Source Of Professional Development Research Articles

Studying teacher professional development: how a Chinese kindergarten teacher brings play practices into the program

ABSTRACT Research has suggested that system-wide professional development needs to embrace ongoing and sustainable processes such as critical reflection, being within a community of practice and the co-creation of new practices within and across early childhood systems. However, there is little research on how professional development can be designed in a personally meaningful way to support sustained learning. The research reported here is part of a wider study on the professional development of early childhood teachers. Video observations of one teacher’s interactions with children and interviews with that teacher are analysed to investigate how Chinese early childhood teachers’ professional development may be meaningfully designed through an Educational Experiment (EE). A Conceptual PlayWorld model as the intervention for the educational experiment was used to create new conditions. The theoretical problem for teachers and researchers was how to bring new play practices into kindergarten programs. We argue that the educational experiment creates a new kind of social situation for teachers, amplifies reflective practice and in so doing, acts as an important source of professional development for sustained practice change.

Massive Open Online Courses: A Source of Effective Professional Development for In-service Teachers

The ever-changing needs of society justify the necessity for teachers to engage in continuous learning. Teachers are encouraged to participate in professional development activities that will help them develop the knowledge and skills that are required to meet the needs of a 21st century society. It is recognised that access to professional development has increased since Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) became an option for in-service teachers who traditionally found it difficult to access certain professional development activities because of distance and lack of convenience.A survey was administered to 72 respondents to capture the experiences of in-service teachers from the Caribbean, who participated in a MOOC offered by the Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN). The survey explored the MOOC participants’ perception of the MOOC as a source of professional development, as well as the extent to which they applied the content learnt in the ITEN MOOC. The findings of this research show that 95% of the participants perceived the ITEN MOOC to be an effective source of professional development and were able to apply the content to their professional context. The findings further suggest that MOOCs across the globe provide an opportunity for in-service teachers to forge partnerships and establish learning communities that will improve their professional knowledge and skills.

Initial English language teacher education: the effects of a module on teacher research

ABSTRACT Framed in action research, the authors investigated the perceptions and experiences of a cohort of student-teachers as they learned about and explored for the first time teacher research in a self-contained module as part of a four-year pre-service or initial English language teacher education (IELTE) programme in southern Argentina. The module, ‘Research in English Language Teaching’, ran from March–November 2018. It was led by a teacher educator based in Argentina and a UK-based colleague who acted as an external academic advisor. Drawing on qualitative research, data collection strategies included: the tutor’s journal; student-teachers’ journals; assignments; research proposals; report drafts; presentations; group discussions; interactions between the tutors; and end-of-course interviews. The findings show that the module had a positive effect on student-teachers’ identity, their English language proficiency, and the role of reflection in feedback processes. The student-teachers appreciated teacher research as reflective practice and as a source of professional development.

The formation of professional identity and motivation to engage in telecollaboration in foreign language education

The following article examines the potential of cross-cultural telecollaboration between (student) teachers of foreign languages to contribute to the development of their professional identity. The reported study explores the connection between (student) teachers’ conceptualisations of their professional identity and their intrinsic motivation to engage in virtual cooperation with their peers from other countries. The investigation also attempts to assess the potential advantages and challenges for the development of professional identity that (student) teachers associate with telecollaborative efforts in foreign language teacher education. The reported data were collected among 134 student teachers from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany via pen-and-paper questionnaires including closed-ended items and semantic differential scales. The results indicate a moderate degree of intrinsic motivation to engage in cross-cultural virtual communication with peers, with minor discrepancies between participant groups on various subscales of the construct. Furthermore, the study shows partial correlations between self-reported levels of intrinsic motivation and various professional identity markers that student teachers report, as well as differing degrees of value assigned to cultural and linguistic diversity as a source of professional development. The paper discusses implications of these results for foreign language teacher education policy.

Collaboration Between Scientists and Teachers Using Twitter

When considering how you learned science when you were in school, do you remember participating in authentic science or do you recall memorizing facts? Unfortunately, most of us may say the latter; however, there are changes currently occurring in science education that strive to reconstruct this trajectory. Science education reform has emphasized the partnership between teachers and scientists (Kim & Herbert, 2011) in order to increase authentic scientific inquiry in the classroom. Authentic science has been shown to positively influence students’ science identity, allow students to develop critical science skills, and increase student motivation (Chapman & Feldman, 2017; Hellgren, 2017; Tarjan, de Nesnera, & Hoffman, 2015). Therefore, the partnership between scientists and teachers to generate authentic science in the classroom has become increasingly crucial. One way to assist teachers to partner with scientists is through social media platforms such as Twitter. Educators have shown increasing interest in using Twitter as a source of professional development and collaboration with others (Xing & Gao, 2018). Considering this, collaboration on Twitter can also play a role in the social capital of teachers. Social capital can be defined as the “relational resources embedded in the cross-cutting personal ties that are useful for the development of individuals in community social organizations” (Tsai & Ghoshal, 1998, p. 404). However, there has been a lack of research that examines the impact of Twitter on teachers’ social capital (Rhem & Notten, 2016).

