Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The power of social capital in teaching
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Teacher-Student Online Networking: Weighing in
Sunday, July 17, 2011
New Book, New Website
Friday, June 3, 2011
A tide of publications on Teachers’ Social Networks (II – The Articles)
Policy Articles
Daly, A. J., Moolenaar, N.M., Bolivar, J.M, & Burke, P. (2010) Relationships in reform: The role of teachers’ social networks. Journal of Educational Administration. 48 (3)
As mentioned in the previous post, Daly and are big on the teachers’ social network scene, and this article is massive – covering the implementation of as school reform across an entire district from the point of view of social networks. The implications slap you in the face with the significance of social networks in teachers’ work – when schools had greater density in their reform-related networks, they were more likely to have successful reform outcomes.
Coburn, C.E., & Russell, J.L. (2008) District Policy and Teachers’ Social Networks. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 30 (3)
Okay, so this one isn’t so recent, but I haven’t mentioned it yet, and I must say that it’s one that I keep going back to. Like Daly et. al., Coburn and Russell look at how district policy was implemented from a social network perspective, yet their approach is much more qualitative. You get a vivid pictures of what social networks look like on the ground and the everyday interactions that impact them.
Baker-Doyle, K.J. (2010) Beyond the labor market paradigm: A social network perspective on teacher recruitment and retention. Educational Policy and Analysis Archives. 18 (26).
This article was just published a few weeks ago. It is really an overview of research perspectives on teacher recruitment and retention and shows how a social network perspective can reveal factors that are not considered under current research paradigms.
Teacher Support and Professional Development Articles
Anderson, L. (2010) Embedded, emboldened and (net)working for change: Support seeking and teacher agency in urban, high needs schools. Harvard Education Review. 80(4), 541-572
Anderson’s research is on new teachers’ social networks. He research is primarily qualitative, and she digs deep into the complexities of each of her case study teachers’ lives. We’re kindred spirits - I’m really looking forward to seeing more of her work published!!
Baker-Doyle, K.J. & Yoon, S.A. (2010) In search of practitioner-based social capital: A social network analysis tool for understanding and facilitating teacher collaboration in a USA-based STEM professional development program. Professional Development in Education. 37(1), 75-93.
My colleague Susan Yoon and I are in the midst of a series of articles on the social networks of teachers in a STEM professional development program. This is the first in the series. It discusses how we devised a social network analysis tool to investigate the networking dynamics of the group of teachers in the PD. Really interesting findings – mainly that when teachers needed help with science content they did not naturally seek out support from people who had a lot of content knowledge! A little about our intervention and outcomes the second year is in our chapter in Daly’s Book, Social Network Theory and Educational Change. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming articles in the series!
Fox, A., Wilson, E. and Deaney, R (2011) Beginning teachers’ workplace experiences: their perceptions and use of support, Vocations and Learning, 4(1), Available from Online First August 2010
Fox, Anderson, and I have all focused on new teachers’ social networks and we’ve each come to some similar conclusions about a variety of issues. What I agree with most with Fox et. al.’s most recent piece is in their encouragement of new teachers to reject passivity and take charge of networking.
The Conference Round-Up – AERA 2011 and beyond!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A tide of publications on Teachers’ Social Networks (I – The Books)
Back in 2009 when I started this blog there were a core group of researchers studying teachers' social networks, just beginning to get out publications on their research. To be frank, I didn't have that much news to post. Well now the time has come – a wave of publications with rich data, insights and conversations have come out, sparking dialog and some debate.
There are three books just out and one on the way (mine!) about educational networks.
Robert McCormick, Alison Fox, Patrick Carmichael and Richard Proctor authored Researching and Understanding Educational Networks, published by Routledge earlier this year. The book describes the outcomes of their research on teachers’ social networks. I found it most helpful from a methodological standpoint. McCormick et al. reflect upon the multiple conceptualizations of social networks offered by scholar and by their research participants, and discuss how these conceptualizations shaped their data analyses. Their conclusions are really in their problemetization of the multiple conceptions of support networks. I would recommend this book to scholars interested in mixed-method social network research.
Alan Daly’s edited book, Social Network Theory and Educational Change includes a range of studies using social network analysis to study educational reform in schools (including a chapter by my colleague Susan Yoon and I). The book has garnered rave reviews, and rightly so – Daly has effectively brought together some of the most cutting edge, knowledgeable and respected minds in the small-but-rapidly-growing area of social network research in schools. The book comes out in December, but you can pre-order it on Amazon if you’re like me and you just can’t wait!
Daly’s colleague in multiple studies has been Nienke Moolenaar, who has recently published her dissertation, Ties with Potential: Nature, Antecedents, and Consequences of Social Networks in School Teams, which is available in book form. You can email her to purchase it.
Of course, I can’t end this post without announcing the upcoming publication of my book from Teachers College Press. It is titled The Networked Teacher: How New Teachers Build Social Networks for Professional Support. It focuses on new teachers’ networks, and is aimed at a more general audience (teachers, mentors, administrators, and teacher educators, as well as scholars), as a practical guide to understanding the research and theory behind teachers’ social networks. It will also have a companion website for the book, where readers can share their experiences in developing or assisting teacher support networks and find additional information on the topic. Should be out in late 2011, if all goes to plan!
Stay tuned for my next post on recent or upcoming scholarly articles on teachers’ social networks!