Learning In Professional Education Research Articles

Ng Wan: New Digital Technology in Education: Conceptualizing Professional Learning for Educators

Ng Wan: New Digital Technology in Education: Conceptualizing Professional Learning for Educators

Language and reading instruction in early years' classrooms: the knowledge and self-rated ability of Australian teachers.

This study sought to investigate the level of knowledge of language constructs in a cohort of Australian teachers and to examine their self-rated ability and confidence in that knowledge. Seventy-eight teachers from schools across the Australian state of Victoria completed a questionnaire which included items from existing measures, as well as newly developed items. Consistent with a number of earlier Australian and international studies, teachers' explicit and implicit knowledge of basic linguistic constructs was limited and highly variable. A statistically significant correlation was found between (1) total self-rated ability and (2) years since qualification and experience teaching the early years of primary school; however, no relationship was found between self-rated ability and overall performance on knowledge items. Self-rated ability to teach phonemic awareness and phonics had no relationship with demonstrated knowledge in these areas. Teachers were most likely to rate their ability to teach skills including spelling, phonics, comprehension or vocabulary as either moderate or very good. This was despite most respondents demonstrating limited knowledge and stating that they did not feel confident answering questions about their knowledge in these areas. The findings from this study confirm that in the field of language and literacy instruction, there is a gap between the knowledge that is theoretically requisite, and therefore expected, and the actual knowledge of many teachers. This finding challenges current pre-service teacher education and in-service professional learning.

Measuring students' self-regulated learning in professional education: bridging the gap between event and aptitude measurements.

Self-regulated learning has benefits for students’ academic performance in school, but also for expertise development during their professional career. This study examined the validity of an instrument to measure student teachers’ regulation of their learning to teach across multiple and different kinds of learning events in the context of a postgraduate professional teacher education programme. Based on an analysis of the literature, we developed a log with structured questions that could be used as a multiple-event instrument to determine the quality of student teachers’ regulation of learning by combining data from multiple learning experiences. The findings showed that this structured version of the instrument measured student teachers’ regulation of their learning in a valid and reliable way. Furthermore, with the aid of the Structured Learning Report individual differences in student teachers’ regulation of learning could be discerned. Together the findings indicate that a multiple-event instrument can be used to measure regulation of learning in multiple contexts for various learning experiences at the same time, without the necessity of relying on students’ ability to rate themselves across all these different experiences. In this way, this instrument can make an important contribution to bridging the gap between two dominant approaches to measure SRL, the traditional aptitude and event measurement approach.

Understanding teacher aides’ definitions of reading: implications for classroom practice

While teacher aides often provide individual and group reading instruction for at-risk readers, research suggests these interventions may not always bring about reading gains. This Australian study investigated upper primary school teacher aides’ definitions of reading, drawing on semi-structured interview responses and written definitions examined via categorical analysis. The analysis identified six categories classifying participant understandings: Translating, Making sense, Contextualising meaning, Generating an affective response, Using texts for practical purposes, and Growing as a person, with Making sense the most prevalent actual definition. Definitions did not include critical understandings of reading or digital reading practices. The study identifies that teacher aides require better conceptual understandings of reading, especially within upper primary or secondary contexts. However, if teacher aides are expected to obtain further educational credentials or professional learning, careful consideration is also needed about how these increased expectations should impact teacher aide status, working conditions, and remuneration in schools.

Unconference professional development: Edcamp participant perceptions and motivations for attendance

‘Unconferences’ are a non-traditional form of professional activity defined by the absence of many conventional conference structures. One example of the unconference model is the ‘Edcamp,’ a voluntary, participant-driven form of grassroots educator professional learning. More than 600 of these events have been held worldwide since the first in 2010. This exploratory study situates Edcamps in relationship to the literature on educator professional development and teacher collaboration, and reports on data gathered from 95 participants in an Edcamp in the United States. Respondents indicated diverse motivations for their Edcamp participation, including colleagues’ recommendations, anticipated learning and the desire to network and collaborate. Respondents generally rated their Edcamp experiences highly, and overwhelmingly reported intentions to attend future Edcamps. The positive environment, participant autonomy and integration of technology were highlighted. Most participants, however, also identified ways in which their experiences could have been improved. The nature and topics of discussion, as well as challenges associated with Edcamp novices and technology, presented barriers to full participation. Implications of this research for educators, researchers and educational institutions are discussed.

