ICSEI 2018
Network: Professional Learning Network
Subtheme: Growing Innovative Culture for School Change
Symposium Title:
Autonomy, Professional Development and School Improvement: Cases from Taiwanese Education Professionals and Schools
Symposium Chair:
Dr. Tzu-Bin Lin,
Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of educational policy andadministration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Overarching Theme: Papers in this symposium aim at exploring the ‘growing innovative culture for school change’among education professionals in Taiwan. Authors present cases from research in Taiwanese secondary education during a new wave of curriculum reform. In 2014, the Ministry of Education Taiwan (MOE Taiwan) initiated a new wave of curriculum reform (CR) under the 12-year basic education policy, This CR exceeds previous reform agendas in school curriculum and requires a major shift in education professionals’ mindset and belief in teaching. The scale of this CR is massive because it influences students as well as education professionals in primary, secondary and pre-university level of education.
In this symposium, we have one position paper and three case studies from secondary schools to explicate how Taiwanese education professionals autonomously respond to this shifting landscape of schooling with a special focus on curriculum and leadership practice. Although these cases can not represent the entire education system in Taiwan, we are able to indicate a potential direction for building innovative school culture and practices. That is the self-directed professional development and influencing policy-making among education professionals in Taiwan.
Purposes of the Symposium
- Present cases on how education professionals initiate changes in teaching and influence state practices and on how these can be viewed as innovative culture in school settings
- Explicate a direction for building new school culture and education practices through the discussion of three cases
- Propose a post-colonial perspective of looking into leadership research based on the reflection on an empirical study
- Offer insights about the current development of professional development initiative in Taiwanese context
Presenters of these four papers will address the above-mentioned purposes. These cases from Taiwan demonstrate a bottom-up practice of teachers and school leaders. It could be easily making contrast to countries in this region such as Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore that have similar reform agendas in education.
Presentation 1
This paper is a position paper resonating the research agenda proposed by Hallinger, walker, Dimmock and others. Its role in this symposium is to offer a base and a theoretical perspective to develop the discussion in the following three cases.
Title of Paper 1:
Contextualising Education Leadership in East Asia: Reflections from a Study on National Leaders of Education (NLEs).
Presenter:
Mr. Mu-Yu Wang
Graduate Institute of educational policy and administration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Dr. Tzu-Bin Lin, (Corresponding author)
Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of educational policy andadministration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Keywords: Education Leadership, Orientalism, East Asia
Context of this study:
Over past decades, leadership has been viewed as a powerful tool for school improvement (OECD, 2010). Therefore, policy makers around the world made various policies and developed programmes for cultivating education leaders and ultimately for improving student performance (Cheng & Walker, 2008). A study was initiated to explore the case of successful leadership practice, the National Leader of Education (NLE). The findings might provide insights to local Taiwanese practice. This paper discusses an issue deriving from the aforementioned case study. We would like to explicate what we learned from the case study of NLE and re-contextualised them to fit the local needs. However, we encountered a difficulty that Hallinger (2011) and Cravens & Hallinger (2012) has pointed out. There is a lack of understanding school leadership from East and Southeast Asian perspectives. What we can employ is all from Western countries. While reflecting on this research process, we find out that Said’s Orientalism offers a theoretical framework to unpack the process we, as researchers, have gone through.
Objective of this study
This paper aims at providing a reflective account of a research in education leadership study with Said’s Orientalism (1978). During the process of studying the British case and re-contextualising it. We fell into the ‘Orientalism Paradox’, meaning that we chose to use the Western research and study building the East Asian perspective without local knowledge base. As Said’s (1978) argued in Orientalism, we accepted it as the reality without our own voice on education leadership from East Asia.
Methods and data sources:
The case study of National Leaders of Education programme stands as a preliminary attempt to rethink and outline a viewpoint on education leadership in East Asia. Various data collection methods are applied such as participant observations, interviews and textual analysis. Meanwhile, the researchers found a paradox on the development of education leadership in Asian context. Therefore, to re-examine it, this study also identifies the potential bias in research of education leadership in East Asian context as a calling for further investigation.
