This video by Ben Grey discusses the theories and practices suggested by Chris Argyris when it comes to the implementation of technology in the classroom. I had to chuckle when the author began to describe an after-school session when one has all the best intentions of grading papers or doing other necessary but sometime tedious work for the classroom. We find that the allotted time had elapsed because we got so distracted by other tasks and activities, such as checking email, fixing a bulletin board, cleaning a work areas, etc. Before we know it is 5pm and what did we get done? Argyris suggests that the original plan, the Espoused Theory, is what we say we are going to do. And what we actually complete is the Theory in Use. And so many times the gap between what we say and what we do is immense.
This same theory can apply to the use of technology in the classroom. How many times do we say, “If I had the chance, I would….”, and then when we get the chance, we didn’t! Other actions took precedence, and we often end up frustrated. Argyris’ first tenet is to reflect on the gap between the Espoused Theory and the Theory in Use. What were the factors that led to the gap – time management, understanding, interest levels, and/or distractions? We should train ourselves to reflect on the differences without bias, and then develop a plan, or discipline, to do better the next opportunity. This reflection piece certainly makes sense as we begin to evaluate all our good intentions in the use of technology in the classroom. Often we leave a seminar, or even this 21st Century skills course, with all the grandiose plans to implement a concept in the classroom. But then we often get side-tracked in our ability, or focus, to actually get it done. It is relevant that for this course, many of us are actually doing the implementation with the development of our Digital Share projects, and we are finding success when we do not lose sight of the objective.
Argyris’ theory then leads to a model called the Single-Double Loop Model. For our technology activity or lesson plan, we should develop and indentify the Guiding Variables for our lesson. What are we trying to accomplish…what is the big picture or the objective? With that firmly set, we then develop an Action Strategy to clearly set the expectation of what the finished product should entail. Is it a digital writing piece, a creative video, a wiki book report or scientific lab report? Clearly identifying the expected outcome will help one to focus on what strategies are needed to accomplish that goal. The final step of the model is the Consequences. What actually happened? Did we get the expected outcome from our students? And this is where the reflection takes place. We can look back on our Action Strategy to determine if we had gaps in our expectations, or objectives that were not quite clear, or even the skills and capability to accomplish the objective. This is the single-loop reflection. But we can also go back further, and then look at the relationship between our Action Strategy and our Guiding Variables. This double-loop reflection may allow us to reflect on the overall plan and purpose – did we in our own mind clearly understand the big picture, and did we then clearly explain it to our students? Reflecting on this element may then alter what would have been our Action Strategy to achieve the objective, which may in turn have resulted in different consequences. I know that I have often tried to implement the use of a technology tool with minimal results, or certainly not was expected. On reflection, it does appear that perhaps I did not clearly understand the overall objective and the relevance of the tool, or perhaps overestimated the capabilities of the students, or truly know what I wanted the finished product to look like. As I type this my students are working on a classroom project that is due tomorrow, and I wonder to what extent they have incorporated technology into their project. I do know that this is both a learning experience for me, as it is for them, so realistically I should be prepared for less-than-expected outcomes. I am sure that my overall Guiding Variables and Action Strategies were not clearly stated, and once the project is completed I will certainly reflect on how the overall effort may be improved.
But I do have to feel good that for some, my Espoused Theory and Theory in Use should be somewhat aligned. We’ll see tomorrow!
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