Beyond Hammers Versus Hugs

Educational evaluation (Ed Eval) and professional learning communities (PLCs) are two of the nation’s most predominant approaches to widespread instructional improvement. Yet key attributes of these reform initiatives are too often experienced by teachers as burdensome, or even detrimental, rather than helpful. The authors of this article contend that school leaders will be more successful in their school improvement efforts when they integrate the most promising elements of PLCs (disciplined collaboration, deprivatization of practice, and classroom-based assessment) and Ed Eval (use of professional performance standards, observation and feedback, and a focus on results) into a tiered system of job-embedded professional development. The authors articulate the promises and pitfalls of Ed Eval and PLCs and reenvision how they could be integrated into a system through which subpar teaching is systemically addressed, acceptable teaching is improved upon, and outstanding teaching is sustained and replicated. The authors showcase elements of integrated system using vignettes based on the experiences of an actual high school-level English language arts teacher team.

The Use of Twitter in the Creation of Educational Professional Learning Opportunities

This study sought to examine how educators are using Twitter to increase their professional learning opportunities beyond the boundaries of traditional professional development offers, and whether educators feel a greater sense of fulfillment receiving professional development through networking and community learning than they do through traditional means of learning. A population of 160 educators–105 females and 55 males between the ages of 22 and 65–were surveyed using education related hashtags on Twitter. Thirty-two educators from the survey population elected to participate in an interview. The study discovered that educators are frequently using Twitter professionally to collaborate, network, and engage in professional development; 90% of the educators responding said they are extremely likely to use Twitter for professional development in the next 6 months, and 69% of educators said their use of Twitter for professional learning will increase over the coming school year.

Collaborative inquiry as a professional learning structure for educators: a scoping review

Collaborative inquiry (CI) has emerged as a dominant structure for educator professional learning in the twenty-first century. CI engages educators in collaboratively investigating focused aspects of their professional practice by exploring student responses to instruction, leading to new understandings and changes in classroom teaching. However, despite the increased presence of CI, research on CI frameworks has yet to be consolidated and synthesized. The purpose of this systematic, scoping review was to examine literature on the structure, challenges, and benefits of CI as a professional learning structure for educators (i.e. teachers, principals, school district leaders). In total, 42 sources were identified and analysed in relation to characteristics of CI, supports and resources for CI, empirically supported benefits of CI, and enactment challenges. The review found that the majority of texts and research in this field are highly practical, describing CI steps or case-study examples. Accordingly, the current literature reviewed in this paper largely serves a how to function for engaging in CI projects with empirical data collected from primarily case-study work. The literature also provides preliminary theoretical articulations for CI as a professional learning structure for educators. The paper concludes with identified areas for future CI research related to: clarifying the focus of CI initiatives, articulating what ‘inquiry’ means in CI, and sustaining CI within the profession of teaching.

Sustainability education: researching practice in primary schools

Many teachers are keen to implement sustainability education in primary schools but are lacking the confidence, skills and knowledge to do so. Teachers report that they do not understand the concept and cannot integrate sustainability into an already overcrowded curriculum. Identifying how teachers successfully integrate sustainability education into their teaching practice can offer important insights into how these perceived problems can be overcome. The paper is based on data from the third year of a longitudinal study about teacher education and teacher professional learning for sustainability in primary education. The third year of the study investigated teachers’ understandings of sustainability and how sustainability education is manifested in eight rural and regional primary schools in Victoria, Australia. Data included photographs of school grounds and sustainability projects, audio recordings of focus groups with teachers and principals, and field notes of meetings with school staff. Sustainability education was found to be an emergent practice necessarily constituted in the relation between teachers, students and community members and the materialities of local places. Partnerships were found to be an essential part of integrated sustainability programmes which extended into communities and places beyond the schools. The processes of learning involved pedagogies of creative problem-solving and inquiry learning that enabled children to lead the way.

Teacher Educator Professional Learning in the Third Space

This article reports on the results of a research project in which 18 teacher educators in three countries—Australia, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom—were interviewed about their experiences of working in the so-called “third space” between schools and universities, particularly in relation to the practicum, or field supervision. Most teacher educators have previously worked as teachers in schools or other educational settings, and when they become teacher educators in universities, they are often involved in the supervision or mentoring of preservice teachers in the field. The research reported in this article examined how university-based teacher educators manage the challenges inherent in working with mentor/cooperating teachers after having been or when still practicing as teachers in schools. Findings from the study showed that for teacher educators, working in the third space involves managing shifting identities between teacher and teacher educator, responding to changing perspectives on learning and teaching, and negotiating sometimes finely balanced and difficult relationships.

