Professional Learning Networks
Our world is in a state of constant change, with rapidly
expanding networks of information. In response to this, we as teachers, are
required to develop new forms of learning that encompass twenty first century
competencies and skills (Scott, 2015; Trust, 2012). Professional Learning Networks (PLN’s) offer
teachers the opportunity to transcend the temporal, spatial and pedagogical constraints
in their own professional learning, which are often imposed upon us in
traditional modes of learning (Krutka, Carpenter & Trust, 2016). A PLN, as
defined by Trust (2012), is “a system of interpersonal connections and
resources that support informal learning” (p.133). Professional learning
networks (PLN’s) offer educators opportunities to engage in learning that is
dynamic, diverse and constantly available to us (Cook, Johnson & Stager,2016). They also respond to the demanding roles that teachers have by allowing
us to pursue professional learning in a relaxed and comfortable way at times
that suit us (Whittaker, Cass & Zoul, 2015).
PLN's as Organic and Living
One of the many strengths of a PLN is the flexible and
organic nature of it. Unlike the linear nature of many modes of professional
learning, PLN’s allow the learner to determine the direction of growth in their
learning, as they respond to the emerging connections, knowledge and needs
(Trust, 2012). I found the process of developing my own PLN like designing,
landscaping and tending to a garden. This was likely inspired initially by
Sylvia Duckworth’s illustration, as shown below, and evolved as I recognised my PLN as a living
network: organic and changing. Using this analogy, this post aims to reflect upon and
analyse the experiences I have had thus far, in developing my own PLN.
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| Image Credit: Used with permission from Sylvia Duckworth |
Landscaping
The first step I took in a developing my PLN was to design
the landscape I wanted. Oddone (2018) explains how PLN’s are strategically
designed by the individual. Through PLN’s teachers are being able to
personalize their learning to meet their individual needs, with the continuous
aim of improvement (Krutka, Carpenter & Trust, 2016; Oddone, 2018;
Whittaker, Cass & Zoul, 2015). Given that I was working in consultation
with a teaching team about how they could enhance their practices around
outdoor and nature play in early childhood, I decided to initially focus my PLN
around this topic.
Having been predominantly active in the personal arena on
social media, I had to begin exploring ways to utilize it in my professional arena. By reflecting on
the platforms I used to develop professional connections, I was able to see
that I was still heavily reliant on face to face connections with colleagues
for that reciprocal connection. However, PLN’s expand beyond the people we work
alongside and encompass the affordances of online networks to connect globally
(Krutka, Carpenter & Trust, 2016; Oddone, 2018).
While I was connected with some key people through online
networks, I realized wasn’t actively engaging. Instead I had reached professional
levels of lurking, spending my time peering over the garden fence to admire the
gardens of the neighbours and gratefully receiving any produce they handed out
to their followers, without giving anything in return. Cook, Johnson &Stager (2016) acknowledge that many people begin by lurking and learning, yet
it provides limited benefits in the long term, given the passive nature of it. Being
so focused on what other people were growing and their successes meant that I
had failed to pay any attention to what I was growing in my own backyard. It
was only when I began to view my interactions online as a part of a PLN that I
was able to intentionally guide who I engaged with and how. When we extend
ourselves out of the lurking zone, we benefit from the expertise and wisdom of
others, as well as being able to share our own expertise and wisdom (Cook et.al., 2016).
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Credit: Illustration by Emily Clark
Moving beyond lurking, means something as simple as a blog post could lead to so many other avenues for connecting, learning and sharing, as can be seen in this map.
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Preparing the Plot
Once I had a topic to guide the development of my PLN, I was
able to use the tools in the literature to enhance the possibilities for my
professional learning (Oddone, 2018; Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011; Trust,2012; Whittaker, Casa & Zoul, 2015). I began by familiarizing myself with
various social media platforms and digital tools available to me. I ranged from
complete novice in some arenas, to fluent in others. Experimenting with,
refining and consolidating various social media tools allowed me to determine
what would work best for me and help me in developing my PLN (Oddone, 2018). As
I became increasingly literate in social media tools, I could see expanding possibilities
for accessing information, people, discussion and expertise: all of which are
important factors for professional growth (Trust, 2012).
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Credit: Image created by Emily Clark using Desyner
Richardson & Mancabelli (2011) highlight how each platform of social media offers different qualities. This
diagram highlights some of the affordances different platforms offered me in my
PLN.
