Transcript Bild 1 - Karlstad University

Welcome to the PBS - network
Monica Evermark
The Swedish education system
The Swedish education system
What is compulsory school?
Upper Secondary Education
The Swedish Parliament and Government
Personal progress review
Teachers
Teachers are organized in work teams most often
with pupils in common as the principal of
composition
Hans-Åke Scherp
Problem-based school development
School development

School development refers to conscious sustainable
changes integrated in the everyday life of a school that

encompasses the whole or at least an extensive part
of the school.

The focus is to enhance the quality in the learning
processes of the pupils.
Results from earlier studies

School development from an actor perspective is
about finding solutions on problems encountered in
the everyday teaching situation.

The pupils are the main problem. When pupils do not
learn or develop in the extent expected from earlier
experiences, the teachers experience a problem that
needs to be handled.

The experiences of the teachers and their dialogues
with other teachers and with the pupils about these
experiences are stated to be the most influential
factors of their way of teaching

There is no point in trying to influence what teachers
do or do not do. They do whatever they do anyhow, as
long as they have the understanding they have of the
mission and how to realize that mission in everyday
work.
Actions
Experiences
Planning
Reflection
s
Conceptions
Conclusions
Learnings
Research and
other’s conceptions
PBS

Organizing sensemaking processes of learning based
on everyday problems

Learning groups are organized to deepen the
understanding of important everyday problems

Trained learning leaders lead the learning groups

Teachers and school leaders are the main actors in the
knowledge building of learning and teaching

School leadership: To organize and be a leader of the
joint learning process about learning and teaching
instead of planning and organizing the activities of the
teachers
PBS-leadership
To be a leader of school development means to
participate in the dialogues about what is
puzzeling and unexpected and contribute with a
sensemaking whole from which the unexpected
can be understood and guide the actions.
Already
existing
knowledge
Create
knowledge
together
Learning
process
Definition of the
problem or learning
field
Collecting reliable
basic data
Lectures and
books etc.
Conceptions
Looking for patterns
Understand why the
pattern looks like it
does  learnings
Activities
Testing the learnings
in practice
Åke Malmeling
Why did we join the network and what
are the results?
Experiences of PBS in a Swedish
commune
Why did we enter the PBS-network?

“What are we doing
today?”

“How are we doing it?”

Why are we doing it?

We have very little
knowledge about each
others work but we
have lots of thoughts
about it?

The need for common
reflection about the
assessment and how to
realise it?

Common
comprehension! –
common learning?
Difficulties:
• Now I have the chance to tell the
others what's right and wrong.
• We need to learn how to reflect in a
professional way.
Four years later….
Results
Results for the children

“PBS is a way to work with the pupils.”

“I have become more engaged in my work and as a result of this
I’m more focused on creating interest and intrinsic motivation
among the pupils. Even in areas where there haven’t been that
big interest before.”

“I have organized learning groups among the pupils. Their
conversation is very interesting.”

“Today we are better listeners and the meetings are more
respectful. Teachers-Children, Teachers-Teachers, Children –
Children”

A child’s reflection: “You need to listen to the others. They might
be right.”
Results for the teachers

“The openness, the respects of thoughts, the security is gradually
increasing.”

“The others are listening to me. I have something to add. My
perspective is important and that makes me more creative.”

“When it's up to us to decide areas for development, when its our
everyday problems that are in focus, we don't consider it as a
burden but a stimulating task to deal with.”
Results for the principals

“As a principal I think I have to be more precise with the aim of
the PBS-work. Why do I want this?”

“How can I create good conditions for learning among my staff?

“How can I become a challenging principal?”

“We wish that our principal would be more sharing and
challenging.”

“We need a total plan for the learning process. Not in details but
as a big picture. Which are the crucial parts?”
Results for the central administration

“It's very important to provide a vision, a big picture.”

“If we mean that it's important to build an organisation on common
comprehension and common learning we must live up to that
ourselves.

“High expectations. Tolerance for and interest in diversity in ways of
thinking and working.”

“Important that the signals out in the organization are coherent with the
holistic idea.”

“Important to communicate and to interact all the time.”
Results for the politicians

“This is interesting, Could it be something for us?
Reflection on what we do, what decisions we make, why
we do it and what the results are?”

“What is our role? It feels far away from the traditional.”

