Professional Learning Experiences Research Articles

Inter-professionalism between teachers and creative practitioners: Risk, exploration and professional identity – learning in situ and the impact on practice

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to learn from and capture the impact of a national creative learning initiative on five teachers who made significant changes to their practice following their participation. These changes occurred in parallel with a renewed sense of professional identity therefore, this case study aims to explore these changes, isolate the key drivers and examine how the teachers’ identities have been transformed. The Lead Creative Schools scheme has a bespoke approach to each participating school, as it requires teachers to work closely with creative practitioners through a process of enquiry to address a school priority. It is a complex professional learning experience for the teacher as they navigate a new relationship with a practitioner from outside the education sector and take risks with pedagogical practice. Drawing on pre- and post-project data, lesson observations and researcher journals to select the five participants; analysis from further data collected through semi-structured questionnaires considers the identity of the hybrid teacher and their developing philosophies brought about by experiential and creative professional learning. The findings reveal the programme allowed teachers the opportunity to construct new realities and make sense of novel ways of working, which resulted in renewed confidence and agency, as the teachers discovered a paradigm which supports their values and purpose within education. This puts the teachers in a favourable position as they engage with the new curriculum in Wales and this study provides timely insights into transformative professional learning, in readiness for curriculum reform.

Finding passion and purpose in the teaching of reading in secondary school English through critical readings of practice: A huge kind of spider web

We argue in this paper that the experience of reading is an intricate and dynamic weaving of connections much like the tentative construction of a spider’s web. We also use the metaphor of the web to examine a professional learning experience for Australian secondary school English teachers who over the course of a year, and by working in Communities of Practice, find and renew passion and purpose in their teaching of reading. The professional learning project, beginning in 2015, is conducted in Victorian schools under the auspices of the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE) and is funded for six years by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. In five years it has involved 36 schools. In this paper we focus on the experiences of teachers involved in the first three years of the project. The project begins by drawing attention, through an examination of literature, to disturbing levels of disengagement with reading at school and to a culture of pedagogy in English that has shifted over recent times toward transactional teaching and away from a focus on meaning-making. Drawing upon teacher interviews, the paper examines how teachers find passion and purpose in their teaching of reading through an initial focus on student experience revealed in drawings, which they find surprising and moving. In Communities of Practice and with the support of an external Critical Friend, the teachers explore a complex understanding of reading that has imaginative, dialogic, emotional, critical, metacognitive and embodied dimensions and design and trial reading activities with the aim of deepening students’ reading experiences. Through a focus on what teachers say, the paper explores what is learned through this experience and examines some of the challenges associated with sustaining change in schools.

The role of trade union provision for critical professional learning in supporting member teachers’ social justice leadership practice

ABSTRACT This study examines the role of critical professional learning in leading socially just schools. The study investigated the experiences of teachers who are the members of Egitim-Sen, an active teacher union in Turkey. The article first focuses on the relationship between professional development and teacher unions followed by the definition of the roles of teachers as social justice leaders in constructing socially just schools. Then, it presents findings from a qualitative study of 12 Egitim-Sen member teachers with different experiences. The data were analysed using the phenomenological research design and presented under the themes of ‘critical professional learning experiences’, ‘injustice in schools’, and ‘union member teachers as social justice leaders’. The findings indicate that the union member teachers take part in union training in various forms and that these experiences contribute to raising teachers’ awareness of injustices in their schools with their critical professional learning experiences. Union member teachers play active roles in constructing socially just schools both individually and as organised union members.