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Choosing the Plants
A garden will host some well-established plants alongside
seedlings, with individual plants varying in size, colour and shape. This will be similarly reflected in a PLN,
which will consist of diverse connections with people at different stages of
growth, as we seek out opportunities to learn from each other. Connecting with
a broader pool of wisdom within our field, positively influences our
relationships, knowledge and practice (De Abreu, 2011; Oddone, 2018; Richardson& Mancabelli, 2011; Trust, 2012; Whittaker et. al., 2015). While I was
exploring the differing qualities of various social media, I was able to begin
developing connections with key people in my field of interest. Being a lurker,
I had followed the ‘pedagogically famous’ online for some time, but had always
perceived there to be an invisible barrier between us. Hashtags & Twitter
handles are considered key tools for broadening connections, with Oddone (2018)
going so far as to call a hashtag a superpower (Richardson & Mancabelli,2011). Using these tools, I was able to connect with, engage in discussion and
respond directly with some of my online heroes. In seeing that self-constructed
barrier disappear, I was motivated by the disintermediate nature of PLN’s,
which affords direct, genuine connections with people (Downes, n.d.). The use
of similar tools led me to develop a diverse network, which accesses expertise
beyond the field of education and extends outside the parameters of my
geographical location. Oddone (2018) identifies diverse connections as one of
the ingredients of a PLN and they have allowed me to consider multiple
perspectives in my practice and grow from the expertise they have shared. Just
because I am growing wildflowers, doesn’t mean I won’t benefit from the advice
of a beekeeper. The following map shows the growth of my PLN over a nine week
period.
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| Credit: Image created by Emily Clark using Procreate |
Deciphering the weeds from the plants
Identifying and removing the weeds from a garden is
essential for it to be able to grow and thrive.
I found this to be true within my PLN. As my needs changed and evolved,
certain connections were no longer useful to my learning. Richardson andMancabelli (2011) identify quality, not quantity as one of their ‘guideposts
for learning in networks’. This was an important guide for me in determining
who I wanted in my PLN. My initial response was to broadly connect with many
people. This was a necessary action in my beginning phase, as I was still
trying to understand the landscape of my PLN.
I reached a point after a few weeks where I made a conscious choice to
step away from my PLN in order to reflect on the purpose and goals of my PLN
and also to do a little ‘weeding’, keeping only the connections that helped my
PLN grow in more ways than number of followers. In doing so, I was mindful to
ensure I maintained quality connections that allowed for respectful debate and
challenged my thinking in positive ways, so as to avoid an insular perspective
(Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011).
The pollination of ideas and sharing of the harvest
To yield a harvest requires a gardener who provides the
resources needed for growth. Take care of the plant and the plant will provide
for you. Without reciprocity, there is no harvest. PLN’s offer a cyclical
learning process in which teachers can learn from others while offering their
own expertise (Trust, 2012). The reciprocal nature of a PLN is well documented
in the literature, with teachers having a responsibility to contribute to the
collective expertise by being not only consumers, but also producers
(Baker-Doyle, 2017; Oddone, 2018). The potential for PLN’s are limited if we
are solely relying on others to provide the resources (Richardson &Mancabelli, 2011). Being an introvert, the act of taking a participatory
approach and contributing to my PLN, was a daunting one. I was inspired by Richardson& Mancabelli (2011) who offer the view of a PLN as a platform for those to
be heard, who wouldn’t normally place themselves in the spotlight. Baker-Doyle’s(2017) description of transformative teachers as those who seek opportunities
to challenge themselves in uncomfortable ways to develop greater knowledge and
skills as a teacher, is what gave me the final push to move beyond simply being
a consumer.
Cook, Johnson & Stager (2016) explain that our
interactions don’t always need to be grand and there is great value in posing a
question, responding to a post and sharing resources. This provided a guide for
me as I tested the waters in what I considered to be safe ways, while I developed
my confidence and grew to understand how my expertise could benefit the group.
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| Image Credit: Screenshot of authors Twitter feed |
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| Image Credit: Screenshot of authors Twitter feed. |
I began to consider how I could further add value to my PLN
& how what I shared would be useful to those in my PLN. I chose to draw
upon the responses my PLN had given to one of my questions, to inspire my first
blog post. I had asked my PLN to share the barriers they face in providing
access to outdoor nature play; a question that emerged from my F2F network.
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Image Credit: Screen capture of authors Facebook Page.
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The responses showed attitudes and understandings of colleagues as a main barrier to providing play. Many expressed that they struggled to find ways to advocate for the importance of these experiences. This was the impetus for my first blog post which in which I offered strategies and approaches for advocacy for outdoor and nature play. This was then shared back to my PLN.
