Who Are The Planetarians? A Demographic Survey Of Planetarium - Based Astronomy Educators

“Good luck on your first day as an assistant professor, Dr. Tanner! Have a great class!” On the wall above my desk, these words scream out from an otherwise encouraging note that is adorned with many exclamation points. This note has hung on my wall since my very first day as an Assistant Professor of Biology. As I was charging off to teach my first class, a senior faculty member who had been on my hiring committee slipped this note under my office door. In moments of pause years later, I still stare up at that note and breathe a sigh of relief that I had much more than luck to guide me on my first day as a college-level teacher. Although I continue to have much to learn—as all of us do no matter the number of years of teaching experience—I did arrive at the university with both formal and informal training in science education. I had had plenty of exposure to innovative pedagogical approaches, questioning strategies, and techniques for engaging diverse audiences in learning science. As a scientist educator, I had had the privilege of many years of collaboration with outstanding K–12 educators as well as a postdoctoral fellowship in science education. However, my training has been, to say the least, unconventional compared with that of my fellow junior faculty and unique in its preparation in regard to the teaching and learning of my discipline. It will not be news to anyone reading this article that university and college teaching is to a large extent a profession with no formal training. It’s startling but true that the majority of faculty members—and lecturers who often teach large numbers of students—have no formal training in the teaching and learning of their discipline. In fact, the hiring process in university science departments is structured primarily to evaluate a faculty candidate’s ability to be a productive researcher, with success measured in number of publications and magnitude of grant funds raised. Depending on the type of institution, for example, research university, state-level university, or liberal arts college, there may be a component of the faculty interview process that probes a candidate’s teaching ability, for example, requesting a statement of teaching philosophy and requiring the candidate to teach a sample lecture class. However, this sample lecture often screens for gross inadequacies, rather than looking for stellar innovations or pedagogical skills. This lack of formal, accredited training for university and college instructors stands in stark contrast to the requirements for a high school teacher who is charged with the education of students only a year junior to college freshmen. High school teachers in the United States must be credentialed as a secondary science teacher, demonstrate subject matter competency in every subject that they will be teaching, and must continually engage in professional development in the teaching and learning of their discipline throughout their career as a science teacher. With the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind legislation, the onus is upon each precollege science teacher to become “highly qualified” in terms of formal university-level training in science education. However, no such required professional training or measurable standards for teaching are required in institutions of higher education. Many policy documents have suggested standards of teaching practice in postsecondary science education (National Research Council, 1996, 1997; Siebert and McIntosh, 2001), but the extent of implementation of these ideals is unclear and has gone relatively unstudied, although national and regional accreditation boards do look at outcomes, asking colleges and universities to assess what their students have gained from four years of study at their institutions. Nonetheless, there is a striking reversal of accountability that happens when one crosses the precollege teaching to college-level teaching boundary (Table 1). During the K–12 school years, society expects K–12 teachers to be responsible for student learning. Salaries of teachers in many states are tied to student test scores, and poor student performance can potentially invoke penalties. At a college or university, several variables in the educational universe shift. Students are the ones responsible for learning. The evaluation and compensation of college-level teachers is not DOI: 10.1187/cbe.05–12–0132 Address correspondence to: Kimberly Tanner (kdtanner@sfsu.edu). CBE—Life Sciences Education Vol. 5, 1–6, Spring 2006

The so-called logic of datafication and platformisation, as a consolidated business model for the BigTech industry with applications to education (van Dijck et al., 2018), can also reach (and affect) early education and care. In a kid’s culture that values documenting and sharing with parents, social media and instant messaging are widely used. Educators feel overloaded with the challenges posed by digital platforms, but contextual issues are relevant to finding ways for resistance and engagement in political actions to transform the edtech platforms’ dominance. Investigating the specific discourses and approaches to platformisation from early education professionals appears relevant to promoting not only awareness but also ways to rethink professional and political agency. Our preliminary study is based on 14 individual interviews and one group interview with educators in the Italian region of Veneto. The results of our thematic analysis indicate that achieving a balance between technology-based documentation and children’s privacy is not straightforward. Also, educators are calling for policies and further support for technology-driven services and activities that make thoughtful and conscious use of technology to avoid harming children. On these bases, we advance recommendations to deepen early childhood educators’ professional development requirements in a data-driven and post-digital society.

