Formal Professional Development Programmes Research Articles

Profiling the status of out-of-field teaching in Western Australia: graduate teacher and principal perspectives

ABSTRACT This paper shows how system-level data can generate useful insights into the profile of first-year graduates who are teaching out-of-field (OOF). Understanding in-school demand and impacts on first-year graduates teaching OOF is important, especially when the first years of teaching are complex, busy, and involve a steep learning curve. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was used to generate qualitative and quantitative data collected from teacher and principal surveys. This study establishes the prevalence of OOF teaching amongst first-year graduates in Western Australian public schools and develops a profile of their OOF experiences and support needs based on their perceptions and their principals’ perceptions. This study details the supports that will make a difference to teachers’ capability, in particular a reduction in load where the OOF teaching workload is high, and access to formal subject-specific mentoring, both noted in research as important support mechanisms. This paper provokes new research questions, highlights areas for further research, and establishes the need for more large-scale datasets and longitudinal studies to examine change over time and the enduring effects of OOF teaching, both in relation to transitions into teaching, as teachers learn on-the-job, and when teachers undertake formal professional development programmes or courses.

A Decade of Research on K–12 Teaching and Teacher Learning with Social Media: Insights on the State of the Field

Background and Context The increasingly widespread use of social media to expand one's social connections is a relatively new but important phenomenon that has implications for teaching, learning, and teachers’ professional knowledge and development in the 21st century. Educational research in this area is expanding, but further investigation is necessary to better determine how to best support teachers in their professional development, collaboration, and classroom teaching. Prior literature reviews have focused extensively on higher education settings or particular platforms or platform types (e.g., Facebook, microblogging). This article provides needed insights into K–12 settings and encompasses work from a variety of social media types. We describe a systematic review of more than a decade of educational research from various countries to present the state of the field in K–12 teachers’ use of social media for teaching and professional learning across various platforms. Research Questions To define social media's potentially beneficial roles in teaching and learning, we must first take an in-depth look at teachers’ current social media practices. Toward this end, we approached our review with the following research question: How are social media perceived and used by K–12 teachers for their teaching or professional learning, and with what impacts on teachers’ practices? Research Design Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) established standards for rigor and quality in systematic literature reviews, this article reviews empirical research to examine how social media are perceived and used by K–12 teachers with what impacts on teachers’ practices. Findings We find that social media features offer several benefits for helping teachers fulfill their goals for classroom teaching, including enhancing student engagement, community connections, and teacher–student interactions, but these affordances come with challenges that must be navigated. The literature also suggests that social media features provide benefits for teachers’ professional learning within both formal professional development programs and informal learning networks. Conclusions Implications of this literature review for future research and the design of educational practices are discussed in the final section. Among our conclusions are calls for more data triangulation between teachers’ and students’ learning and experiences on social media, more attention to teachers’ observational behaviors on social media, and further exploration of how social media facilitates interplay between teachers’ formal and informal learning.

Making it count: teacher learning in liminal spaces

ABSTRACT There is broad international recognition of the importance of ongoing professional learning opportunities for educators. Despite this seemingly global consensus, there is disagreement regarding the best ways to conceptualise teacher learning, and what kinds of learning should be promoted or counted. This article reports on a narrative inquiry which explores how three Israeli primary school teachers experience and understand the role and significance of professional learning in their professional lives. In interviews and written narratives, the participants share experiences of profoundly important learning in what I call liminal spaces, beyond schools and formal professional development programmes. In this article, I explore powerful learning occurring on the border between the personal and professional lives of teachers. This study conceptualises teacher learning as complex and messy. The findings contribute to and challenge some of the existing knowledge base of teacher learning, especially studies that seek to standardise and quantify learning and thereby overlook potent forms of professional learning. I offer practical recommendations for individual teachers, school leadership, fellow researchers and policy makers.

Early schooling teachers’ learning from a formal teacher development programme in South Africa

Continuing professional development for teachers is seen as an important factor in improving South African education. However, few studies have interrogated the extent to which teachers develop their professional knowledge and competencies by attending formal professional development programmes offered by universities. The purpose of the paper is to compare the results of two tests, which we designed to measure the professional learning of the Foundation Phase (Gr R – Gr 3) teachers who enrolled on an Advanced Certificate for Teaching (ACT) programme, offered by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. We designed a pen-and-paper test which the participants completed in February 2014 when they enrolled on the ACT programme and then again in October 2015, when they had completed the two-year part-time programme. A comparison of the test results indicate that teachers may have developed slightly more confidence in some areas, that some shifted their beliefs about teaching and learning yet not always in the desired direction, and that the improvement in conceptual knowledge appeared rather limited. We discuss a range of possible explanations for this.

