Effective Professional Development Activities Research Articles

THỰC TRẠNG QUẢN LÝ HOẠT ĐỘNG PHÁT TRIỂN NĂNG LỰC CHUYÊN MÔN CHO GIÁO VIÊN CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH ĐÁP ỨNG CHƯƠNG TRÌNH GIÁO DỤC PHỔ THÔNG 2018

Managing professional capacity development activities for primary school teachers is one of the factors to ensure the successful implementation of the 2018 General Education Program. This article focuses on analyzing the current activity management in Ho Chi Minh City’s primary schools in 3 typical districts in terms of: managing capacity development for lesson planning; managing capacity development using educational methods; managing capacity development using student assessment methods and techniques; Managing capacity development of counseling and student support; managing capacity development of building an educational environment; managing capacity development of coordination between school, family and society in educating students; managing the development of teachers' ability to use foreign languages and information technology; managing the conditions to ensure effective professional capacity development activities for teachers. Thereby, clearly identifying the limitations in management work, establish a premise to create measures to manage professional capacity development activities for primary school teachers in Ho Chi Minh City to meet the 2018 General Education Program.

Building a strong collaborative biostatistics workforce: Strategies for effective intra-unit professional development activities.

Ongoing professional development is important for collaborative biostatisticians, as it enables them to remain current with the latest advances in statistical methodology and software, refine their analytical skills, and expand their domain knowledge, thereby facilitating their ability to contribute effectively to biomedical research. Although external opportunities for professional development, such as attending conferences and workshops, are widely recognized and valued in the field of biostatistics, there has been comparatively little attention given to internal opportunities for enhancing the skills and knowledge of biostatisticians which can be implemented with lower financial and time investment than external offerings. The purpose of this paper is to offer guidance for ongoing internal professional development activities that can be employed by collaborative biostatistics units in universities and academic medical centers to complement structured curricula and initial training. Specific examples of activities are provided so that collaborative biostatisticians and/or managers of biostatistical units can flexibly combine components to create an appropriately scaled, customized program that meets the needs of themselves or of the unit.

Don’t Wait, Innovate! Preparing Students and Lecturers in Higher Education for the Future Labor Market

Technological innovations are changing our society at a rapid pace. The expansion of new technologies (e.g., tools and programs) will inevitably change future jobs in the area of, for example, engineering, healthcare, and science. People working in these areas need digital human capital, which is often acquired through education prior to starting a job. As a result, higher education systems around the globe face increasing demands to prepare their students for the changing labor market. To meet these demands, it is essential to focus on both lecturers’ and students’ digital competencies. Teaching professionals will have to learn to do new things using new resources. This goes beyond merely replacing work forms and resources; it is a complex process that demands a deeper way of learning in which routines and underlying knowledge and beliefs are explicitly reconsidered. Attention needs to be paid to how lecturers can gradually and continuously develop their professional competencies in the field of educational innovation with IT, to ensure these practices become embedded in future higher education. In this reflection paper, we will discuss key digital competencies for both students and lecturers. We will also focus on how lecturers develop these competencies through effective professional development (PD) activities. Based on a literature review, we present a model for effective lecturer PD with 29 ‘building blocks’. This model will be used to clarify practical examples of effective lecturer PD aimed at using innovative technology in higher education.

Rethinking the Factor of Duration for Professional Development: A Workshop-Seminar-Demonstration Class Model for Science Teachers

Participating in effective professional development (PD) activities is crucial for helping teachers improve the quality of pedagogy and students’ learning results. Numerous factors influence the design of effective PD, one of which is duration. However, many teachers do not find much time to participate in long-term concentrated and continuous PD due to their heavy workloads. Based on this consideration, this paper presents the Workshop-Seminar-Demonstration Class PD (WSD-PD) model, which addresses the factor of duration by shortening the hours of contact, lengthening the total span of time required, and integrating elements such as active learning and expert follow-up to improve teachers’ practical teaching methods. With “Teaching for Conceptual Change” as the theme and junior high school science teachers as participants, the results of the study show that WSD-PD can serve teachers by generating willingness to improve teaching practices for and influence teaching behaviors in them. The settings of different activities in this model are also considered to play distinct and indispensable roles in the program.

English Teachers’ Understanding of Thailand Basic Education Core Curriculum

This qualitative study aimed at exploring English teachers’ understanding of the Basic Education Core Curriculum in Thailand and to investigate the contributing factors. The selected research with triangulation design was used to analyze the data, which was obtained from 66 English teachers. The drawings and questionnaire data showed that most teachers possessed ‘impeding understanding’, which may interfere with the development of a localized school curriculum. No clear trend was found in the present study on how teachers’ professional experiences, teachers’ qualifications, professional development activities, and involvement in curriculum development may contribute to teachers’ comprehension, as suggested in previous studies. The findings on teachers’ lack of understanding of the Core Curriculum after ten years of its implementation indicate the pressing needs to carefully design the implementation of the new national curriculum the Ministry of Education is developing. Effective communication processes and continual in-service professional development activities are recommended. Further investigation on how to effectively provide in-service professional development activities in Thai schools to promote teachers’ understanding of a new educational policy will be needed.