Professional Dialogue, Reflective Practice and Teacher Research: Engaging Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers in Collegial Dialogue about Curriculum Innovation

While embedded in teacher professional standards and assumed aspects of teacher professionalism, willingness and ability to engage in professional dialogue about practice and curriculum initiatives are rarely examined or explicitly taught in teacher education programs. With this in mind, the authors designed an assessment task for pre-service teachers that required them to interview their supervising teachers about the implementation of sustainability as cross-curriculum priority in the Australian national curriculum, and to write a reflective account of the process. Forty-seven early childhood pre-service teachers and their supervising teachers consented to the interview transcripts and reflective accounts being used as research data. Analysis of the reflective accounts highlights what enabled and constrained the dialogue across professional experience settings and the benefits of having pre-service teachers engage in such an assessment task. The authors discuss implications for pre-service teacher education and on-going teacher professional learning.

Preparing teachers for professional learning: is there a future for teacher education in new teacher induction?

Today the quality of teachers is held to be increasingly important yet there continue to be doubts about whether teacher education programs graduate teachers ready to meet the challenges of their initial years of teaching. In some jurisdictions, other agencies (Ministries of Education, school districts, and private providers) are supplementing the work of teacher education through the introduction of new teacher induction programs which have become favoured policy initiatives to enhance new teacher transition, retention and quality. Evidence suggests that induction and mentoring increase teacher retention and ensure more effective socialisation of new teachers into the school culture. In spite of their growing popularity, the degree to which induction programs complement teacher education and/or impact new teacher professional learning remains unclear. In this paper the authors report a secondary analysis of data from an evaluation of the New Teacher Induction Program in Ontario, Canada to consider the implications for the future of teacher education by asking: What are the challenges facing new teachers? In what ways does the induction program support new teacher professional learning? What are the major implications for the future of teacher education?

Professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools: the utility of reflective practice groups for educator induction and professional learning

Working with young people in alternative schools poses particular challenges for the professional identity of educators. This research explored educator identity and development in practice in a network of alternative schools re-enfranchising young people. There was a focus on educator induction in the study. Different ways of being an educator were required in order to re-engage young people facing multiple complexities in their lives. A three-stage design experiment methodology was employed to investigate how ways of working, valuing and professional learning influenced educator identity and development. Iterative cycles of reflection embedded in the methodology allowed practitioners’ perspectives to influence the design of enhanced induction processes, leading to the prototyping of reflective practice groups as an induction strategy. Findings provide insights into the influence of reflective practice on educator identity and development in relation to two overarching themes synthesised in thematic analysis of interview data: relationships, and changing perspectives through reflection.

Transition in pedagogical orchestration using the interactive whiteboard

This paper revisits the analysis of how the interactive whiteboard (IWB) can contribute to effective pedagogy. It builds on previous work concerning the relationship between the features of IWBs and associated technologies and some key components of pedagogy, including the stage of IWB use, the role of ICT, the type of interactivity, and the overarching aspect of orchestration for learning. Two example lessons are constructed to illustrate the relationships associated with a basic stage of IWB use as a blackboard substitute and the most sophisticated, synergistic stage of IWB use. The analysis of these lessons is used to show that in the synergistic lesson, the IWB functions as a hub for classroom activity. The key difference is that both the teacher and pupils use the affordances of IWB for orchestration of activity rather than merely using a set of unrelated tools predominantly used by the teacher. Implications are drawn concerning the need to develop skills in orchestration for learning alongside technical skills in IWB use through initial teacher education and subsequent professional learning.

Educational change and professional learning communities: A study of two districts

This paper documents the progress of eight middle schools, four from one school district, and four from another that were engaged in the process of implementing Professional Learning Community (PLC) concepts. The descriptive study used quantitative and qualitative information gathered in a standardized, open-ended interview with the teachers and administrators (Patton 2002). Likert scales were used for each question to provide quantitative data, while the explanations to the questions provided the qualitative data. The results of this study revealed statistically significant differences between the two districts with regard to PLC implementation. Concepts that were most crucial to PLC work such as analyzing and responding to student learning were considerably higher in one of the districts. This paper adds to our understanding of how respond to the requests/demands of implementing PLCs in their schools, including what facilitates and detracts from PLC implementation.

Professional Development for Early Childhood Education: A National Perspective

The article introduces the reader to a special issue of NHSA Dialog that focuses on the professional development (PD) of early childhood educators. The article opens with a perspective from a historical lens, namely that of PD in K--12 education and the evolution of Learning Forward, formerly the National Staff Development Council. The recently (2011) revised Standards for Professional Learning are included, leading into more recent developments in early childhood education professional learning. Finally, the article introduces the reader to each research article included in the issue.

