Form Of Professional Development Research Articles

Refining lecturers' assessment practices through formal professional development at Rhodes University

The Higher Education Quality Committee's emphasis on the assessment of student learning in its criteria for institutional audits (June 2004) signals that institutional arrangements to ensure quality assessment practices are to come under the spotlight. One means to demonstrate institutional commitment to quality in assessment practice is to provide formal training programmes enabling lecturers to become accredited as assessors. But the central issue for many South African institutions of higher education is how to successfully develop assessment capacity and accredit lecturers as assessors. This article discusses a professional development course which targets capacity building and the accreditation of lecturers as assessors. It challenges how far the `assessor unit standards' guide towards an effective curriculum and details the curriculum design and implementation processes of the Rhodes' course, which was considered to have promoted assessment innovation, despite initial resistance to change. The discussion is illustrated by course evaluation data as well as interview data with course participants. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 20(1) 2006: 157-169

Transforming Chinese teachers' thinking, learning and understanding via e‐learning

The Developing E‐learning for Teachers (DEfT) project, a collaborative venture between UK and Chinese universities, has produced e‐learning modules for master's level programmes for in‐service high school teachers in China. E‐learning offers Chinese teachers new and innovative forms of professional development and provides for transformative learning. The paper investigates teachers' online learning experiences and how e‐learning facilitates teacher transformation from three perspectives: the ‘learner‐centred perspective’, the ‘knowledge‐centred perspective’ and the ‘community‐centred perspective’. The paper concludes that e‐learning, while not without some caveats, is a feasible solution for the training needs of serving Chinese teachers.

Teachers’ perceptions of teaching and learning in a knowledge‐building community: an exploratory case study

This study explores three teachers’ perceptions and developments as a result of experiencing learning and teaching in a knowledge‐building community (KBC). To understand the teachers’ views, in‐depth interviews were conducted. The transcripts were coded using a grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that KBC is reportedly viewed by the participants as a meaningful form of professional development that could promote them to move towards more constructivist‐oriented teaching. However, the KBC model is not easily adoptable in local school settings. The teachers also reported that time constraints due to the need to ‘cover the syllabus’ were the main barrier to progress. Systemic effort in co‐ordinating sustainable change is therefore needed.

Science learning centres and governmental policy for continuing professional development (CPD) in England

This article examines the impact of the ‘new professionalism’ on the culture of professional development of science teachers. In the era of ‘new professionalism’ there is an expectation that teachers will engage in professional development, but rather than encouraging an intrinsic desire to learn as professionals, it promotes forms of professional development that are often centrally imposed and determined by political rather than educational imperatives. As a result, a culture of low trust prevails that may leave science teachers feeling deprofessionalised rather than empowered and feeling unwilling or unable to take control of their own professional development. The establishment of a network of science learning centres in England, designed to keep science teachers at the cutting edge of science knowledge, affords a serendipitous opportunity to examine how various government policies on continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers might be interacting. The success of the new network will hinge on uptake of professional development by science teachers operating in what is already a highly diverse but fragmented pattern of science CPD provision. It seems likely though that centrally directed policy initiatives intended to enhance teaching and learning will continue to perpetuate a culture of distrust and dominate over other recent government‐funded research advocating that science teachers’ commitment to professional learning should be engendered through an explicit focus on knowledge specifically related to the teaching of the subject. Such unintended consequences that result in science teachers feeling a sense of deprofessionalisation may well offer lessons for teachers’ professional learning and development in other subject areas.

Grounding continuous professional development (CPD) in teaching practice

Managerialism doesn't work in Higher Education, but collegiality does. (Ramsden, 2004) This article argues that developing a team‐based approach to teaching and learning provides the basis for building commitment and continuous professional development in teaching practice among staff in higher education. A team approach that is grounded in practice leads to open communication and opportunities for formal and informal professional development. The article presents a case study based on an undergraduate level‐one marketing module and reports on the experiences of the teaching team over three years. Key issues faced by the module leader and teaching colleagues are discussed. The approaches adopted have been successful in focusing attention on student learning, leading to more continuous professional development.