Providing the Best Possible Learning Environment for K-8 English Learners in Social Studies Content

The purpose of this study is to provide the best possible learning environment for K-8 English Learners (ELs) in social studies content suggested by ESL teachers and school administrators in North Carolina. ESL teachers and school administrators share their perceptions of best practices and strategies that have been effective in addressing the needs of ELs in the K-8 social studies classroom. Authors propose multifaceted approaches to meeting the needs of ELs in the social studies classrooms: First, effective professional development activities train social studies content teachers to acquire research-based effective instructional models for ELs. Second, literacy strategies provide social studies teachers the necessary information to make pedagogical modifications. Third, collaboration among content teachers, ESL teachers, and school administrators creates open communication to take initiative in sharing effective strategies that can be easily implemented and challenges that can be addressed.

Designing effective professional development for technology integration in schools

AbstractThis study aims to explore the critical factors for effective professional development (PD) activities to support teachers' technology integration and suggests a design model: flipped PD. The following questions are investigated: What are the core features of effective teacher PD, what are the implications of core features in effective technology integration PD, and what are the best practices for designing a flipped PD model for preparing teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms? First, we discuss the core features of effective teacher PD: content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, collective participation, and the role of context. Second, we explore design factors in recent technology integration PD studies: learner centred, relevance and reflection, evidence of student learning, support and follow‐up, student voice, and initial implementation with teacher leaders. Finally, we present a discussion of our recommendations for a flipped model for technology integration PD.

PURSUING FUTURE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The study was aimed to determine the importance of pursuing professional development of foreign language teachers. Three approaches to professional development such as theory-to-practice, coaching/mentoring and reflection are identified. The scientists’ outlooks on the given issue are analyzed. Some recommendations for using mobile technologies in professional development are highlighted. Characteristics of effective professional development are substantiated in the study. Teachers’ effective professional development activities are outlined.

Malaysian English language teachers’ satisfaction level of their professional development

Professional development is an integral aspect of a teacher’s professional life. Effective professional development activities enable teachers, among others, to update and enhance their pedagogical knowledge and skills, and allow teachers to be creative and critical in their teaching approach. But the question is, to what extent the professional development activities and programmes satisfy the teachers’ needs? This nationwide study aims to determine and identify the level of the Malaysian English language teachers’ level of satisfaction of their professional development – whether English language teachers are satisfied with the professional development experiences and opportunities that are provided by the Ministry of Education and the respective State Education Departments. Schools were randomly chosen and the questionnaires were mailed to the headmasters and principals of the schools to be distributed to all English teachers. A total of 2586 (1038 secondary teachers and 1548 primary teachers) questionnaires were received from teachers all over Malaysia. This paper will highlight and discuss the main findings, and provide some critical implications and suggestions in terms of teacher education and planning and implementation of future professional development activities.

Overseas teaching experience and motivational currents: The case of EFL pre-service teachers in Indonesia

Motivational currents have recently gained popularity in research on psychology of language learners and teachers. This study aims to find out whether an overseas teaching program can (1) create motivational currents among Indonesian pre-service teachers and (2) help them build a vivid vision of being a language teacher. This research used retrodictive qualitative modelling (RQM) under a complex dynamic system (CDS) approach to trace back the factors that enabled the motivational currents to occur. The data were collected from semi-structured interviews along with day-to-day diaries of six EFL pre-service teachers in Indonesia. The findings suggest that the overseas teaching program could create motivational currents of three participants while the rest did not experience such intense motivation. This study also finds that there is a dynamic relationship between self-system and motivational currents system. The impact of experiencing the motivational currents on the vision of being a language teacher varies from one participant to another. This study is of great importance especially for teacher educators wishing to design meaningful and effective professional development activities for their student teachers.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis: An Emergency Medicine Simulation Scenario.

Simulation provides a safe environment where learning is enhanced through the deliberate practice of skills and controlled management of a variety of clinical encounters. This is particularly important for core cases and low-frequency, high-stakes procedures and encounters. Competency-based medical education has seen widespread adoption in the field along with ongoing work in the areas of undergraduate and postgraduate training. Similarly, effective professional development activities stand to benefit greatly from a more stringent integration of simulation and competency-based approaches. This particularly makes sense when considering the goals of patient safety and achievement of optimal clinical outcomes. The current report describes a simulation training session designed to acquaint emergency medicine residents with the presentation and management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) through the use of simulation.

The Components of Effective Professional Development Activities in terms of Teachers’ Perspective

Teacher preparedness is linked to student achievement, yet regularly teachers are entering the profession unprepared. In-service training, or professional development activities, are increasingly being used to remedy this situation. There is little agreement regarding exactly what key components should be included in an effective professional development activity. This study seeks to provide the meaning of effective professional development activities and to offer a list of key components inherent in any effective professional development offering. Sixteen elementary school teachers (8 male, 8 female), from a large city in Turkey, were interviewed about their experiences with professional development activities offered over a 12-month period. They were asked to generate a list of the key components to be included in an effective professional development activity. Additionally, document analysis of result reports from Ministry of National Education trainings was performed. The findings indicate that any effective professional development activity should consist of the following components: 1) a match to existing teacher needs, 2) a match to existing school needs, 3) teacher involvement in the design/planning of professional development activities, 4) active participation opportunities, 5) long-term engagement, and 6) high-quality instructors. The researcher hopes that the Ministry of National Education will consider these findings and begin providing more effective professional development activities for teachers. With this means of on-going professional development Turkish teachers’ growth will be enhanced and students will be better prepared to compete in a 21st century global environment.

