Educational large scale and top down innovations often fail because the innovative practices are not in alignment with teacher needs and fail to involve teachers in the development of the innovative process. This paper describes an Activity Theory inspired research project into individual and collective learning in (more or less) bottom-up educational innovations. In our case study we looked at four cases, all in vocational schools. The innovations in the selected cases were characterized by active and self directed learning and professional identity formation. They showed a lasting innovation, resulting in a changed learning environment for students ànd for teachers.

In a multiple case-study we studied the innovation from the teacher’s perspective, during a period of two years. Using Engeström’s model for expansive learning, we looked at the ‘need state’ and the ‘double bind’ in retrospective, and at the ‘tertiary contradiction resistance’ and the ‘quaternary contradictions realignment with neighbors’ from the present. The leading research question was: what and how do teachers learn from innovating their own educational practices?

Each case study was researched by three instruments: a learning history, informed by activity theory; an instrument based on the Model of Creative Learning and a self evaluation on teacher competencies. All three instruments use a narrative method to evoke reflexive interviews. The data were analyzed with concepts from Activity Theory and were related to data concerning the learning of individual teachers. 

The paper identifies contradictions in each state of the expansive learning cycle. We formulate conditions regarding what might help or hinder the learning that takes place from solving these contradictions.  We show how our conclusions may help develop Activity Theory and the model of Creative Learning. Also, the paper draws attention to the central concept of experience in the implementation process.

Wietske Miedema w.g.miedema@hva.nl

Martin Stam

University of Amsterdam

Educational large scale and top down innovations often fail because the innovative practices are not in alignment with teacher needs and fail to involve teachers in the development of the innovative process. This paper describes an Activity Theory inspired research project into individual and collective learning in (more or less) bottom-up educational innovations. In our case study we looked at four cases, all in vocational schools. Criteria for selecting the cases were:

1. a fundamental change through the concept of active and self directed learning and professional identity formation;
2. leading to a lasting innovation, resulting in a changed learning environment for students and for teachers;
3. triggered by at least a partly bottom up innovation.

The innovations in the selected cases were characterized by active and self directed learning and professional identity formation. They showed a lasting innovation, resulting in a changed learning environment for students ànd for teachers.

In a multiple case-study we studied the innovation from the teacher’s perspective, during a period of two years. Using Engeström’s model for expansive learning, we looked at the ‘need state’ and the ‘double bind’ in retrospective, and at the ‘tertiary contradiction resistance’ and the ‘quaternary contradictions realignment with neighbors’ from the present. The leading research question was: what and how do teachers learn from innovating their own educational practices? In detail, we studied the following questions:  

n      Which primary and secondary contradictions led to the innovation?

n      Which tertiary and quaternary contradictions were evoked by the process of change?

n      Under which conditions do teachers learn from solving these contradictions?

n      Which ‘boundary experiences’ are evoked by the self directed innovation? 

n      Which competences do teachers develop while engaged in the process of innovation?

Each case study was researched by three instruments: a learning history, informed by activity theory; an instrument based on the Model of Creative Learning and a self evaluation on teacher competencies with the help of a national Dutch teacher competency model (SBL model). All three instruments use a narrative method to evoke reflexive interviews with teachers in the inner circle and managers, colleagues and students in the outer circle. Each learning history was analyzed with concepts from Activity Theory: Subject, Object, Tools, Rules, CoP, Division of labor, Past, Present and Future. This way a picture of the learning of the activity system could be drawn. This picture was related to the learning of individual teachers and teams of teachers, looking at the question which ‘boundary experiences’ were decisive in the learning process and which particular competences teachers developed by implementing their innovation.

The paper presents the results from our study, in terms of the learning potential of bottom-up innovations. The research shows that the circumstances at the vocational schools that lead to the innovation, are characterized by the primary contradiction between developments in the profession on the one hand and education that is not yet prepared for those developments on the other hand. It was shown that teachers in vocational training are tormented by two questions. First: what constitutes a good practitioner/professional and second: what constitutes a good education for someone to become that practitioner/professional. In all four cases the activity system transformed in the direction of a competency-based training program, which varied from a more practice-oriented program to a problem-based, or learning-by-designing program. The research showed that the tertiary contradictions, brought about by the transformation of the activity, show a relation with either the Object shift, or the social organization of the Object shift. We concluded that an inclusive social organization of the Object shift supports the solution of tertiary contradictions. An inclusive social organization is characterized among other things by broad participation, by stimulating experimenting behavior, and by giving and receiving feedback.

The model of Creative Learning and the SBL model of competences facilitated the analysis of individual learning. Our research showed that boundary experiences occur in relation to important tertiary contradictions. The multiple case study shows that only a sense of continuity can overcome the experienced discontinuity between the old and the new situation.

The research also shows that teachers grow in certain competences, dependent on position and tasks in the innovation. In the preparatory vocational cases, the research shows that the leaders in the innovation developed different competences from followers. Leaders especially developed the competence of working together in a team, organizational competences, and competences in relation to the environment of the school. Followers developed first and foremost pedagogical and didactical competences. In the professional University cases, teachers developed first and foremost reflective competences, resulting in competences working with the environment, working in a team, and lastly pedagogical and didactical competences.

It seems that collective learning processes in the Community of Practice present an important connection between individual and systems learning processes. This research shows that teachers draw continuity, necessary for transforming boundary experiences into learning experiences, from the support from colleagues, from shared vision and values and from a common perspective on the future. We show how our conclusions may help develop the theory of the expansive learning cycle in Activity Theory. Also, the paper draws attention tot the central concept of experience in the implementation process.

Wietske Miedema

Martin Stam

University of Amsterdam

Graduate School of Teaching and Learning

Key references:

Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by Expanding. An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit Oy.

Engeström, Y. (2000). Activity theory as a framework for analyzing and redesigning work. Ergonomics, 43, no. 7, 960 – 974.

Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work 14.1, 133-156.

Meijers, F. & Wardekker, W. (2002). Career learning in a changing world. The role of emotions. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 24(3), 149-167