Professional Learning Activities Research Articles

Examining Science Educators’ Perspectives on Learning Progressions in a Climate Change Education Professional Development Program

ABSTRACTIn the context of a weeklong summer professional development program focused on climate change education, we conducted a qualitative case study investigating how science educators’ understandings of learning progressions (LPs) informed their ideas about climate change teaching practice. Participants (N = 27) in the Climate Academy were middle school (n = 14), high school (n = 7), higher education (n = 2), and informal (n = 4) science educators from 2 Mid-Atlantic states in the United States. In cooperation with other Climate Academy facilitators, we engaged participants in a variety of professional learning activities, among which were exploring LPs and their potential utility for informing climate change teaching practice. During these activities with LPs, the science educators engaged with LPs on 2 constructs relevant to climate change: carbon cycling and sea level rise. We collected data in the forms of observational field notes and personal interviews to gain insight into participants’ perspectives on LPs and their potential utility for supporting instructional decision making related to climate change. Our analysis of the data indicated that participants related LPs to 4 key areas: advancing student understanding, assessing student understanding, instructional planning, and providing instructional supports. We found that our participants assimilated LP ideas into their preexisting views of teaching and learning, which could facilitate or hinder transformation in their instructional approaches. Implications apply directly to science educator professional development in climate change education and in general to professional development in science education that includes LPs as a focus.

Formally Educated Mentors in Norway. Possibilities and Challenges in Mentors’ Support of Colleagues’ Professional Development

Compared to other countries Norwegian teachers participate less in professional learning activities (OECD, 2008, 20013). Simultaneously, Norwegian teachers are offered possibilities to participate in formal education for mentors where they are supposed to learn how to support other teachers in their professional development. The aim of the article is to investigate what possibilities and challenges different participants encountered when a group of educated mentors were given the possibility to create a project in their own school where they were expected to support their colleagues’ professional development.

Pre-service teachers' self-efficacy mediates the relationship between career adaptability and career optimism

Teachers' self-efficacy is positively associated with job satisfaction and commitment. What is less clear in the teacher education literature is to what extent pre-service teachers' self-efficacy influences and is influenced by other psychological factors associated with career engagement. The current research contributes to understanding the complex of interrelations by demonstrating that pre-service teachers' self-efficacy directly predicts their career optimism and mediates the effect of career adaptability on career optimism. With regard to pre-service teacher education, these findings are significant because, like self-efficacy, career adaptability and career optimism are amenable to promotion via learning experiences. Thus, professional learning activities may be tailored to focus on the development of self-efficacy to indirectly enhance pre-service teachers' career adaptability and career optimism.

Reworking or reaffirming practice? Perceptions of professional learning in alternative and flexible education settings

The success of alternative and flexible education settings, serving young people for whom mainstream schooling has not worked well, rests on the practices of their staff. This paper explores interview and survey data on the professional learning experiences and perceptions of staff working in flexible learning programmes across Victoria, Australia. These settings are often associated with innovative educational practice, as well as a freedom to act outside of dominant neoliberal logics governing teachers’ work and limiting possibilities for ‘transformative’ professional learning. This paper shows staff engaged in a diversity of professional learning activities mediated through interactions with colleagues and responsive to locally determined needs. The paper focuses on three core components – ‘external events’, ‘internal stuff’ and ‘cross program’ – to explore what staff perceive to be valuable professional learning in supporting their practice. Themes of authenticity, collegiality and trust, as well as tensions between reworking and reaffirming practice are considered. The highly collaborative nature of professional learning and apparent privileging of internal ‘within sector’ knowledge is argued to bring possibilities for strong support for staff and expeditious cross-fertilisation of practice whilst also posing risks in terms of endangering innovation, flexibility and diversity. Areas of fruitful future research are identified.

Continuing Competence Trends of Occupational Therapy Practitioners

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the perceptions and practices of occupational therapists regarding the types of professional development activities they seek to ensure competency. A self-report survey was used to investigate the therapists’ selection of and engagement in professional learning activities. The results from 43 occupational therapists were analyzed. Descriptive results identified the value of a professional development plan and collaboration with colleagues. Self-assessment and searching for and analyzing journal articles emerged as frequently used continuing competence learning practices. The results showed that therapists actively plan and select formal and informal professional activities to promote meaningful learning for continuing competence practices. Productivity standards were considered the main challenge that impeded the participants’ professional development plans and continued competence.

