Tool For Professional Learning Research Articles

Scrapbooking as a tool for transdisciplinary professional learning about HIV and AIDS curriculum integration in higher education

We worked together as a group of four researchers at two different institutions to explore scrapbooking as a tool for professional learning about HIV and AIDS curriculum integration in higher education. Through a scrapbooking activity we individually and collectively made visible experiences and understandings of being HIV and AIDS curriculum integrators that are hard to put into words. We used found poetry as a research practice to gain deeper understanding of HIV and AIDS curriculum integration, while also learning more about how visual and literary arts-based methods can enhance individual and collaborative professional learning. Our scrapbook pages and poem offered a multifaceted, nuanced portrayal of curriculum integration as complex, challenging and rewarding. Through collaborative interactions and sharing of our personal images of HIV and AIDS curriculum integration we were able to extend our professional learning in a supportive and creative manner, which fuelled optimism and agency.

Guided portfolio writing as a scaffold for reflective learning in in-service contexts: a case study

Language is widely recognized as an inescapable mediating tool for professional learning, and with this text we want to contribute to a better understanding of the particular role that guided writing can play in in-service professional reflective learning. We analysed one pre-school teacher’s written portfolio, the construction of which was guided to scaffold deep thinking about (and the transference of theory into) practice during participation in an in-service program about language education. Our case study shows that the writing process sustained robust learning about professional knowing, doing and learning itself: The teacher elaborated an integrative ethical understanding of the discussed theory, fully experienced newly informed practices and assessed her own learning by using theory to confront her previous knowledge and practices. Throughout the portfolio, the learning stance revealed by her voice varied accordingly. The study illustrates the potential of guided writing to scaffold reflective learning in in-service contexts.

An authentic assessment at the graduate level: a reflective Capstone Experience

It is often challenging for teacher educators to design an authentic Capstone Experience at the graduate level that aligns with what research tells us about the value of authentic assessment and the power of reflection in student’s learning and professional growth. This article introduces an innovative form of assessment for graduate students that is comprehensive, constructive and deeply reflective. Throughout their final semester, students were invited to synthesize and critically and thoughtfully reflect on their learning, to engage in self-assessment, and to take an active role in the conceptualization and design of their Capstone presentations. This product was used as both a personal and professional learning tool, as well as a means of program assessment for faculty. The authors have included a thorough description of the Capstone Experience including: the rationale, framework, expectations for students, components of the final product and presentation guidelines.

Another Tool in the Belt: Self-Directed Professional Learning for Teachers of Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities

Chronic shortages, high attrition rates, the unique demands of the job, and geographic isolation from colleagues have been identified as unique challenges within the profession for teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities. Many different forms of professional development exist for educators; however, these experiences do not always adequately meet the specific needs of individual teachers. This article presents an additional tool for professional learning utilizing a framework for selecting, monitoring and assessing progress toward self-identified areas of professional growth. The proposed model considers teacher development in three dimensions including school-based, community-based, and universal growth.

Using video to promote early childhood teachers' thinking and reflection

This article examines findings from a qualitative study employing group stimulated-recall interviews using video-recordings of early childhood teachers to elicit their thinking and reflections about their teaching interactions. It focuses on the value of video to enable teachers to reflect on their practices and the extent to which collectively viewing recorded episodes allows negotiated understandings of their own and other teachers' practices. Whilst these findings suggest that video and collective dialogue are useful professional learning tools for teachers to examine and improve their teaching, structural and relational challenges exist that may impact on how effectively such tools are used.

Just the Facts: PLNS

What is the most common misconception about PLNs? Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because you're following a lot of people on Twitter or Pinterest or making professional connections through Facebook or LinkedIn that you're engaged in a worthwhile professional development experience. It's tempting and easy to allow online spaces and social networks to become one big link-sharing party. But the real power of the social web is revealed when you have a plan and a purpose for how you'll build your network, reap its benefits, and then apply the knowledge you gain. How can you incorporate PLNs into your professional practice? What do you want to accomplish or learn from your PLN? How do you attract the right people and organize the relevant content? Creating a productive PLN takes time, effort, and perseverance. Begin with a few tools and platforms, and add others as you feel comfortable. A number of basic web tools can help: blogging services, RSS aggregators such as Google Reader and Bloglines, Google docs, Dropbox, and archiving and notetaking software like Evernote. Social media tools are also important. Twitter and Twitter-management programs such as TweetDeck and Hoot-Suite, social bookmarks like Delicious and Diigo, image-sharing sites such as Flickr and Pinterest, and services like Ning.com allow you to participate in (or even create) special interest social media groups. Here are some key tips to get started: 1. Establish one consistent username across all networks to build and manage your online reputation and identity. 2. Find a mentor, if possible, to help you on your way. 3. When you find people online you respect, look at who they follow, and select your first connections from their list. You may want to begin your network by considering well-respected bloggers with whom you're familiar. Often, bloggers include links to their social media accounts. Review who is in their networks and whom they read and follow. Avoid creating a PLN that's just like you. As you build your network through blogs or Twitter, include people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The dissonance will extend your learning. What should you watch for next? The interest among educators in Twitter's usefulness as a professional learning tool is exploding. One major reason: hashtags. A hashtag (#) is different from a Twitter account/address (@). If you follow @edweek, you'll see education news alerts tweeted by the account holder (in this case, the Education Week staff ). …

Evaluating Portfolio Use as a Learning Tool for Professionals

Portfolio use has become lauded as an alternative assessment tool. In this paper, the developmental use of portfolios is advocated, stressing a self‐regulative and reflective deployment of the portfolio. Two studies, portfolio construction and compilation by principals and managers, as different types of users, in the context of a training course to monitor changes in the conceptions and evaluation using of portfolios as a tool for providing functional feedback. Both studies showed a marked similarity in their findings, concluding that high quality portfolios can only be expected after sustained use. The portfolio use made an immediate impact on the participants’ views on assessment. However, it was difficult to promote reflection; the essential skills in this respect need to be developed further. It is concluded that, despite their time‐consuming nature, portfolios can be regarded as instruments that provide relevant feedback for learning.