Pln lessons from ea necdc

© 2014 Aga Khan Foundation Canada

Professional Learning Networks in Action: Lessons from East Africa

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STRENGTHENING THE ECD LANDSCAPE IN

UGANDA

Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Systems Strengthening:

Challenges and Opportunities


PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS IN ACTION: LESSONS FROM EAST AFRICA

Ontario Institute for Studies in

Ed.

• Dr. Stephen Anderson

• Dr. Mary Drinkwater

• Dr. Caroline Manion

• Mr. Wesley Galt

Aga Khan Academy

(Mombasa)

• Dr. Maina WaGíokò

• Ms. Rose Iminza

• Mr. Enos Kiforo

• Mr. Howard Omukami

• Mr. Isaiah Njagi

• Rupen Chande (Project

Advisor)


Graduation after 1 year/378 hr.

certificate courseExecutive Meeting

Cluster meeting

Monthly Meeting

Annual PLN

Conference


AGA KHAN ACADEMY, MOMBASA, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (AKAM-PDC)

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Certificate in-service programs for

• Head teachers (Mombasa & Kwale)

• English primary school teachers (Mombasa)

• Mathematics primary school teachers (Mombasa)Professional Associations of program alumni (Professional Learning Networks-PLNs)• Mombasa Education Leaders Association (MELA)

• Kwale Education Leaders Group (KELG)

• English Language Teachers Association (ELTA)

• Mathematics Teachers Association (MTA)


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Professional Learning Networks

Design and Purpose

inter-school

communication and

collaborative activities

among teachers and

school leaders support and improve

continuous professional

learning and school

improvement

Four fundamental

challenges to

continuous professional

learningmotivation and

sustainabilitysupporting

implementation into

skillful practice; adapting external

knowledge to local

contexts; and, mobilizing local practical

knowledge.


PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS (MOMBASA & KWALE)

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• support ongoing interventions and

improvements in teaching and learning and in

leadership for the cooperating schools.

Purpose:• associations, school clusters (10-15), monthly

cluster meetings, monthly PLN association

meetings, Executive Committee, annual

conference

Organizational

structure:

• PLN heads & secretaries, cluster heads &

secretaries, Cross-PLN Executive CommitteeGovernance:

• AKAM outreach program alumni, voluntaryMembership:

• AKAM “advisors”, funding for transport and

“tea” to cluster & PLN meetings, material

resources, venue

External support:


THE RESEARCH: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS IN ACTION*

• What activities do teachers and head teachers participating in PLNs engage in?

• How do the leadership, management and support for implementation of teacher and head teacher PLNs influence network activities and participant outcomes?

• What impact do the activities of teacher and head teacher PLNs have on growth in participant’s professional expertise and sense of professionalism?

• What interventions associated with the activities of PLNs do participating head teachers and teachers enact in their home schools, and with what impact?

• What policy, organizational and contextual issues and factors influence the implementation and sustainability of inter-school PLNs?

*Funded by Government Affairs Canada and Aga Khan Foundation Canada through SESEA (Strengthening Education Systems in East Africa)

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RESEARCH DESIGN• Multi-methods research design

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• Three two week site visits (March, July,

September 2016)Data collection

• PLN cluster and association records

(attendance, meeting minutes, plans, reports)Documents:

• PLN cluster meetings, monthly meetings,

annual conference activities

• Classroom observation of trained/untrained

English and math teachers

Observation:

• Cluster members & leaders; PLN leaders;

AKAM-PDC staff

• External stakeholders

Personal

interviews:

• Teacher and school leader networks

• PLN ExecutiveFocus groups:


SELECTED CROSS-PLN FINDINGS

PLN Goals

PLN Activity

Professional Impact

Sustainability

Recommendations

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PLN GOALS: PARTICIPANT PERSPECTIVES

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Build a professional

network of learning and

support

Build and apply professional knowledge and skills

Support change and improvement in student learning


PLN ACTIVITY

• Activities (All PLNs)

