so say your me in your at school getting ready to teach a class and
you get another memorable
well who knows what the memos about
probably another meeting agenda or training similar they do want you to attend
i while you're likely to learn something illuminating an innovative and maybe even life changing
from the speaker talking at you you'll be away from work which means you'll have
a lot to catch up on and the information you to in the seminar will
be set aside as you focus on the stack of marking on your desk
this memos about learning that works learning networks we've been here before remember liverpool in
two thousand six one the local authority arranged all cd schools into ten different learning
communities great idea put a sin predetermined groups and make us talk to each other
but not about what we had for lunch or
how the team last again their latest fashion trends
note the focus was to be learning only
which is fair suppose
it is work after all the to start a connector the people in your group
when all you know about them is they're pedagogical philosophy
so they formed a committee to figure out how to let you just talk to
each other a big committee with senior management and people with chance you titles this
committee would oversee the learning network
the once established participants could go ahead and create programs allow teachers to talk
about learning
only learning
a researcher named mark o'brien along with some of his colleagues interviewed the learning network
coordinators
and sensor based head gestures are were supposed to circulate the question is to everyone
else
some did but others didn't for good reasons probably like protecting us from extra work
or maybe the answer going to be have we don't know
but only sixteen percent of the stuff responded
they wanted to see what we thought about the learning network then what the network
meant to us o'brien read and sort of and categorise responses and wrote an interim
report in two thousand six making for broad observations about or attitudes first turns out
a bunch of educators in general but had masters in particular really believe these learning
networks were just part of the government's plan to get reelected
second or no one is yet prove and the learning that were correctly contributes to
individual student achievement
there are benefits for schools as a whole
lots of respondents starts improving student achievement was the motivation behind implementation
third we're not likely gonna use the learning that work for short term stuff like
getting help with next period science class but most of us to think it will
be good for long-term professional about
whether and learning network magically transform schools and or something marvellous or not
most are gonna
for had masters it seems are more sceptical the most especially those and secondary schools
they just know that despite the presence of big steering committee
they're the ones all have to sell it in the schools even if they are
real clear on the learning networks purpose well some got on board with their staff
of it is weighted to see what would happen
for everyone time away from customers an issue
so what we learn
the liverpool learning that work fell from the top down onto teachers tasks
well educated squatted it to work and we're hopeful that the initiative would make it
is better teachers and the students better learners there was still viewed with scepticism
o'brien and his colleagues learn from this experience that when it comes to creating a
better experience for teachers and students that ownership and independence and self determination are important
element so learning network
he suggests that if we ever do this again our learning network should have clearly
defined purpose and embody the noble values of
cost
openness and integrity
well as around this time the social media and web two point had infiltrated daily
life
no social media has a whole lot of stuff not about learning
but a bunch of university types callers got hold of it and without correction or
mandate started using to it is one hundred forty characters to do serious stuff
terms of social media can be whatever we wanted to be and these colours turned
it into a learning network
in twenty ten george fella stanno scott on twitter and create a bunch of academics
to find out how the use twitter for their own professional learning
in order to be creep or the this color had to be a phd employed
by higher education institutions with an active public putter profile and at least two thousand
followers not your typical tweak to be sure but the kind of twitter user that
could shed light on exactly how social networks could be used as learning that works
well as channels had several researchers can through sort and categorize the last one hundred
weights from each of the forty five scholars in studied you found that we it's
generally served seven functions sharing things with each other accessing learning opportunities getting or giving
advice
personal and professional branding activities networking with others bridging other social media platforms
and sharing trivial personal details
well as the teachers would love to be able to do this more regularly but
never get the time to
and these callers were doing it all and twitter on their own time without anyone
telling them they had to one how
those channels even acknowledge the contributions of three field weights to making connections with others
sharing personal details publicly ads dimensionality to the online persona your i'm listening to be
realized we might make me more likely to talk with you now that i know
you like were allows to
one thing leads to eleven in the next thing you know we're collaborating on research
proposals
well as dallas recognise that when the learning network is controlled by the individual it
has great capacity for change and specialisation
the twitter learning network and morph with the needs of the user meaning that i
can get what i need when i need it and i don't need to feel
guilty about telling everyone about the possible much had
so well as tamils found out what network learners are doing on twitter rory see
found out why network learners find it so valuable
in twenty thirteen c had a brainstorming session with thirty four academics with self directed
learning that works but because took place on twitter he called at eight great storm
get it brainstorm to each time
wonder why they didn't just brainstorming person maybe they can get the time off to
ten meetings so they just we did during the day from mark
c was interested in the networks social relationships yet participants describe the other people and
then that works do they were how close they were what you learn from them
and however they connect you found that almost half or described as both colleagues and
friends and the top mostly output or email or face to face
in that we start everyone talk about why they got involved with learning networks what
they liked about it and why they think it's affective
like those channels see sort of organised and categorize the tweaks an identified seven factors
contributing to professional learning
one is that they liked sharing
there is the ask take about the social aspects of learning define valuable information and
resources in the network they get feedback on their ideas and they learn things from
the each other and they feel a sense of trust and support and the connections
are good and intelligent people
c says that learning that works even on social media rely on the intrinsic rewards
of given take
what's different with social media as we can include people both near and far socially
closer distance in the self managed learning that work that's integrated into our daily practise
so that are this mammal learning that works it's as management is now taking a
grassroots bottom-up approach to creating learning networks
this is either very ironic or very clever
the basing this new approach on two thousand eleven research by irene handy it's and
her colleagues channellised interviews of several people with experience facilitating professional learning that works and
identified five broad challenges
knowing the roles in interventions required to initiate learning network
making it meaningful
developing digital communication skills
spurring independence and finding a balance between online and in person engagement
so the memos about management a new understandings and approaches to learning that works and
their incorporating solutions identified by hand it's
the learning that works will be independent and self directed i get the say what
i want to learn and the facilitator will work with me to make initial connections
with people and content that will help me meet those needs
the learning that works will be integrated into daily practise on the facilitator will help
me make time in my day to participate
the learning networks will use my choice of communication technology to connect and collaborate with
people both inside and outside the organisation
the facilitator will even work with me to develop effective communication skills and social media
and find opportunities for face-to-face meetings with some of the people in my learning network
no mandates no direct those no restrictions on topics this new approach the memo says
is an effort to nurture climate of learning throughout the organisation
sounds like it has what the liverpool exercise was missing
ownership autonomy degrees of self direction
trust
openness and then take pretty i think i'm gonna like this