Teacher Working Group Research Articles

The application of a small group learning approach to social group work teaching - an exploratory study

ABSTRACT A new modality – the small group learning approach, was developed for social group work courses for social work students in Hong Kong. A research study, aimed at understanding the students’ level of satisfaction with the new approach and exploring its effectiveness regarding enhancing students’ learning in social group work, was conducted for three cohorts of students in the academic years from 2013-14 to 2015-16. The findings indicated that its effectiveness was influenced by the quality of the tutors and the level of co-operation of the students. Strategies for improving the design and the implementation of the approach will be discussed

Workshop of Thematic Learning for Elementary School Teachers Working Group of Group I Sungai Ambawang Kubu Raya Regency

This workshop provides training, manufacture and implementation of thematic lessons for teachers of group I Sungai Ambawang, Kubu Raya Regency conducted with the aim to improve understanding of thematic learning concepts, improve professionalism and ability of teachers in designing learning by using thematic learning as well as improve student learning activities through the implementation of learning by using thematic learning. The results obtained from the workshop activities are enthusiastic participants in following the activities on thematic learning, improving teachers' understanding in designing thematic learning and teacher skills in implementing thematic learning. This is supported by several factors, including the willingness and ability of elementary school teachers group I Sungai Ambawang, Kubu Raya Regency to get thematic lessons, resource persons with professional and experienced skills, and enthusiasm of elementary school teachers in group I Sungai Ambawang, Kubu Raya Regency In the preparation of the implementation plan of learning.

Interactive Teaching Material Development Training Using Macromedia Flash 8 for Teacher-Working Group Based on ICT in The Elementary School in District of Pontianak City

Devotion to The Society aims to provide understanding and improvement of skills in creating interactive materials using Macromedia Flash 8. The method of activities implemented is in the form of direct practice of creating interactive materials using Macromedia Flash 8 with competent instructors with training materials and to provide direct experience to participants consisting of 21 teachers of members of the Pontianak City ICT Teachers Working Group. After completing the training of interactive learning materials using Macromedia Flash 8, 21 participants already understand and skillful in making flowchart, Scene, and Frame. Meanwhile, to understand and skilled in making Action Script only 11 people only, it is anticipated by the resource by providing action script file directly to participants who have not understood. At the end of the training session, the instructor checks the results of making interactive teaching materials from each participant. Of the 21 participants who successfully completed the teaching materials are only 17 people, from 17 people are only 10 people whose teaching materials can be used, while the 7 people there is a mistake in writing Action Script it. The training of interactive instructional materials using Macromedia Flas 8 is necessary for teachers in elementary schools as it is very useful to improve the competencies needed to address the challenges of the education world in today's information age. The use of Macromedia Flash 8 in evaluating the success of a learning process will increase the excitement of learning for students because more interesting and challenging can also improve the students' thinking process skills.

A Legacy of Collaboration: Supporting Reflective Practitioners through Teacher Work Groups

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Improving teachers competency through strengthening of teachers group work based on lesson study

This research was aimed at improving the elementary school teacher competency at cluster I and II in Sukasada District through the teacher group work reinforcement based on lesson study. The design of this research was an action research starting from plan, action, evaluation, and reflection. This research was done at cluster I and II in Sukasada District. The subject in this research was the elementary school teachers who was taught natural science, social science, and mathematics. While the object in this research was teacher competency in designing the lesson plan and applying the lesson plan in the classroom. In achieving the purpose of the research, the research procedures which was done divided into three steps, they were: first, lesson study plan including lesson study workshop, designing lesson plan and assessing lesson plan. Second, lesson teacher action by teacher model, teacher-assessment in applying lesson plan in the classroom, and data analysis. Third, lesson teacher reflection. Teacher competency data in designing lesson plan and applying lesson plan in the classroom was collected by using the checklist and observation method. Whereas, the data analysis used descriptive analysis by determining the mean of the teacher competency in every cycle. The result of this research showed that: 1) there was an improvement of the teacher competency in designing lesson plan in the amount of 18.1% from the first cycle was 65.7 (average category) to the second cycle was 83.8 (good category), 2) there was an improvement of the teacher competency in applying lesson plan in the classroom in the amount of 13.8% from the first cycle was 75.4 (average category) to the second cycle was 89.2 (good category), and 3) overall, there was an improvement of the teacher competency in the amount of 15.9% from the first cycle was 70.6 (average category) to the second cycle was 86.5 (good category). Thereby, the teacher workgroup reinforcement based on lesson study could improve the elementary school teacher competency at cluster I and II in Sukasada District.

