Informal Proposal: Student Sample #1

Date: March 1, 2001
To: Center Team Leader and Interns
From: Erin Roepcke
Subject: Proposal to Study Teacher Isolation and the Mitigating Role of Technology

Problem Statement:

The purpose of this proposal is to illustrate the need for a project to address the problem of isolation among public school educators. This project will explore:

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Possible sources of this problem
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Indicators of this problem
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Attempts one company (PAXIS Institute) is making to mitigate this problem with technology

Introduction/Background:

In contemporary politics and policy, education reform is demanding increased attention. Politicians as well as private businesses and non-profit groups are all stepping up to be heard and have their plan implemented. Findings are mixed about the effectiveness of any of these plans. This leads us to ask, what other variables are at work to make effectiveness as irregular as it appears to be? Why is it that some schools can implement any program, while others have difficulty? The conclusion that many researchers have come to, is that teacher interaction and isolation plays a substantial role in the effectiveness of any program, especially a program that calls for a change in teaching practices (Eisner, 1992; Ioro, 1992).

There is little consensus among researchers about a single cause of teacher isolation. Most agree that it is related to teachers' communication patterns. Bakkenes et al. (1999) propose that isolation is a "situation that results from a teacher's defensive behavior--avoidance of work-related communication with colleagues." They suggest isolated teachers place greater value on interactions with their students than those with their colleagues, and so defend the time they have with their students or to prepare for their students against threats external forces, such as work-related communication. An important factor in considering the collegial relationships of teachers is the orientation of the principal either to foster a communicative efficacious environment, or one of relative non-participation (Blase, 1993; Hope, 1999).

PAXIS Institute, the companion whose technology intervention this project will focus have found that particularly in elementary grades, teachers are limited not only in the time to spend with their classes, but also the time outside class time. They spend their day in their classroom with their kids and except for a short lunch and maybe recess, they have no time to spend sharing their experiences with their colleagues (Lauger, 2001). Bakkenes et al. (1999) supports this assessment, suggesting "teachers as professionals, control their own classroom autonomously in the operating core, act relatively independently of their colleagues, and work closely with their students" (Bakkenes et al., 1999).
Methods:

Research on this subject can be divided into three foci:

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Sources of teacher isolation;
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Indicators of teacher isolation;
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Technology as a mitigating variable in teacher isolation.

To determine sources of teacher isolation, this project will focus on published research such as that cited in the introduction of this proposal. This project will avoid unsubstantiated conjecture as to the causes of the problem of teacher isolation. To examine the indicators of teacher isolation, this project will rely on both published research and the observations of educators and the PAXIS Institute staff who have been involved in the implementation of their school program as well as the accompanying technology. Finally, this project will narrow its analysis of technology to the technology intervention that is part of the PAXIS Institute school intervention. This intervention takes the form of an online message board for teachers to air successes and concerns.
Timeline and Goals:

The result of this project will be suggestions to remedy the situation of teacher isolation to enable reform and other intervention programs the greatest potential for success in their implementation. As this research has been directed by the meager response PAXIS Institutes teacher message board has received, it will focus on ways that PAXIS Institute specifically might improve teacher integration and community building. The findings of this project will be applicable to any organization or individual planning a school-based program.

This project will be completed according to the following schedule:

Initial Research complete: March 23, 2001 Follow-up Research and interviews complete: April 1, 2001 Final Report draft complete: April 4, 2001 Final Presentation submitted: April 11, 2001
Conclusions/Recommendations:

The presentation of this project will occur in the form of an online Power Point demonstration of findings and their relation to the content focus of the Center, that is professional communication and technology. At this point research indicates that technology in fact exacerbates this problem, as it replaces face-to-face interaction. This issue, teacher isolation, is directly related to a lack of interpersonal communication, and it is an issue that the Center should consider when proposing technology solutions in communication. The demonstration, which will be submitted April 11, 2001, will make recommendations, based on published research and professional observations, as to way in which schools and organizations implementing reform and intervention programs can remedy the problem of teacher isolation.
References

Bakkenes, I., de Brabander, C., Imants, J. (1999). Teacher isolation and communication network analysis in primary schools. Educational Administrative Quarterly, 35, 166-203.

Blase, J. (1993). The micropolitics of effective school-based leadership: Teachers' perspectives. Educational Administration Quarterly, 29, 142-163.

Eisnor, E. (1992). Educational reform and the ecology of schooling. Teachers College Record, 93, 610-628.

Hope, W. (1999). Principals' orientation and the induction activities as factors in teacher retention. Clearing House, 73, 54-57.

Ioro, J. (1992). The classroom as the center of inquiry. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 19, 171-176.

Lauger, K. Personal Interview. March 7, 2001.