Erasmus+ KA2

Strategic partnership for innovationin education

ERASMUS+

01/09/2014 – 31/08/2017 BE – EE – NL – SI – PT - UK

2

Linpilcare

First internationalconference

3 – 5 October 2016University of Tartu

Current state of play of theproject

3

linpilcare

team

for being here

4

LINPILCARE aims to

LINk Practitioner Inquiry via effective professional

Learning Communities with results of Acadamic

Research, in order to support teachers and

schools in Evidence informed teaching.

Evidence informed teaching, sustained by three pillars:

1. Professional Learning Communities

2. Practitioner Inquiry

3. Access to results of academic research

5

linpilcare

• evidence for the idea linpilcare:

– inspiring researchers:• Timperley, Earl, Hattie, Dana, Fullan, Hargreaves, Lebak,

Tinsley, Lomos, Jäppinen, the OECD…

– teachers in the 21st century:• search systematically how to improve the own practice;

• share their :– challenges;

– the way they work on searching solutions;

– results.

• link their findings with results of academic research.

6

linpilcare

inspiring examples for linpilcare:

nurses medicine farmers

practitioners collect evidence on how they optimize theirpractice, they share their findings with colleagues

7

linpilcare

• expected impact:– teachers become ‘again’ the:

‘real professionals’• they are the owners of their learning

• they improve their practice:– starting point = their challenges in their practice

– focus = learning

– systematic reflection on their practice:

» by doing practitioner inquiry

» by being informed about resultsof academic research

» by collaborating with theircolleagues as ‘real colleagues’

• they develop an inquiry stance

8

how?six European partners develop:

• a conceptual frame of reference (CFR)

• practical tools to support the realization of theframe of reference

• in service training modules and courses tosupport professional learning (on the conceptsand working with the tools)

They disseminate the results in schools and teacher education.

The project is in year 3 of 3

9

Conceptual Frame of Reference

(CFR)

• In a final stage, written for practitioners

• On:

– evidence-informed teaching• the main characteristics of academic research

and practitioner inquiry, and how they eachcontribute to evidence for practice

– professional learning communities as a platform for professional learning

– practitioner inquiry as a professional strategyfor evidence-informed teaching

10

Tools for practice

• 72 tools:

– partly ready

– others in preparation

• tools are e.g.:

– protocols;

– materials;

– instruments;

– case studies

• tools on the three

pillars:

– professional learning

community;

– practitioner inquiry;

– easy access to

academic research

results

• the last one is the

most difficult

11

Tools for practice

protocols

• name

• purpose

• materials

• time

• roles

• process

• debrief

• feedback

12

Tools for practice

instruments

13

Tools for practice

materials

14

Modules, courses, etc.

• Tools are tested for use in practice, in

the context of local/regional/national or

international modules and courses

• Modules and courses are designed and

tried in practice

• The descriptions will be available for use

by others after sufficient try-out

• Planned in the second half of the project

15

Summarizing Linpilcare

conceptual frame of reference

16

Linpilcare’s concept of innovation

• Does not succeed top down

• Cannot be expected bottom up, if thatmeans from individual teachers

• Should combine

– Starting with real challenges in practice

– Focus on how to optimize student learning

– Linking to relevant research results

– Doing practitioner inquiry

– Sharing in professional learning communities

17

From the CFR on evidence informed teaching & learning

• Not ‘evidence based’ (suggesting

evidence should and could always

prescribe teaching)

• Not ‘intuiton based’ (as if teachers

always know best by themselves)

• Gathering best evidence for specific

context (academic and practitioner)

18

Both are valuable in

project linpilcare

From the CFR on

Comparing academic research and practitioner inquiry (based on tables from Fichtman Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2014; Bolhuis & Kools, 2012)

Academic research Practitioner inquiry

Goal Expand academic knowledge in

a certain field

Provide insight into teaching in

an effort to make change

Conducted by Scientists Practitioners

Conducted in Controlled settings (labs) or in

vivo (in schools)

A specific educational practice

Impact on the

academic communityBroad on the academic

community

Very limited

Impact on

educational practiceVery limited Profound on the practice at

hand

Scope of findings Generalizable; valid for and

transferable to different

contexts

Limited to specific practice at

hand.

19

From the CFR on ‘evidence’

Perspective of practitioners: ‘to what extend is a certain type of evidence valid for

him/her to take into account when rethinking his/her

practice.’

• Findings from practitioner inquiry;

• Findings from academic research;

• Finding from practitioner inquiry done by other

practitioners.

20

From the CFR on

Professional learning communities (PLC):

Prototyping:

• ‘a process, not just a physical place where you

design or prototype and present to your peers.

Your peers critique your work, highlighting the

strenghts and areas that still need some work.

(Warfel 2009)

PLC’s:

• A place where teachers inquire together into how

to improve their practices in areas of importance

to them, and then implement what they learned

to make it happen. (Hord 1997)

21

Professional learning communities (PLC):

Starting by thechallenges of practice

Professional learningabout the challenges

of practice

Trying out what youlearned in your

practice

Cyclical working on your practice byusing professional learningcommunities = your new starting point

Starting…

22

From the CFR on PLC’s

Focus on• Professional culture

• Teachers’ professional learning

• Teachers learning connected with colleagues

Way of working• Establishing shared norms

• Establishing shared values

• Culture of collegiality: trust and collaboration

• Opening up one’s practice for colleagues

Goal is improving practice in order to optimizethe learning!

23

From the CFR

The added value of PLC’s:

• Reduction of isolation

• Having a shared purpose

• Sparking of real professional

conversations

• Making school and class data meaningful

24

From the CFR on

Practitioner inquiry (PI)‘practice can’t be considered effective unless it is

responsive to the participating students & promotes their

learning’

Develop a Wondering

Collect Data

Analyze Data

Take Action

Share with Others

Inquiry

Cycle

Timperley Dana …

It is not enough to knowwhat works, you need toknow why… (Petty 2014)

…

25

The difficult third pillar: easy access to

relevant academic research

Why don’t teachers use academic research?

– literature is hardly readable, way too much

for limited time, difficult research language,

no open access

– thus: not aware of relevant evidence

What we need: more practice oriented reviews

on topics that are relevant to teachers

However: beyond the scope of Linpilcare

26

The difficult third pillar: easy access to

relevant academic research

Why don’t teachers use academic research?

If they are aware of relevant evidence:

– evidence from research can be contradictory

– evidence may count for average students,

but does not seem true in specific context

– difficult to change practice (habits) and

beliefs, especially when these are dominant

in one’s own school envirionment

• What is needed: PI, support, PLC’s

27

From the CFR: some strategies to ease

access to academic research

Professional learning may include:

• How to use which search engines

• How to read and value academic writing

Facilitator support in PLC’s may include:

• Finding relevant literature

• Summarizing this literature

• Inviting researchers

And ... ... ...?

28

Well on our way!

• Dissemination in schools, teacher education, networks of both, and via website

• International conferences:– Estonia: 3 October – 5 October 2016

– Lubljana: 24 August – 26 August 2017

• International courses:– Estonia: 13 November - 19 November 2016

– Estonia: 7 May – 13 May 2017

• VISIT OUR WEBSITE: linpilcare.eu

29

Linpilcare

In search of inspiration to realise:

the potential of innovative 21st

century education in which teachers

will be the real professionals in and of

education.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION