Learning Opportunities For Teachers Research Articles

Situated learning in the translation class: exploring the effects of engaging college students in an online crowdsourcing translation project

ABSTRACT In the recent decade, project-based learning has gained popularity in translator training, with its foundation rooted in the situated learning theory. Advancements in digital technology have opened up new learning opportunities for both teachers and students in translation classrooms. One such opportunity lies in the realm of online communities comprising non-professional translators who create subtitles for videos, movies, TV shows, and various audiovisual materials. This study focuses on a project that integrates the teaching and learning of English speech subtitling within an online translation programme operating on a crowdsourcing model. In contrast to previous studies, which typically emphasised student-centred approaches with minimal teacher involvement, undergraduate students in this study underwent a comprehensive five-week training in subtitling. This training involved the use of instructor-designed worksheets prior to students’ active participation in online speech subtitling. The results of pre- and post-tests demonstrated significant improvements in the students’ subtitling knowledge and skills. Additionally, feedback from a self-report questionnaire and interviews with selected students highlighted numerous advantages associated with the teacher-guided and collaborative group approach to learning subtitling.

Studio as a Catalyst for Incremental and Ambitious Teacher Learning

This article explores how the practice-focused Studio professional learning (PL) model can provide incremental and ambitious teacher learning opportunities. We argue that when the model’s structures and practices are grounded in ambitious and equitable teaching, they catalyze incremental teacher learning. Studio, like lesson study, supports teachers in considering the entailments of lessons, focusing on the live shared enactment to strengthen teaching and learning through collaborative analysis and reflection. To build our argument, we drew from two Studio projects that had shared structures of cycles of learning and routines, as well as shared practices of using rich representations and collective interpretations of teaching. While both projects’ structures and practices take up ambitious and equitable teaching, they use different routines and attend to different features of equitable teaching. Building on a history of PL models, such as lesson study, which use similar structures and practices as powerful catalysts of teacher learning, we argue that Studio’s structures and practices can catalyze teachers’ incremental learning of ambitious and equitable teaching. We discuss the implications for future research based on this argument and for those leading PL.

More we or more me? How collaboration and autonomy connect with school climate, team innovativeness and school satisfaction among Korea’s teachers

ABSTRACT Prior large-scale research on teacher collaboration and autonomy has failed to distinguish effects within and between schools or among elementary and middle school teachers. This lack of research has implications for professional development in countries like Korea, where national policies have increasingly favoured teacher collaboration. We therefore employed multilevel structural equation modelling to analyse Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 responses from 5,601 Korean elementary and middle school teachers. Our findings revealed significant direct and indirect effects among the variables of teachers’ perceptions of teacher collaboration, teacher autonomy, school climate, team innovativeness and school satisfaction. At the teacher level, the main differences between elementary school and middle school teachers related to classroom autonomy and team innovativeness. Collaboration and autonomy significantly predicted school satisfaction among elementary school teachers but not middle school teachers. There were also key differences in effects from teacher collaboration and classroom autonomy at the teacher and school levels. The most notable finding was that school climate mediated the relationship between classroom autonomy and school satisfaction at the teacher level. As these factors relate to the uptake and implementation of professional development, we provide key recommendations for local and national policy-makers hoping to optimise learning opportunities for teachers.

Behavioral intentions of university teachers and students toward the adoption of the hyb-blended learning method: Evidence from Bangladesh

Hyb-blended learning is a novel method that can serve as a substitute for conventional classroom-based learning activities, demonstrating effectiveness in both pandemics like COVID-19 and other crises, as well as in non-pandemic situations. The successful application of this method in the field of education depends on the users’ intentions to adopt it. Therefore, this study aims to understand the behavioral intentions of teachers and students at Bangladeshi universities toward the adoption of the hyb-blended learning method. A correlational, cross-sectional, and sample survey-based research design was employed. Two structured questionnaires, one for teachers and one for students, were used to collect data from 171 teachers and 713 students from 11 public and 8 private universities in Bangladesh. The conceptual model of the study was developed on the theoretical underpinnings of the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).” The study used a structural equation modeling technique to test the hypotheses. The results of the study revealed that the proposed learning method would increase teaching and learning opportunities for both teachers and students in Bangladeshi universities. They would adopt this method without relying on the experiences of others or what others think or say. Unlike teachers, the study also found that students would use it if they received support and influence from friends, fellow students, university authorities, and other external factors. However, their intentions toward adopting this method depend on the availability of resources and support for adopting it, as well as adequate and necessary understanding and talent to use it effectively. Results also revealed that they would adopt the method if it was found to be simple to use. The study has a notable practical implication, as it has proposed an alternative learning and teaching method that would be effective in Bangladeshi universities during the COVID-19 pandemic or other crises and in non-pandemic situations as well.