Changing Classroom Practice: Elementary Teacher Experiences of a Professional Development Program

K-12 teachers participate in formal professional development programs to improve the art of teaching and learning. This qualitative study explored the experiences of elementary educators as they implemented their newly acquired blended learning skills in the classroom. Analysis of the results revealed how teachers understand and make meaning of a professional development training program experience. After formal professional development programs, district level administrators failed to support K-6 professionals who desired change at the classroom level, therefore undermining their efforts to grow. Findings point to recommendations for improving district-wide professional development programs.

Professional learning of instructors in vocational and professional education

This article presents insights from a study into instructor professional learning in vocational and professional education (VPE) in Canada. While most studies on instructor learning focus on learning through formal professional development programmes, this study specifically focuses on professional learning as it happens in day-to-day practice. Analysis of 116 learning episodes reported by 27 instructors from various institutes for VPE shows that instructor learning is mainly focused on developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Learning episodes studied were often externally prompted, not self-directed and involved mostly action-oriented reflection. Ellström’s theory of adaptive and developmental learning is used to further explain these findings. Because of the specialized nature of the content taught in VPE programmes, formal training in PCK is often not available; instructors rely on trial and error, student feedback and peer feedback to develop PCK. Educational leaders within institutes for VPE should consider encouraging professional development models that include collegial dialogue, such as mentoring and communities of practice, as well as the implementation and enactment of professional learning plans. Further research could focus on how existing workplace practices may be enhanced to further support instructor professional learning.

Leaving a sinking ship? School principals in flight, Lessons and Possible Solutions

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study was motivated by a sizeable number of school principals retiring early in South African schools. They either leave teaching for other careers or retire before the retirement age of sixty. It was then necessary to explore what factors, if any, made them leave school management and the teaching career. Sixteen school principals were purposefully selected and interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Eleven of these had already left teaching in the previous four years, while the others were waiting for their last days in teaching at the time of the study. The results illustrate that there are various reasons that lead to the early retirement of school principals from historically black schools. Among these are burnout, lack of teacher commitment, increased unionisation of teachers as well as the non-involvement of district officials in the schools’ improvement and management plans. Consequently, many participants maintained that it was almost impossible to run schools effectively when this scenario prevailed. The conclusions point out that school managers and leaders need to be supported in various ways as they steer various programmes in their schools. This includes constant mentoring, management preparation as well as continual formal professional development programmes.

Steps in need of teachers’ tranformative professonial learning

The paper considers transformative learning within the context of teachers’ professional development as part of a formal teacher in-service training programmes. Hungarian teachers’ outdated teaching methods and more often than not old-fashioned classroom technologies and tools are not capable of providing quality education and training. Formal professional development programmes should shift from transmissive teaching to transformative teaching in order to improve student achievement by fundamentally changing teachers’ beliefs and attitudes to teaching. A model of a university-based teacher training programme aiming at teachers’ transformative learning is described.

Reforms in the policy of English language teaching in Malaysia

This paper reviews reforms related to English language teaching in the Malaysian education system. It begins by tracing the history of Malaysia as a former British colony which has had significant influences on the status of English in the country. Then, it reviews the key educational reforms which have mainly centred on language policy, thus putting pressure on teachers who are at the front-line for the implementation of the new reforms. This is followed by the discussion on the changing approaches in the curriculum and methodology of English language teaching. This paper also reviews the formal professional development programmes which reveal that Malaysian teachers are not always given adequate and continuous support to cope with the ongoing reforms. The paper concludes that even though the changes in policies aimed to improve the quality of education, implementation was often made in haste, causing a loud public outcry from teachers.

Teachers’ Informal Learning via Social Networking Technology

Discussion on teacher learning is often limited to a focus on formal professional development programmes. What and how teachers learn informally through their daily experiences is rarely explored. This research attempts to investigate how teachers engage in informal learning for their professional development when using Social Networking Site (SNS) technology. Data were generated using ethnographic approach whereby Facebook Timelines belonged to 22 English language teachers were observed for a period of six months. The analysis shows that the teachers frequently exchanged teaching related knowledge in their Timeline conversations and they received rich responses from both teaching and non-teaching Friends. This paper thus argues that social networking site, such as Facebook is a potential platform to engage teachers in informal learning for their professional development.

