More than Knowing At Mercy College Karin Gilbert & Michelle Cotter.

More than Knowing

At Mercy College

Karin Gilbert & Michelle Cotter

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Why knowledge management?

• “Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organisational routines, processes, practices and norms.”

(Davenport and Prusak, 1998)

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The theories

• Intellectual capital approach (relies heavily on technological infrastructure)

• Knowledge category (explicit, tacit, cultural)

• Social constructionist approach (communities of practice feature)

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Definition

• Knowledge Construction

• Knowledge Dissemination

• Knowledge Use

• Knowledge Embodiment

Demerest 1997

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Philosophical Approach

• Learning Organisation:– Are adaptive– Continually enhance their capacity to change /

adapt– Develop collective as well as individual

learning– Use the results of learning to achieve better

results

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Learning Culture

• Future, external orientation• Free exchange and flow of information• Commitment to learning, personal development• Valuing people – ideas, creativity and

‘imaginative capabilities’• Climate of openness and trust• Learning from experience

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What is most relevant for the learning organisation?

• Tacit, explicit and cultural knowledge• Explicit – topic documentation, operations

manuals, policies• Administrative practices codified in

manuals, reports, policies• Communities of practice- faculty meetings,

heads of learning or curriculum committee meetings, both explicit and tacit

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Knowledge sharing

• Individual, organisational, cross organisation and “culture”

• “Organisations must foster knowledge giving as well as knowledge seeking”

Fullan 2002• Knowledge sharing with moral purpose• What are the crucial factors we need to

consider for this to happen?

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Key Management Process

• Strategic scenario planning

• PESTLE or Learning Environment Analysis

• Capability planning

• Team and organization development

• Performance measurement

• Reward and recognition systems

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Cultural change

• Leadership

• Learning and teaching (curriculum)

• Technological infrastructure

• Professional learning

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Visualising Structures & Communication Flow

• Charting ‘the fit’ of people and roles within a team

eg. Faculty Coordinators’ Committee Team Structure 2004

• Acknowledging responsibilities

• Identifying support needs

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Learning and teaching

• Capturing and storing essential curriculum knowledge, including innovations and teaching strategies.

• Focus on improving student learning outcomes, using data to help staff monitor teaching strategies and techniques

• Focus here is on more explicit knowledge

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Macro and Micro Level Innovation

• Intranet:Eg. First there was the “tree” ….. Then there

was MyDesktop … and then MyClasses ….. ….. Now …..

• Network Structure:– Common structures– Hyperlinking– File management system

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Professional Learning

• How well and how willingly do we share what we know?

• How do we facilitate this exchange?

• Focus here is on tacit knowledge

• Communities of practice ideal

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Professional Learning

• Whole school plan (project management plan)

• In-house delivery – show casing what is already done that promotes deep learning

• Review and reflection on professional learning experiences

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Knowledge Sharing Framework

Beliefs and understandings

Learning Environment

teaching strategies

Learning and teaching curriculum

development

Educational standards, school

development

External forces and influences

Professional Learning

Technological infrastructure

Data collection, evidence

Leadership and coordination

Catholic schoolOrganizational Learning

Increased capacity of every memberImproving Student Learning Outcomes

Registered Schools Board (RSB)Individual Networks

Government Regulations

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The organisation

Transparency and accountability

Learning and teaching

Curriculum referenced documentation

School organisation via mydesktop, (policies and practices)

MyClasses: learning environment, portals for sharing best practices

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Eg Leadership meetings, staff meetings, Heads of learning meetings, Faculty meetings, subject team level meetings

Mentoring, (formally between POLS online forum, leadership contribute) WOW

Professional learning seminars, all staff participate

Formal POL development

Professional learning

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Where are we headed?

• School improvement agenda

• Evaluation

• How well are we meeting our goals and objectives?

• How successful are our strategies?

• Evidence collated

• Future - ?

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Force Field Analysis

• Identify the focus / goal / evidence of achievement

• Invite the relevant voices• Connect to external factors / internal

practices• Make room for the ‘why nots’ early on• Address procedures and actions to

enable action

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Other tools

• Learning environment scan

• Hedgehog

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Task / Objective Name:

Activity: Activity:Activity:

Activity:

Activity:

Activity:

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Individually

• Teacher librarian models sharing of knowledge

• Catalogue• Curriculum referenced information literacy • Library webpages• Pathfinders• Collaborative planning• Professional development

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Pilot project

• Make knowledge management a goal• Work towards your own pilot project• Submit a proposal to leadership (examples)• Facilitating resources better throughout the

school using online platforms• Establish best practices portal, could be in

MyClasses• Make your operations manual an online

document

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Communities of practice

• Community – joint discussions, building relationships

• The practice – members are practioners

• Developing shared repertoire of resources, and experiences, manages explicit, tacit and dynamic aspects of knowledge creation & sharing

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“Creates a direct link between learning and performance”

• Doesn’t have to be limited by formal structures

• Allows us to manage knowledge strategically

• Operate internally and externally