Personal and professional development: a survey of radiographers employed in the South West Region

By maintaining skills and keeping dentists up-to-date, continuing professional development (CPD) supports safe clinical practice. However, CPD for dentists across Europe is not harmonised. One aim of the 'DentCPD' project (www.dentcpd.org) was to identify and agree essential CPD requirements for EU dentists. As part of the process, data were collected on existing approaches to CPD for EU dentists. This paper reports those findings. Informed by a review of the literature and internet search, the CPD for Graduate Dentists questionnaire gathered data from dental educators on CPD systems, requirements, provision and accreditation in Europe. It sought opinion on mandatory CPD and e-learning. Responses were received from 143 individuals from 30 EU countries. About half the countries had a compulsory CPD system which typically included mandatory core topics. Elsewhere CPD was optional or based on recommended hours. University dental schools and professional dental associations were the most common CPD providers. National regulatory bodies were the most common accrediting body. Only 41% of respondents thought they knew the criteria for successful accreditation of CPD. Eighty-one percent agreed that 'CPD should be obligatory for all dentists'. These results present an overview of the status of CPD for EU dentists. Despite a notable trend towards regulated CPD systems, current requirements for dentists to engage in CPD show variation. The harmonisation of requirements would enhance both dentist mobility and safe clinical practice.

By maintaining skills and keeping dentists up-to-date, continuing professional development (CPD) supports safe clinical practice. However, CPD for dentists across Europe is not harmonised. One aim of the 'DentCPD' project (www.dentcpd.org) was to identify and agree essential CPD requirements for EU dentists. As part of the process, data were collected on existing approaches to CPD for EU dentists. This paper reports those findings. Informed by a review of the literature and internet search, the CPD for Graduate Dentists questionnaire gathered data from dental educators on CPD systems, requirements, provision and accreditation in Europe. It sought opinion on mandatory CPD and e-learning. Responses were received from 143 individuals from 30 EU countries. About half the countries had a compulsory CPD system which typically included mandatory core topics. Elsewhere CPD was optional or based on recommended hours. University dental schools and professional dental associations were the most common CPD providers. National regulatory bodies were the most common accrediting body. Only 41% of respondents thought they knew the criteria for successful accreditation of CPD. Eighty-one percent agreed that 'CPD should be obligatory for all dentists'. These results present an overview of the status of CPD for EU dentists. Despite a notable trend towards regulated CPD systems, current requirements for dentists to engage in CPD show variation. The harmonisation of requirements would enhance both dentist mobility and safe clinical practice.

ABSTRACTThe roles of school librarians as well as the needs of library users have been changing. To keep up with the changes, school librarians have been required to engage in professional development which enables them to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for the effective provision of services and programs to their clients. School districts formulate policies that provide guidelines on the professional development requirements and activities for school librarians but there have been concerns on the effectiveness and approach of professional development as outlined in the policies. Using Ball's policy cycle theoretical framework, the study analyzed professional development policies within schools and interviewed school librarians to understand their perception of professional development. Findings from the study will enable librarians and administrators within the school and districts to understand the current state of professional development and may also suggest effective and innovative strategies in professional development for school librarians.

학교 교육에서 교사를 위한 피드백은 전문성과 직무만족도 등 여러 측면에서 그 실효성이 강조되고 있지만, 그 실증적 연구는 부족한 실정이다. 이러한 한계를 보완하는 차원에서 본 연구 목적은 교사에 대한 피드백, 교사 전문성 개발 수요 및 참여, 그리고 직무만족 간의 구조적 관계를 확인하는 것이다. 본 연구의 대상은 2018 OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)에 참여한 우리나라 초중등학교 346개교 소속의 교사 6,096명 자료이다. 우선 본 연구에 의한 구조방정식 분석 결과는 교사에 대한 피드백이 직무만족에 직접적인 효과가 있음을 보여주었다. 아울러, 교사 피드백은 전문성 개발 수요 및 활동 참여를 통해서 직무만족에 영향을 가지는 이중매개 효과를, 그리고 전문성 개발 활동 참여를 통한 매개 효과를 각각 보여주었다. 본 연구 결과는 우리나라 초중학교에서 개별 교사의 전문성 개발과 직무만족에 향상을 위해 교사에 대한 피드백이 더욱 활성화될 필요성이 있음을 실제적으로 시사하고 있다.Although the effectiveness of feedback for school teachers is being emphasized in various aspects such as professional development and job satisfaction, empirical research is lacking. Responding to this limitation, the purpose of this study was to investigate the structural relationship between feedback for teachers, professional development needs and participation, and job satisfaction. This study used data from 6,096 teachers at 346 elementary and secondary schools in South Korea who participated in the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) managed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). First of all, the results of structural equation modeling according to this study showed that feedback for teachers has a direct effect on job satisfaction. In addition, teacher feedback had a dual mediating effect affecting job satisfaction through professional development requirements and participation in activities, and each showed a mediating effect through participation in professional development activities. The current study suggests that facilitating feedback for teachers be promoted to improve professional development and job satisfaction.

