Leading Online An Autoethnography on Facilitating an Instructional Focus on Student Learning Sally A. Lancaster May 2, 2011

Context  Growth of Online Learning  Inconsistent quality measures  Teaching metrics focus on online class management not instruction  Best practices tend to focus on metrics

Problem  Monthly staff meetings and discussions lack energizing discussions about student learning. Instead, they focus on the details and mechanics of teaching an online course.  Percentages not standards

Socio-technical theoretical framework  Tavistock Institute: Social and technical components directly correlate to produce a given goal state.  Balance of human needs and technical needs

Application of socio-technical theoretical framework  Look at balance of human needs versus technical demands in the system.  Look through lens of all three level proposed by Trist (1980) 1. Primary – Classroom (Human resources frame) 2. Whole organization – School (Structural frame) 3. Macro-Social system – District/State Context (Political frame)

Anticipated research questions  As a leader of an online high school, how can I facilitate teacher engagement in analyzing courses to ensure student success?  What does online learning look like when teachers identify and implement best practices in the online setting?  As a leader, how can I work with teachers to shift the discussion about online learning from an emphasis on teacher metrics to a focus on student-centered learning?  How do teachers effectively utilize the technology to manage the workload while focusing their personal resources on the important task of ensuring learning?

Key research  Martin Mueller Testimony  Nelson 2009, 2010  Tallent-Runnels 2006  Kopcha 2008  Portin, Feldman and Knapp 2006

Methodology  Analytic Autoethnography  Designed to study self-reflection in daily praxis  Story behind data  Ellis and Bochner, Muncey, Chang and Anderson

Autoethnography: A triadic model Process (graphy) Culture (ethno) Self (auto) - Ellis and Bochner (2000)

Anderson’s five elements 1. Complete member researcher 2. Analytic reflexivity 3. Narrative visibility of the researcher’s self 4. Dialogue with informants beyond the self 5. Commitment to theoretical analysis

Setting  Everett School District  OnlineHS  7 Teachers, 1 Support Staff, 1 Principal  # Classes  Contractual Agreement  Success Rate  Political Context

Anticipated Methods for Data Collection  Daily journal  Thoughts, reactions, perceptions, use of time, political context  Meeting agenda items  Meeting notes  Reflections of teachers

Positionality  Supervisor: Reflexive role alleviates power differential  Beliefs about online learning  Ownership by virtue of developing the program

Anticipated Outcomes  Provide insights into one leaders successes and challenges with developing a high quality online program.  Contribute to growing body of knowledge of online learning.  Increase knowledge of the importance of instructional leadership in this new arena.

Questions?