Academic Staffs Apathy towards Formal Professional Development Programmes at North-West University

The purpose of this study was to explore reasons for academics’ apathy towards formal professional development programmes at North-West University. The research design was essentially descriptive, employing both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to gather and analyse data. Three techniques, namely, questionnaire surveys, analysis of university documentary sources on professional development, and literature review, were utilised to obtain information. Despite all the perceived impediments to professional development, the respondents felt optimistic that with the necessary interventions, the outlook of professional development in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is positive. However, there is an urgent need to take stock of the effectiveness of the current professional development initiatives and the findings from this study would serve as a basis for professional development initiatives in HEI. To this end the University needs to institute periodic needs assessment for professional development for both academics and the Institutions as a whole.

Preparing Future Biology Faculty

Formal professional development programs for biology graduate students interested in becoming faculty members have come far; however, programs that provide advanced teaching experience for seasoned graduate teaching assistants are scarce. We outline an advanced program that focuses on further training of graduate teaching assistants in pedagogy and mentoring opportunities within a biology department. The Graduate Teaching Scholars Program provides opportunities for individualized instruction and learning while working with a faculty mentor. Graduate teaching scholars attend workshops, have their teaching evaluated, and serve as mentors for new graduate teaching assistants in the department. Students in the program are able to contribute to departmental education initiatives while growing professionally as teachers and future faculty.

Systems of career influences: a conceptual model for evaluating the professional development of women in academic medicine.

Surprisingly little research is available to explain the well-documented organizational and societal influences on persistent inequities in advancement of women faculty. The Systems of Career Influences Model is a framework for exploring factors influencing women's progression to advanced academic rank, executive positions, and informal leadership roles in academic medicine. The model situates faculty as agents within a complex adaptive system consisting of a trajectory of career advancement with opportunities for formal professional development programming; a dynamic system of influences of organizational policies, practices, and culture; and a dynamic system of individual choices and decisions. These systems of influence may promote or inhibit career advancement. Within this system, women weigh competing influences to make career advancement decisions, and leaders of academic health centers prioritize limited resources to support the school's mission. The Systems of Career Influences Model proved useful to identify key research questions. We used the model to probe how research in academic career development might be applied to content and methods of formal professional development programs. We generated a series of questions and hypotheses about how professional development programs might influence professional development of health science faculty members. Using the model as a guide, we developed a study using a quantitative and qualitative design. These analyses should provide insight into what works in recruiting and supporting productive men and women faculty in academic medical centers.

Teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of a locally planned professional development program for implementing new curriculum

Preparing teachers to implement a new curriculum presents a significant but important challenge. While formal professional development programs can assist in this preparation, finding prescribed experiences that meet the needs of all teachers can be formidable and indeed may not always be the best option for promoting change in practice. Decisions about what experiences to provide and how and when to provide them need to be made in an informed manner. Studies such as the one being reported on in this article provide insights into teachers’ perspectives on what works and what doesn’t work. This research project examined how elementary teachers in one Canadian school district were handling implementation of a new social studies curriculum over the 2009–10 school year, three to five years after they experienced a formal district-level program of professional development. An interpretive case study method was used to uncover the successes and challenges of implementing the new curriculum and to provide insights into what the teachers felt constituted effective professional development for improving practice and student learning. Findings from the study suggest that effective professional development needs to be based on teachers’ needs; involve active learning, collaboration and modeling; be supported by a culture of learning in schools; and considerate of teacher resistance to change. Going forward, the study also highlights the need for a more intentional focus on the use of technology, and specifically digital networks, to enhance and extend the effectiveness of future curricular change initiatives.

University of Massachusetts Medical School

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Self-directed professional development – Hope for teachers working in deprived environments?

Self-direction has been identified as a potential key to the success of professional development of teachers, especially those working in deprived environments. This paper develops a model for self-directed professional development using interview data from 55 Zimbabwean A-level Science and Mathematics teachers. It focuses on teachers' decisions about using ICT in their own professional development. Grounded theory analysis suggests seven themes underlying such decisions making, in turn representing two major attractors of self-directed professional development. These were identified as classroom efficacy, i.e. the ability to teach effectively, and professional efficacy, i.e. the ability to relate effectively within the teaching profession. This paper explores the potential of using these attractors to stimulate self-directed professional development within formal professional development programmes especially in disadvantaged communities.

Supporting Teachers’ Use of Technology in Science Instruction Through Professional Development: A Literature Review

Professional development is critical in supporting teachers’ use of technological tools in classrooms. This review of empirical research synthesizes the effective elements of professional development programs that support science teachers in learning about technology integration. Studies are examined that explore how professional development supports technology use within inquiry-based and traditional science instruction. Implications for future research are discussed in four areas: understanding and building on teachers’ beliefs about science and technology; supporting teacher learning by supporting teachers’ examination of students’ work; using technology to support teacher communities and social networks; and sustaining teachers’ learning beyond formal professional development programs.