Conditions for Learning
Powering Up is essentially a case study of 5 high school teachers, how they use technology and most importantly, how they learned to use technology in a constructivist learning environment. In Chapter 3, the author lists 5 intellectual processes that were threaded throughout all of the case studies. These processes were prevalent when examining what she calls teacher’s “learning trajectories”:
*the commitment to use computers
*a definition of pedagogical problems
*scanning for new ideas and practices
*creating new curriculum and practices
*trying, reflecting, refining
It is necessary to understand that the 5 teachers were selected because they used computers, and they used them in a constructivist environment. So these guys have pretty much a head start on much of the rest of the teaching world. BUT, it is important to note her list. It is very much in line with Fullan’s hypothesis that teachers gain new materials (technology), new methods (constructivist), and then make a change through application of the new materials and methods. Another interesting point embedded in her list is teacher ownership. All those elements happen based on teacher motivation. In the book, the important point she makes regarding that is the organization’s ability to encourage or thwart that motivation.
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