby, QSITE has learned about the responsibilities of listening to and informing its online members who are learning new ways of working and belonging.
Like all professional groups exploring the potential of the Internet, QSITE has also developed an extensive web site. The development has been based on the principles which underpin the communities definition of the Internet. The QSITE Netsite complements the ‘talk on the streets’ (Williams and McKeown 1996) by acting as an organisational structure for the society. The site is an integral part of conference management. Registries of expertise are maintained. Members’ resources are organised and collections of materials from special interest groups and chapters are indexed and stored. The web collection is distributed with different people and groups taking responsibility for managing parts of the online collection. QSITE Netsite is not designed to attract members, but to act as a service to the educational community and a place for the educational community to contribute their wisdom and expertise. (QSITE 1997)
The results of the simultaneous development of QSITE Netsite, establishing the online communities and altering the shape of the society are illustrated through the changing purpose of the newsletter called Insite. Insite in paper and web versions, are reflections of the integration of the online, offline and face to face communities. As well as telling traditional stories, INSITE tells the stories of the online communities. Snippets from the lists are reported in the newsletters and newsletters tell disconnected members about how to get online and what life is like. This is then discussed in online communities and in our face to face events. It is a curious mix of dynamics. Although management weathered the usual arguments of whether the full monty should go online, sense prevailed and all of Insite is published electronically. More than this is it available 2-3 weeks before it appears in the letterbox. This makes for interesting reflection as QSITE continues to think about its role online and offline.
QSITE has deliberately developed new ways of participating in the association
and in doing so influenced the lives of may Queensland teachers. How they
work is different especially those who are the IT specialists in schools.
More than this QSITE is helping teachers make the link between their own
experiences and the changing world. By providing experiences online rather
than stories about it, QSITE is investing in its members who now have a
sensible basis on which to understand the arguments about online communities,
changing curriculum and changing patterns of teachers’ work.
Concluding comment
There is little doubt that teachers (of all age students) will change in how they work, as communications and information technology penetrates inside of workplaces and classrooms. It is likely that computer education communities will be the first to explore how to use these technologies to support their work. The logistics of being involved are less confronting for these communities of teachers than their computer-illiterate colleagues. Their experimentation will provide the educational community with expertise and understanding. They will be the first to learn new ways of working and the first to change their teaching and professional practice as a result. Professional associations of computer educators are uniquely positioned to support the development of the early adopters and thus the general education community. They can help these pioneers explore and then make sense of their experiences by setting up infrastructure, providing quality experiences and ensuring teachers talk as they reflect on their new patterns of participation. In doing so a new community of practice will be formed. The task is then to gently help the disconnected and computer-illiterate alter work and understand their changing roles and habits.
There is a precident for computer education groups nationally to take leadership roles. In Australia, the Natcom project ACCE (Australian Council for Computers in Education) opportunity to support other national professional associations as they tried to understand their changing technology-embedded future. (Potter and Williams 1997). The continuation of this project in 1997/98 recognises how important computer education associations are in supporting individual groups of teachers and in changing what systems and Governments understand about the changing lives of teachers. Natcom is an example of how strongly placed professional associations are to support other groups. As Natcom was able to demonstrate, the culture of technology is well understood amongst computer education communities and this enables community members to make more sophisticated judgements and plan more relevant professional and curriculum activity. Although such groups are always learning, they have the advantage of learning first and making mistakes first. They understand the importance of sharing wisdom and also have expertise other groups can value. There is an exciting future for professional associations of computer educators, if their backyard is the playground for the new communities of teachers.
References
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