USING BLENDED LEARNING TO SUPPORT TEACHER COLLABORATION WITHIN A WHOLE-SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Back to Page Authors: Tony Yeigh, David Lynch

Keywords: blended leaning, teacher collaboration, whole-school improvement, change management

Abstract: This paper reports on a case study designed to demonstrate how the concepts and principles for embedding blended learning (BL) into a whole-school improvement initiative can be applied to a particular school context. It focuses on the need to support teacher collaboration as a foundational skillset required for effective school improvement, as well as the role played by BL in effecting this skill set. The key content of the report includes how to design whole-school improvement for coherent collaboration, the need for dedicated teacher professional learning and support in service of collaboration, and how to action teacher collaboration effectively. A distinct model of collaboration, designed to encourage whole-school improvement within a BL pedagogical framework, is also presented, and the crucial role of school leadership in guiding and directing the change process involved in school improvement is closely examined. Recommendations concerning the implications of the findings are provided, as well as suggestions for how to move this area of research forward via ongoing research.