bct_site 2011

Donna AndersonGrosse Ile School, QC, Canada

Marie-Helen GoyetcheArundel School, QC, Canada

Dorothy TakerGrosse Ile School, QC, Canada

Gyeong Mi Heo, Ph.D.CEFRIO, QC, Canada

Alain Breuleux, Ph.D.McGill University, QC, Canada

Distributed Leadership Facilitating Collaboration

in a Teacher Community of Practice

Building Community through Telecollaboration (BCT)

A province-wide initiative with educators and administrators from English school boards across Quebec (Breuleux, Heo, Wall, Morgan, & Flores, 2009)

Goal of the BCT Project

“To encourage, facilitate and support collaboration among students,

teachers and educational leaders to enhance learning across the

community.”

The BCT project is based on a notion that ICT allows us to overcome the challenges of distance, professional isolation, and educational success in small and remote schools.

Phase 1 (2007-2009): Design research approach (Bereiter, 2005; Brown, 1992; Collins, Joseph, & Bielaczyc, 2004;

Schoenfeld, 2006)

Phase 2 (2009 - present): Participatory design research approach (Silva & Breuleux, 1994) - To emphasize the engagement of users and participants in the

design process.

Building Community through Telecollaboration (BCT)

Elementary Education System in Quebec

Cycle 1 (Grades 1 and 2)



The cycle group leaders Engaged voluntarily and actively in the process of the

project Worked in close collaboration with the researchers

and the practitioners Were representatives of the BCT teachers Facilitated and supported communication and

collaboration among the teachers

Cycle Group Leaders

Conceptual Framework

Conceptual and methodological context of participatory design research, including notions of professional learning networks within a community of practice.

(Blankenstein, Houston, & Cole, 2008; Hofman & Dijkstra, 2010; Little, 2002; Palincsar,

Magnusson, Marano, Ford, & Brown, 1998; Schlager & Fusco, 2003; Wenger, 1998)

A Distributed Leadership Community

Teacher ownership is an important principle that guides the leadership and management.

BCT leadership team: Researchers, consultants, and cycle group leaders as representatives of the teachers

BCT Coordinating Committee: BCT leadership team, CEFRIO, LEARN Quebec – To provide feedback and strategic advice

Support groups for the BCT project: English school boards in Quebec, principals and other administrators in the 15 BCT schools, local techno-pedagogical consultants and IT staffs.

A goal of the BCT project is to create and foster a culture of reflection and sharing among the network of teachers.

A professional learning network fosters the move from individual practice to collaboration, professional engagement, and teacher leadership.

It allows teachers to make sense of the challenges they face in practice and to find out creative solutions.

The teachers and administrators have shaped the shared vision that facilitating the use of ICT in support of effective teaching practices for students learning in the classroom.

A Culture of Sharing

In the BCT project, conditions are created that allow students and teachers to build and share knowledge together through the use of ICT.

Collaboration through ICT tools is both (a) The object of the project and (b) An element of solution to other challenges of teacher professional development.

ICT tools BCT Website (http://bctcollaboration.wikispaces.com/) BCT Sakai portal (Discussion Forum - Asynchronous) Live Classroom (Synchronous) Web 2.0 for classroom projects: Blog, Wiki, VoiceThread, Skype,

Google Docs, Google maps, and so on.

ICT for Collaboration

The essence of the BCT Project is professional learning. Through engaging in the activities of the BCT

community, the teachers become knowledgeable regarding how to use ICT for students’ collaboration in classroom.

Face-to-face meeting (4 times/year) Agendas and topics mostly depend on collegial

consensus. Hands-on sessions about ICT tools are mainly lead by

experienced teachers.

Professional Learning

Collaborative Activities in Cycle Groups 2009-2010

BCT Project 2009-2010

15 English schools in the Province of Quebec

Approximately 45 teachers and administrators

Three cycle groups participated in collaborative activities

Cycle One Collaborative Activities VoiceThread

learned about the tool Introductions project Class projects

Sakai portal share and access projects commenting and responding keeping up on events

Cycle 1 Wikispace Olympics project Display voicethreads, blogs, other collaborative

projects

Cycle Two Collaborative Activities

Use of Wikispaces, digital photography, VoiceThread, Sakai portal, Chat Room and e-mail

ELA and/or FSL based on novels Flat Stanley project Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing project What Makes a Good project

Cycle Three Collaborative Activities Use of Sakai Portal

Project development and planning Asking and answering questions concerning their

projects Cycle 3 Wikispace

Book talks Meet our characters Literature Circles Various activities around the 2010 Vancouver

Olympics (Articles, Pictures, and VoiceThread)

Roles of the Cycle Group Leaders A core group to participate in the development of the

project with the BCT leadership team Representatives of the members of their cycles Encouraging teachers’ collaboration in a community of

practice of teachers Developing professionally and improving teachers’

professional practice and students learning Teaching of ICT tools for collaborating and sharing

projects Supporting and coordinating the cycle group online and in

face-to-face sessions Helping teachers overcome the challenges of distance

and professional isolation

Lessons learned related to Teacher learning: have developed an increased expertise related to the use

of ICT in their classrooms developed some valuable student collaborative learning

projects Lessons learned related to Student learning:

enjoyed sharing their work with authentic audiences understood the importance of internet etiquette and

internet safety Lessons learned related to Expertise:

taking baby steps as not to discourage newcomers more experienced members helped others, gave

presentations on ICT tools and help lead Cycle groups

Lessons Learned (I)

Lessons learned related to Support: support of the principal and other administrators in

providing the resources, time and technical support support from the Cycle group leaders as well as the

BCT leadership team for on line and during face to face sessions

Lessons learned related to Time: be aware of the danger by overloading the teachers involvement in the project should blend in and not be

an add on or something extra

Lessons Learned (II)

Conclusion Benefits from the Participatory Design approach The roles of the cycle group leaders are crucial:

Designing, building, and cultivating a teacher community of practice

Facilitating communication and collaboration through ICT among teachers

Exemplifying and supporting the BCT project and the BCT teachers along the way

Professional development of the cycle group leaders Leadership skills and teaching practice Confidence and strengths in using ICT

Gyeong Mi Heo, [email protected]

Donna [email protected]

Marie-Helen [email protected]

Dorothy [email protected]

Alain Breuleux, [email protected]

Building Community through Telecollaboration (BCT) Project

http://bctcollaboration.wikispaces.com