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| Image Credit: Screenshot of authors Facebook page. |
I followed up by using G+ as a space for creating a curation of relevant resources linked to outdoor and nature play in early childhood and making them available to my PLN. Additionally, I chose to create resources that would support critical, collaborative thinking around outdoor and nature play. Sharing content with a global audience can be daunting, requiring us to consider a broader readership and questioning whether we have anything of value to share (Lupton, Oddone & Dreamson, 2018; Richardson& Mancabelli, 2011). Despite feeling like a fraud within my PLN, Trust(2012) states that “anyone can share their expertise in a PLN and this collective knowledge from various experts is what helps PLN’s grow. Sharing that blog post with my PLN, whilst it didn’t receive an overwhelming response, opened up doors to opportunities that may not have occurred had I failed to share it. “Becoming a creator affords us the most opportunity to experience rich connections” (Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011).
Planning for the Next Season
Just as gardens are seasonal, so too are PLN’s, requiring
ongoing thought and planning for what lies ahead as we learn from the seasons
passed. The following discusses three
ways that I plan on further developing my PLN.
Expanding the Focus
Having a fairly narrow focus of nature and outdoor play, was
beneficial in the beginning stages, as it meant I didn’t wander too far off the
garden path. This allowed me to familiarise myself with the construct of a PLN
and the tools required to develop this.
Trust, Krutka & Carpenter (2016) discuss a whole teacher perspective,
which views teaching as complex in nature and encompasses teachers many needs,
including social, cognitive, affective and identity. It is from this
perspective that I can see the benefits in broadening the focus of my PLN in
order to be more holistically beneficial to my changing needs. My aim is to
intentionally broaden my PLN in a gradual and considered way, so as to avoid
being overcome by the ‘noise’. Expanding out from my initial focus of nature
and outdoor play to explore thinking around play as a pedagogical tool in
education will widen my learning opportunities and reflect a more holistic
approach to learning in early childhood.
Rethinking Twitter Chats
Twitter chats are often referred to as rich opportunities
for connecting and learning (Whitaker, Casas & Zoul, 2015). While I can see
their potential as a useful resource for learning, they seemed to be in
contrast to the flexible nature of learning through a PLN, in that it required
being online at a set time in order to participate. As a result, I was unable
to engage in many twitter chats for reasons including: forgetfulness, different
time zones or a clash in timetables, leaving me reliant on the stagnant tweets
after the fact, and unable to participate. I also struggled to find any Twitter
chats relevant to my topic, which was reiterated when even my PLN were unable
to provide any recommendations to me.
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| Image Credit: Screenshot of author's Facebook page. Seeking input from my PLN about which Twitter chats they would recommend, yielded no results. |
Frameworks to support further growth
In moving forward, I have used Oddone’s (2018) conceptual
model to analyse my learning as a connected professional. This creates a visual
reminder of the progress I have made and where I need to strengthen my skills.
I will pair this with Krutka, Carpenter & Trust (2016), who offer a model that is designed to support educators in critical reflection and improvement of their PLN. Using these models, I can see strengths and weaknesses in the elements of my PLN. Highlighting these areas allows me to work on them in order to develop new possibilities within my PLN.
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| Image Credit: Table created by Author, using Microsoft Word |
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| Image Credit: Table created by Author, using Microsoft Word |
I will pair this with Krutka, Carpenter & Trust (2016), who offer a model that is designed to support educators in critical reflection and improvement of their PLN. Using these models, I can see strengths and weaknesses in the elements of my PLN. Highlighting these areas allows me to work on them in order to develop new possibilities within my PLN.
Conclusion
Developing a PLN that spans beyond the boundaries of my work
environment and my university studies, has been a key factor in developing a
professional digital identity and expanding possibilities for learning. As
Lupton et. al. (2018) explain, it forces the consideration of a broader
audience and encourages relevant and sustainable connections that will survive
beyond the here and now. As teachers, we are now positioned to have greater
agency in directing our professional practices (Baker-Doyle, 2017). Given the
rapid rate at which information is available to us, engaging in social ways of
learning that include global perspectives from diverse fields is imperative. The
internet has provided us with a platform that allows us to access learning on a
global scale at any time. Not only does this combat the isolation of being
confined to our individual classrooms, it ensures that we aren’t at risk of
becoming insular, with a monopedagogical influence on our thinking and practice.
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