Professional learning as a physical education teacher educator

Background: Teacher education is expected to support pre-service teachers (PSTs) as they respond to the challenges of becoming self-reliant learners, and position them within the context of a professional learning approach. In doing so, teacher educators need to exemplify lifelong characteristics of learning in our practice and attitudes, utilizing professional self-understanding and critical recollections. This in turn, one hopes, would inform the development of a more effective physical education teacher education (PETE) programme that nurtures and reinforces specific professional behaviours that facilitate PSTs', and in turn student, learning. Purpose: To consider how, as a teacher educator, I potentially portray my continuing professional learning to PSTs, hoping to support PSTs in their endeavours to identify and sustain their own professional learning requirements and contribute to developing a pedagogy of teacher education . Research design: Utilising Brookfield's four lenses through which to view practice, recollections of instances of my own professional learning experiences and practices gleaned from involvement as a physical education teacher educator in a PETE programme are shared. Findings: My professional learning is guided by (1) evidence-based teaching that is informed by what I have researched and experienced about the realities of teaching in schools, with a willingness to devote time to making that knowledge available and interesting to PSTs, (2) a commitment to developing PSTs as lifelong learners, and (3) modelling lifelong learning practice in PETE. Conclusions: Recollections of instances of one's own professional learning experiences and practices gleaned from involvement as a physical education teacher educator in a PETE programme is the beginning of a continuum. Providing evidence of the extent to which a physical education teacher educator's professional learning rhetoric translates into changes in the practice of PSTs, affects their experience as a qualified physical education teacher and, by association, impacts on school physical education lessons and the associated (effective) teaching and learning of physical education are essential steps in identifying features of programme effectiveness and not merely the presence of practices. The development of a more effective PETE programme is the ultimate target.

Breaking the Negative Cycle: The Formation of Self-Efficacy Beliefs in the Arts. A Focus on Professional Experience in Pre-Service Teacher Education

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL Education and the Arts Statement (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2007), all children and young people should have a high-quality arts education. To achieve this teachers require a high level of skill and training, and the belief that they are self-efficacious in the teaching of arts education (Andrews, 2004). This points to the role of pre-service teacher education to develop the capability to teach arts education. This study utilises Bandura's (1997) model of self-efficacy beliefs. Novice early childhood teachers were invited to reflect on their professional practice experience during pre-service teacher education to provide insights into how this has contributed to the formation of their self-efficacy beliefs in the arts. Findings confirm that novice teachers develop beliefs about arts education during professional experience that shape their future beliefs towards teaching arts in the early years. These beliefs are likely to be negative, thereby contributing to the formation of negative emotional association and low self-efficacy beliefs for teaching arts. Furthermore, three main themes emerged from the data about the impact of professional experience: 1) supervising teacher practice (vicarious experience); 2) supervising teacher feedback (verbal persuasion); and 3) the profile of arts as a subject experienced by the respondent (vicarious experience). The implications of these findings are considered in terms of pre-service teacher education and ongoing professional learning for teachers.

Threshold Concepts, Disciplinary Differences And Cross-Disciplinary Discourse

‘Threshold concepts’ have proved a useful framing for enquiry into teaching and learning in higher education and early professional learning. Most studies have, however, been concerned with the nature and role of threshold concepts in specific disciplines. This paper discusses how they can also be used as a means of initiating cross-disciplinary discourse. In so doing, they challenge teachers to consider what is distinctive about their own disciplinary ‘ways of thinking and practicing’ and invite reflection: not simply on teaching and learning ‘in the disciplines’, but also on the potential for working across disciplinary boundaries. This also raises important issues about the recruitment, induction and orientation of students as they make transitions into higher education in the Gulf context, as elsewhere.

Strengthening “school” in school mental health promotion

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight new and existing research on school characteristics that are essential elements in building the capacity of school communities to implement whole school approaches to mental health promotion.Design/methodology/approachThrough an overview of recent research and writing the need for a paradigmatic shift is identified so that educational research and school processes as well as mental health outcomes are utilized as the starting point for school mental health promotion.FindingsMuch of the current advocated practice for improved mental health outcomes arises from evidence from health sector interventions, evidence that may not match the breadth and complexity of conditions in schools that need to be considered to bring about change. The practice may also ignore school processes and structures and the research that delineates how these operate. The results of research in Australia identify two key educational areas, leadership and professional learning that require an increased focus in school mental health promotion. These have emerged from a decade of experience in the implementation and evaluation of MindMatters.Practical implicationsHealth and educational personnel need to target these areas for particular development to ensure strong supports are created for sustainable local school action.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on school leadership and teacher efficacy – areas that have relevance for whole school mental health and wellbeing.