Implementing e-Portfolio for Scaffolding and

Researching the Reflective Practice Among Novice Teachers in Estonia

Reelyka Läheb,Eve Eisenschmidt, Mart

Laanpere Inge Timoštšukreelyka@tlu.ee eve@hk.tlu.ee

martl@tlu.ee inget@tlu.ee

Induction year in teacher education in Estonia Since 2004 the national induction year programme is implemented for novice teachers in Estonia. By analysing implementation of induction year, the need for creating support-systems for novice teachers raised: systems to sustain professional development and self analyse.

OPAH project

Goal: to support the teachers’ professional development by solutions of ePortfolio and to develop the competences of lecturers and teachers in educational technology through all three levels of teacher education – initial training, induction year and continuing education.

Funded by ESF (European Social Fund) Partners: 2 main teacher trainers universities, ministry of education, teachers’ union

LearningLearning as

doing

Learning asbelonging

Learning asexperience

Learning as becoming

Practice

Meaning

Identity

Community

Participation

Reification

Negotiation

Sharing, extending

Immersion

Interaction

Negotiation

Membership

Sustained mutual relationships

Ways of doing together

Rapid information flow

Distributed knowledge

Mutually defining identities

Styles of displaying membership

Tools and representations

Negotiating experience

Community membership(s)

Learning trajectory

Local ways of belonging to broader context

Learning

Community

IdentityPractice

Meaning

Boundary objects

Brokers

Wenger, 1998

Community of Practice Framework for Learning

Participation

Reflection

Reflection in ePortfolio:Saka circle Model based on Korthagen (1999, 2001) and Moon

(2004) Devoloped in action and reflection by novice

teachers

Me as a teacher

1.Recording 2.Evaluation

3.Justification

4.Signification

5.Planning

6.New experience

ePortfolio concept

ePortfolio prototype- Design principles:   * Balance: community / personal   * Scaffolding and fading   * Participatory design   * Open source software, following the standards

- Components of OPAH ePortfolio:   * Blog   * CV (EuroPass)   * Competency manager   * Task manager: structured and open assignments   * Shared area for your group (feed aggregator)   * Drawer: file storage

Implementation of eportfolio

Pilot group of initial teacher education students and lecturers

Novice teachers and mentorsIn-service teachers

Method: Design research

Charateristics: as process orientated, cyclical nature, complexity, cooperation orientation, multilevelness and theory basedness, and the scientific nature of inquiry (Shavelson, Philips, Towne & Feuer, 2003).

In the participatory design research the researcher often functions as the designer and researcher.

Empirical study

Semi- structured interviews with different users groups in May 2007: student teachers, university supervisors, novice teachers

Thematic blocks: professional growth and reflection, feedback and mentoring, management of process and use of the environment

Interviewssome aspects for discussionRecording or reflecting?…One thing is to think constantly what you are doing and it is very good idea to grow something to be your habit, but another thing is to clarify all the time, what is the impact of your …

…documenting and writing down is also 2 different things. If there is just a trace, that I have done this or that, then it is just recording the subjects. When You want to see your face, you must look into the mirror. When you want to see your deed/work, you must put it down in writing. Otherwise you can`t get this second opinion thing....

Scaffolding and fading… eP gives opportunity and skill to share and get something from others and also from the leader of the support group…

…it is clearly seen, that if there is someone there, who moderates or manages the discussion, then there can be really interesting experience- like oh, yes, really, I even didn`t think about it... this really has an effect on reflecting…

… and that the expert is not the only person who gives feedback, but they themselves share

Differences in signification

…have we thought enough about different type of people, who learn differently? that their learning styles are different? When we rely too much on self-management, self-reflecting...I dare to say that because it is seen on students very well…

…we have German language students and nature study students, there is a clear positivistic approach to the world and such hermeneutic, interpreting, explaining. That those, who have been used to thinking in concrete terms, they have difficulties is writing long and diverse texts , they can not see, or their experience is that it is not necessary. And the fact that we have a different typage or background, doesn`t save the day. I have a dilemma here that bothers me...

…. there is a description of competencies in the form of a pie chart, where he could get a list, because this long list in practice field has been present, as long as I have worked here, by different fields all the time. And it is very difficult for people to accept and especially subject specialists this social skills side …. I really want to stress, is a clear specification, to get a visual system is absolutely a value in this environment…

…it makes reflection more visible to a person and to others. Growing and motion… the general picture is all the time in front of you…

Visualization is important

Engagement and participation…And some other possibilities. That this environment helps to keep track, who is where and who is doing what and when and by what time they will be ready. This is connected with the reflection and is the box of chocolates for people to keep on working there. Such additional value is added. That they can do some other tasks in their work more easily…

... Let` s say that discussion groups, i.e. moderating the discussion is one method, how to support those who need it- some don`t and can

…. effectively, when you leave it to people`s own responsibility, then things go as they go..they do something else,where they get a quicker assurance …

Limits of ePortfolio…Well, surely one limit is that in the web the carrier of information is the word. But everything else that carries the idea and meaning in real communication, like intonation and body language, being a natural part of communication, being one professional skill of a teacher, to transfer information through different sign systems;

...this is impossible in the web environment, and this is the only minus that can be mentioned…

Limits (2)I think that today the obstacle is difficulties to present one`s ideas and thoughts. These difficulties are boosted in e-environment. To catch the ideas and emotions of another person. There is no support given to deal with it. And incapability to distinguish what I see from what I think. Being subjective…

That means that we leave people without feedback. Because we can not give it free from judging or assessing. And we have experienced that labels are put, and often this is not accepted, and therefore we have given up giving feedback…..

Conclusions

Teachers as Digital Immigrants?Scaffolding for reflectionIllusion: framework will take a lead

Dilemma: community building – how to engage participants?

Positive lessons learned: augmented reality

Thank You!

Please visit: http://eportfoolio.opetaja.ee/