Short Term Placements: An Exercise in Organisational Culture Exchange

This article explores the process of setting up some short (one week) and longer (six month) exchanges between two government departments on the Central Coast of NSW, with the express purpose of assisting organisational change through this form of professional development. The article outlines the program's objectives and achievements, as well as the evaluation results and benefits to the two departments taking part. The exchanges all occurred within a context of services for children and families, but the concept of the exchanges and their educational and organisational benefit have much broader application to any instance where a number of government departments are being asked to collaborate or work more closely on issues. On the Central Coast of New South Wales, the Area Health Service and the Department of Community Services have undertaken an organisational cultural exchange experiment through short placements between various sections of the two government departments and also some longer term secondments. The purpose was to increase the understanding and skills of professionals within the two agencies to understand each other's roles better, and to also achieve better client outcomes for the often shared client group of the two departments. The exchanges have all taken place in services that work with children and families and were organised with a child protection focus in mind, although the program is transferable to other contexts.

The role of academic study in teachers' professional development

Currently, in New Zealand, unprecedented numbers of teachers are involved in professional development activities, with, in essence, practice as the major focal point. In recent years, however, an increasing trend for primary teachers to undertake academic study towards a degree qualification has emerged. Although study towards a degree qualification is acknowledged in the literature as a form of professional development, there is limited research available about the role such study has played in teachers' professional learning. In this qualitative research project, six experienced teachers, recently graduated from a professional teacher education degree upgrade, elaborated on their perceptions of its effects on their professional learning. The teachers talked about the opening up of their minds to different perspectives, voices and ideas, and as a result, the impact on both classroom and school-wide practices.

‘Community of practice’ as a framework for supporting tertiary teachers' informal workplace learning

This article discusses aspects of the informal learning of tertiary teachers in a polytechnic, a wananga (Maori tertiary institution) and a university in New Zealand. Case studies showed that they gained their teaching knowledge and skills mainly on the job, through informal, experiential learning, and much less through formal courses, professional development or familiarity with the literature of learning and teaching: that teaching knowledge was mainly tacit and procedural, rather than propositional. The case studies also showed that the contexts in which teachers worked, such as their institution, department or programme team, were significant. This article argues that, since informal learning was shown to be so important, a ‘community of practice’ framework may be a useful new approach for supporting the development of teachers' working knowledge and identities.

Issues And Challenges Of Instructional Technology Specialists In Alberta Colleges

Under pressure to become more cost effective and competitive in the delivery of educational courses and programs, Alberta colleges have identified the integration of communication and information technologies as an appropriate response to these fiscal demands. This requires highly skilled computer and communication technologists who are both technology specialists and pedagogical experts. Twenty-eight Instructional Technology Specialists at fourteen Alberta colleges responded to a written survey. Follow-up interviews were held with seven respondents. Respondents perceived the college’s administration as lacking understanding of the implications of integrating technology into teaching and uncertain about ongoing funding for projects. As Instructional Technology Specialists they brought a variety of backgrounds and experiences to their work. They provided a broad range of services and maintained currency through ongoing formal and informal professional development. For these IT Specialists, their concerns are about growth and a better balance between the technical and pedagogical aspects of technology.

Pure blue sky: a soulful autoethnography of chemistry teaching in China

In this article we portray an inquiry into the problematic impact of the Chinese National Examination system on Chinese chemistry teaching and learning. The inquiry was conducted as a soulful autoethnography, illuminating the first‐hand experiences of a Chinese chemistry teacher struggling to reconcile contradictions between his humanistic ideals (of ‘loose’ teaching) and the technical forces (of ‘strict’ teaching) prevailing in his professional culture. This narrative inquiry yielded a mix of short stories and reflective commentary. In this article, selected stories present vignettes of the teacher's enactment of the national chemistry curriculum at critical periods early in his career. The article demonstrates the value of adopting soulful autoethnogaphy as a form of professional development, illustrating how multiple modes of inquiry can open up spaces for practical moral reflection (phronesis), soulful attunement (poesis) and contemplative thinking (theoria) which, taken together contribute to a loving praxis of transformative education. Consistent with the narrative representational form of the research, this article has a diachronic storied structure, which mirrors the process of the inquiry.

