Using technology to support leadership learning
victoria-university-of-wellington
Fri Feb 26 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Using technology to support leadership learning
Friday, 26 February 2010, 11:59 am
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington
Using technology to support leadership learning
How does information communication technology (ICT) support leadership development in New Zealand’s early childhood education (ECE) sector?
That was the question posed by Victoria University graduate Dr Kate Thornton, whose PhD research focused on how teachers in ECE could develop their leadership skills.
“Previous research has identified the value of leadership development programmes in this sector that encourage reflective practice, peer collaboration and a focus on problem solving in real-life situations,” says Dr Thornton.
“But leadership development opportunities are often challenging to fit into the lives of busy professionals, so my research focused on how ICT could be used by these early childhood teachers to develop their leadership skills.”
Dr Thornton convened two research groups, each with six teachers, who developed their leadership skills via a process called action learning, which involves groups of learners who work on issues or problems faced in everyday situations with the support of a facilitator.
“Although action learning groups most often meet face-to-face, ICT is increasingly being used to support or, in some case, replace traditional meetings. The participants met face-to-face in facilitated workshops and interacted online while back at their respective workplaces using a mix of email, online reflective journals, forum discussions and chat sessions.”
Her findings illustrated the leadership journeys taken by ECE teachers who increased their awareness of leadership through a process of recognising, reflecting, realising and responding. This led to increased confidence in their leadership practice and, in some cases, resulted in a greater distribution of leadership.
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“My research identified that four key factors contribute to the leadership learning process – the blended action learning process, the blended action learning groups, the ICT tools used and the role of the blended action learning facilitator who acted both as an enabler of learning and a trusted inquisitor.”
Dr Thornton, who works as a lecturer at Victoria University’s Faculty of Education, says very little research has been done in this area, and she believes her study will contribute to an understanding of the process of leadership development, using ICT.
Dr Thornton graduated last December with a PhD in Information Systems and was supported by funding from Victoria University. Her supervisors were Professor Pak Yoong and Professor Cedric Hall.
ENDS
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