Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
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<strong>Network</strong>s, knowledge and innovation<br />
local networks like? Do they vary much in structure, for example<br />
those in the urban rather than rural sites? What are the units <strong>of</strong> the<br />
networks? Are they networks <strong>of</strong> individual teachers? Or are they<br />
sometimes networks <strong>of</strong> schools? Or could they be both? Does it<br />
matter that NWP is in some ways a network <strong>of</strong> networks? Do<br />
networks <strong>of</strong> networks function differently from networks <strong>of</strong><br />
institutions (schools) or individuals (teachers)? Are some network<br />
structures more successful than others in their impact on student<br />
learning? While NWP may be rated an overall success, it seems likely<br />
that some sub-networks in some areas will be more successful than<br />
others. What are the characteristics <strong>of</strong> the most and least successful<br />
networks? Does this help us to understand the nature <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
important variables in systems <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional networking? Does the<br />
teacher consultant act as a kind <strong>of</strong> hub that helps the network to<br />
flourish? Are networks without hubs <strong>of</strong> some kind more liable to<br />
failure or disintegration? What is the role <strong>of</strong> weak ties in a national<br />
network as opposed to what are probably the stronger ties <strong>of</strong> a local<br />
network? In short, is the structure <strong>of</strong> a network critical to the way it<br />
works and influences teacher development and student learning?<br />
While it is difficult to glimpse the structure <strong>of</strong> the networks from<br />
the Lieberman and Wood description, their culture is more visible.<br />
Back in 1990 there was relatively little work on social capital, and<br />
virtually none in education. Today it is a highly developed – even<br />
overdeveloped – concept, not least in the field <strong>of</strong> networks. For<br />
networks have a structural side, the nature <strong>of</strong> the links between the<br />
nodes, but also a cultural aspect, which is usually encapsulated in the<br />
term trust. The glue behind the strong ties <strong>of</strong> local networks is trust:<br />
without trust, networks rarely prosper. It is possible to argue from the<br />
Lieberman and Wood account <strong>of</strong> the way the NWP was organised<br />
and functioned that high levels <strong>of</strong> social capital were built up among<br />
the participants and crucial to the project’s success was this<br />
generation <strong>of</strong> high levels <strong>of</strong> trust between teachers. For example,<br />
getting teachers to show their writing to fellow teachers and obtaining<br />
feedback on it depends on there being a level <strong>of</strong> initial trust; if the<br />
experience is then felt to be pr<strong>of</strong>essionally rewarding, it will generate<br />
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