School X School X was a state funded secondary school, which had been moving towards team teaching in flexible (open plan) areas, with time divided equally between direct teaching,
Similarity 7: Devices and Teacher Roles as Managers not Co-learners
1:1 programmes in these three schools were at early stages, but changes in teacher roles, with a shift towards becoming facilitators and learning managers were evident alongside shifts to more student centred pedagogies. These correspond with changes identified on the Teacher Role dimension from the Vital Studies. However, there was little evidence in these three schools of teachers taking on the role of co-learners alongside the students. Once again existing roles were emphasized rather than 1:1 shifting roles.
Figure 4 The Teacher role dimension (Twining 2014)
The principal in School Z saw 1:1 as enabling better distribution and more ongoing access to resources that teachers were guiding students to (as evidenced by earlier quotes). The difference pointed to, is one where students are expected to find out, rather than relying only on the teacher telling (Wiemer 2013).
Conclusions
The observed implementation of 1:1 programmes were not by themselves identified as transforming of teaching and learning in any of the schools. 1:1 became a part of pre-existing pedagogical approaches, which in some cases had already led to other significant changes in the school, such as in classroom layout. Thus, for example, the ICT coordinator in School Z characterized their school’s 1:1 programme as part of an overall “vision” that was reflected in the open plan established thanks to the BER school buildings fund:
And in the last 7 years or so [pause] we've come to fruition I suppose a vision of [pause]
shared learning, learning that is visible, learning that happens in communities and so that’s reflected in the open plan that's been established in the last couple of years thanks to BER funding.
(School Z, ICT Coordinator Interview)
1:1 and BYO programmes were a good fit with these new spaces and new more open team
teaching practices and shared learning approaches. It seems probable that the pedagogic
foundation predated the new buildings. The contribution of a new device programme
overlays these development and appears to be complementary. Thus the 1:1 programme was
not the ultimate causal agent it was more of an amplification of a range of processes.
However, there is no doubt things were changing in these schools, and the 1:1 programmes were embedded and working in combination with various other arrangements, including room layouts, new timetables, acceptable use policies, strong Wi-Fi networks, consultations with parents, and more. Some of these, like consultations with parents were directly related to the 1:1 initiatives, but most arrangements were already in place before the 1:1 programmes.
Others, for example extending WiFi networks, although basic networks were already in place, were identified as requiring upgrades to increase capacity to enable the 1:1 programme to work.
1:1 was found to be more of an amplifier of pedagogic and physical adjustments already underway. Some significant changes were observed along the dimensions identified by the Vital Studies, such as Model of provision, Funding, Pupil role, and Teacher role. The first two of these changes reflected changes to funding and the last two were changes in directions that the schools were already focusing on. The 1:1 programmes aligned with these changes, they facilitated the changes and were reciprocally facilitated by them. The three 1:1 programmes were in early stages and were advancing and maintaining changes in ways compatible with what had already commenced.
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