Disruptive evolution : a case study of how one school develops its innovative learning environment

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Main question: How did Ormiston Junior College develop an implementation plan for its innovative learning environment?

Supplementary questions: What were the main drivers that influenced the Ormiston Junior College innovative learning environment implementation plan?

● What were the main processes used to develop the plan? ● How did the drivers and processes interact to inform the outcomes of the plan? ● How did the drivers and processes help to localise and articulate the complex educational ecosystem in its plan?

ABSTRACT: Population growth and sector evolution in education globally and in New Zealand have meant a sustained period of rapid change and development has been underway for quite some time. New schools in New Zealand are currently being constructed at a rapid rate, and existing schools are spending a lot of time and energy on rethinking educational practices and approaches to learning. Many of the structural and pedagogical changes that the country has seen recently have arguably been mandated particularly to meet the principles of Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) in the organisational, learning, and relational elements of school planning. These developments afford those involved at each school the opportunity to implement new research and education initiatives in their local communities. However, the ways each school and community go about these processes seem to vary greatly and research on the processes new schools and their stakeholders undertake in order to make the school operational is limited.

This study addresses this gap by offering a case study of the implementation planning processes of one school. This research focuses on describing the drivers and processes involved in creating the implementation plan for one school. The thesis offers recommendations for other practitioners undertaking similar work in school development, a theoretical argument for approaching ILE organisational practices from an ecological systems thinking perspective, and implications for further case study research by both new schools and schools transitioning to ILEPaligned pedagogies and systems along with their stakeholders and communities. Finally, the research will highlight opportunities for further investigations into the operationalisation of ILEs in New Zealand.