Leadership for team learning: the case of university teacher teams

Teacher team involvement is considered a key factor in achieving sustainable innovation in higher education. This requires engaging in team learning behaviors that should result in new knowledge and solutions. However, university teachers are not used to discussing their work practices with one another and tend to neglect any innovation in their tasks. Team leadership behavior is often considered essential for stimulating team learning behavior, but it is unclear how this transpires. Therefore, the present study explores university teacher team members’ perceptions of team learning behavior, their assigned task, and leadership behaviors in their team. Interviews were conducted with 16 members of different teacher teams at a university of applied sciences. Findings included that the vast majority of the team learning behaviors only involved sharing ideas; engaging in constructive conflicts and co-constructions was not observed. Only a few teams combined all three team learning behaviors. In these teams, members observed that existing methods and solutions were no longer adequate, with leaders appearing to combine transformational and transactional behaviors, but operating from a distance without actively interfering in the process. Furthermore, these team members shared leadership behaviors while focusing on the team as a whole, instead of solving problems at individual level. This strongly indicates that task perception and specific vertical and shared team leadership behaviors play a role in stimulating teachers in seeking controversy and co-constructing new knowledge.     

学习型组织理论视阈下的辅导员队伍建设思考

本文借鉴学习型组织理论的"五项修炼"要义,从建立共同的愿景、团队学习、改变心智模式、学会系统思考和不断自我超越五方面入手,结合思想政治工作实际,探讨学习型辅导员队伍建设的实现途径和推进机制。     

Team Shared Cognitive Constructs: A Meta‐Analysis Exploring the Effects of Shared Cognitive Constructs on Team Performance

Sharing similar cognitive structures among team members is one key element for the collective to solve problems and work more efficiently (DeChurch & Mesmer‐Magnus, 2010). Research has shown that team cognition is positively associated with team performance in both organizational and educational settings. Team shared cognition constructs are relatively new constructs and have been identified in the literature as team mental models, shared mental models, information sharing, transactive memory systems, cognitive congruence, and group learning. Cannon‐Bowers and Salas (2001) called for better measures of shared cognition to be developed, partially through the integration of shared cognition measures across disciplines. The purpose of this meta‐analysis is to look at these six team cognition constructs in an effort to help identify which measure, if any, results in predicting team performance best. Results indicated that information sharing was statistically significant compared to team mental memory and group learning, and marginally significant compared to transactive memory systems. Additionally, shared mental models and cognitive congruence showed higher associations with performance compared to team mental models, group learning, and transactive memory systems.     

Strategic factors and barriers for promoting educational organizational learning

This article uses a global model to analyse empirically how the personal and professional development of educators (personal mastery) facilitates the creation of a series of basic shared values (shared vision) and of team learning by the members of the educational centre, these inter-related strategic factors favouring, in turn, educational organizational learning and subsequent improvement in organizational performance. Likewise, verification is made of different learning barriers that hinder the acquisition, dissemination and sharing of knowledge by blocking shared vision and team learning. Using a national survey in educational centres in Spain, we found that these hypotheses are verified and that organizational learning plays a key role in the generation of organizational performance.     

Developing and Sharing Team Mental Models in a Profession‐driven and Value‐laden Organization

While team mental models have been shown to be effective in facilitating team operations in ordinary transactive organizations, their impact on loosely coupled yet value‐laden organizations is relatively under studied. Using qualitative inquiry methodology, this study investigates the three referential frameworks (i.e., theoretical knowledge, practical experiences, and team consciousness) of the team mental models employed in a nonprofit organization which provides therapy for hearing‐impaired children in Taiwan. The results indicate that fostering a strong team mental model may be an effective way to ensure that the performance of value‐laden practice meets a certain expectation. Moreover, I present arguments that because various cognitive properties of team mental models are formed, shared, and represented in different ways, they should be investigated and understood from a holistic perspective; and that it should also be cultivated by an integrative approach that utilizes theoretical, practical, and organizational knowledge.     