Understanding the EFL Lecturers' Beliefs about Their Professional Learning from the Lens of Malcolm Knowles Theory of Andragogy

The establishment of Teacher and Lecturer Law No. 14/ 2005 has an implication that all lecturers in Indonesia should maintain their professionalism in order to improve the teaching and learning process. In an attempt to be professional, lecturers are expected to carry out on-going professional learning. This study aims to seek the perceptions of English as a Foreign Language lecturers about their professional learning in a language training centre of a private university in Indonesia. Underpinned by interpretive paradigm and naturalistic design, the study employed qualitative methods using focus group interviews by which seven EFL lecturers were included as the participants. The finding of the study reveals that professional learning activities conducted by the participants are perceived as a compulsory activity, a result of their experiences, their learning orientation, their learning passion, and their internal motivation. These findings, in fact, corroborate the principles of adult learning theory of Malcolm Knowles called Andragogy which is based on the learning principles such as self-concept, readiness to learn, orientation to learning, adult learner experience, and motivation to learn.

Civic Engagement and Environmental Sustainability in Teaching and Learning at Higher Education Institution in South Africa

Abstract This article seeks to provide an outline the scope of professional teaching and learning activities and their connection to civic engagement and the achievement of environmental sustainability at Rhodes University and in Makana Local Municipality. Activities in the context of rainwater water harvesting and sanitation research are used as examples. The improved hydrogen-sulphide test kit was used as the tool for the assessment of microbial water quality between April and July 2016. An approach to the improvement in the design and modelling of the performance of ventillated improved pit latrines under laboratory conditions is also described. All activities described have been taking place in the context of undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects at Rhodes University. They have implications for teaching and learning, civic engagement and environmental sustainability. Teaching and learning of the concepts of sustainability can facilitate the development of the necessary connection between academia and the society at large. This can have a significant positive effect on societal conditions in South Africa. Further endeavours similar those described in this article should be stimulated in South and beyond.

Enabling adaptive system leadership

Internationally, there is increasing emphasis on teacher leadership of professional development. This provides opportunities for teachers to initiate and facilitate professional learning activities beyond their own schools. There is a need for theoretical tools to analyse their leadership activity and how to support it. Constructs from complexity leadership theory and the concept of teacher system leadership are used to develop a framework to analyse the purposes and practices of teacher professional development leaders supported by a national programme for mathematics teacher professional development in England. I argue that the teachers’ activities constitute a form of adaptive leadership involving innovating and organising professional development within arenas of leadership, through the processes of mobilising, brokering and the creation of networks. This required engaging in ‘system work’ to fulfil purposes connected to both local and system-wide concerns. The teachers were supported by the enabling leadership of headteachers and by national warrants for exercising leadership. The study demonstrates the value of the analytical framework and indicates that a cadre of teacher system leaders can be developed by attending to the interplay of professional development leadership and a wider system-orientated professional identity and by specific support to develop adaptive leadership capacities and skills.

Measuring Return on Investment for Professional Development Activities: Implications for Practice.

What is the return on investment (ROI) for the time and resources spent for professional development activities? This is Part 2 of a two-part series to report findings and demonstrate how financial analysis of educational activities can drive decision-making. The resources consumed for professional development activities need to be identified and quantified to be able to determine the worth of such activities. This article defines terms and formulas for financial analysis for nursing professional development practitioners to use in analysis of their own programs. Three fictitious examples of common nursing professional development learning activities are provided with financial analysis. This article presents the "how to" for the busy practitioner.

Placing people in the same room is not enough: An interprofessional education intervention to improve collaborative knowledge of people with disabilities

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates a continuing interprofessional education (CIPE) intervention designed to improve the skills and knowledge related to managing people with disabilities (PWD) in the educational, healthcare, and social insurance systems, and to improve shared knowledge and promote inter-organisational collaboration. The intervention comprised both on-site and online courses where participants could design their own curriculum based on their perceived needs. A longitudinal survey study was conducted with questions about knowledge of other organisations’ work with PWD, knowledge concerning disability policies, competence in meeting PWD, shared values across organisations, and inter-organisational collaboration. Participants’ knowledge about disability, disability policy, and how other organisations work with PWD significantly increased after the intervention. Changes in shared values, attitude towards inter-organisational collaboration, or effects on actual collaboration could not be determined. The results suggest that CIPE interventions where participants are allowed to form customised curriculums may increase general knowledge about disability among professionals. Results on knowledge of and collaboration with other organisations were less conclusive, where this may be explained by an educational setting that included little interaction between course participants. To promote professional exchange and experiential learning activities, contextualized educational settings that place more focus on interaction between participants may be advised.

Effects of teacher professional learning activities on student achievement growth

ABSTRACTThe authors examined the effects of six types of teacher professional learning activities on student achievement growth over 4 years using statewide longitudinal survey data collected from 467 middle school mathematics teachers in 91 schools merged with 11,192 middle school students' mathematics scores in a standardized assessment in Missouri. The data showed that teacher-centered collaborative activities to learn about mathematics teaching and learning (teacher collaboration and informal communication) seem to be more effective in improving student mathematics achievement than learning activities that do not necessarily involve such teacher-centered collaborative opportunities (professional development programs, university courses, individual learning activities). Teacher-driven research activities through professional conference presentation and participation were also found to be associated with student achievement growth in mathematics. The districts and schools may benefit from investing their professional development funds and resources in facilitating teacher-centered collaborative and research-based learning activities in order to improve student learning.