“How can we contribute to better conditions for learning”
Hans-Åke Scherp
The results of research
PBS-results

According to the teachers a PBS-leadership to a greater extent
influences their way of working and their understanding of the
mission.

The realization of a PBS-culture makes the teachers to
experience that they are more professional and succesful in
accomplishing their mission.

PBS-leadership contributes to teachers confidence in the
management

The realization of a PBS-culture raise the contentment in work
among teachers as well as school leaders

Improved climate for dialogues. More aiming at understanding
and learning from each other
Åke Malmeling
Experiences, learnings from PBS
Experiences, learnings from the PBS-work

“Help, what am I getting into?”

“In the beginning there was still a feeling that this was
something that was coming from the top. It was hard to get
commitment for the idea.”

You are interested in school development aren’t you? Well you
see I see no use of that. I think it's just working fine just the
way it is.

“It is clear when the developing process changes from outside
to intrinsic driven. The clearest sign is that meeting-places
round important issues occur spontaneously. Then there is no
problem finding time for common learning .”
Everyday issues

“We don't push the problems in front of us.

“It's important to get the process more directed into
everyday problems instead of separate courses.”

“To be successful it's necessary that the content is linked
to the everyday work.”
Learning dialogues

“Sometimes it is important to have learning dialogues
about the learning dialogues.”

“If it’s decided that we shall have a learning dialogue
then we must stick to that and not start dealing with
something else.” (ex practical issues)

“It’s hard to reach the deeper levels in the
conversation.”

“We have a never ending learning dialogue. We have
become much calmer and more secure with each
other.”
Gun-Britt Scherp
Maps of conceptions, one of the ”tools”
Cognitive Mapping
(Kathri and Miles, 1995)

a tool for portraying a person’s cognitive structures

shows the various ideas or concepts we hold and the linkage
among them

gives a general indication of what a particular, simplified cognitive
structure might be at a given time

help us to arrive at a person’s “big picture” thinking about any
subject matter and limitations
Map of conceptions
Interviewer
Start the thinking by asking the interviewee to write down
her conceptions on Post-its about
What kind of leadership will inspire developement?
Interviewee
1. Write one key concept on each Post-it. You may
use as many as you wish.
2. Arrange the Post-its on a large sheet of paper in a
meaningful order.
3. Start elaborating the concepts on the Post-it by
choosing the most important
Interviewer
- You wrote … – what was on your mind?
- Can you help me to understand what you mean by .....?
- That sounds interesting. Can you describe more precisely?
Assume
that...?
you do not understand what is written on the
- Is this what you
mean
Post-its and ask clarifying questions to get a deeper
- Can you elaborate
this?
understanding of the key concepts by using questions like :
- What did you mean by ...? etc.
Interviewer
Write down the
interviewee’s
words on the
large sheet of
paper when
he/she
elaborates the
key concepts
on the Post-its.
Use his/her
own words as
much as
possible.
Positions
The interviewee
should be able
to follow her/his
thoughts to be
able to se the
linkages and
make clusters
Interviewee
When you have ”travelled”
through your thoughts and
all Post-its, look at the map
to see if it corresponds with
your conceptions
What kind of leadership will inspire
developement?
Practise cognitive mapping two by two
Katina Thelin
The importance of a holistic idea

How do we get the children to
participate?

How can we make the children
want to participate?

How do we get the children to
stop fighting with each other?

How can we stimulate children to
develop their communication (so
they do not need to fight with
each other)?

How do we get the students
attend the lessons (to stop
shirking)?

How can we make the students
want to attend the lessons?

How can we get the teachers
to work with these problems?

How can we create an
understanding among the
teachers of the importance of
working with these problems?
And how can we support this
work?
Extrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation
Monica Evermark
Swedish teachers’ learnings about teaching
Teachers’ voices

Children are smart and
competent – It is the best
starting point

Be aware of children's reality
today, and show them respect
for their situation

Participation in planning

Start from the pupil’s reality and
create curiosity
Different perspectives

“It is fantastic to hear different experiences, ways of seeing
things and all creative thoughts. It makes me think.”

“Often there are like summersaults in our brains before we go
deeper in to the meaning of different terms.”

“I want someone else to come to our group and challenge us with
another perspective.”

“You can easily get fossilized and that is the least we want.”

“When you get stuck you need some driving force from outside.”