Discussions and points of view:
Our discussion will cover the following aspects:
(1) What are the possible reasons that lead to ‘Orientalism Paradox’ in East Asian education leadership study?
(2) How can researchers be qualified to claim the East Asian model on education leadership, especially in the approaches of research agenda and knowledge production?
(3) What can we learn from Said’s Orientalism and apply it on understanding education leadership research?
Educational importance of this study for theory, practice, and/or policy and connection to the conference theme:
This paper provides a preliminary reflection and critical re-examination on education leadership in East Asia. It resonates the attempt of building a conceptual and practical framework to better re-contextualise education leadership in Asian context. Moreover, we would like to trigger more discussion on education leadership from a post-colonial perspective while most countries in East Asia are with colonial history.
Reference:
Cheng, Y. C. and Walker, A. (2008). When reform hits reality: The bottleneck effect in Hong Kong primary schools. School Leadership an Management, 28(5), 505-521.
Cravens, X. C. and Hallinger, P. (2012). School Leadership and Change in East Asia: Building Capacity for Education Reform. PEABODY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, 87(2). 157-161.
Hallinger, P. (2011). Developing a knowledge base for educational leadership and management in East Asia. School Leadership and Management, 31(4), 305-320.
Jensen, B. and Clark, A. (2013). Confident School Leadership: an East Asian Perspective. Nottingham, NCTL.
Jensen, B., Hunter, A., Sonnemann, J., and Burns, T. (2012). Catching up: learning from the best school systems in East Asia. Grattan Institute.
Kennedy, K. J. and Lee, J. C. (2010). The Changing Role of Schools in Asian Society. New York, Routledge.
OECD (2010). PISA2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do: Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science, (Volume 1),
Said, E. (1978). Orientalism. New York, Random House.
Walker, A. and Dimmock, C. (2000). Developing educational administration: The impact of societal culture on theory and practice. In Future School Administration: Western and Asian Perspective, Dimmock, C. and Walker A. ed., 3-22. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.
Presentation 2
This paperoffers a case study of how teacher leadership function in a professional learning community (PLC) in Taipei. In the past five to six years, there has been a significant increase in the number of PLCs in pre-university education in Taiwan. Most of them are initiated by school teachers rather than by top-down policy. The case discussed in this paper is a cross-school PLC. In Taiwan, there is a substantial number of cross-school PLCs than school-based PLCs. This phenomenon is different from what we can see in the literature related to PLC globally. Therefore, this paper offers a case for international readership to understand this phenomenon.
Title of Paper 2:
Teacher Leadership in Professional Learning Community:
A Case Study of Task-based Language Teaching Community in Taiwan
Presenter:
Ms. Yi-Ting Hung
Graduate Institute of educational policy and administration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Keywords: Professional Learning Community, Teacher Leadership, Task-Based Language Teaching, Taiwan
Context of this study
In the past two decades, Taiwanese education has changed rapidly with the fast-changing globe. Ministry of Education Taiwan announced a new wave of curriculum reform that impacts from elementary to senior high schools in 2014. The main purpose is to improve the quality of school curriculum and instruction so that three visions can be achieved: taking the initiative, engaging the public, and seeking for common good (Ministry of Education, 2014). There are more opportunities for school to develop featured curriculum and provides students with more innovative and practical education (Chang & Lee, 2014)
To achieve the visions, the empowerment of teacher is a priority issue (Chang & Lee, 2014) because teachers are responsible for implementing new curriculum at the forefront (Chen, 2008). Therefore, teacher professional development (TPD) becomes the key factor to feed the needs, and professional learning communities (PLC) is regarded as an effective strategy for school and teacher improvement (Sun, 2010).
