Professional Learning Opportunities Research Articles

Drama-in-teacher-education: A ‘metaxical’ approach for juxtaposing EFL teacher identity and tensions

Tensions are generally coined as negative experiences because teachers may find them intimidating when their reality and ideals/beliefs/practices do not match. However, tensions can also be potentially critical resources for an identity-responsive language teacher education. This study proposes a metaxical approach to operationalize tensions in language teacher education. In this approach, tensions are closely related to language teacher/learner identities, and they are juxtaposed in dramatized settings. In other words, tensions are used as productive learning experiences for pre-service language teachers. In this self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) case study, the researcher drew on classroom observations, reflective tasks, and interviews to collect the qualitative data, which were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis to explore the metaxis experienced by the participants. Findings revealed that (1) pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) discovered tensions as professional learning opportunities in dramatized settings; (2) they explored tensions in a safe learning environment while juxtaposing these identity tensions through make-believe; (3) the identity work in metaxis allowed participants to navigate through tensions while (re)constructing their teacher/learner identities.

Teachers' reported beliefs about giftedness among twice exceptional and culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse populations.

The purpose of this research study was to assess the impact of professional learning on teachers' reported beliefs about students identified as twice exceptional (2e) and students from culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse (CLED) populations, using a semi-randomized experimental design intervention. Teachers in the experimental condition participated in professional learning opportunities featuring curriculum materials, lessons, and activities highlighting support for students identified as 2e or from CLED populations. Teachers in the control condition received no intervention. Across 16 United States' schools, 53 grade 3 classroom teachers were selected to complete two sets of pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys assessing their reported beliefs about students identified as 2e or from CLED populations. The results indicated that all teachers consistently reported accurate and positive beliefs about the characteristics and needs of these populations, both prior to and after participation in relevant professional learning opportunities. Although analyses revealed main effects of condition and time for certain scales, the reported interaction terms suggested that the professional learning opportunities did not specifically increase questionnaire scores for teachers in the experimental condition. The implications of these findings regarding professional learning and efforts to improve equity in gifted and talented education are discussed.

Input From the Grassroots Level — Reflecting Challenges and Problems for VET Professionals in Germany

Context: Often, vocational education and training (VET) professionals are not systematically prepared for their demanding, mostly diverse and complex tasks. Professional development can be understood as an enlargement of competencies that arise as opportunities in daily work. This study, embedded in a funded research project, focuses on VET professionals and their professional development. The research question is as follows: What challenges and problems regarding their professional development, as well as possible solutions, are described by training professionals in VET in Germany? Approach: The goal of this study is to discover what challenges VET professionals face and how they cope with them. Accordingly, this research was formalised with the following components: (A) An explorative study with group discussions (N = 53 participants in six groups) and (B) result validation with German VET experts (N = 10). The data were recorded, transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Using a theory-based category system, the group discussion results were summarised in 12 systematic, organisational- and individual-level statements. The statements indicated that despite the necessity of formal professional development in the area of further training, most VET professionals must still be able to profit from offers at or below the German Qualification Framework (DQR) level 5. Many VET professionals ultimately sought visible recognition of their activities or personal commitment with regard to pedagogical and company-economic functions. The 10 VET experts also evaluated the 12 statements as important. Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is a huge need for qualification and learning opportunities for VET professionals. The demand is mostly for modern, tried-and-tested concepts and central themes, such as action and competency orientation, practice and transfer orientation, individual and structural reflection, media competency and learning support in all formats and at all levels.

