Researcher Practitioner Partnerships for Ed Tech Innovation

Fostering a Collaborative Working Relationship between Researchers and Educators in K-12 School Disctrics

Changes in the British Columbia K-12 curriculum opened significant opportunities for inquiry in the area of learning practices and outcomes with technology. The new curriculum standards emphasize critical and creative thinking, integration of new media, increasing personalization, and authentic assessments. To take advantage of this opportunity space, DFP faculty need to develop a richer collaborative relationship with local educators to mutually inform the design of new learning practices and technology-enhanced pedagogy.

This project engaged local K-12 school districts to develop Researcher Practitioner Partnerships (RPP), with the longer-term goal of sustaining these relationships toward:

1) identifying research and design needs emerging in the K-12 context;

2) identifying key innovators and innovations in the practice realm that might inform future research project development;

3) gaining footholds in diverse educational contexts for recruiting participants for current and future projects;

4) scaling emerging innovations by leveraging educator networks and professional development opportunities.

Ultimately, these RPPs may develop into “Living Lab” environments, where a continuous cycle of inquiry, design, innovation, and assessment could begin to address larger questions about the role of technology in education.

To develop an RPP, the investigators held a series of meetings, workshops, and design sessions with local educators over the course of the 2018-19 school year, beginning in early 2019 through June 2019.