Collective Sensemaking about Reading: How Teachers Mediate Reading Policy in Their Professional Communities

Abstract

Recent research on the relationship between instructional policy and classroom practice suggests that teachers interpret, adapt, and even transform policies as they put them into place. This paper extends this line of research, using an in-depth case study of one California elementary school to examine the processes by which teachers construct and reconstruct multiple policy messages about reading instruction in the context of their professional communities. Drawing primarily on institutional and sensemaking theory, this paper puts forth a model of collective sensemaking that focuses on the ways teachers co-construct understandings of policy messages, make decisions about which messages to pursue in their classrooms, and negotiate the technical and practical details of implementation in conversations with their colleagues. It also argues that the nature and structure of formal networks and informal alliances among teachers shape the process, with implications for ways in which messages from the policy environment influence classroom practice. Finally, the paper explores the role school leaders play in shaping the sensemaking process.

Exploring the relation between teachers’ perceptions of workplace conditions and their professional learning goals

“…Similarly, the objective workplace conditions alone do not influence teachers' learning; it is how teachers make sense of their workplace as a learning environment, and as a consequence use the learning opportunities afforded by this environment (Coburn 2001, Hoekstra et al 2009, Tynjälä 2012. In this sense-making approach teachers are seen as individuals who compare school organizational messages with their pre-existing framework and decide whether to act upon school policy or not (Coburn 2001, Weick et al 2005). This process is dynamic, because both organizational conditions and work and learning processes change continuously (Bryk et al 2010).…”

“…Thus, it is of interest how teachers' perceptions of the workplace environment can be understood as affecting professional learning. We regard these perceptions of the workplace to be a consequence of sense-making processes in which the teacher interprets messages from the institutional environment and integrates these messages into their existing framework (Coburn 2001).…”

Is alignment enough? Investigating the effects of state policies and professional development on science curriculum implementation

“…Giving teachers time to meet during a regular part of the workday provides the conditions for coordinated efforts to implement curricular reforms (Elmore, 1996;Elmore, Peterson, & McCarthey, 1996). Specifically, it can facilitate teachers' engagement in making sense about the meaning of reforms (Coburn, 2001). Providing time for teachers to meet also increases the likelihood that they will have opportunities to learn from and share expertise with colleagues about instruction (Kruse, 2001).…”

Making Sense, Making Do: Local District Implementation of a New State Induction Policy

“…How local policy agents frame an issue or policy, or how they define problems, influences how they proceed with implementation (Coburn, 2001(Coburn, , 2006. Furthermore, the ways in which policy agents make sense of a policy and how they define, understand, and see their role in the policy all influence their implementation efforts (Ali, 2006;Coburn, 2001Coburn, , 2006Spillane, 2004;Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002).…”

“…How local policy agents frame an issue or policy, or how they define problems, influences how they proceed with implementation (Coburn, 2001(Coburn, , 2006. Furthermore, the ways in which policy agents make sense of a policy and how they define, understand, and see their role in the policy all influence their implementation efforts (Ali, 2006;Coburn, 2001Coburn, , 2006Spillane, 2004;Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002). An agent' s personal history and previous experience (Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002) can influence how a policy resonates with him or her (Coburn, 2006), and resonance plays a role in both cognitive and affective processing of a policy (Coburn, 2006;Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002).…”