The role of environmental factors in beginning teachers’ professional learning related to differentiated instruction

ABSTRACTLittle research has investigated factors that facilitate beginning teachers’ participation in professional learning activities related to differentiated instruction (DI). This study examines environmental factors for DI learning activities in a sample of 272 beginning teachers from 72 primary schools. Multilevel analyses show that teacher education, reflective dialogue, deprivatized practice, educational type, and diversity in student population are related to beginning teachers’ use of DI learning activities (i.e., learning in interaction and changes in practice). As such, the findings revealed that beginning teachers’ participation in such activities may depend on a multitude of factors. Several suggestions regarding these factors are made. First, teacher education can provide foundational knowledge of DI applications. Second, schools can enable teachers to have in-depth conversations with colleagues and provide opportunities to observe good teaching practices. Lastly, alternative schools and schools with diverse student populations can inspire other schools to enhance participation in DI learning activities.

Professional student organizations and experiential learning activities: What drives student intentions to participate?

ABSTRACTExperiential learning theory has been referenced as a possible method for attracting and retaining members in student organizations. In a survey, undergraduate students evaluated a variety of organizational features pertaining to their intention to participate in professional student organizations. The study found that students value activities that involve professional development and contact with professionals. Age was negatively related to student intent to participate. In addition, ethnicity and being a first-generation college student were not significant predictors in participating in a professional student organization. To enhance membership recruitment and retention efforts, educators should focus their efforts on experiential activities that enable student-faculty contact, career exploration, and skill development.

The contribution of teacher effectiveness maps and the TACTICS framework to teacher leader professional learning

Improving the quality of learning outcomes for all learners represents a major target for the organisers of the 2015 World Education Forum in Korea. Enhancing the effectiveness of what teachers do in the classrooms is a key strategy for reaching this target. This paper seeks to provide some insights into the use of Teacher Effectiveness Maps (TEMs) and the associated targeting, analysing, contextualising, translating, interpreting, changing, suggesting (TACTICS) framework as strategies for educators and governments seeking to document the nature and impact of professional learning activities for improving the quality of learning outcomes for all learners. The USA’s concept of ‘Teacher Leader’ and principles teacher professional learning provide a conceptual lens for interpreting the impact of using these strategies. Despite the limitations of a pilot size of two, the results offer some useful insights about designing and documenting teacher leader professional learning activities for improving the quality of learning outcomes for all learners. The authors identify the integration of collaborative teacher leader professional learning and the use of TEMs as promising practices for improving the quality of learning for all learner in the post-2015 era among the benefits linked to this research agenda.

Learning beyond graduation: exploring newly qualified specialists' entrance into daily practice from a learning perspective.

The entrance of newly qualified medical specialists into daily practice is considered to be a stressful period in which curriculum support is absent. Although engaging in both personal and professional learning and development activities is recognized fundamental for lifelong professional competence, research on medical professionals' entrance into practice is scarce. This research aims to contribute to the framework of medical professionals' informal learning and outlines the results of an exploratory study on the nature of learning in daily practice beyond postgraduate training. Eleven newly qualified physicians from different specialized backgrounds participated in a phenomenographic study, using a critical incident method and a grounded theory approach. Results demonstrated that learning in the workplace is, to a large extent, informal and associated with a variety of learning experiences. Analysis shows that experiences related to diagnostics and treatments are important sources for learning. Furthermore, incidents related to communication, changing roles, policy and organization offer learning opportunities, and therefore categorized as learning experiences. A broad range of learning activities are identified in dealing with these learning experiences. More specifically, actively engaging in actions and interactions, especially with colleagues of the same specialty, are the most mentioned. Observing others, consulting written sources, and recognizing uncertainties, are also referred to as learning activities. In the study, interaction, solely or combined with other learning activities, are deemed as very important by specialists in the initial entrance into practice. These insights can be used to develop workplace structures to support the entrance into practice following postgraduate training.

Distributing leadership for sustainable peer feedback on tertiary teaching

A growing evidence-based literature supports the value of peer feedback as a positive professional learning activity that enhances confidence, builds collegial relationships and supports reflective practice. Less clear is how best to embed such programs in university practices. This paper describes a leadership approach developed to support the scalable and sustainable implementation of peer-based professional development in a large Australian university. Drawing on distributed leadership approaches, we locate responsibility for ongoing implementation at the local level. This approach and its effectiveness are evaluated by analysing the experiences of 10 leaders. Based on the leaders’ evaluations and our reflections our approach has potential to support the leadership of sustainable and effective peer-based professional development of academic teaching staff in the tertiary sector. We identify critical success factors, challenges and future directions for the leadership and implementation of peer feedback on teaching in higher education.