Learning Labs: Collaborations for Transformative Teacher Learning

Teachers in a middle school and a high school with high percentages of English language learners showed evidence of transformative learning during the 2 years in which they collaborated in an ongoing professional development activity called learning labs, which include focused discussion of observations of colleagues’ classrooms. An analysis of qualitative data found teachers’ stated beliefs about their own and students’ roles, responsibilities, and capabilities changed as a result of their participation in learning labs. Teachers also implemented changes in their instructional practices. The authors argue that effective professional development activities must go beyond the delivery of information to support teachers’ examination and revision of assumptions about students, teaching, and learning that guide their practice.

Discursive Authority and Sociocultural Positioning in the Mathematics Classroom: New Directions for Teacher Professional Development

Abstract This article discusses findings from a two-day teacher conference focusing on discursive authority and sociocultural positioning in mathematics classrooms. The conference was designed to study how research on classroom discourse could be transformed into effective professional development activities. We describe how the focus on discourse, positioning, and authority was operationalized and made pragmatic for the teachers by focusing very closely on specific language use in classrooms. For each of the six workshops of the conference, we outline the goal of the workshop, the activities that were structured to reach those goals, and the theoretical constructs that were introduced to the teacher participants. We then draw on (a) transcripts of video and audio recordings, (b) material produced by the teachers, and (c) survey data, to discuss how these theoretical constructs were taken up and leveraged by participants as a means of reflecting on their own and other's practice.

Teacher Academy Induction Learning Community: Guiding Teachers Through Their Zone of Proximal Development

This is a preliminary analysis of The Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) induction support provided through the Teacher Academy Induction Learning Community (TAILC). In response to current US teacher attrition rates, ATE–TAILC’s primary objective is to retain teachers in the classroom and provide support to ensure they are fully prepared to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. In this manuscript, we will share the TAILC component as a support structure for teacher candidates/interns during the apprenticeship period, which commences while obtaining certification requirements and continues during/through their first years of teaching. Data were collected vis à vis surveys, individual and group interviews, and induction mentors’ classroom observations. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data. We describe and discuss effective services and professional development activities provided to 69 novice teachers. We concluded that effective teacher induction support assists novice teachers through their zone of proximal development in becoming members of a community of practice.

Transformative learning‐based mentoring for professional development of teacher educators in information and communication technologies: an approach for an emerging country

Teacher educators need professional development in effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in order to keep up with the changes and developments in ICT and to pose as a model for teacher candidates. For the purpose of meeting teacher educators’ professional development needs in ICT, it is necessary to take adult‐education‐based learning theories as the basis for the organization of effective, productive and practical professional development activities. In emerging countries like Turkey, the approach should be to find the samples of successful applications and revise them according to the country. In this respect, the purpose of this study is to suggest a structure to be executed through one‐to‐one mentoring based on the transformative learning theory in order to meet professional development in ICT. In the scope of this study, in order to meet professional development in ICT in Turkey, the characteristics and the functioning of the structure of one‐to‐one mentoring based on the transformative learning theory are explained. Finally, the present study puts forward some suggestions regarding the application of the structure and mentions the contributions of the structure to professional development in ICT.

A case study approach to increasing teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and strategies for building students’ maths self-efficacy

Teachers of middle school mathematics should have a deep conceptual understanding of the elementary mathematics taught in middle school, should possess the mathematics knowledge for teaching that is required to effectively teach mathematics in middle school and should have the ability to effectively teach mathematics to, and enhance the maths self-efficacy of, a culturally and socially diverse middle school student population. The challenge is to design effective professional development activities that enhance these desired attributes in both in-service and pre-service middle school mathematics teachers. This article reports on an attempt to design and evaluate one such activity that focuses on mathematics knowledge for teaching and self-efficacy building.

What Works in Professional Development?

hat do we really know about the relationship between professional development and improvements in student learning? What evidence validates that relationship, and how trustworthy is that evidence? What does that evidence tell us about the characteristics of truly effective professional development activities? These questions guided one of the largest and most inclusive syntheses of research on effective professional development conducted to date. Scholars from the American Institutes for Research analyzed findings from over 1,300 studies that potentially address the effect of professional development on student learning outcomes. The project was sponsored by the Regional Education Laboratory-Southwest (REL SW) and funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The findings from this comprehensive analysis, titled Reviewing the Evidence on How Teacher Professional Development Affects Student Achievement (Yoon et al. 2007), shed new light on the complex relationship between professional development and improvements in student learning. It is hoped that they also will lead to new and better research on this vitally important dimension of the educational improvement What Works in Professional Development?