Curriculum Middle Leader Practices and Teachers Perceptions of Their Effectiveness: A Study in New Zealand Secondary Schools

This study reports the quantitative results of middle leaders’ self-reported practices and compares their responses to the perceptions of the teachers who report to them (n = 158). Likert scale questionnaires were used to measure the extent to which middle leaders focused on goal orientation, professional collaboration, effective instructional practices, and supporting teacher development within their department. The analysis provides insight into this phenomenon within six different state-funded secondary schools, with results showing middle leaders almost always rate their practices more effectively than the teachers who report to them. Common areas identified as requiring increased effectiveness were middle leaders’ use of resources to support learning, use of data to support the instructional programme, and identification of effective professional learning opportunities for teachers. Reported levels of effectiveness compared with student academic achievement in the senior secondary school setting align with agreement ratings and the socio-economic status of students who attend the school. This paper highlights the need for the ongoing support of middle leaders to be provided with deliberate support and development for leading teachers.

Opportunities for teacher learning in teaching difficult histories: a social theory of learning perspective

ABSTRACT This study examined the learning trajectory of five US humanities teachers when navigating learning to teach the difficult history of school desegregation within a context of a six-month inquiry-based professional development. The research questions were: What do teachers frame as problems when teaching difficult histories? How do they reconceptualize and resolve the problems in a teacher community? The primary data included video recordings of small group discussions, where each teacher contributed lesson ideas for feedback from fellow teachers. Analysis drew from three modes of belonging, in conjunction with four dimensions of historical inquiry. The findings revealed that teachers often identified problems in teaching school desegregation by emphasizing issues related to teaching perspectives. However, through collaborative interactions with their colleagues, they were able to resolve these challenges. This was achieved by clarifying teaching goals, renegotiating the meanings of learning tasks, and selecting appropriate resources.

Change of Epistemic Stance of Transnational Pre-Service Teachers in-and-through Collaborative Data-Led Reflective Dialogues

This study explored collaborative data-led reflective dialogues of transnational PSTs by using Multimodal Conversation Analysis. The study draws on the screen recordings of a Virtual Exchange (VE) project (n=72), which involves collaborative online task design, implementation of tasks by L2 students, and reflection on students’ performance and their experience of the VE project. The close examination of the data showed that through collaborative reflective dialogues, PSTs (i) raised awareness of their practice and generated knowledge; (ii) made a connection between theory and practice; (iii) became more aware of their epistemic stance; (iv) identified and described a problem and found solutions to these problems (Farrell, 2015). Therefore, micro-moments of learning and understanding were created in-an- through reflection and it was revealed explicitly through reference to lack of knowledge in the past. This study has implications for teacher education programs, which should encourage reflective dialogues of transnational PSTs to create opportunities for teacher learning.

Universal design approach to learning: a theoretical-practical model for quality inclusive education, seen from the Postgraduate and Continuing Education Directorate of the State University of Bolívar

Universal Design for Learning is an educational approach that seeks to provide all teachers, regardless of their abilities, with an equitable and effective learning experience. This model is based on the premise that diversity is the norm in the classroom and that students have different learning styles, abilities, and needs. Therefore, it focuses on creating flexible learning environments that can meet the needs of all students. It is based on theories, academic-scientific research, each learning environment and neuroeducation, in order to generate inclusivity in the actors of the process. In this sense, it integrates and covers the educational process, from planning to the evaluation of learning, including the reinforcement process, with the aim that teachers take advantage of various learning opportunities, in the same way that it makes teachers more flexible. the micro, meso and macro curricular design, in order to minimize limitations and unforeseen events in academic execution. Finally, it has potential both in the episteme and in praxis, facilitating academic activity and being aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda, inclusive and quality education is guaranteed, promoting learning opportunities for teachers of the education programs. master's degree in the Postgraduate and Continuing Education Department of the State University of Bolívar.