Barriers, enablers, and motivations for staff adoption of learning analytics: Insights for professional learning opportunities from an Australian university


 
 
 Understanding the capabilities and motivations of academics towards adopting and using Learning Analytics (LA) to support their development of technology-enhanced learning is an important first step in designing an effective and flexible adoption plan. Situated in a regional university, this paper reports on the initial data-gathering stage of an on-going study aimed at designing and trialing an adoption plan to support individual staff to engage deeply with LA to inform and enhance their teaching practice and their students’ experiences. This paper analyses a staff survey (N=74) and transcripts from 28 semi-structured interviews conducted over 22 months with eight academics. Survey respondents reported low levels of knowledge about, and use of, LA, as well as a lack of confidence in accessing, interpreting, and acting on, data. Inductive and deductive thematic analyses of interview transcripts support these findings. Analysis further identified three main themes of indicators of successful LA adoption: effective learning design and enhanced teaching practice; improved student experience; and academic recognition. Based on these results, this paper proposes elements that can be included in a suite of professional learning opportunities that will enable academic developers and institutions to support individual staff to successfully adopt of LA.
 
 

A qualitative examination of early childhood educators’ participation in professional learning: investigating social constructionist understandings of quality

ABSTRACT Despite the burgeoning literature that describes the most effective ways of engaging early childhood educators in professional learning, very little empirical work in North America has examined the processes, dialogs, and engagements in which educators participate to address quality as a social construct. This article (1) describes a model of professional learning trialed in western Canada that supports educators to engage with social constructionist scholarship on quality and (2) reports on the educators’ and pedagogical facilitators’ experiences with this model. Using a qualitative methodology, the article analyzes data from interviews, focus groups, and open-ended questionnaires completed by educators and pedagogical facilitators. The study’s findings suggest the importance of creating professional learning opportunities that respond to contextual and current conditions over extended periods of time. More importantly, our results show that PD that engages quality as a social construct requires both a multidimensional approach with a wide variety of learning modalities, and the critical role of a skilled pedagogical facilitator who challenges educators to interrogate the ethico-political aspects of early education. The findings of this study have implications not only for the professional learning of early childhood educators but also for early education systems in Canada and abroad.

A Clinical Competency Framework for the Basic Package of Oral Care: Perceptions of Primary Oral Health Providers in Rural Nepal.

IntroductionThe basic package of Oral Care (BPOC) was developed to improve oral health care for underserved populations worldwide. However, systematic delivery of the BPOC has been difficult to achieve, and training efforts have in some cases contributed to proliferation of malpractice. Standard Competency Frameworks (CF), increasingly used in dental and medical education to improve quality assurance, have not been established to date for the BPOC.MethodsTo evaluate provider perceptions of a BPOC-specific CF, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 Primary Oral Health Providers (POHPs) and 5 Clinic Assistants working in the Jevaia Oral Health Care project (Jevaia) in Nepal. Participants were limited to providers who have used the CF. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed in Nepali, and translated into English. A qualitative thematic analysis was applied through a multi-stage review process, and emergent themes were further grouped and categorized to draw final conclusions.ResultsFindings were categorized into four groups: (1) “What is the CF to Me”: Respondents frequently conflated the CF with professional development training. These activities together were essentially felt to offer clear performance guidance and a pathway for learning. (2) “Relationship to the Work”: Respondents reported that the CF's guidelines increased confidence, peer accountability, and job satisfaction. (3) “Practical Improvements”: Providers felt the CF improved their clinical skills, communication, crowd management, and teamwork. (4) “Community Impact”: Many participants felt that improved skills had led to a more efficient workflow, greater community acceptance, and increased utilization of services.ConclusionsClinicians broadly felt that the CF improved both their professional satisfaction and the quality of patient care. CFs should be considered integral to BPOC implementation, along with opportunities for continuous professional learning, and these activities will likely be most meaningful and impactful when recognized by government and other licensing bodies.

