SCALE

Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change by Cynthia E. Coburn

Deep and consequential

change

change maintained over substantial time

Retain effectiveness while reducing

resources

Ownership assumed by

users

Learning from others adaptations

DEPTH

SUSTAINABILITY

SHIFT

EVOLUTION

SPREAD

Low-income community, population 25,000

4,000 students

8 schools total (6 elementary and 2 middle school)

40% speak languages other than English

25% Caucasian, 25% African America, 40% Latino, and 10% Asian/other

2003 two-to-one access ratio of students to computers in all schools

2003-04 created the one-to-one experimental academy at one middle school, students were invited to the school based on interest, not academic level

Students received a web tablet, allows them to connect to school network in class and at home

Students complete assignments and take tests on web tablets and post work on class websites

Microsoft Partners in Learning

Mid Tier Goals

•technology as powerful tool for scalingDemonstrate

•community of practiceDevelop

•interesting mistakesSupport

•researchProduce

Scalable

Innovative

Collaborative

Successfully Embraces 21st Century Learning

Sensitive to Issues of Equity

Significant

Sustainable

Mid Tier Criteria

Core Subjects

Global AwarenessFinancial/EconomicEntrepreneurshipCivic LiteracyHealth Literacy

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Creativity and Innovation Communication and Collaboration

Info LiteracyMedia LiteracyICT Literacy

Flexibility Adaptability Initiative Self-DirectionSocial Cross-Cultural SkillsProductivity AccountabilityLeadershipResponsibility

Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

Increase student achievement through one-to-one

Expand innovation to 1500 students at both middle schools (a 400% increase from initial pilot)

Transform teachers’ beliefs about and capacity to deliver student-centered, individualized instruction

Increase family involvement in learning by providing free home internet connectivity

2005

Microsoft awards Lemon Grove $500,000 over four years to “scale up” one-to-one initiative

instructional change leading to improved student outcomes

Questions

• How does it impact teachers’ assumptions about what constitutes effective instruction?

• How does it impact teachers’ assumptions about how students learn? • Where does it get its power?• What makes it vulnerable?

Check List

1. Conduct research and evaluation2. Use technology to achieve individualized instruction3. Use technology to access real-world scenarios

DEPTH

SUSTAINABILITYchanges in practice maintained over substantial periods of time

• To survive in inhospitable conditions, how will I modify the innovation?• What are the critical conditions of success for this reform to succeed?• How typical are these conditions of success in my target settings / populations?

1. Develop a rugged version2. Use technology to assist teachers with non-teaching duties3. Use technology to ensure inclusiveness4. Use technology to engage bored students

Questions

Check List

SPREADLarge numbers of users embrace the reform

• How do I reduce costs while retaining power (light version)?• How do I simplify training?• With a light version – what are the trade-offs?• How do I ensure success early on so that users gain confidence?

1. Reduce costs2. Use technology to supplement teacher knowledge3. Use technology to create new efficiencies

Questions

Check List

SHIFTmany users who deepen and sustain the reform via adaptation

• How can I move beyond “brand” to support users as co-evaluators, co-designers, and co-scalers?

• How can I help users to go beyond what I already developed?• How can I train users to be co-evaluators, co-designers, and co-scalers?

1. Train for co-design2. Empower others to think in terms of co-design3. Use technology to increase collaborate and communicate

Questions

Check List

EVOLUTIONrevisions reshape the thinking of original designers

• How can I get motivated to start the innovation process again?• How can I re-conceptualize the innovation?• How can I facilitate a “community of reflective redesign” with

other innovators?

1. Determine how to re-motivate2. Determine how to innovate with new eyes3. Use technology to track changes

Questions

Check List

depth spread

Balance

WANTDEPTH

WANTSUSTAINABILITY

DON’T WANTPERFECTION

DON’T WANTRADICAL MUTATION

WANTSPREAD

DON’T WANTTOO LIGHT /

POWERLESSNESS

WANTEVOLUTION

DON’T WANT JUST LISTENING TO

FEEDBACK

WANTSHIFT

DON’T WANTJUST CO-BRANDING

Sharing “Failures”

Going “light”

Letting Go of What’s “Yours”

Acknowledging What You Don’t Want to Do

Hardest Challenges of Scale

Results

• Increased student engagement, motivation, and attitude toward school. In fact, while all San Diego County schools were closed during the recent Southern California wildfires, 400 Lemon Grove students were logged on and learning through the district’s network.

• Increased student attendance: Each month sustained an increase of 1.2% attendance over the prior year’s attendance rate, resulting in an additional $97,000 in revenue from state attendance reimbursement.

• Lemon Grove:  2007-08 CA State Testing and Reporting (STAR) results indicated jumps in Lemon Grove School District 4th (increased by 40%) and 7th grade (increased by 20%) writing scores. 

• The Lemon Grove School District’s Superintendent Ernie Anastos believes the two key reasons for this dramatic increase are:  students are writing more because of consistent use of laptops and students are successfully engaged with the district’s new writing initiative that is underway.

http://www.microsoft.com/education/demos/scale/

“This model has truly transformed the way I teach. Before it was just me and the textbook – we were the only sources of information. With this technology I can bring them to our site, show them photographs, diary entries of people traveling there right now, in some cases we can communicate with people who are journeying to the particular part of the world. So it’s brought it alive. It’s taken it out of the realm of dusty old history and into something they really want to learn about.”

DEPTH

SUSTAINABILITY

“Getting immediate feedback allows me the opportunity to assess my teaching as well as their learning … having that immediate feedback takes away that time between of grading and going through and figuring out what levels my students are at. I can immediately know what level they are at.”

“We had teachers who were excited about what they were doing in the LemonLink project and what they were doing in their classroom… Eventually all teachers started getting excited about one project or how they were using it in their classroom… having expertise on campus and not having to wait for workshop was important. When you were excited about something or ready to use something the help was available. … I know when I had a problem – I could just run next door. It’s less intimidating as a teacher to learn something (from a colleague) and then use it in my classroom.”SHIFT

“I’ve definitely seen spread come into play with the sharing of resources. All of us work hard to create items for our own classes and we had them on our own websites. We realized that we should be putting them out there for each other. So we now have a teacher resource page where these items can be shared with teachers not just in my school but with teachers in our other middle schools as well.”

SPREAD