Professional Learning Engagement of Secondary School Science Teachers Direction Toward Enhancement of Teaching Competencies

Professional learning is now recognized as a vital component of policies and most influential factor of teaching quality. Science teachers sustained professional learning experience to develop their professional knowledge and practice in order to progress the quality of teaching and their standards. To identify the influence of effective professional learning of secondary school science teachers, this study explored the connection between teachers’ exposure to different kinds of professional learning engagement and teaching competencies that have recognized that the quality of teaching was greatly influenced by the quality of training. Descriptive-correlational method of research was utilized and multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the influence of professional learning engagement related variables on the teaching competencies. For the purpose of data collection, a survey questionnaire was administered to the 89 Secondary School Science teachers from the Cluster III of the Division of Quezon, Philippines which comprises of four (4) municipal districts namely: Lucban District, Mauban District, Pagbilao District and Sampaloc District. Furthermore, the results revealed that the singly or in combination of professional learning engagement related variables including the types of professional learning and their level of acquisition have significantly predicted on teaching competencies.

Unpacking the Code: Exploring Teachers’ Professional Development in Reading

Teaching reading requires considerable knowledge and skill acquired over several years, and while communities and families contribute to students’ reading success, teachers are the most influential forces for delivering high-quality reading programs. Professional development opportunities in reading enable teachers to augment their current curriculum content and pedagogical knowledge and can have a powerful effect on their practice and, ultimately, on student learning. We conducted a qualitative study exploring teachers’ perceptions of reading development and instruction with nine elementary educators enrolled in a targeted professional development course. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted: once prior to the start of the professional development course and once following the professional development course. An inductive approach to analysis resulted in four main themes: seeking out new knowledge, evolving definitions of reading, transformative learning moments, and increases in self-efficacy for teaching reading. This study illustrates the transformative power a targeted professional development course can have on teachers’ perceptions of reading. Professional development in reading that is relevant and properly resourced can significantly impact teachers’ perceptions of their practice, their self-efficacy for teaching reading and, ultimately, have a positive effect on their students’ growth in reading development. Additionally, understanding teachers’ perceptions of their professional development in reading can contribute to the development and refinement of professional learning experiences.

Voices on Data Literacy and Initial Teacher Education: Pre-service teachers’ reflections and recommendations

The purpose of study was gain insight into pre-service teachers’ experiences in using classroom data to make learning and teaching decisions. The qualitative study is based on the reflections and recommendations of three pre-service teachers’ that participated in a data-driven decision-making intervention whilst on an immersive 10-week professional learning experience. This study is underpinned by an action research framework. There are many understandings of action research, here the approach is understood to be a systematic investigation into one’s own practice with the aim of improving teaching and learning. From the thematic analysis of the reflections, several recommendations were put forward by the pre-service teachers. They advocated for dedicated time to develop data collection, analysis, and visualisation skills and that these skills should be embedded in their degrees. Their reflections articulate the need to have a strong set of data related skills and competencies in order to be able to engage with professional practice.

The Digital Teacher: Promises and Challenges

Students read their texts as e-books on computers, tablets, and even cell phones, and communicate about assignments at a distance electronically. Digital tools help teachers manage their classrooms, communicate with students and parents, enhance learning with videos, simulations, and other multimedia accouterments, and assess student learning. However, despite the vast array of digital resources available, instructional designers are not realizing the full potential of these tools in curriculum, assessment, and teacher professional development materials. In recent years, the availability of online professional development has surged, providing teachers with easy access to high quality professional learning experiences. Much of these online materials are organized as interactive courses with a learning or content management environment presented in a more didactic approach of information transfer and tutorials (Fishman, 2016).

Application of creative learning principles within blended teacher professional development on integration of computer programming education into elementary and middle school classrooms