The feasibility of innovation and entrepreneurial education in middle schools

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct a means of assessing the feasibility of implementing innovation and entrepreneurial education (IEE) in schools. The study focuses on teaching IEE in middle school (Grades 5–7).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from six middle school teachers in three Icelandic compulsory schools through on-site observations and semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals. Data including documentary evidence were subjected to the method of constant comparison. A model of nested systems provided concepts to create categories for a general rubric of feasible IEE development, the Social ecology rubrics for innovation and entrepreneurship in schools (SERIES).FindingsProfiles of the six IEE teachers emerged during data collection. Teachers found some IEE methods challenging, especially “standing back” allowing students freedom and agency. Implementation was fragile when IEE developed without support from neighboring systems. In all three schools the weakest connections were with the exosystem (general views in society).Practical implicationsThe range of knowledge, skills and competences that emerged in the data could be discussed with teachers as a source of professional development. The application of the SERIES approach can benefit policy, research and practice and developing similar rubrics can provide a valuable assessment approach in other curriculum areas.Originality/valueAn advantage of the rubric is that it is descriptive rather than prescriptive, giving schools an opportunity to develop their own standards. Any professional group can produce their own profile, with categories of levels and systems that reflect their own practice and development.

PE Central: A Possible Online Professional Development Tool

Traditional models of professional development (PD) are typically described in terms such as the following: development shall be comprised of professional learning opportunities aligned with student learning and educator development needs and school, school district, and or state improvement (New Jersey Department of Education, 2014, New Definition, see table, row 1, column 2). Sanctioned PD, then is the formal provision of time and resources allocated by the sanctioning body (i.e., school, district, or state) to provide training that the body deems sufficient to meet its criteria and goals to gatherings of educators. Traditionally, these once or twice yearly trainings have involved educators across all disciplines. Recent approaches such as professional learning communities (most often small groups of discipline-specific teachers) that are organized to address local needs and devise, implement, and assess solutions (O'Sullivan, 2007) are also gaining popularity. Nonsanctioned or informal sources of PD include popular online affordances of discipline-specific websites such as PHE America (formerly pelinks4u), PHYSEDagogy, and SHAPE America's Exchange and Teacher's Toolbox. These resources provide ideas about lesson plans and assessment, among other resources, to interested teachers at their convenience via their computers. The focus of this study is whether one particular online resource website, PE Central, is providing more than just resource files to interested teachers. In other words, does it rise to the level of providing teachers with sanctioned PE-specific training that leads to positive changes in learner outcomes and accomplishes school, district, and state goals? Indeed, the existence of PE Central and other such online resource sites is a direct result of PE-specific PD needs having been overlooked. Inspired solely by the notable popularity of this site, we conceived and conducted this study independent of any incentives provided by PE Central.Unfortunately, the unique content and pedagogical needs of physical educators are often overlooked in traditional PD activities offered in school- or district-based teacher in-service trainings that are primarily designed for classroom teachers (Armour & Yelling, 2004). Thus, Bechtel and O'Sullivan (2006) understandably called for more physical education (PE)-specific PD for public school PE teachers. The intent of such PE-specific PD is to promote positive, ongoing teacher change by PE teachers setting personal goals to implement information from training sessions and improve their professional practice (Bechtel & O'Sullivan, 2006). However, the shift from PD to positive teacher change, even for classroom teachers, is not ensured. Rather, positive teacher change is often a voluntary and disjointed process in which teachers can ignore or adopt training as they see fit (Bechtel & O'Sullivan, 2006). Further, we argue that positive teacher change, although laudable, is a necessary but insufficient indicator of the efficacy of PD activities (sanctioned or otherwise). Unless PD also results in positive changes in student learning, achievement, and attitudes, then clearly it falls short in its ultimate purpose. In an attempt to understand these relationships better, Guskey (1986, 2002) proposed that a successful transference is a process that follows a predictable ordering that links (a) PD in-service training to (b) positive teacher change and subsequently to (c) improvements in learner outcomes.Linking Professional Development to Teacher Change and Learner ImprovementsGuskey (1986, 2002) described a four-stage model of teacherchange processes (see Figure 1), positing that ideas from PD (Stage 1) must first be implemented on a provisional basis (Stage 2) so that their value can be evidenced by increased student engagement and achievement (Stage 3), leading ultimately to permanent change in teacher attitudes, beliefs, and practices (Stage 4). …

Academic departments as networks of informal learning: faculty development at liberal arts colleges

In this article, we consider the role of departmental contexts and relationships in faculty work within liberal arts colleges. Knowledge about how departmental networks relate to success and satisfaction may inform the work of those who support faculty work in liberal arts colleges, as well as other institution types. Analysis of quantitative and qualitative survey data from faculty members at 13 liberal arts colleges in the US suggests that informal departmental relationships influence faculty experiences. Findings suggest that departmental leaders and colleagues are sources of professional development and support, but that counter-productive behaviours interfere with such support and foster negative workplace cultures.