• Agenda setting

• Review & follow-up

minutes

• Identifying & sharing

problems/challenges

• Problem-solving

discussions

• Sharing experiences

• Workshop/event planning

& implementation

• Materials development

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PLN ACTIVITY TOPICS

Teacher PLNs Head Teacher PLNs

• Teaching & learning practices &

challenges

• Classroom management

• English language teaching & use

(ELTA)

• Learning materials development &

use

• Government policy initiatives

• Outreach activities

• Management & leadership practices

• Academic performance (student,

school)

• Examinations

• Government policy initiatives

• English language teaching & use

• Outreach activities

• School facilities

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PLN PROFESSIONAL IMPACT: TEACHER OUTCOMES

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Impact on classroom practices

• More student centered and activity-based

(small group work, learning materials, etc.)

• Response to student misunderstanding &

misbehavior

• More complete lesson planning and

preparation

• More differentiated instruction (a continuing

challenge)

Impact on professionalism

• Teacher confidence (professional knowledge

& skills, professional communication)

• Norms of professional collaboration

• Commitment to teaching and ongoing

professional learning


PLN PROFESSIONAL IMPACT: HEAD TEACHER OUTCOMES

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Impact on school management & leadership practices

• School management practices (time

management, staff meetings, scheduling, etc.)

• Instructional leadership practices (supervising

curriculum & teaching, teacher development)

• Parent relations & involvement

• Strategic planning and action research

• Confidence in school management

Impact on professionalism

• Confidence in school management

• Confidence in leadership for school

improvement & teacher development

• Career commitment

• Commitment to ongoing professional learning


PLN SCHOOL CONTEXT AND EFFECTS16

Head teacher support

• Approval & permission for teacher participation in

PLN activities

• Providing resources to enact PLN activities

• Encouraging teachers to practice new instructional

methods

• Facilitating collaboration between PLN teachers and

peersStudent effects (including but not limited PLN teacher classrooms)

• Student learning behaviors (active learning, group

work, materials use, peer tutoring, student voice)

• Student engagement (enjoyment, interest,

participation, discipline, attendance)

• Student performance (mean scores, English language

proficiency)


PLN SUSTAINABILITY

• AKAM-PDC support

• Pressure & support

(encouragement)

• Resources (funding, space,

materials)

• Facilitation (training,

mentoring, conflict

resolution, annual

conference)

• Monitoring & evaluation

(recordkeeping, reports)

• PLN capacity• Ownership (motivation,

commitment)

• Leadership (governance, succession, conflict resolution, recordkeeping)

• Confidence (efficacy, empowerment)

• Resources (funding, space, materials)

• Outreach (non-members, other schools)

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PLN SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES18

Participation (membershipattendance)

Resource(funding)

Workload competing

priorities and responsibilities

Benefits (personal, economic,

professiona

School system linkages

•Alignment & recognition of PLN membership & activity with professional development policies

•Integration & cooperation with other school system organizations (gov’t, professional)


GENDER MATTERS19

Demographic reality &

PLN membership

Engagement & interaction

in PLN activities (cluster

and monthly meetings)

PLN governanceTopical focuses of PLN

activity


REFLECTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS20

Professional Learning

1. Deepening teacher learning and expertise

2. Strengthening the bias for action towards learning

3. Balancing learning of innovative practices with improvement in traditional

practices

4. How to support more action research on a wide scale basis



Network Leadership and

Organization

5. Banking and mobilizing knowledge

about what works

6. Strengthening the professional

learning potential of outreach activities



Knowledge Mobilization

7. Investing in network ‘system

leadership’ training

8.School networks as an alternative

to individual networks.



Integration with the School System

9. School system recognition and reward for PLN participation

10. Expanding membership in the PLNs

11. Partnering with the education system

12. Strengthening professional community in schools.


REACTIONS TO RECOMMENDATIONS24

PLN’s

Flexibility

Recognition

MoE engagement

Re-Branding

Reaother Teacher association

Collaboration



Stakeholder’s

Roles Overlap

Networking

Collaboration

Teaching portfolio

Peer mentoring

Connect with Existing teacher association



PLN/Stakeholder’s

Networking

Collaboration

Connect with Existing teacher association


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Date post:	28-Jan-2018
Category:	Education
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