Purpose While it is particularly important that professional programs help teachers become members of a community of practice, especially in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lack of research about strategies to effectively encourage the development of a community of practice and to support teachers’ transformation of their way of teaching. Thus, this paper aims to report on lessons learned from a blended professional development (PD) program for elementary and middle school teachers in Japan focused on computer programming education. In particular, the authors explored how application of the creative learning principles in the blended teacher PD may have helped to nurture a community of practice among teachers in Japan, and how the creative learning principles may be a valuable framework for designing online or blended teacher PD to support teachers’ transition into emergency remote education. Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on the lessons learned from two iterations of blended teacher PD situated within a larger design-based research project on applying creative learning pedagogy in teacher PD. Creative learning is a learning approach focused on engagement in personally meaningful projects by tinkering with materials and learning from peers. A total of 26 teachers and coaches participated, all of whom work in elementary or middle schools across Nagano prefecture in Japan. Participant experiences were evaluated based on a pre-survey and a post-survey conducted before and after the in-person kick-off camp; observation notes taken; a final report submitted by each teacher; a debrief meeting at the end of the program; and semi-structured interviews with three selected participants after the program concluded. For this paper, the authors focus on two participants who fully and actively engaged in the program, and they introduce their stories to highlight the outcomes from the PD. Findings The results highlight how a blended PD designed to support creative learning of teachers provided teachers with opportunities to gain help from other teachers and cultivate their expertise. The results also illustrated that how a community of practice emerged from the PD program, providing teachers with moral support when they tried new lesson designs. This paper offers several recommendations for designing professional learning experiences for instructional designers and professional developers that incorporate remote learning technologies. Originality/value While an increased number of studies have shown the values of online and blended communities of practice for teacher PD, there are still limited insights on different strategies to support teachers in transforming their teaching practices. They generally do not provide teachers with opportunities to continue learning with and from one another beyond the program itself. This study examined the teachers’ experiences in a unique PD that implemented a creative learning approach into a blended learning environment for teachers.

A systematic review of out-of-school learning experience of sports professionals

A systematic review of out-of-school learning experience of sports professionals

Examining preservice teachers’ professional learning experience during the international teaching practicums: insights from complexity theory and boundary-crossing construct

ABSTRACT This paper examines a cohort of Chinese preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) (n = 13) international teaching practicums (ITPs) experiences in Canada from the perspectives of complexity theory and boundary-crossing. Through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, we positioned PSTs’ ITPs within multiple layers, including biographies, the Chinese and Canadian teacher education programmes, the Canadian university setting, K-12 schools, and the different socio-cultural milieus. Through the lens of boundary-crossing, we categorised PSTs’ ITPs into four categories: identification, coordination, reflection, and transformation. This article enriches our sophisticated understanding of the non-linear and multi-level nature of the PSTs’ professional learning during the ITPs.

‘Finding the image’: using photos to give voice to teacher educator professional learning

ABSTRACT Our purpose was to explore the role of photocue reflection in the professional learning of physical education teacher educators. Five physical education teacher educators participated in a six-month professional learning experience focused on communication. Individual diaries including both photos and writing prompts, photocue reflective diaries, were used as both a learning tool and data source within a self-study of teacher education practices methodological frame. Two themes represented the use of photocue reflection: the multidimensional nature of the professional development experience and the use of photocue reflection to enhance reflective processes by supporting reflection on reflection-in-action. Photocue reflection supported identification and analysis of meaningful events related to communication. The processes helped participants to appreciate the significance of communication, clarifying understandings, and making connections to their teacher education practices. Insight is shared on the merits of photocue reflection in scaffolding professional learning experiences and in combining both a learner and teacher role within professional development activities.

The promise, rise and fall of the Florida Teacher Leader Fellowship Programme

ABSTRACTThis paper explores a teacher leadership development programme initiated by a university-based educational innovation centre that convened 40 teacher leaders from 22 different school districts across Florida for an 18-month voluntary professional learning experience. Underpinning this initiative was a theory of teacher leadership development aimed at developing a culture of professional learning at individual teacher, school and district level. It was designed to challenge, at both school and district level, a perceived ambivalence among senior leadership to teacher led-initiatives aimed at enhancing the professional knowledge and skill of their colleagues. Findings indicate that participation in a university-sponsored programme, as well as developing collaboration among teachers, served to promote a commitment to teacher-led leadership. Further, the researchers identified specific strategies which would encourage Fellows to explore new areas of learning. This also entailed confronting obstacles and disincentives employed by teaching colleagues and senior leaders at both school and district level. This article explores not only the conditions and practices that shaped the programme but also the larger contextual factors that determine when, how, and if teacher leaders are able to exercise leadership.

