1. Professional development and innovative
pedagogy in an online community through
the lens of activity theory
Global Skills for College Completion
http://www.globalskillscc.org/
Brenda G Kaulback
Knowledge in the Public Interest (KPI) Learning
Design and Community Support
Fielding Graduate University, School of Human and
Organizational Development
Specialization: Information Society and Knowledge
Organizations (ISAKO)
2. Outline of Presentation
Global Skills for College Completion
(GSCC)
Activity Theory
GSCC as Activity System
Three Aspects of GSCC as
Highlighted by Activity Theory
Conclusion
3. Community Colleges
Two-year institutions educate nearly half of all
US undergraduates
(Mellow, Woolis, Laurillard, 2011)
Approximately 20% of CC students transfer to
four-year institutions
(National Center for Educational Statistics)
More low-income students, immigrant students,
and black and Latino students enroll in
community colleges than in four-year colleges
and universities
(Mellow, Woolis, Laurillard, 2011)
4. Developmental Education
More than one half of community college students
are required to enroll in at least one developmental
education course. And many take more than one.
(National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2003-4)
Pass rates of developmental education students
barely reach 60 percent
(Bailey, 2012; Gates, 2010)
Seventy-five percent of student who take
remedial classes will not graduate from
college.
(National Center for Education Statistics, Bailey, 2012)
5. GSCC Premises
Pedagogy is a part of the story.
Educators estimated pedagogy
accounted for 30% of student success.
(Knowledge in the Public Interest, Pedagogy Matters Survey,
2011)
Technology offers new ways to deliver
professional development to improve
pedagogy.
6. Global Skills for College
Completion
◦ Improve faculty teaching practice
◦ Develop a developmental education
pedagogy
◦ Create a model of professional
development)
8. Global Skills for College
Completion
◦ “When practitioners, with the help of
researchers, transform their own work, a
new kind of learning emerges .”
(Sannino, Daniels, Gutiérrez, 2009)
10. Activity Theory, Briefly
Activity is the unit of analysis
Systems view
Joint collaborative activity
Change comes from contradictions in
system
Marx, Vygotsky, Leontyev, Engeström
12. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by
activity theory
The mutual boundaries of the
learning and knowledge creation
systems
The contradictions created by the use
of tags, themes, patterns
The changing division of labor
13. Mutual boundaries of the learning
and knowledge creation systems
Professional Development
and
Developmental Education Pedagogy
Professional Development Pedagogy
14. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by
activity theory
The mutual boundaries of the learning
and knowledge creation systems
The contradictions created by the
use of tags, themes, patterns
The changing division of labor
17. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by
activity theory
The mutual boundaries of the learning
and knowledge creation systems
The contradictions created by the use
of tags, themes, patterns
The changing division of labor
19. Limitations of GSCC as a
Networked Learning PD Model
Not in a university setting
No assessment
No credentialing
High-performing faculty
20. Viewing GSCC through an
Activity Theory Lens
Overall useful in terms of seeing activity
systems and contradictions in the system
Situated in real practice making insights
relevant and practical
Important to be able to move back and
forth between system level and more
granular level
Changes that emerge from
contradictions are long term – important
to view from a shorter term view
21. Leontyev, speaking about the basis of
activity theory in Marxism, describes
activity as a “sensory, practical activity
in which people enter into a practical
contact with objects of the surrounding
world, test their resistance, and act on
them, acknowledging their objective
properties.”
23. I know, without a doubt, that I am a better teacher now.
Because I CAN characterize myself as a teacher and
BECAUSE I have the tags and themes to act as
identifiers as well as quality assurance guides, I am a
better teacher.
Frankly, I had not been actively practicing as a
teacher. I had been teaching, but I had not been
studying what was happening in the classroom and
consistently using that information to make me a better
teacher …
I think that I'm a more effective teacher because I'm a
more confident teacher. The GSCC experience has
made me more aware of the nuances of my teaching
practice. It has helped me to hone my craft and not
doubt my instincts. Even though my pass rates did not
dramatically improve, I feel like more students passed
my class BECAUSE I was in GSCC. I think that over
24. I had to explain to my colleagues why I chose to
construct each lesson so, why I timed it so, how I could
tell whether my students were learning… and in doing
this I was explaining myself to myself in a way that I
ought to have done before
I’ve always practiced a pedagogy of caring, but I felt
that was more of a weakness than a strength. It’s been
a privilege to work with others who care as much as I
do.
The tags have helped me drill down on what I do and
why, and they’ve given me a vocabulary to talk about
teaching that’s free of controversy and evaluation ...
One of my best learnings was the ability to characterize
myself as a teacher through tags and conversations
with peers. It was truly an "ah ha" moment for me.
Quite simply, life-changing.
25. Possible Interpretations
Pedagogy didn’t improve
It is still early
Faculty high performers
Pass rates affected by other than
pedagogy
Difference between use value and
exchange value
26. Conclusion 1
The coextensive activities provide a way
of grounding the learning in the practice
of the learners.
Questions:
To what extent do the varying
motivational factors of each activity
impact engagement with the learning?
Will a weaker emphasis on generating
new knowledge for the field decrease
participant motivation?
27. Conclusion 2
Innovation and improved practice were
generated through the mirror provided by
patterns and by the contradictions
between one’s own pattern and that of
respected faculty.
To what extent will a different
demographic (not high-performing
faculty) impact the development of
contradictions and innovation?
28. Conclusion 3
The division of labor and changing role of the
teacher and learner supported a collegial
community of learners engaged in joint labor.
Questions:
At the same time, the reaction of the learners
to the changing role created some push-back
from learners and a rethinking of the division
with the creation of a role for faculty coaches.
To what extent is this desire a result of the
impact of change? Will this new division of
labor adequately respond to the desire for
more intervention?
29. References
Bailey, T., Jeong, D. W., Cho, S.W., (2012). Referral, enrollment, and completion
in developmental education sequences in community colleges. In Economics of
Education Review, 29 (2010) 255–270.
Cohen, A.M., and Sanchez, J. R. (1997). The Transfer Rate: A Model of
Consistency. Los Angeles, CA: Center for the Study of Community Colleges.
(ERIC ED409952) (cited in NCES)
Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to
developmental research. Helsinki, Finland: Orienta-Konsultit
Key facts on developmental education. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
website. Retrieved March 6, 2012 from
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/postsecondaryeducation/Pages/key-facts-on-
developmental-education.aspx
Leont'ev, A.N. (1978). Activity, consciousness, and personality. Translated from
Russian by Marie J. Hall. Englewood Cliffs, NJ; London: Prentice-Hall. Retrieved
March 6, 2012 from http://www.marxists.org/archive/leontev/works/1978/index.htm
Mellow, G. O., Woolis, D. D. and Laurillard, D. (2011): In search of a new
developmental-education pedagogy. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning,
43:3, 50-59.
Sannino, A. , Daniels, H., Gutierrez. (2009). Learning and expanding with activity
theory. New York: Cambridge University Press.
U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (2001).
Research and development report: Community college transfer rates to 4-year
institutions using alternative definitions of transfer. By Ellen M. Bradburn and
David G. Hurst. Project Officer, Samuel Peng. Washington, DC: Retrieved from
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