大学学习型组织发展结构模型的实证研究

通过文献综述、开放式的访谈、专家学者的咨询等方法构建了大学学习型组织发展结构的理论模型,并通过小样本的预测试编制了大学学习型组织发展问卷。经过对正式问卷采集的数据进行的探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析,结果表明：大学学习型组织发展的结构模型分为自我超越、心智模式、共同愿景、团队学习、系统思考五个维度,32个题项,该问卷因素结构清晰,信度和效度均较好。     

心智模式与学习型组织

通过分析心智模式的意义及内涵,讨论了在学习型组织的五项修练即系统思考,自我超越,改善心智模式,团队学习,建立共同愿景中,心智模式对于学习型组织构建的重要性,通过对学习型组织两个主要元素,终身学习的组织成员与终身学习的组织环境的分析,论述了心智模式在塑造学习型组织上的运用,提出精练改善心智模式的双环学习,精炼知识学习的三种形态以及精练心智模式的三种学习地图,使自己成为终身学习的个人,使组织成为学习型的组织。     

高校后勤构建学习型组织的思考

学习型组织是当今社会一种先进的管理理念和新型的组织模式。面对知识经济的大潮，我国高校后勤在社会化改革实践中，必须从营造自我超越氛围、改善心智模式、建立共同愿景、开展团体学习和促进系统思考等五项修炼入手，构建学习型组织。     

Experiential Learning in Action: a program for preparing educators for health professionals

Education is centre stage in current UK government initiatives to promote multi-agency team work. This paper draws on a research project which explored the way in which multi-disciplinary teams work and learn together in their practice with children, to consider the implications of ‘joined-up’ practice for theorizing dilemmas of knowledge creation and identity transformation for professionals in multi-agency teams. The paper focuses primarily on the experiences of education professionals. We exemplify some dilemmas of ‘joined-up’ team participation in specific workplace activities involving knowledge exchange. We then explore the impact of belonging to multi-agency teams on professional roles, identities and learning. The paper then summarizes strategies which professionals used for resolving dilemmas around learning and knowledge creation, and considers how participating in shared workplace activities might enable or constrain professionals to consoli date their professional identities and learning. Drawing on theoretical research into workplace participation and professional learning, the paper examines implications for theorizing the professional identity of teachers in multi-agency team work, within a systemic model that takes account of: creating new knowledge and practice; enhancing professional identity; and building inter-professional communities.     

整合式谈判的共享心理模型研究概述

谈判是一种常见的社会互动现象,整合式谈判是一种双赢谈判,共享心理模型揭示了整合式谈判的心理模型机制。心理模型与团队共享心理模型的研究是谈判共享心理模型研究的前提与基础,谈判共享心理模型的相似性与准确性影响着谈判结果,未来需要加强对谈判共享心理模型的动态研究与理论研究。     

终身学习与学习型组织的创建

学习型组织不仅为个体的终身学习提供需求，同时也为学习的成果共享提供舞台。学习型组织的创建主要通过自我超越、改善心智模式、建立共同愿景、团队学习和系统思考五项修炼进行。进一步认识个人学习、共同学习、组织学习的意义和方法，是提高继续教育为个人和组织学习服务质量的前提。     

Team Knowledge Sharing Intervention Effects on Team Shared Mental Models and Student Performance in an Undergraduate Science Course

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a shared mental model (SMM) based intervention on student team mental model similarity and ultimately team performance in an undergraduate meteorology course. The team knowledge sharing (TKS) intervention was designed to promote team reflection, communication, and improvement planning. Results reveal that the TKS intervention was partially effective in enhancing student team SMM and team scores on meteorology lab assignments. The TKS intervention has potential for use in science courses where a teaming approach is used. Similar interventions could likely be developed, empirically examined, and potentially employed to promote success in handling complex challenges while working in teams in the classroom and beyond.     

Collaborative learning processes in the context of a public health professional development program: a case study

The health promotion laboratory (HPL – Canada) is a public health professional development program building on a collaborative learning approach in order to support long-term practice change in local health services teams. This study aims to analyse the collaborative learning processes of two teams involved in the program during the first year of implementation. Based on a multiple case study design involving observations, interviews, and documentary sources, the study: (1) describes the learning process by which each team built a common understanding of the problem at hand and developed an intervention to address it; (2) identifies factors that facilitated or hindered these processes; and (3) proposes a cross-case explanation of the collaborative learning process in the HPL. The results demonstrate that the two teams learned by expanding their repertoire of actions, albeit experiencing different processes. Results point to the central role of shared mental models and key influencing factors, such as commitment and participation (team cohesion), team climate (psychological safety), and leadership style. Unlike previous studies on team learning that concentrated on existing teams in organisations, the current research studied purposely created teams working at transforming their practices and showed that they can successfully learn if specific conditions are achieved.     