Seven place-conscious methods to stimulate situational interest in science teaching in urban environments

ABSTRACTIn this study, we explored how teachers can take advantage of a ‘place’ in urban environments outside the school and thereby stimulate pupils’ situational interest in science teaching. Drawing on the Sophos research method, we conducted a single case study including film-elicited interviews. The data consisted of transcribed interviews with 4 experienced teachers and 11 pupils. The interviews were elicited by films showing group work in science teaching in urban environments: a parking lot, a green public park and a zoo. We conducted individual interviews with science teachers, while the interviews with pupils were carried out in small groups. To analyse our data, we applied a hermeneutic content analysis. We identified seven place-conscious teaching methods that have the potential to stimulate pupils’ situational interest. These methods included: (1) handling objects; (2) integrating new places; (3) alignment between the environment and task; (4) integrating minimal cultivated places; (5) providing a science perspective on everyday places; (6) disseminating historical or cultural knowledge of places; and (7) surprises. Starting from a discussion drawing on studies that explored triggers of pupils’ situational interest, we argue that science teachers can draw on these seven place-conscious methods to stimulate interest in science teaching in urban environments.

Adaptation of the curriculum for the inclusion of learners with special education needs in selected primary schools in the Fort Beaufort District.

BackgroundThere is need for ‘high-quality’ teachers who are equipped to meet the needs of all learners through provision of education for an inclusive society according to equal opportunities to all.ObjectiveThis paper investigates pockets of good practice in the adaptation of the curriculum for the inclusion of learners with special education needs (SEN) in selected primary schools in the Fort Beaufort District.MethodThe study adopted a qualitative research approach and employed a case study design. Eight teachers and 10 principals from 10 selected primary schools, 4 education district officials and 1 provincial official were interviewed. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Data were collected using document analysis and semi-structured interviews and were analysed thematically.ResultThe study established that teachers use methods relating to different teaching strategies, individual work, group work and extra work.ConclusionIt was concluded that there are pockets of good practice of inclusion policy such as the use of different teaching strategies, individual work, group work and extra work for inclusion of learners with SEN in some of the selected primary schools in the poor rural context. The paper recommends adequate training for teachers in curriculum adaptation in order for all teachers to accommodate learners with SEN.

Standards Revisions and Teachers’ Voices: A Story of Participation, Politics, and Passion

Following a sustained involvement with the English language arts and reading standards revision process in their state, the authors reflect upon the political process, passionate determination, and participatory advocacy that shaped the work with their state affiliate. In this article, they discuss the events that occurred as the standards were revised under the leadership of the state board of education and the state education agency in conjunction with teacher workgroups and professional organizations. A chronological timeline is contextualized by the authors’ professional journeys toward advocacy and the future directions for implementing the revised standards in the state of Texas with general suggestions for how advocacy efforts could be implemented in other settings.

Evaluation of Teacher Professionalism Development Policy through Teachers Working Group program: Policy Assessment Study on Teacher Working Group of Cluster 1 and Cluster 4 in Blimbing, Malang, East Java, Indonesia

This study aimed at describing the effectiveness of: (1) the context of Teachers Working Group program viewed from the relevance between the goals and objectives of its program to the needs and problems of increasing the teachers’ professionalism; (2) input (feed-back) of Teachers Working Group program from the conformity of participating teachers characteristics, work programs, and its organizational capabilities in achieving program objectives based on the development standards; (3) the process of Teachers Working Group program implementation from the compatibility of tutor performance, member activity, infra-structure utilization, and its performance management based on the development standard; and (4) the effectiveness of Teachers Working Group program for improving the participating teachers’ professionalism and their attitudes toward the program. This is an evaluational research by which the model included evaluation of Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) developed by Stuffle beam. The study was conducted in Cluster 1 and Cluster 4 of the Teachers Working Group in Blimbing, Malang, East Java, Indonesia, in January-April 2016. The informants were members of the board and some participating teachers, and coaches in both clusters. Data were collected by observation, interview, and documentation. The data were analyzed by using Yin model consisting of five stages, namely compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding. The findings indicated that (1) the relevance between the goals and objectives of the program to the needs and problems of teachers’ professionalism improvement and the Teachers Working Group context in both groups were sufficiently effective to achieve the program objectives. The component of cluster 1 context was more effective than that of cluster 4. The objectives, the needs of teachers, and work programs of group 1 were more relevant than those of group 4; (2) In terms of the teachers’ interest to program and teachers’ needs of learning management, training programs, and capabilities of tutors and administrators in both groups, the input component of cluster 1 was quite effective, while cluster 4 was less effective; (3) In terms of compatibility of tutor performance, member activity, infrastructure utilization, and the group management performance, the program implementation in both groups were equally effective; and (4) In terms of the benefits of the program for the improvement of teacher is professionalism and teacher is positive attitude towards the program in both groups, the implementation of the program in both groups was classified quite effective.

