Innovation Configuration mapping as a professional development tool: the case of one-to-one laptop computing

Abstract

This article illustrates how findings from a study of teachers’ and students’ uses of laptop computers in a secondary school in Singapore informed the development of an Innovation Configuration (IC) Map – a tool for identifying and describing alternative ways of implementing innovations based on teachers’ unique feelings, preoccupations, thoughts and considerations. The authors used a descriptive case study design and qualitative data (interviews, lesson observations and focus group discussions) that identified policy–practice gaps and teacher uncertainty about the practicalities of the laptop programme. They suggest IC Maps are particularly useful in three specific areas of classroom and professional practice: (i) information and policy direction setting, (ii) aspirations relating to an innovation, and (iii) planning activities around areas of personal need and interest. The article concludes with some suggestions about how teachers’ professional development and growth can be facilitated through the mediating and socially coordinating roles of IC Maps.