An Amazing Race towards analysing PLC data
The 5 District Teacher Development Centres (DTDCs) in Free State are engaged in a hands-on training on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). As a first step the managers and programme coordinators of the DTDCs participated in a training on 26 and 27 May.
This “Amazing Race” on 28 and 29 July is a follow-up training to refine and practice these M&E skills. We stopped at different stations, had pit stops in between, made a detour from time to time, but eventually we ended up at the finish line with analysed PLC data. VVOB engaged the support from Benita Williams Evaluation Consultants to facilitate the workshop.
In between workshop 1 (26 – 27 May) and 2 (28 – 29 July) workshops the DTDC officials were assigned to collect completed PLC monitoring tools, process quantitative and qualitative data and write a short narrative to interpret the results. During the workshop each DTDC presented challenges encountered when completing the assignment and brainstormed on solutions on how to overcome these challenges. A common challenge was the collection of completed monitoring tools from district officials which are supporting the PLCs. This indicates that the PLC monitoring tool is not yet embedded in all sections of the Free State Department of Education. However, selected DTDCs found creative ways to overcome this challenge, for example by contacting schools directly.
When analysing the PLC monitoring tools, DTDC officials experienced specific challenges with qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. The facilitators recaptured how to look for common themes and codes when processing qualitative data. Questions they asked were amongst others: Which patterns can we identify in a qualitative dataset? Do some data deviate from these patterns? Which interesting stories emerge from the data?
Participants engaged step by step with pivot tables for statistical data analysis.
By the end of the Amazing Race DTDC officials could represent quantitative PLC data in dynamic pivot tables and create charts from these data. They were excited with these newly acquired skills and already started applying them to different datasets they use in their work.
More pictures are available on Flickr.