Teacher learning in Hong Kong: primary English language teachers’ cognitions about online teaching to survive or thrive during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore ESL teachers’ perceptions of online teaching during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. A qualitative multiple-case study approach was employed, focusing on the online teaching experiences of three teachers in primary school contexts. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, rich data were collected and analysed. The findings revealed five prominent challenges faced by the teachers, including inadequate infrastructure, limited technical support and training, classroom management issues, teachers’ limited technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) in ELT, students’ unreadiness and lack of parental support. The study also identified three opportunities arising from online teaching, such as changes in teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in technology, opportunities for teacher learning and experimenting with online teaching practice for pedagogical innovations. Despite the significant challenges encountered, the teachers perceived the online teaching experiences as opportunities to enhance their teaching competence with technology. This study has substantial implications, calling for strategic governmental measures to improve online learning in schools, highlighting the need to integrate technology-focused pedagogies into teacher education, revising outdated school curriculums to enhance students’ digital literacy, providing financial support for disadvantaged students, encouraging parental involvement in online learning and fostering collaborative professional learning communities to enhance English teachers’ TPACK.

Video-mediated collaborative lesson planning in virtual exchange among transnational teams of pre-service language teachers

AbstractVirtual exchange (VE) projects in pre-service language teacher education are increasingly being recognized as an innovative practice due to their affordances for providing teacher learning opportunities in technology-rich environments. This study aims to report these opportunities based on results from a VE project consisting of diverse teacher education activities, including lectures, webinars, asynchronous tasks, and synchronous video-mediated interactions. This project provides a medium for pre-service teachers to collaboratively design a lesson to be implemented in hybrid language learning environments. We specifically deal with the video-mediated interactions of the transnational groups of pre-service language teachers using multimodal conversation analysis (CA) as the research methodology and investigate VE phases to explore how their interactions become consequential for the final pedagogical design. The findings show that the pre-service teachers retrospectively orient to shared practices in the earlier phases of the VE project, and the deployment of retrospective orientation as an interactional resource creates interactional space for collaborative decision-making related to their pedagogical designs. We argue that tracking the video-mediated pedagogical interactions of the pre-service teachers using CA is a methodological innovation that allows researchers to collect interactional evidence for the emergent teacher learning opportunities. The findings bring new insights to the role of the technology-mediated settings (e.g. VEs and telecollaboration) in language learning, teaching, and teacher education and in bridging different cultures, curricula, and physical spaces.

Side-by-side coaching: Decomposing a practice-embedded teacher learning opportunity

Practice-embedded learning opportunities close the gap between professional development and practice. Side-by-side coaching can serve as such a learning opportunity by situating the teacher and coach in co-participation in the teacher's classroom. In this paper, we decompose side-by-side coaching drawing on Rogoff's (1995) constructs of guided participation and appropriation to demonstrate how co-participation can provide varied learning opportunities for teachers. We found that during side-by-side coaching teachers and coaches moved between seven forms of guided participation and opportunities for appropriation of practice. We discuss the adaptability of side-by-side coaching as a practice-embedded teacher learning opportunity and discuss implications for design.

Improving pre-service teachers’ argumentation skills: A holistic online scaffolding design approach

The literature widely reports that pre-service teachers repeatedly demonstrate inadequate argumentation skills. Through a mixed-methods research approach, this study investigated the effectiveness of a holistic online scaffolding design for guiding the development of pre-service teachers’ argumentation skills. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group and then applied argumentation skills to solve case-based problem scenarios on teaching methods for two weeks. The experimental group had a significant improvement in the following argumentation skills: evidence, alternative theory, and counterargument. Qualitative data collected shows diverse metacognition concerning argumentation skills within experimental group. This study suggests that embedding a holistic online scaffolding approach into teacher training programs for the development of argumentation skills offers meaningful learning opportunities for pre-service teachers.

Material use for EFL teacher learning in classroom ecology: a perturbation or affordance?

ABSTRACT Curriculum material use is an agentive, reciprocal and innovative practice, involving multiple stakeholders such as teacher, students and assessments that mutually shape one another. While it is generally acknowledged that teachers’ knowledge and skills deeply shape the way they use materials, little is known about how material use can possibly perturb or afford teacher learning. This, however, is deemed important considering the close relationships among material use, teacher learning and instruction. This study adopts a qualitative case study method to examine three EFL teachers’ experiences with new curriculum materials under a new round of national curriculum reform. Findings reveal that (1) new curriculum materials can perturb classroom ecology, prompting teachers to re-examine, reflect and innovate their beliefs and practices; (2) despite teachers’ general consensus on features of curriculum materials, the way they enact them in practice along with emerging learning opportunities are rather different; (3) opportunities for teacher learning through material use can be subjected to teachers’ existing knowledge, beliefs and experiences; (4) sometimes, lack of clear instructional guidance in the textbook renders teachers more agency and freedom to explore their ideas, which can be ultimately developmental.