PLC implicates that teachers need to be experts, stay hunger to seek opportunities to be better, and hope to create a safe and supported environment for others (Richard & Robert, 1998). Not only improving students’ achievement and teachers’ capacities, professional learning communities but also expect teachers to demonstrate leadership and make a difference at schools (Chen, 2009). In PLC, all the members are considered to be supportive learners, and the impact of power and position should be decreased to the minimum (Bao, 2012). Therefore, Teachers can make great influence to inspire others to have dialogue and collaboration, and construct a positive and effective community. (Jiang, 2014)
Katzenmeyer and Moller implicate that teacher leadership is the main factor of teacher professional development, and the empowerment can help school improvement (Jiang, 2014). The role of teacher should be transferred from the traditional class manager to curriculum leader or professionalist, and all the teachers are likely to be the leader to create school culture (Chang, 2010). It is widely accepted that teacher leadership is a key in PLC and other school-based reform. However, how teacher leadership could function is required more evidence to explicate the process, especially in Taiwanese context.
Objective of this study
The study aims to explore teacher leadership in a PLC consist of five English teachers from five different senior high schools in Taipei. To form a team of teachers in the same school is the easiest way to build a community (Stanley, T. & Moore, B., 2011). However, in this case, PLC members are from different schools. This PLC is with a specific interest. They are exploring the application of task-based language teaching (TBLT), in Taiwanese English classroom.
In this study, following aspects are going to be explored:
- The context of forming a professional learning community: What makes these senior high school teachers form this PLC? Why do they collaborate with teachers from different schools instead of their own colleagues?
- The process of this PLC: How does the PLC operate? What roles do the members play during the process?
- The occurrence of the teacher leadership: How does teacher leadership occur in PLC? How does teacher leadership function within this PLC?
Methods and Data Sources
Qualitative case study is applied as the methodology. Case study provides an explicit and detailed research on a specific case (Lichtman, 2010) which is the professional learning community of task-based language teaching. There are five teachers from different senior high schools in Taipei involved in this community. The researcher conducts participatory observation in every single meeting and keeps the record by both texts and voice-recording. Teachers’ lesson plans and other notes are collected for document analysis. Interview with each member is required to understand the context of forming a professional learning community and developing teacher leadership during the process.
Educational importance of this study for theory, practice, and/or policy
This study analyzes professional learning communities with teacher leadership. Within the trends of the latest curriculum reform and the twelve-year compulsory education, professional development is required for all teachers in Taiwan. Professional Learning Communities are considered as a popular way to achieve the goal. In this case, the community of task-based language teaching provides a good example of operating a professional learning community, and the members perform great teacher leadership during the process. This study offers a new insight into the trend of professional development in Taiwan. Moreover, it is a valuable case study of teacher leadership’s occurrence in professional learning communities and can be referenced for other teachers.
References
Sun, C.-L. (2010). Professional Learning Community: The Platform of Teacher Professional Development. School Administrators, 69, 138-158. (In Chinese)
Chang, D.-R. (2010). Awakening the Sleeping Giant: An Analysis of the Development of Teacher Leadership in Elementary and Secondary Schools in Taiwan. Journal of Taipei Municipal University of Education, 41(2), 81-110. (In Chinese)
DuFour, R., Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Pao, H.-M. (2012) The Implementation of "Knowledge Management" on "Teacher Professional Learning Community". School Administrator, 83, 134-155. (In Chinese)
Jiang, J.-J. (2014). An Analysis on Research of Teacher Leadership in Taiwan. School Administrator, 90, 1-25. (In Chinese)
Lichtman, M. (2010). Qualitative Research in Education: A User’s Guide. NY: SAGE. (In Chinese)
Ministry of Education. (2014). Twelve-year Basic education curriculum. Taipei: The Ministry of Education. (In Chinese)
Chen, P.-Y. (2008). Professional Growth and Empowerment of Teachers through Conversations with Self and Settings. Kaohsiung Normal University Journal, 24, 21-48. (In Chinese)
Chen, P.-Y. (2009). Learning together, leading together: The construction and practice of professional learning community. Secondary Education, 60(3), 68-88. (In Chinese)
Chang, S.-J. & Lee, J.-H. (2014) Facing the Twelve-year Compulsory Education: Enhancement Teaching and Effective Learning of Teachers' Professional Development Program Planning Study. Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development, 7, 1-22. (In Chinese)
Roberts, S. M. & E. Z. Pruitt. (2006). School as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Stanley, T. & Moore, B. (2011). Formative Assessments in a Professional Learning Community. London, UK: Routledge.
