2.4 Transformative pedagogy through advanced technologies: a  (Page 7/8)

After day one of the workshop, I felt empowered, yet intimidated. I feel that I am the youngest and least experienced in the program...Do I have what it takes? During the discussions in the workshop, I realized I wasn't making the same connections between readings, even though I had read and thought about them thoroughly. My conclusion to all of this....I will listen and learn from others experience. I may not have as much experience, but I have a different type of experience and contribution. (personal communication, March 23, 2011)

Graduates of the university-district program stated that throughout the course of the program they began to honor struggles and saw learning as not having the answers but having the right questions . Participants in the blended online program shared an increase in their level of comfort with ambiguity as the program progressed:

I have finally come to a place where knowing here is where you are, and here is where you need to be - now you have to figure it out. My cohort instructor said sitting with disequilibrium is something that you always have to sit with so get comfortable with it. (personal communication, March 28, 2011).

This comfort with ambiguity promotes the capacity of the participants to think generatively rather than rely on others to provide answers.

Reflection, critical thinking, and metacognition

Program participants become conscious of their assumptions and the impact assumptions have on their actions through examples and the analysis of their language. The programs are rooted in the organizational theories of Chris Argyris and Donald Schön (1978) and use the “ladder of inference” (Argyris, 1990&Senge, 1990) as an analytical lens. Program participants report that they almost unconsciously identify assumptions that they and others make. Graduates of the university-district program have noted the power of recognizing assumptions so they can explore more dimensions of problems and arrive at more equitable solutions. Graduates and participants in both programs stated that the process of self assessment and reflection became a habit because they were able to bring their reflections and issues to their learning community. In the university-district program, this occurred through a ritual at the opening of each weekly class called Open Frame. This process consisted of an hour devoted to listening to and interacting with the voices of program participants as they shared issues and experiences that emerged in their work at their schools. The blended online program provides access to an open frame through the online community of inquiry. Several participants also stated that the requirement to bring their reflections and issues to their learning community through their weekly discussion threads and journal entries made the spiral process of self assessment and reflection a personal habit. The online community of inquiry provided a vehicle for reflective and critical thinking that was accessible by all participants at all times serving to reinforce the dynamic, iterative approach of the inquiry framework employed throughout the program.