The Business of Information

In a recent book on knowledge management, information professionals are urged to transform and brace themselves for a more active and dynamic role in the information and knowledge society. However are information professionals rising to the clarion call? This article takes challenging and deliberately provocative look at the role of the traditional information professional in an environment where others in information-related functions appear to take a more active part in the business, present a stronger image and ultimately may replace the role of the information professional. One of the main barriers to successful transformation that information professionals face is the need to change perceptions, behaviour and ways of working, and this theme runs throughout the article. The author highlights features relating to information work with the help of a SWOT analysis. Information professionals are also be urged to regard their service as a business in itself, and, as such, to promote and market the service, brand and if necessary re-launch the product. The need to develop traditional skills and to acquire new skills is emphasised, as is the need to use the softer skills. These initiatives together with formal professional development activities will ensure that the profession has a bright future ahead.

Breaking With Tradition: Providing Effective Professional Development for Instructional Personnel Supporting Students with Severe Disabilities

The national landscape of education and professional development is changing. Instructional personnel of students with severe disabilities are frequently untrained, professionally isolated, and in need of current knowledge and best practice in programming for these students. This article describes the need for a shift from a reliance on the workshop model of professional development to a more sophisticated and comprehensive plan that offers instructional personnel alternative forms of professional development based on the desired outcomes of learning and the complexity of the needed instructional innovation.

Both Sides Now: Examining Transformative Learning and Professional Development of Educators

The purpose of this mixed method research is to understand and support educators' continuing learning and growth better by using a lens of transformative learning to examine their experience and professional development practice and responsibility. Data from 58 participants and the course professor are analyzed to consider the occurrence of transformative learning and the related needs that emerged. This article also presents trends across the learning experiences and recommendations for practice and responsibility. Additionally, there are implications of the research for higher education professors, administrators, and developers reflecting on their concepts and planning of formal professional development.

Action research as a means of professional development: reflections on research and action in university chemistry education

A central issue facing university chemistry educators in Sweden is how to develop the best ways of designing, teaching and assessing undergraduate courses, and the forms of professional development of university staff needed to achieve this. This article begins with a discussion of the role of professional development in Swedish universities. This is a necessary background for the reporting of the aims, methods and results of two different chemistry education projects, and the aspects of action research, which are relevant to them. The purpose of this article is to determine the extent to which the investigations carried out constitute action research and whether this is important for professional development. The studies and the writing of this article have enabled me, as a university teacher, to engage in professional development by means of action research, but it is also argued that another benefit is that such work has implications for quality assurance.

Sharpening the Focus: Legal Context of Engineering Ethics

Practicing engineers, educators, students, professional organizations, and licensing boards are continually struggling with the application of ethical standards to the practice of engineering. Ethical dilemmas, by their very nature, are complex and usually involve conflicting regulatory, organizational, contractual, societal, and business practices. Resolution of ethical dilemmas can be complicated or impeded by engineers without a working knowledge of ethical requirements, coupled with an inability to distinguish among different sources of these requirements and their corresponding role in the professional and legal environments. Accordingly, engineers often are confronted with unexpected legal and professional consequences as a result of their decisions on ethical issues. This paper examines the sources of professional responsibility requirements for engineers, typical provisions, enforcement mechanisms, and the legal implications of engineering ethics in the professional liability context, and suggests some changes in the current approach to engineering ethics in both the formal education and professional development of engineers.