Using teacher collective efficacy as a conceptual framework for teacher professional learning – A case study

There has been an evolution in the teacher professional learning literature on what constitutes effective process. This evolution has seen a shift from a focus on the design elements to the theory of action that integrates and drives these disparate elements to create effective professional learning. This study argues that a focus on a theory of action can be enhanced when the construct of teacher collective efficacy is considered in relation to teacher professional learning. This study examined how participation in a collaborative professional learning model for primary science impacted on the teachers’ sense of their collective efficacy in a specific context in Australia. Data from interviews, professional learning sessions, written reflections and classroom observations of a group of 12 primary teachers were analysed using the construct of teacher collective efficacy. The evidence from this case study suggests that teacher collective efficacy employed as a conceptual framework may be a useful design heuristic that might enhance the quality of a teacher’s professional learning experience.

“The Goals Remain Elusive”: Using Drawings to Examine Shifts in Teachers’ Mental Models Before and After an NGSS Professional Learning Experience

ABSTRACT Teachers’ ability to effectively enact the ambitious vision of the NGSS depends on their understanding of the conceptual and instructional shifts required, and their interpretation of how to implement these shifts in their classrooms. Thus, understanding teachers’ practical knowledge regarding the shifts is an important step in supporting them to effectively implement the NGSS vision. This study used a mental models framework and teacher drawings to examine the practical knowledge of 22 in-service secondary science teachers before and after professional development that was designed to support them to understand and make incremental instructional shifts aligned with the NGSS. Findings indicate that teachers’ mental models shifted in two promising ways. First, teachers recognized that their roles and their students’ roles would need to change, and second, the doing of science looks and sounds different than what was traditionally done in their classrooms. However, findings also suggest that teachers struggled to reconcile new ideas from the PD with their previous mental models of their classroom practice. These findings are significant because they indicate, teachers may have more fully-formed mental models for what science teaching and learning looks and sounds like when it is focused on what most would traditionally think of as classroom science doing (e.g., “doing labs”), or when it includes traditional knowledge dissemination structures (e.g., lectures). This has important implications for science teacher educators and researchers, which will be discussed.

Video Complexity: Describing Videos Used for Teacher Learning

Video is a common tool to support teacher learning, as it provides opportunity for reflection on teaching practices. Video clubs are one professional learning experience that integrates video, providing teachers an opportunity to collaboratively discuss videos from their teaching. However, few research studies have focused on the characteristics of videos used for teacher learning. We engaged teachers in a video club over the course of an academic year and analyzed the relationships between the videos teachers discussed and the complexity of the videos. Findings indicate teachers were less likely to select videos with higher complexity for discussion; however, they commonly discussed videos that included multiple participation structures for students. Teachers also discussed videos that included teacher questioning and scaffolding, student misconceptions, and those in which student thinking initially seemed inflexible. We provide the Video Complexity Framework for teacher educators and researchers to use to describe the complexity of the videos in teacher education.

Professional development for teachers meeting cross-cultural challenges

Purpose When providing professional development for teachers, certain factors should be considered and included to ensure it is effective and enhances teacher practice and outcomes for children in their classes. While this is achieved in many curriculum areas, there has been little written about effective professional development for teachers in relation to Aboriginal education in Australia, enhancing teacher confidence in meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This paper aims to describe a study concerned with the ongoing development of a professional learning framework empowering primary school teachers to infuse Aboriginal ways of seeing and being into their classroom practice. Design/methodology/approach Design-based methodology, using semi-structured interviews with teachers, allowed for iterative amendment and improvement of the professional learning experiences. A description is provided linking the elements of successful professional development for teachers to the implementation of this study’s professional learning. Findings Key findings are that if the elements noted in the literature pertaining to successful professional learning for teachers are included, change in practice does take place and is sustained, to the benefit of the children they teach. This study demonstrates the vital importance of ongoing collaboration and support for teachers undertaking professional development if they are going to change practice in the longer term. Originality/value The pedagogy described in this paper goes beyond content to an Aboriginal way of teaching children through modelling and how this can be infused into teaching practice.