Distributing leadership for sustainable peer feedback on tertiary teaching

A growing evidence-based literature supports the value of peer feedback as a positive professional learning activity that enhances confidence, builds collegial relationships and supports reflective practice. Less clear is how best to embed such programs in university practices. This paper describes a leadership approach developed to support the scalable and sustainable implementation of peer-based professional development in a large Australian university. Drawing on distributed leadership approaches, we locate responsibility for ongoing implementation at the local level. This approach and its effectiveness are evaluated by analysing the experiences of 10 leaders. Based on the leaders' evaluations and our reflections our approach has potential to support the leadership of sustainable and effective peer-based professional development of academic teaching staff in the tertiary sector. We identify critical success factors, challenges and future directions for the leadership and implementation of peer feedback on teaching in higher education.

EPortfolios: Enhancing Professional Learning of Vocational Educators

Vocational educators urgently need to keep learning throughout their careers. However, traditional professional development (PD), such as courses and workshops, yields limited transfer to the workplace as it does not align with how professionals naturally learn at work. The study discussed here reports on professional learning of vocational educators within one institute for technical vocational education in Western Canada. Seven instructors and five program chairs from five different programs were interviewed regarding professional learning in their departments, the extent to which this learning was enhanced through the implementation of an ePortfolio approach, and factors that contributed to or inhibited this learning. Our analysis shows that the ePortfolio approach increased some professional learning activities including goalsetting, documenting growth, discussions with peers, and reflection. Cross-case analysis illustrates that professional learning is embedded in professional practices and cannot be understood by examining individual factors separately from departmental environments. Based on our study, we can draw three conclusions: i) the interaction between the cultures in the original trade/profession and the vocational educational department is unique to the vocational education context and should be further explored, ii) the role of program chairs in vocational education is of crucial importance to instructor professional learning, and iii) our findings indicate that instructor professional learning practices are not static and can and should be improved. Further studies into and experiments with comprehensive approaches to supporting professional learning of vocational educators are necessary and long overdue.

The contribution of research to teachers’ professional learning and development

This paper summarises findings from several systematic research reviews about the contribution of research to effective continuing professional development and learning (CPDL) activities and their impact on pupils and teachers. It starts with a review of how teachers engage in and with research as part of CPDL, how teachers and researchers shape professional learning activities and identifies key processes linked to positive outcomes. Finally it explores how different research contributions can be developed to make a more visible contribution to CPDL.The paper highlights common characteristics of effective CPDL, including: sustained collaboration with professional colleagues, including both making use of specialist expertise and structured peer support for embedding specialist contributions; an understanding of and commitment to professional learning, including enquiry-oriented learning and learning to learn from looking; a focus on refining teaching and learning, working towards aspirations for specific pupils side by side with theory; and effective scaffolding and modelling of learning by both teachers and leaders for colleagues and for pupils. The key implications of these findings are explored in the conclusions and include the importance of conceptualising researchers’ contributions to CPDL as specialist expertise and/or researchers and Masters tutors harnessing the potential of peer support between teachers. They also explore overlaps between core research and teaching skills and the need for a shared language between teachers and researchers to enable concepts like analysis, theory and criticality to be valued as practical tools for enhancing professional practice.

Comparative Study of Physical Education Students Teachers Style Interventions Teaching Styles Skill

The first classroom experiences are essential to learn how to teach. Anxiety and doubts related to their abilities to teach are the main characteristics that define the novice teachers (Scott, 1995). The aim of the research is to study the educational intervention of the physical education student teachers (PEST) and their evolution in the period of the preparation training for the professional life from the perspective of teaching styles that they used. Participants who had accepted to participate in this study were physical education students registered at high institute of sports and physical education in Tunisia (ISSEP). All were young males (21 ± 1 years old) enrolled in an introductory course to professional life, what we call in Tunisia introductory course to practice pedagogy (introductory practicum applied to pedagogy), where share of the curriculum was of the last year of the fundamental of physical education license. This professional learning activity was held in three high schools with mixed age classes (12 - 14 years old pupils) of a rural area in Tunis. The activity lasted two semesters, four hours per week on Tuesday or Thursday for a cumulative total time of 116 hours of teaching. A macro analysis of the results showed that the preferred styles by PEST were command style, practical style and reciprocal style (Table 1). The micro analysis of each of these styles indicated that ten sessions (62.5%) had been conducted with the command style of teaching, four (25%) with the practical teaching style, and only two (12.5%) with the reciprocal teaching style. Finally, this study shows that the plurality teachers prefer teaching with the style of command that represents the lower limit of individualization; autonomy and creativity as the teacher centers his intervention on its own activities and not on the activity of the student.