Ene, mene, muh, raus bist du? Digitale Spiele als inklusive Lerngelegenheit in der Fremdsprachenlehrkraftbildung

Incorporating digital gaming in the target language may be at odds with an inclusive approach to English language teaching, defined broadly, if these games exclude some participants due to technological features, disempowering content, or problematic actors. Despite these problems, however, digital games can equally offer opportunities for foreign language learning as well as for inclusion. This contribution describes a university-level seminar designed to foster pre-service teachers’ informed consideration of the opportunities and challenges associated with digital gaming in the English language classroom. An explanation of the theoretical principles and central elements of the learning opportunity for future English teachers is followed by a summary of the accompanying mixed-methods analysis. Subsequently, the ways in which the seminar supports the development of digital gaming literacy among the targeted pre-service teachers is discussed.

FOSTERING CREATIVE THINKING THROUGH DRAMA EDUCATION: TEACHER PERSPECTIVES

Researchers have long recognized the significance of creative thinking in equipping students with the necessary skills for success in the contemporary world. However, the current approach to teaching drama in Sri Lanka has been deemed obsolete, failing to adequately prepare students to thrive in the globalized era. In response to this concern, a non-randomized control group study was undertaken to investigate the impact of process drama techniques on creativity within secondary school settings. Notably, two teachers from the intervention group were actively engaged in the study and later interviewed to gain deeper insights into their perceptions of employing process drama techniques instead of conventional methods. This article delves into the myriad ways in which drama teachers' pedagogical strategies can effectively enhance creative thinking in their students. Moreover, the study's results offer valuable implications for developing targeted professional learning opportunities for teachers, aiming to foster a comprehensive understanding of creativity and its practical application within the classroom environment. By embracing innovative and experiential approaches like process drama techniques, educators can empower their students to cultivate imaginative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability - essential skills for navigating the complexities of the modern world.

Investigating race consciousness within teachers’ and leaders’ visions of equitable mathematics instruction in the U.S.

We report on an effort to characterize (changes in) teachers’ and school and district leaders’ race consciousness within their visions of equitable mathematics instruction. We analyzed interviews conducted over multiple years within a project in an urban school district in the U.S. that focused on racism and racial equity in secondary mathematics and included multi-week professional learning opportunities for teachers during the months between school years. Our analysis yielded a 4-level trajectory modelling the development of race consciousness in participants’ discourse. Distinctions across levels pertain to the presence of race in individuals’ discourse, the directness with which they talk about race, and the extent to which they locate sources of an historical accumulation of racial inequity within systems.

Primary school Physical Education (PE) specialist teachers’ experiences of teaching Health Education and Physical Education

The purpose of this paper was to extend understanding of the studied phenomenon: primary school Physical Education (PE) specialist teachers’ experiences of teaching Health Education and Physical Education within the Learning Area Health and Physical Education (HPE) in their schools. Figurational sociology guided the research, which employed an explanatory sequential mixed methodology consisting of an online survey with 94 participants, followed by semi-structured interviews with 11 purposively sampled participants. Survey data indicated participants perceived their students undertook approximately one hour of HPE each week, except for Kindergarten students, who completed just over 40 minutes. This is less than the notional 80 hours a year recommended for delivering the subjects Health Education (HE) and Physical Education (PE) within the Australian Curriculum. Participants perceived HPE delivery in their primary schools was predominantly PE focused, and therefore, HE was ‘falling between the cracks’. Thematic analysis of the interview data led to the identification of themes reflecting specialist teachers’ perceptions of HE being the remit of class teachers, marginalised due to a crowded curriculum and lack of collaboration between PE specialists and classroom teachers. There is significant scope for HE not to be taught or not be taught well in the primary schools represented in the data provided by participants in this study. Improved collaboration between class teachers and PE teachers, increased support and prioritisation from senior staff (e.g. principals) and increased HE professional learning opportunities for class teachers are required.

‘It’s not a priority’: Australian generalist classroom teacher experiences of teaching the Health Education component of Health and Physical Education

The study purpose was to address a gap in the literature and gain a better understanding of Australian, specifically Tasmanian, primary school classroom teachers’ experiences of teaching health education (HE). By classroom teachers we mean generalist primary teachers, who in Australia typically teach all eight key learning areas (KLAs). In most Australian states and territories, HE exists within the health and physical education (HPE) mandated KLA, but often the delivery of HE is a responsibility assumed by classroom teachers as opposed to HPE specialists. Our study involved 53 primary classroom teacher participants in Tasmania and examined the state of play of HE. We used a mixed methods research design that included an online survey through which participants were subsequently invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. While participants tended to value HPE, we found HE was even more disenfranchised than physical education, within HPE as an already marginalised area, compared to “more academic” KLAs. This “double marginalisation” contributed to reports of inconsistent delivery of HE. Consistent with the health promoting schools agenda, we suggest a whole of school approach in addition to increased collaboration between teachers and increased HE professional learning opportunities for classroom teachers is required to facilitate change and increased prioritisation of HE in schools.