Upaya Peningkatan Profesionalisme Guru Melalui Kegiatan Kelompok Kerja Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam Di Kecamatan Samigaluh, Kabupaten Kulonprogo

As instructors, counselors, and educators, teacher determine learners’ changes. Therefore, teacher must continue to improve their knowledge, skills, and experience. They need a forum to develop their professionalism. KKG of Teacher Working Group is an ideal forum for developing teacher professionalism. In KKG, teacher will gain a lot of benefits, such as: improving their skills in managing Islamic Education teaching-learning activities, developing their ability to implement various teaching-learning models, helping teachers to fulfill teaching-learning activity requirements, helping teachers to obtain educative, technical information about Islamic Education, and improving their educational insights as well as exchanging information and experience. The study is a field of research using qualitative research. That implements observation, interview, and documentation method. The data collections used data validity tri anggulansi and sampling technique, while the data analysis applies qualitative, descriptive technique, which is collecting purposive sample and analyzing the data, reducing the data, and concluding (drawing conclusions). The result shows that the activities of Islamic Educations Teacher Working Group have corresponded to the exciting guidelines of Teaching Working Group activities. The teachers in this Islamic Education Teacher Working Group have possessed professional competence. It can be seen from the excellent teaching-learning quality of the Islamic Education subject. Teachers’ professional competence cannot be separated from several aspects that are promoted and implemented during the development of professional competence of Islamic Education Teacher Working Group in the level of sub-district. The activities of Teacher Working Group are also influenced by supporting factors and limiting factors. These factors also include internal and external aspects.

Komitmen Profesionalisme Guru Bersertifikasi dalam Pembelajaran (Studi Kasus Pada Guru Madrasah Kota Jambi)

The purpose of this research is to reveal the commitment of the professional teachers (civil servant) who teach in a private madrassa in Jambi to enhance the performance of instructional process. The research informants include civil servant teachers teaching in several private madrassa in Jambi. This qualitative research employs phenomenologist approach, referring to eleven steps by Spradley (1980). The research exemplifies that the professionalism of civil servant teachers at Jambi needs advancing. Although the teachers recognize some obstacles, they realize the commitment and responsibility as the professional teacher is essential to improve the instruction and self-quality. Secondly, it is found that the governments at Jambi do less-optimum efforts to elevate the professionalism of certificated-teachers. Then, the supervisions through education and training (Diklat) have not been well-socialized and the activities of pursuing Master degree program remain incidental. The agenda of teacher network (MGMP), Teacher Working Group (KKG) and School Principal Working Groups (KKKS) are not routinely conducted. Besides, the coordination obstacle among stakeholders is a major problem for the professionalism. The classical problem about funding also comes from the stakeholders in determining policy. Consequently, the policy about certified teachers and their development to support the educational process must be properly established.

Kontribusi Jenjang Pendidikan, Penataran, dan Kegiatan KKG terhadap Peningkatan Kemampuan Profesional Guru

The study is aimed at knowing the level of contribution of educational level, training course, and activity involvement in teacher working group towards professional competence of elementary school teachers. To get the data required for this study, questionaires and self-assessment are used. The result of the data analysis shows that educational level, training course, and involvement in teacher working group activity give significant contribution toward the professional competence of elementary school teachers. Of the three independent variables, the involvement in teacher working group activity gives the highest contribution towards professional competence of elementary school teachers, and training course has the least contribution.

Learning Strategies and Mutual Aid Groups in BSW Education

Drawing from cooperative learning strategies and the mutual aid model as theoretical foundations, a creative design for teaching group work practice skills to baccalaureate level social work students is presented. Students in a senior-level group work course facilitate a series of six group sessions structured around a course reading with sophomore-level Introduction to Social Work students. Multiple benefits were initially reported including skill acquisition, mentorship, and a sense of increased competence. This design is promising, and social work educators are encouraged to replicate different versions and interpretations of it for further experience and increased quantitative evaluation.

APLIKASI KEGIATAN KKG UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN GURU AGAMA HINDU DALAM MEMANFAATKAN LINGKUNGAN SEKOLAH SEBAGAI SUMBER BELAJAR

This research was designed to be a School Action Research planned to be conducted in two cycles; every cycle was conducted in two or three meetings. The subjects of the research were the Hinduism teachers of the elementary schools included in cluster 1 in Ubud district, Gianyar regency, consisting of 9 Hinduism teachers. Through the research conducted it can be concluded that from the cycle 1 and cycle 2, there has been an increase of the value mean obtained from each the observed as well as the assessed component. This means that the development and the guidance through the teacher working group discussion approach can improve the teacher competence in utilizing the school environment as the learning source.