Presentation 3
This Paper presents another case that demonstrates the leadership from senior high school teachers and school leaders in making changes during the most recent 12-year Basic Education reform. In this reform agenda, one of the pivots is the reform of ‘College Entrance Exam (CEE)’, i.e., the High-stake Examination for senior high school graduates to attend universities and colleges. The Exam-led instruction (or call it ‘credentialism’) is a common phenomenon in Taiwan, especially in junior and senior high sectors. Therefore, the reform of CEE plays a crucial role as a premise of the curriculum reform in senior high level. The case discussed in this paper explains an initiative from senior high school teachers and school leaders to autonomously form an action group to influence the CEE policy.
Title of Paper 3:
How Senior High School Teachers influenced Education Policy: A Case Study of ‘College Entrance Exam’ Reform in Taiwan
Presenter:
Ms. Yi-Chih Chiang
Graduate Institute of educational policy and administration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Dr. Tzu-Bin Lin (Corresponding author)
Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of educational policy and administration, National Taiwan Normal University
Email:
Keywords: College Entrance Exam (CEE), credentialism, curriculum leadership, case study, Senior High Schools, Taiwan
Context of this study
Education in Taiwan have been shifted from elite education to universal education during past two decades (Chou & Ching, 2012). The idea of decentralization, liberalization and marketization changed education system in Taiwan in many different perspective, especially in teacher education and curriculum (Lin, Wang, Li& Chang, 2013). To ease up the pressure of getting into college due to credentialism guided the educational reform in Taiwan, but those reform in school system, such as “Expanding Senior High School and Universities”, “Multiple Entrance Programs for the universities”, could not ease up the pressure and credentialism still deeply rooted in society (Chou & Ching, 2012). Rizvi and Lingard (2010) state that curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and examination are four school systems that reflect socio-cultural context in society, and reform in one system may bring up influence for another. In Taiwan, curriculum and pedagogy have been driven by examination due to credentialism for a long time. In order to support the curriculum reform, “Multiple Entrance Program for university” should be adjusted at the same time. After pursuing universal education by reshaping school system and university entrance program, it shows that those policies have little impact on easing up the pressure of getting into college (Lin et al., 2013). The idea behind education reform shifted from universal to diversity (Pan,2016).
The ‘12-year Basic Education curriculum guideline’ focuses on diversity and characteristic of curriculum in senior high school. How to develop school-based curriculum is a key. Furthermore, school leaders’ curriculum leadership plays an important role in the process of developing school-based curriculum. While discussing reform of the current ‘Multiple Entrance Program for university’, those school leaders and teachers came up with their own agenda in which they believe that their discourse embedding the key ideas of ‘12-year Basic Education curriculum guideline’. Those school leaders and teachers took actions autonomously against the reform proposal by the Joint Board, College Recruitment Commission. Although those two hundred and fifty-two school leaders and teachers failed, their action demonstrated their determination in influencing policy and reform in Taiwan.
Objective of this study
It is the very first time in Taiwanese context that the school leaders and teachers in senior high school proactively set their own agenda. This study aims at exploring the very first case that school leaders and teachers took action to promote their version of CEE reform. This paper also clarifies the conflict between different stakeholders during this wave of reform in Taiwan.