Study Groups as a Form of Professional Development for Secondary Mathematics Teachers

In this paper I examine the value(s) that sevensecondary geometry teachers placed on theirparticipation in a school-based study group. Ialso examine the organizational structure ofthe study group, and the impact of thatstructure on teachers' continued participationin the study group. This study draws upon bothwritten and oral interview data as well astranscripts of study group meetings. Results ofanalysis show that the teachers were supportedin four areas: building community andrelationships, making connections across theoryand practice, curriculum reform, and developinga sense of professionalism. Further, analysisalso indicated that participation in the studygroup had an impact on teachers' self-efficacy.Building on the study group literature(containing predominately non-mathematicseducation research), this study hasimplications for secondary teachers'professional development, particularly thosetypes of professional development experiencesthat seek to be ongoing, school-based, andteacher-centered.

Professional development for general practitioners through fellowship by assessment.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has designed its Fellowship by Assessment (FBA) programme with the twin goals of promoting higher standards of care and offering GPs a professional challenge. By November 2000, 223 eligible doctors (2%) had opted to take FBA. This number is increasing annually. There is, however, little research to account for why GPs undertake it, or what the barriers might be. The aim of our study was to investigate GPs' experience and thinking on this issue. A total of 13 GPs who had attained Fellowship by Assessment in the Tamar and Severn Faculties were invited to participate in a qualitative study. They were identified from the list of RCGP Fellows in the Institute of General Practice, University of Exeter, and purposefully selected to include trainers and non-trainers, men and women, rural and urban practitioners, and single-handed and large practices. Analysis of in-depth interviews was informed by grounded theory. FBA served to acknowledge high standards of care. There was some variation in views about FBA, however, ranging from a perspective which prized the professional award, to the view that endorsed it as a pragmatic and useful way of structuring and monitoring improvements. Fellowship by Assessment improves the care of patients and empowers the doctors by improving their confidence. It is, however, hugely time-consuming and while our findings suggest it should be encouraged, there is a need for ways to be found whereby doctors may be supported in this form of professional development.

Professional development and management training needs for heads of department in UK secondary schools

Reviews current thinking about the professional development and management training needs of heads of department in secondary schools and argues for the inadequacy of some of the “front‐end” models of professional development and training currently in use. The results of a survey of 21 schools in the UK showed that, although the assumption is often held that heads of department are appointed because they already possess the knowledge and skills to undertake the role effectively, this is not always the case. The plethora of training needs identified conveys a sense of frustration of most of the interviewees with their lack of opportunity to contribute effectively to whole‐school decision‐making and development planning. Argues for the possibility of developing more appropriate forms of professional development and training which would incorporate the notions of school‐based research and collegial reflective practice within learning organisations.

Documenting children's learning activities: Advancing professional development in early childhood teacher education

This article describes how our early childhood education undergraduate certificate program incorporates documentation into the course content. We explain our rationale for choosing documentation as an entry point to learn about the Reggio Emilia approach and how documentation supports our program goals. Then we discuss the process we use to teach the documentation concept including the guidelines and rubrics we developed. The conclusion section presents a set of provocations that have emerged as we reflect on documentation as a form of professional development.

Outcomes-based assessment in practice: some examples and emerging insights

The implementation of outcomes-based assessment and reporting systems in educational programs has been accompanied by a range of political and technical problems, including tensions between the summative and formative purposes of assessment and doubts surrounding the validity and reliability of teacher-constructed assessment tasks. This article examines ways in which these problems have been manifested and addressed, using two recent examples from school and adult immigrant education in Australia. The first example concerns a recent controversy surrounding the use of national literacy benchmarks for primary school learners. Analysis of the issues suggests that some learner groups may be disadvantaged by the practice of reporting aggregate outcomes in terms of minimum standards, but that government policy is unlikely to change as long as the accountability function of assessment remains paramount in the public eye. The second example discusses the teacher-developed assessment tasks that are used to assess the achievement of language competencies in the Australian Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). It is argued that problems of consistency and comparability that have been identified by research can be addressed through the development of fully-piloted task banks and the provision of appropriate forms of professional development. Greater attention needs to be given to the role of the teacher if outcomes-based assessments are to provide high quality information.