A Model for Teaching Group Work Through Service-Learning in a Baccalaureate Program

Generalist practice social workers need to master group leadership and facilitation skills, and the best way to achieve this goal is through actual practice. An innovative teaching approach used to engage undergraduate social work majors in developing group facilitation skills is a “hands-on” service-learning experience leading social skills groups with middle school children. Students have the opportunity for a meaningful educational experience while working with children in a school setting. A four-session social skills curriculum is provided.

Opportunities for Professional Learning in Mathematics Teacher Workgroup Conversations: Relationships to Instructional Expertise

Increasingly, instructional improvement efforts include teacher communities as part of their overall strategy, yet the relationship between teachers’ talk and professional learning remains underspecified. Using a discourse perspective on learning, this article compares opportunities to learn (OTLs) in the collaborative conversations of 3 mathematics teacher workgroups. We examined the differences in OTLs in 17 hr of videotaped meetings from 3 groups at different levels of instructional accomplishment in secondary mathematics. Using mixed methods, we uncovered differences in the groups’ interactions and found that OTLs were not equally distributed. Instead, teacher groups whose active participants demonstrated the greatest facility with ambitious instruction also had the richest conversational OTLs. We interpret this as an accumulated advantage developmental story: Because collaborative work in teaching involves problem posing and the articulation of practice, teachers’ conceptions get built into the framing and discussion of pedagogical problems. Accomplished teachers are thus positioned to learn more from talking with colleagues. This analysis contributes to understanding of how OTLs are constituted in teacher workgroups, with implications for making better use of teacher collaboration for professional learning.

District Governance and Student Learning in Indonesia

We document the likely importance of district governance and teacher management policies in relation to student learning in Indonesian primary schools. As the responsibility to deliver primary education has been decentralized to district governments, we expect district specific variations in teacher management policies. Consequently, we also expect variations in learning trajectories across districts. We document substantial heterogeneity in learning gains across districts. Furthermore, we show that schools with more active teacher working groups and higher-qualified teachers achieve better learning gains. However, teacher management policy variables, including school budgets, participation rates in teacher working groups, or student–teacher ratios, can explain only a fraction of the differences in learning across districts. It is likely that the “quality” of operation matters. More detailed measurement is needed to further understanding of the heterogeneity in performance.

Group work: Facilitating the learning of international and domestic undergraduate nursing students.

Devising innovative strategies to address internationalization is a contemporary challenge for universities. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) project was undertaken to identify issues for international nursing students and their teachers. The findings identified group work as a teaching strategy potentially useful to facilitate international student learning. The educational intervention of structured group work was planned and implemented in one subject of a Nursing degree. Groups of four to five students were formed with one or two international students per group. Structural support was provided by the teacher until the student was learning independently, the traditional view of scaffolding. The group work also encouraged students to learn from one another, a contemporary understanding of scaffolding. Evaluation of the group work teaching strategy occurred via anonymous, self-completed student surveys. The student experience data were analysed using descriptive statistical techniques, and free text comments were analysed using content analysis. Over 85% of respondents positively rated the group work experience. Overwhelmingly, students reported that class discussions and sharing nursing experiences positively influenced their learning and facilitated exchange of knowledge about nursing issues from an international perspective. This evaluation of a structured group work process supports the use of group work in engaging students in learning, adding to our understanding of purposeful scaffolding as a pathway to enhance learning for both international and domestic students. By explicitly using group work within the curriculum, educators can promote student learning, a scholarly approach to teaching and internationalization of the curriculum.

Teaching Group Work With The Great Debaters

An experiential learning activity, based on the film The Great Debaters (Washington, ), was used during a group work class. Description and preliminary evaluation of the activity is provided, including analysis of participant scores on the group leader self‐efficacy instrument at multiple points. Implications and future directions for improvement are discussed.

The cultural dimensions of prospective mathematics teachers’ beliefs: Insights from Cyprus and England

Summary. Based on the idea that mathematics education is, in general, culturally located, this paper discusses the cultural dimensions of prospective elementary teachers’ beliefs in Cyprus and England, and how these relate to the general educational culture of the two countries. Two volunteer groups (twelve students from each country) from a notable university in each country accepted an open invitation for participation and were qualitatively interviewed. This paper discusses two common sub-themes that emerged under the general theme, Explicit Pedagogic Practice, and takes into close consideration students’ beliefs about the use of teaching resources and group work. The findings suggest that the beliefs held by each cohort are framed by the culturaleducational rhetoric of its respective country. In the conclusion of the paper, some implications about teacher education are discussed.