The views and experiences of candidates and graduates from a South African emergency medicine doctoral programme.

With the emergency medicine speciality in its nascency in Africa, EM doctoral programmes will need to be developed to facilitate the establishment of an evidence base that is responsive to the African populace. This study aimed to understand the thoughts, experiences, and opinions of current and past candidates of a South African EM PhD programme. Descriptive, qualitative, semi-structured interviews were used to gather data on PhD EM candidates and graduates. Four candidates, and four graduates were interviewed. Four categories emerged from the data 1) interviewees had various motivations for starting a PhD in EM, 2) candidate expectations and learning needs were not always aligned with reality, and the challenges and opportunities for success in the PhD programme are related both 3) intrinsically (candidate) and 4) extrinsically (system). Many of the barriers noted by the participants can be related to the nascency of the EM in Africa. Participants felt underprepared for their doctorate in terms of their baseline research literacy and skill. Candidates did not receive the level of student-supervisor engagement they desired. Candidates who are also clinicians faced both academic challenges and a resource-limited healthcare system. Pre-doctoral training may upskill prospective candidates in research literacy before they officially register. Distance-learning can be sub-optimal in terms of social interaction and collaboration. A well-curriculated, competency-based programme with clear outcomes, structured teaching-learning opportunities, intentional academic support throughout the programme, can mitigate the above. Protected academic time, promotion criteria which acknowledges academic contributions, financial incentives and more joint positions between universities and clinical services are potential solutions for clinician researcher challenges. An African PhD EM programme should produce graduates who are independent researchers, skilled in academic supervision and who are impactful to African needs when contributing to the African EM knowledge economy.

The pedagogical makerspace: Learning opportunity and challenge for prospective teachers' growth of TPACK

AbstractThe aim of this study was (1) to describe challenges prospective teachers perceive during project work in a pedagogical makerspace and coping strategies they develop to deal with the challenges, (2) to analyse the development of prospective teachers' TPACK and attitudes towards the use of ICT in class. Challenges regarding project work and coping strategies were recorded via semi‐structured interviews and evaluated by qualitative content analysis. TPACK and prospective teachers' attitudes towards the usefulness of digital technologies, technology acceptance, intrinsic motivation, self‐efficacy, intentions to use digital media and constructivist understanding of teaching were assessed via questionnaire. The sample consists of German prospective teachers (N = 145). The results show an increase in TPACK, technology acceptance, intention to use digital media and motivation over the course of the project. TPACK before the intervention was the only variable that predicted TPACK after the intervention. The prospective teachers report numerous challenges during their projects, which can be attributed to the framework, teamwork, and taskwork levels, as well as the individual TPACK. Coping strategies were mainly found on the taskwork level, for example by adjusting goals, creating subtasks and organising regular feedback meetings for self‐monitoring. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic The opportunities for using ICT in schools are developing rapidly, and with them, the demands on teachers' skills (TPACK). The promotion of TPACK competencies in a holistic, multi‐layered, and practice‐oriented manner has to be learned over a longer period of time combining theoretical explanations with practical activities. Making appears to be a suitable activity to foster TPACK, and a makerspace was described as an ideal learning environment to follow constructivist learning, but it has not yet been empirically tested. What this paper adds The presentation of an innovative approach for prospective teachers to teach TPACK problem‐ and project‐based in a pedagogical makerspace. Empirical data of a large sample size in a field that has not yet been sufficiently empirically researched. A model‐based analysis of the challenges of project work in a university pedagogical makerspace regarding preservice teachers and their coping strategies. Examination of the suitability of project‐based work in the pedagogical makerspace for teaching TPACK and relevant attitudes. Further insights about learning processes and influencing factors in a university pedagogical makerspace with respect to promoting TPACK. Implications for practice A pedagogical makerspace is a suitable learning environment to foster TPACK and attitudes towards the use of ICT in school. TPACK development depends on TPACK before working in a makerspace. Challenges and coping strategies while working in a pedagogical makerspace can be assigned to four levels. The assignment of challenges and coping strategies to those levels supports lecturers in developing the necessary support structures. Support structures should include at least basic knowledge about the organisation of projects. Agile project elements prove helpful for product development in the makerspace.