Building trust and shared knowledge in communities of e-learning practice: collaborative leadership in the JISC eLISA and CAMEL lifelong learning projects

Trust and collective learning are useful features that are enabled by effective collaborative leadership of e‐learning projects across higher and further education (HE/FE) institutions promoting lifelong learning. These features contribute effectively to the development of design for learning in communities of e‐learning practice. For this, reflexivity, good leadership and the capacity to engage in innovation is crucial to team performance. This paper outlines a serendipitously useful combination of innovative models of collaboration emerging from two 2005–06 UK e‐learning pilots: the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) e‐Learning Independent Study Award (eLISA) and JISC infoNet Collaborative Approaches to the Management of e‐Learning (CAMEL) projects. The JISC‐funded eLISA Distributed e‐Learning (DeL) project set up a collaborative partnership among teachers to try out LAMS and Moodle using study skills in e‐learning. Simultaneously, the JISC infoNet CAMEL project developed a model of collaborative approaches to e‐learning leadership and management across four UK HE/FE institutions. This paper proposes two new theoretical collaborative team leadership and operational models for e‐learning projects, including indices of trust, reflexivity and shared procedural knowledge, recommending that these models are further developed in future communities of e‐learning practice in institutions promoting lifelong learning.     

Knowledge convergence and collaborative learning

This paper operationalized the notion of knowledge convergence and assessed quantitatively how much knowledge convergence occurred during collaborative learning. Knowledge convergence was defined as an increase in common knowledge where common knowledge referred to the knowledge that all collaborating partners had. Twenty pairs of college students collaborated to learn a science text about the human circulatory system. Comparisons of individual pre-test and post-test performance revealed that students shared more knowledge pieces and mental models after collaboration. Although the amount of convergence was modest, analyses showed that collaborative interaction was responsible for the increase in common knowledge. The increase in common knowledge was observed in knowledge that was never stated in the learning text as well as in knowledge that was explicitly presented in the text. The amount of convergence was related to interaction such that real pairs shared more knowledge than nominal pairs, and more interactive pairs shared more inferred knowledge than less interactive pairs. Collaborative dialogues and learning artifacts (e.g., drawings) also indicated that common knowledge was constructed during collaboration. Possible reasons for the discrepancy between the impression of strong convergence assumed in the literature and the results of this study are discussed along with the need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the notion that includes its process, outcome, and sources of convergence.     

Medical models for teachers’ learning: asking for a second opinion

Recently there has been renewed interest in basing teachers’ professional learning on medically derived models. This interest has included clinical practice models and evidence-based teaching as well as the use of various forms of ‘Rounds’ which claim to derive from medical rounds. However, many arguing for these approaches may well not have a detailed knowledge of the actuality of professional learning in medicine but may be basing their ideas on idealised models drawn from popular conceptions. In addition, the model used by some calling for medically derived teacher learning is biomedicine, an area in which parallels with Education are difficult. This paper argues that mental health and public health provide a better analogue for Education than biomedicine. It considers some of the lessons that can be drawn from research on evidence-based practice in these areas. The paper concludes that a way forward is neither uncritically to assume the superiority of medical models of professional learning nor to rely only on empirical evidence from Education, but rather to enter into dialogue with colleagues in mental and public health about shared concerns and experiences in professional learning.     

System learning in an urban school district: A case study of intra-district learning

This paper presents evidence from a unique reform model that allowed teachers and other educators in a large urban district to collaborate with one another in the development of an innovation meant to improve student ownership and responsibility. In this longitudinal case study, we describe school stakeholders’ learning about the design, the process of knowledge-transfer to school teams, and how school teams shared their ongoing learning with one another. School implementation teams were initially reluctant to share their learning with one another. By engaging in a shared innovation development process with structures for routine sharing, over time, implementation team members were increasingly interested in sharing their learning with one another. We discuss the implications for school improvement efforts.     

A macro-level analysis of SRL processes and their relations to the acquisition of a sophisticated mental model of a complex system

In this study, we used think-aloud verbal protocols to examine how various macro-level processes of self-regulated learning (SRL; e.g., planning, monitoring, strategy use, handling of task difficulty and demands) were associated with the acquisition of a sophisticated mental model of a complex biological system. Numerous studies examine how specific micro-level SRL processes such as judgments of learning or prior knowledge activation are related to learning outcomes. However, it is also valuable to look at these processes in macro-level aggregates because efficacy and use of micro-level strategies can vary due to individual differences. Two hundred and nineteen high-school and middle-school students produced think-aloud protocols while learning with a hypermedia environment. We transcribed and coded participants’ learning sessions for the use of micro- and macro-level SRL processes. Participants’ developmental level, prior knowledge, and monitoring behaviors were associated with posttest mental model sophistication. These results illustrate that monitoring is a key SRL process when developing an understanding of a complex science topic using hypermedia.