This multi-phase mixed-methods study explores provider and recipient perceptions of the current state of early childhood professional development in a southeastern area of the United States. Professional development for the early childhood workforce has been shown to positively influence the quality of early childhood classrooms. This study examines 320 providers and 1022 recipients (including childcare teachers, Head Start teachers and 4k teachers in public school districts) who completed surveys examining the types of professional development opportunities they experienced over the previous year. Findings from these surveys were used to determine a subsample of providers (n = 20) and recipients (n = 27) who were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of these experiences. Findings from this study indicate overall dissatisfaction with the quality and purpose of current professional development opportunities. Participants describe a lack of access to high-quality experiences and suggest that professional development requirements should be restructured to be based on recipient needs rather than focus on a prescribed set of topics. In addition, data suggest that follow-up support or evaluation of professional development experiences rarely occurs in these settings. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The impact of skills and training on local development

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss articles in the issue on topics including lifelong learning, informal education and social media in education.

Restrictive regulation constrains delivery of an integrated, collaborative and responsive health sector.

This evaluation study examined a state-wide professional development program composed of two institutes, one for mathematics teachers and one for science teachers, each spanning two weeks. The program was designed to help teachers transform their practice to align with Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards. Data from this mixed-methods design consisted of observations, interviews, focus groups, institute documents and participant surveys. Participants experienced inquiry-based, content-specific, focused grade-band sessions, yet in some ways results indicated that the experiences fell short of having a potentially transformative effect on classroom teaching. The evaluation used a professional development framework to analyze how a seemingly well-designed program became disconnected from the participants’ classroom teaching experience. Recommendations focus on ways for policy-makers, school leaders and professional development facilitators to use the professional development framework to bridge gaps identified by the evaluation.

Background Contemporary academic institutions confront substantial challenges in professional development amid rapid technological advancements. Historically, faculty professional development has relied on individual initiatives or peer assistance. Our medical school encountered analogous obstacles in implementing an innovative curriculum. Consequently, we established a faculty development program predicated on a needs assessment survey, student evaluations, and faculty performance appraisals. This study aimed to elucidate the development, implementation, and outcomes of our faculty professional development program interventions. Methods The faculty development program was initially constructed based on a survey of 17 founding faculty members. A descriptive analysis of the results was conducted and utilized to formulate a structured faculty development program. The implementation of the initial plan was primarily achieved through seminars and hands-on workshops. This was subsequently evaluated using end-of-course student feedback to determine the necessity for further faculty development. Based on these findings, additional faculty development sessions were implemented by external sources. Student evaluations were again employed to assess the efficacy of the faculty development sessions. Results Among the four main categories, the areas deemed most critical were as follows: (1) curriculum development themes, including the development of integrated courses and team-teaching courses (100%), designing student learning experiences (95%), and effective writing assignments (90%); (2) teaching skills, specifically obtaining training for effective team-based learning (100%); (3) assessment and evaluation, encompassing writing test questions (96%), assessing assignments (95%), and responding to students' self-assessments (95%); and (4) technology in academia, including online teaching resources, video conferencing, and webcasting skills (100%), creating voice-over PowerPoint(Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) presentations (95%), and training in online assessment platforms (96%). Student survey results indicated improved faculty performance in flipped classroom and laboratory session instruction. The program continues to evolve based on faculty and student input. Conclusion In addition to traditional faculty self-reflection and needs assessment methodologies, we discovered that student feedback provides a comprehensive perspective on faculty improvement and professional development requirements. Overall, the faculty development program demonstrated effectiveness and satisfaction among participants.

Change Processes and Strategies at the Local Level

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).