Background and research questions

The last decade we have seen series of studies that point out the importance of collaborate learning, professional learning communities, and the school as a learning organization (see for example Andrews & Lewis, 2002; Collinson, Cook, & Conley, 2006; Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000; Newman, King, & Young, 2000; Pedder, James, & MacBeath, 2005; Robinson, 2011; Silins, Mulford, & Zarins, 2002). However, few of these studies has related individual to organizational knowledge, and consequently there are some problematics that remain understudied. In this article, we direct the attention to the following questions: How is knowledge transformed from courses to schools? How should knowledge in a school organization be conceptualized?

In Norway, this question has become actualized through a series of national, government initiated school projects.  They all build on a competence strategy. One, the New Deal project, is described as a three-year program (2010-2013) aimed at getting more students to complete high school. Each school is invited to send two of their teachers to participate in courses, where they are taught how to teach reading, writing and mathematics by the nations´ most qualified experts. They are then expected to share the newly acquired knowledge with their colleagues when they return to their own schools. However, many of these teachers report to the project leaders that they find this difficult.  Some actually say that it easier to diffuse their new knowledge in other schools than in their own.

A second national program, aimed at junior high, is defines as a school based competence program. This implies that courses in reading, writing, math and classroom management are conducted in the schools, for all teachers and leaders to attend, by experts from universities and university colleges. This is then in turn supposed to lead to shared, organizational knowledge, and to improved teaching and classroom management. In this article we will investigate some of the challenges that these competence programs may face, in the light of our main questions.

Andrews, D. & Lewis, M. (2002). The experience of a professional community: teachers developing a new image of themselves and their workplace. Educational Research, 44, s. 237–254. Blackler, F. (1995). Knowledge, Knowledge Work and Organizations: An Overview and Interpretation. Organization Studies, 16(6), 1021. Collinson, V., Cook, T.F. & Conley, S. (2006). Organizational learning in schools and school systems: Improving learning, teaching, and leading. Theory Into Practice, 45, s. 107–116. Goddard, R.D., Hoy, W.K. & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2000). Collective teacher efficacy: its meaning, measure, and impact on student achievement. American Edztcaliortal Research Journal, 37 (2), s. 479–507. Newmann, F.M., King, M.B. & Youngs, P. (2000). Professional Development That Addresses School Capacity: Lessons from Urban Elementary Schools. American Journal of Education, 108, s. 259–299. Nonaka, F. og H. Takeuchi (1995). The Knowledge Creating Company. New York: Oxford University Press Pedder, D., James, M. & MacBeath, J. (2005). How teachers value and practise professional learning. Research Papers in Education, 20, s. 209–243. Silins, H.C., Mulford, W.R. & Zarins, S. (2002). Organizational learning and school change. Educational Administration Quarterl