The information won't just sink in: Helping teachers provide technology‐assisted data literacy instruction in social studies

AbstractIn this study, support for teaching data literacy in social studies is provided through the design of a pedagogical support system informed by participatory design sessions with both pre‐service and in‐service social studies teachers. It provides instruction on teaching and learning data literacy in social studies, examples of standards‐based lesson plans, made‐to‐purpose data visualization tools and minimal manuals that put existing online tools in a social studies context. Based on case studies of eleven practicing teachers, this study provides insight into features of technology resources that social studies teachers find usable and useful for using data visualizations as part of standards‐ and inquiry‐based social studies instruction, teaching critical analysis of data visualizations and helping students create data visualizations with online computing tools. The final result, though, is that few of our participating teachers have yet adopted the provided resources into their own classrooms, which highlights weaknesses of the technology acceptance model for describing teacher adoption. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Data literacy is an important part of social studies education in the United States. Most teachers do not teach data literacy as a part of social studies. Teachers may adopt technology to help them teach data literacy if they think it is useful and usable. What this paper adds Educational technology can help teachers learn about data literacy in social studies. Social studies teachers want simple tools that fit with their existing curricula, give them new project ideas and help students learn difficult concepts. Making tools useful and usable does not predict adoption; context plays a large role in a social studies teachers' adoption. Implications for practice and/or policy Designing purpose‐built tools for social studies teachers will encourage them to teach data literacy in their classes. Professional learning opportunities for teachers around data literacy should include opportunities for experimentation with tools. Teachers are not likely to use tools if they are not accompanied by lesson and project ideas.

Graphic Narratives as Opportunities for Professional Learning


 
 In the graphic narrative Queen of the Sea, protagonist Margaret tells the story of her youth on a secret island. Multimodal texts can be used as a platform for academic inquiry, enticing the reader to closely engage with the visual images, text, and the interplay between the two. Studying the sociocognitive complexity of a text invites the reader to utilize theory-of-mind thinking to identify the mental states communicated in the narrative, as well as narratological constructs such as temporality and narrative empathy. As an opportunity for professional learning, this study analyzed the sociocognitive complexity of Dylan Meconis’s graphic narrative Queen of the Sea, using theory-of-mind thinking as an analytic frame for reading and exploring. Findings of this investigation highlight the complexity of graphic narratives and argue for their use as instructional texts in the English classroom.

Make it someone’s job: Documenting the growth of the academic integrity profession through a collection of position postings

We examine specific roles in higher education specializing in academic integrity. We collected publicly advertised job postings from 2018 to 2021 (N = 34) from Canada (n = 18), the United States (n = 14), and Australia (n = 2). Our review showed that academic integrity jobs can be situated within different units including student affairs, the library, or the teaching and learning centre among others. Salaries ranged from $49,000 CAD to over $100,000 CAD, with salaries in senior leadership positions generally not being listed in public postings. We conclude for academic integrity work to be recognized through dedicated positions and compensated in a manner that demonstrates the work is valued by the institution. We further call for increased professional learning and training opportunities for those whose work is specialized around academic integrity.

Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community.

IntroductionThe medical school curriculum has changed from using the term “pedagogy” to framing adult learning theories with the goal of applying knowledge to a clinical situation or real-life experiences. Service-learning programs (SLPs) in medical schools illustrate one of several adult learning principles and practices now used in today’s curriculum that better prepare medical students for working with a variety of patients. ObjectiveThe researchers’ aim was to assess medical students’ learning experiences while participating with nonprofit organizations during a curricula-designed SLP.MethodThe authors analyzed 60 reflective essays over a three-year academic period from 192 medical students placed in teams of two to four. A qualitative study with a thematic analysis research design was employed in our study. This iterative approach allowed the researchers to identify themes and interpret meaning. The study was completed in 2020 using data from 2017-2020.ResultsFour major themes and one overarching theme emerged that reflect adult learning theories including: (1) transfer learning of one’s skills and knowledge to community and practice; (2) articulate a variety of ways to communicate with multiple, diverse community audiences; (3) employ a creative process for quality improvement strategies; (4) create positive trusting and rewarding relationships that highlight an enhanced level of conduct and professionalism. An overarching theme found was: collaboration emerges almost without forethought. Medical educators may find that replicating this SLP into the curriculum infrastructure provides agency and student buy-in. We established an SLP as part of the medical school curriculum that brings privilege and reward to students and to the community. Reflection provides for meaningfulness from SLP and helps students identify how experiential learning affects their professional development as members of the community and future health care providers.ConclusionImplementing SLPs into any medical school curriculum strengthens the adult learning theoretical delivery approach. Disseminating projects and lessons learned to and from the community also showcases experiential learning opportunities for medical students and other professionals. Many aspects of awareness from the medical students’ engagement during the SLP emerged. They learned about specific aspects of community engagement and found it a privilege to give and take many lessons from the experiences and opportunities.

