OER10, March 22-24, 2010Cynthia Jimes, PhDInstitute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education ISKME:

Siyavula: Building Communities to Support Teacher Use, Localization and Sharing of OER

• A South African based project that seeks to offer freely available, curriculum-aligned open educational resources (OER) to teachers

• Provides professional development workshops and social networking tools to support teachers in finding and adapting OER to meet classroom needs, and in building communities for sharing knowledge about resource use and pedagogy

What is Siyavula?

ISKME's research objectives

• To increase understanding of factors that contribute to the creation, use and localization of OER within the South African teaching and learning context

• To assess the role that teacher communities around Siyavula content play in the sustainability of OER, and in teaching and learning perceptions and practices

Methodology

• Baseline survey of teachers attending Siyavula professional development workshops• Observations of teacher professional development workshops• School site visits • Interviews with teachers • Interviews with school administrators • Interviews with Siyavula project leaders and partners

Context: School technology and materials

• 68% - computer lab at school• 67% - Internet at school• 60% - library at school

• 96% - desks for all learners• 93% - chairs for all learners• 73% - textbooks for all learners

(Baseline teacher survey, N=94)

Context: Teachers’ comfort level with technology

Basic computer software

Internet

Email

Online discussion forums

N=94

Percentage of teachers who reported being comfortable or very comfortable with specific technology resources/tools (baseline survey, multiple choice question)

“We are teaching kids who are using their cell phones [and] we are still using

chalkboards […]. So to me it is actually awakened a guilty conscience that I am not yet

there with the kids […] I do not actually, I don’t make sense to them, the way that I

should as a teacher because I am still few years back, you know?”

– Teacher interview participant

Context: Curriculum challenges

Having the curriculum materials needed

Knowing if the materials are of high quality/good

Knowing if the materials meet curriculum requirements

Knowing which materials to choose

Knowing how to use materials in the classroom

“We need easy-to-use materials that meet the standards of the district and that

are easy to adapt. And having material that the learners understand easily.”

-- Teacher survey participant

N=94

Teachers reported the following curriculum challenges (baseline survey, multiple choice question)

N=94

“The benefits [of working collaboratively with other teachers] are that one can see

the strengths and weaknesses of ones own work and colleagues can give

constructive suggestions.” -- Teacher survey participant

Context: Collaborative curriculum development activities

Teachers reported the followingcollaborative curriculum development activities (baseline survey, multiple choice question)

Share materials I have with other teachers

Create materials in collaboration with others

Provide feedback toteachers on their materials

Receive feedback on materials I created

Discuss materials informally with colleagues

Observations of a teacher “swap and share” group at one South African school

revealed how teachers meet to share hard copies of science exams and exercises, and

discuss ways to combine the new materials with their own

Context: Use and reuse behaviors

Teachers

reported the

following use

and reuse

behaviors

(baseline

survey, multiple

choice question)

I combine materials with other types of materials

I edit or modify materials to meet my needs

I use materials ‘as is’

N=94

OER as integral to the teaching processWorkshop observations and teacher interviews revealed evidence of the importance of OER to the teaching process, with teachers indicating their use of (or plans to use) Siyavula to:•Find materials to fill existing gaps and meet curriculum needs•Localize and adapt materials to match learners’ needs•Build a searchable archive of effective resources•Communicate with other teachers around curriculum challenges and approaches

OER communities as collaborative problem solving

“I think the more ideas that you get from other people, it makes it much easier to handle your own material for the kids because in this way, we get different ideas, different techniques, because it’s not just about getting notes from someone else, you also have support groups […] so you can also put in “please can you help me […] I have kids with behavioral problems," then people will be putting something in, and then you will be taking from it, and then try and practice it.” – Teacher interview participant

OER communities as a way to share

“I started my [Siyavula] workgroup, called the Literature Circle, because I have all of these worksheets to share with teachers. If it's out there, they'll use it, and it's easier for them...I also wanted to share my approach to teaching literacy, because I think it will help others.” - Teacher interview participant

OER communities as a feedback mechanism

“I want to put all of my material up there, so that it is subject to the scrutiny of the entire world. And so they can manipulate it and change it.” - Teacher interview participant

Technology, culture and mindset as barriers• Technology access - 39% of teachers do not have access

to the Internet at school (baseline teacher survey)• Role structures - Complexity of current role structures

may hinder implementation; e.g., teachers may face resistance to becoming authorities on content and innovators (interviews)

• Openness - Some teachers may not be open to sharing and communicating in online communities (interviews)

• Value of OER not evident - Some teachers and administrators may not see the value of OER and OER communities (school site observations; interviews)

• Face-to-face important – Teachers accustomed to working primarily face-to-face ; in person communication important for motivating and sustaining group work (interviews; workshop observations)

Summary of findings

• South African teachers face concrete curriculum challenges• To meet these challenges, teachers have been creating their own content, remixing

and sharing content, and working collaboratively with other teachers, primarily offline• Teachers have begun to localize and form online communities around Siyavula content as a way

to further support collaborative problem solving, knowledge and resource sharing—all within the context of cultural, structural and technological constraints

Implications for Siyavula and the field at large• Engage teachers by starting with what they know and supporting their existing work practices, including collaborative

curriculum development activities, as well as existing use, reuse and remix behaviors• To meet teachers’ needs for collaborative problem solving, inspire teachers to form OER communities around not only

resources but also personal teaching challenges and pedagogical approaches• Support hybrid community of practice models – both F2F and online – in light of the importance placed upon F2F

communication by teachers• Integrate discussions of cultural barriers into teacher professional development to alleviate challenges with current

role structures In schools; also support top down and bottom up engagement with OER (both teachers and administrators)

Cynthia Jimes, PhDDirector of ResearchInstitute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Educationcynthia@iskme.org