Empowering Teachers: A Co-Designed Approach to Innovative Instruction

• In Event: Surfacing Teacher Learning Needs from the Ground Up: Research-Practice Partnerships to Cultivate Innovative Practices

Abstract

Purpose
Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) hold promise for educational transformation through relevant and useful products (Tseng et al, 2017). To address a need for practice-based professional development (PD) opportunities for K-5 mathematics and science teachers (Davis & Haverly, 2022; Zuo et al., 2023), we developed an RPP leveraging educator and researcher knowledge and experience across multiple states and contexts. The team co-designed a PD plan to supports learning how to facilitate productive student discussions, and studied their co-design process.
Perspectives
A key design research method, co-design fosters relationships among people and institutions and innovations addressing their goals and contexts (Bang et al., 2010; Bang & Vossoughi, 2016; Penuel et al., 2015). Power sharing is essential to RPPs because the collaborations must address the historical power imbalance in research (Coburn et al, 2021; Farrell et al, 2021). Yet, balanced engagement with equal responsibilities and power is challenging (Bell, 2019).
The team chose a co-design approach to address the needs and challenges of current teachers (Coburn et al, 2021). The process was guided by collaboratively selected values including power sharing, respect, transparency, equity, and accountability (Bang & Vossoughi, 2016). In this study we investigated team members’ perceptions of the extent to which the team culture and practices embodied the agreed upon core values, as well as obstacles to their enactment.
Methods & Data
The mixed-method study included anonymous surveys focused on adherence to the 13-person team’s agreed upon co-design core values, as well as challenges and lessons learned. A co-design process survey was administered at three timepoints during the co-design process and at its conclusion, at which point additional reflection items were included; response rates varied (69%-100%). Descriptive statistics were calculated for Likert-scaled items. Thematic analyses (Clarke & Braun, 2014) were conducted on open-ended responses, bounded by the core values, to support triangulation with Likert item results.
Results
Key survey findings included trends of high average ratings of the team’s enactment of core values (Figure 1). After earning the lowest average rating on the first survey, ratings for power sharing increased. Respect was consistently rated at the highest level, and ratings started out high and got even higher for the team’s enactment of adaptability, transparency, and accountability. Open-ended comments (Table 1) revealed themes that power sharing was initially challenging and improved due to team discussions and more distributed planning and sharing of roles and responsibilities, respect was consistently high, and accountability was viewed as a concern due to team members’ uneven contributions later in the project. Ongoing challenges included 1) educators contributing on top of their regular workload, whereas researchers’ contributions were part of their regular work, and 2) meeting virtually across time zones, outside teaching hours.
Significance
The study highlights the potential for successful RPPs between K-5 educators and researchers focused on a common goal of planning for teacher PD. It also aligns with prior RPP research documenting challenges including unequal privileges and power dynamics based on the distinct roles, training, and skills of researchers and educators (Denner et al, 2019).

Authors

• Marisol Kevelson, Educational Testing Service

• Jamie N. Mikeska, Educational Testing Service

• Nancy Grim, Tucson Unified School District

• Shreyashi Halder, ETS

• Tricia Maxwell, Educational Testing Service