Experiential Learning in a Two-event Project in Thailand

Despite there being several experiential learning studies on event education, all studies were based on a single event task. There is a scarcity of research on students with two different experiential learning experiences in event education. Therefore, this study aims to examine student perceptions on event learning and skills development after two different experiential learning experiences. Students learn to be event organizers by conducting real exhibition and charity events on campus. Questionnaire and classroom discussion are used to obtain student feedback through t test and content analysis. The study reveals that there are some statistically significant differences in student perceptions on event learning and the skills acquired during the two events, and also suggests that learning through two events with different purposes and characteristics is likely to result in different academic and professional learning opportunities for students. Therefore, the study provides event educators with new insights into the teaching of event management through two-event projects, and also extends experiential learning theory.

Teacher Engagement Scale for Professional Development

Teacher professional development aims to bolster effective instructional practices that enhance student learning. The development of the Sustained Investment and Teacher Engagement Scale for Professional Development (SITES-PD) grew out of a need to understand how teachers respond to opportunities for professional learning in ways that contribute to skill improvement. One hundred and eight elementary teachers participated in a sustained professional development coaching intervention. Prior to and following the intervention, data were collected from multiple sources (e.g., teacher report, blind classroom observations). For the development of this instrument, coaches rated teacher engagement with opportunities for professional learning. Exploratory factor analysis reveals a one factor solution and that a summed composite of eight items is appropriate. Reliability and validity results suggest the SITES-PD instrument may be a useful tool for investigating the underlying mechanisms that mediate the efficacy of teacher professional development interventions.

Improving Literacy for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: An Innovative Approach

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The Integrated Literacy Study Group was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students.

The first 5 years of teaching science: The beliefs, knowledge, practices, and opportunities to learn of secondary science teachers

AbstractThe early years of teaching are important for science teachers, but little is known about how science teachers develop professionally in their early years. This mixed methods study took a longitudinal view of the early years of teaching. Following 95 secondary science teachers over a 5‐year period, this study examined the beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and practices of the teachers during and after their induction programming. It drew upon the conceptual framework of opportunities to learn to contemplate the experiences of the teachers in relationship to their beliefs, PCK, and practices. Interviews and observations comprised the data in the study, which were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively and then integrated to understand the teachers' development. The quantitative analysis revealed that the early career teachers experienced no significant change in their beliefs over time but did experience significant change in their PCK and in some of their instructional practices. The qualitative analysis highlighted the difficulty in changing the instruction of the teachers, administrative decisions that constrained or contributed to the learning of the new teachers, and the different professional learning opportunities new teachers drew upon over time. These results suggest that early professional development experiences provided some support for the newly hired teachers, but not enough to challenge their beliefs or establish the instructional repertoires envisioned in the science education reforms. To better support the development of early career science teachers, they need strategic learning opportunities over time that involve administrators, colleagues, and science teacher educators.

Sharing pedagogical documentation with others: exploring issues of addressivity and voice

ABSTRACT Pedagogical documentation is a text of multiple voices and audiences. Building on this idea, the study presented here aimed to explore to what degree and in what ways teachers’ writing is shaped or constrained by their anticipation of parents as readers of documentation. Bakhtin’s concept of addressivity was used to frame teacher–parent relationships as part of an always present, ongoing dialogue that influences teacher voice and choices in pedagogical documentation. Interviews with teachers and analysis of child portfolios indicate that teachers were aware of parents as an audience, and this awareness was reflected in the discursive practices they use. The discussion of the choices teachers made regarding what to include or not in portfolios puts forward the argument that the development of teacher’s voice in pedagogical documentation involves, among other things, an awareness of how self is related to parents. Finding the balance between the self and the other in pedagogical documentation is an issue that needs to be critically addressed in professional learning opportunities.