“It isn't always enough to dig where you stand.”
Per Fagerström
The learning process
Learning group
When people meet they learn
Take care
of the
problems
Quick fix
Deepended
understanding
+
The new
phase
Go on with
questions not
answers
”This is stupid,
not good, we
can´t work like
this etc.”
Go back and inquire
how it is today. Shared
understanding of the
problem
Take care
of the
problems
Heterogeneous mix
of co-workers
Ask everyone
to give his
point of view
Quick fix
Deepened
understanding
+
Take care
of the
problems
Heterogenious mix
of co-workers
Quick fix
+
Deepended
understanding
Ask everyone to
give his point of
view
Input from
research,
articles, etc.
Take care
of the
problems
Heterogeneous mix
of co-workers
Ask everyone
to give his point
of view
Quick fix
+
Realization process
Homogeneous group
(the everyday work group)
Deepended
understanding
The new
phase
Go on with
questions not
answers
”This is stupid,
not good, we
can´t work like
this etc.”
Go back and inquire
how it is today. Shared
understanding for the
problem
Good strategies to get closer the
new phase = higher level of quality
The special educator

“We want to implement school development in areas that we
consider important.”

“For example we need to achieve better understanding how to
deal with children in special needs.“

“We thought that it would be difficult but we found that on the
contrary it was easier.”

“It's easier to come with our thoughts to groups which are in a
learning process already. The climate is much more open for
other perspectives.”
Marie Tanner
What does PBS mean to special
educators conceptions about how to
fulfil the role?
”The children referred to as having
special needs are the hidden voices that
could inform and guide improvement
activities in the future.”
(Ainscow)
Special educators role in Swedish schools
besides teaching

Supervise and coordinate matters of special needs education
with an inclusive approach.

Analysing school difficulties from an organisational, group and
individual level. Focus on eliminating causes of difficulties in the
schools environment.

Have a leading role in evaluation and development of schools
What is important content in school
development?

Development of methods, action plans and
instructional patterns from a categorical perspective.

•Workplans and
againstcoChanging schools learning environments
bullying
workers approach to pupils in difficulties.

•ART, TRAS
•Salutary
approach
•Diagnostic
methods
Develop forms and structures for teachers learning.
•Taking pupils
perspective
•Dialogue forms
•A school for everyone
•Reflection
•Holistic approach and
•Seeking
patterns
continuity
•Change
of perspective
•Cooperative
approach
How to contribute to development?

Near and distant
- Being in the educational environments but also take an
outside perspective and distance.

Cooperate and clearly define
- Cooperate with teachers and with social welfare staff,
but also clearly define different professional roles.

Intermediate and help for reflection
- Intermediate knowledge about special needs
education, but also listen and help others to formulate
their own understandings and visualise mutual
learning.
What does PBS mean to this?

Increases teachers readiness to reflect over their own actions,
learning processes and long-term development.

Problems and dilemmas is seen as natural and to be expected.

An approach that is coherent with special educators
understanding of education.

Common understanding about the importance of dialogue as a
tool for change.

Increased awareness about change processes supports special
educators actions and movement between being near and
distant.
Difficulties

The understanding of what PBS is varies a lot within schools
organisation.

PBS can be comprehended as vague and indistinct.

PBS is seen only as method and tools, the approach to
development and the connection between levels in the
organisation, is not clear.

The special educators own competence in deepening learning
processes is not sufficient.
Åke Malmeling
Documentation and time
Time

“When are we supposed to have time for this?”

“Sometimes it feels like if the PBS-work comes and steel
time from other important work.”

“It feels like it is to seldom. You have forgotten and you are
unprepared.”

“It's a disaster when the principal steels the learning group
time for something he thinks is more important.”

“It is very important that we got the time, that it is OK that it
takes time and that there is a priority for the PBS-work. It
must not be something overgoing.”
Documentation

“We need more structure. We need to document the crucial
parts.”

“It’s important that someone respond to our documentation.”

“Our motivation grows if someone outside the group is
interested in our work and give us their perspective and
thoughts.”
Documentation from a learning group
Learning issue
Date
Aim of the meeting
We talked about …
Reflections during
the meeting
Conclusions/learnings
during the meeting …
Before the next meeting
we shall …
Difficulties in the learning
process …
Participants
Secretary
Please send this documentation
to [email protected] to
contribute to the mutual
knowledge building of PBS
and tell whether you permit that
the documentation is published
on the website www.pbs.kau.se