Beyond the workshop: An interpretive case study of the professional learning of three elementary music teachers

This article outlines the methodology and findings from an interpretive collective case study exploring the professional learning of three elementary music teachers. Participants were purposefully selected based on their differing career stages, background, and teaching situations, and each participant was interviewed five or six times over the course of the 5-month study. Additional data sources included field notes from classroom observations, a variety of artifacts provided by the participants, and responses to Pre-Interview Activity prompts. Through hermeneutic analysis of individual case data related to each participant’s teaching and experience of professional learning, participants were found to have a variety of highly personalized learning processes which they used as mechanisms for their ongoing professional growth. Cross-case analysis revealed three larger themes related to the participants’ professional learning: (1) The quality of the participants’ learning was always instrumental and related to specific personal goals for/issues in practice; (2) meaningful professional learning had a temporal element and was characterized by continuity; and (3) the participants’ professional learning was social in nature.

Teacher agency and professional practice

ABSTRACTDrawing on the capability approach to human development and Bourdieuan reflexive sociology, this paper explores the interplay of teacher agency and professional practice. The paper names five facets of teacher agency. It shows that teachers with a strong sense of agency actively seek learning opportunities—inquisitive agency; think effortfully about their beliefs and practices—deliberative agency; demand to be valued and respected for their professional work—recognitive agency; are committed to addressing educational disadvantages—responsive agency; and act ethically and make morally justifiable decisions—moral agency. Professional learning experiences that problematise practice and context of practice are proposed as an instrument for building teacher agency.

Health Care Professionals' Reflections on Their Learning as Spiritual Generalists and Integration Into Practice.

Meeting spiritual needs of patients is an important aspect of quality health care, but continuing professional development and training to provide spiritual care remains inadequate. The purpose was to identify participants' learning from simulation-based spiritual generalist workshops and application to practice. Interdisciplinary participants completed self-report demographic questionnaires before the workshops and questionnaires after workshops that listed open-ended take-home learning. Responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A subgroup was surveyed 3 to 9 months after training to examine whether and how participants had incorporated workshop learning into clinical work. Workshop participants 181/211 (85.8%) reported learning in four categories: core values and skills of spiritual generalists, understanding spirituality/religion and its role in health care, interfacing with chaplaincy, and interprofessional teamwork. Of the subsample, 73.5% (25/34) completed surveys 3 to 9 months after training. Of those, 25/25 (100%) reported drawing on what they learned in workshops, and 24/25 (96%) reported making clinical practice changes. One-day spiritual generalist simulation-based workshops can improve continuing professional development learning experiences to provide generalist level of spiritual care. Workshops offered valuable learning and resulted in applicable clinical skills across professional roles. At 3 to 9 months after training, participants reported improved spiritual screening, recognition of spiritual distress, and referral to chaplaincy.

Chinese student teachers’ teaching practicum experiences: Insights from transformative learning, third space, and dialogical-self theory

This paper uses the theories of transformative learning, third space, and dialogical-self theory to examine the professional learning experiences of Chinese student teachers during their teaching practicums. Drawing upon observations, semi-structured interviews, and reflective journals, the participants’ transformative learning experiences encompass 1) disorienting dilemmas, 2) reflection upon and exploration of assumptions, 3) gaining confidence in new roles, 4) behavioural changes, and 5) the integration of new perspectives. Meanwhile, the participants continually created their multiple I-positions in the teaching practicums, which include: consolidation/confirmation, elaboration/expansiveness, contradiction/disequilibrium, and stability/minor change. The implications for creating viable third spaces, such as hybrid and boundary-crossing zones, in universities and schools are also discussed.