Features of a Developing Mathematics Professional Learning Community and Affordances for Teacher Learning Opportunities

Professional learning communities are commonly as a viable model for on-going and productive teacher learning. However few studies have investigated how such communities develop to become fully functional and sustainable learning communities. This study investigated features of a developing teacher professional learning community and opportunities for learning. Five mathematics teachers in one township primary school in South Africa and the two authors of this paper constituted the professional learning community. Transcripts of the audio-recorded meetings constituted the data analysed in this paper. Data analysis was done using the critical incidence approach. The findings indicate that the teachers shifted from passive to more active participants. They gradually perceived themselves as a community, sharing thinking and co-creating new meanings collaboratively. The facilitators’ roles gradually shifted from leading and intervening and probing. Opportunities for learning were created with respect to knowledge of learners’ problem solving needs, and specific instructional practices to address those needs. The findings indicate that the development of effective and sustainable professional learning communities is a gradual process that takes time, and involves shifts in roles by both facilitators and teachers.

Academic staff within vocational education responding to learners needs

AbstractThe establishment of Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, in 2019 was a result of the Review of Vocational Education (ROVE) undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand. ROVE was committed to hearing the voices of all stakeholders to ensure excellence for all New Zealanders in vocational education. Against the backdrop of this review, research was undertaken by an Institute of Technology Polytechnic to learn more about how academic staff perceive they respond to their learners needs. In particular, the research focussed on the relationships academic staff have with their students; current feedback practices; and how authentic and engaging opportunities for learning occurs. Findings, as reported on in this article, showed academic staff are acutely aware of the central role they play in meeting their students’ needs and have a strong commitment towards student success. Nonetheless, data also highlighted some clear tensions and constraints for academic staff, including lack of time, high workloads, insufficient support, and inadequate resources. The authors suggest in addition to accessing professional learning opportunities, that overcoming some of these challenges may require fundamental, high level changes within vocational education institutions.

Investigating Teacher Professional Learning in a Context of Change: A Uae Case Study

ABSTRACT This case study examined teacher professional learning in the context of the Abu Dhabi New School Model educational reform initiative. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with teachers and school leaders. The study’s findings reveal a serious disconnect between formal policy, practice, and implementation as teachers lacked agency and many constraints prevented them from engaging in further professional learning opportunities. These constraints and challenges included a lack of organizational support, time, and choice in the school’s professional development programs. Recommendations and implications for policy and practice were drawn based on the findings.

Promoting rich discussions in mathematics classrooms: Using personalized, automated feedback to support reflection and instructional change

Talk moves can promote conversations that enable students' equitable participation in a rigorous learning environment. This study examined teachers' perceptions of the usability, utility, and accuracy of a web-based application that provides automated feedback on their use of talk moves. Pilot data from 21 teachers indicates mainly positive perceptions, with a trend of increasing talk moves despite variability in teachers’ use of the application. A case study of the most frequent user illustrates an ideal use case. Overall, these findings point to the promise of automated tools to support meaningful professional learning opportunities for teachers, leading to instructional change.

Supporting Change in Instructional Practices to Meet the Common Core Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards: How Are Different Supports Related to Instructional Change?

The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards encourage substantial shifts in teaching, but how to enact change is not specified. This mixed-methods exploratory study shows how different implementation supports were related to teachers’ use of standards-aligned instructional practices in the Chicago Public Schools. It provides comparative evidence that professional learning opportunities were strongly related to instructional practices, whereas curriculum and instructional resources had more modest and mixed relationships. In particular, collaboration with colleagues around instruction had consistently positive relationships with instructional practices in math and science, and these relationships were as strong among teachers who perceived many barriers to standards implementation as those who did not. We discuss implications for education leaders as they make decisions about how to best support teachers in standards-aligned math and science instruction.