Professional identity of civil servants as a scientific problem

The article examines the concept of «professional identity» and its importance for the analysis of the professionalization of the civil servants. The basic concepts such as “profession”, “professionalism” (“professional development”), “professional competence”, and their relationship are concerned. Relevance of the research is due to the fact that professional identity acts as an internal source of professional development and personal growth of any business entity, and the question of the development of professional identity is included into the total range of problems of any professional. Stages of professional identity are grounded. The paper concludes that professional identity is an integration concept, which expresses the relationship of personal characteristics that provide guidance in the world of professions and allows a person more fully realize his personal potential careers, as well as to predict the consequences of professional choice. Professional identity performs of transforming and stabilizing functions. Therefore professional identity serves like a kind of regulator for a profession.

Motivation for and Benefits from Attending the AP Statistics Reading

This study explores the Advanced Placement ® Statistics reading as a source of professional development for teachers. The study was conducted to capture the motivation for and benefits from attending the collective grading. Research has shown that examining student work during professional development has implications for teaching. The premise of this study is that Advanced Placement readings are a context for examining the impact of collective grading of student work. The purpose of the study was to examine the motivation of and benefits for AP Statistics reading participants. The results suggest that analysis of student work may be a method to address teachers' preparation to teach statistics at the level expected by recent reform movements in the field of statistics education.

Laptops for teachers: practices and possibilities

The Laptops for Teachers scheme in New Zealand provides teachers whose schools opt into the scheme access to a laptop for their exclusive use. This paper reports on the findings of the three‐year evaluation of the impact of the laptops on secondary teachers’ work. The findings indicate that school leadership has been pivotal to the provision of the technological infrastructure and organisational support needed for teacher use of the laptops. Departmental leadership has been crucial in supporting teacher use of laptops for teaching and learning. Teachers described gains in expertise, indicating that they used the laptop for a range of purposes to support their teaching. These included lesson planning and preparation, and reporting. Where teachers had easy access to a laptop‐plus‐data projector they found that students responded to material that included images and up‐to‐date real‐world examples. Colleagues were identified as the main source of professional development for the use of the laptop for teaching purposes. The findings of the study suggest schools are advised to consider how to support teachers to work collaboratively to share expertise as a way of supporting and extending teacher use of laptops.

What do LIS faculty need for professional development?

Although there are some reports of research and activities related to professional development and continuing education for faculty in other fields, no such study has been conducted in the information field. Therefore a survey was conducted in the spring of 2010, for the purposes of (1) determining the professional development needs of faculty in schools of library and information studies in the U.S. and Canada, (2) determining whether support mechanisms and activities to meet these needs are available in the schools or the universities that employ these faculty, and (3) identifying other sources of professional development on which faculty rely. Data were obtained via an anonymous online survey of the full-time faculty members in the schools. Among the findings were that professional development needs and preferences are significantly different for faculty in traditional library schools compared to those faculty whose schools are members of the iSchool Caucus. In general, opportunities for development and training are much more prevalent at the university level than at the school level. Results of this study will inform enhancement of professional development activities by the schools, the host universities, and professional associations.

Understanding the Change Process: Valuing What it is That Coaches Do

INTRODUCTION Tania Cassidy’s article illustrates the difficulties that coaches may experience in reflecting in order to change their coaching practice. It also provides thought-provoking theoretical and methodological implications for how researchers and drivers of change, such as governing bodies, attempt to understand and advise changes in social endeavours, such as coaching behaviour. Cassidy accomplishes this through using Giddens’ Structuration theory [1] to help explain why messages of change are not received and enacted and why it is problematical to try to change taken-for-granted practices that exist in sports coaching communities. A strength of Cassidy’s article is how she describes the limited use of rational arguments when attempting to change coaching practice through reflection. The coaching research literature is very much dominated by rational thinking and often paints a very simplistic picture of the coaching process. Yet, Cassidy correctly reminds us that such arguments only go so far if they fail to acknowledge how coaches arrived at their decisions and thus subsequent actions. Coaches are being expected to take up, understand and utilise an increasingly complex, variety of knowledges [2]. Yet, despite the growth in the number of coach education programmes, coaches still cite coaching experience as the greatest source of professional development [3]. Nevertheless, it is widely acknowledged that experience is not solely sufficient for learning [4]. Instead, reflection is vital to experiential learning [5]. Rational arguments as how to change coaching practice through reflection conceive this process as straightforward. However, Cassidy argues that such arguments do not consider or do not give full value to the everyday practices in which coaches engage. This is her rationale for using Giddens’ Structuration theory [1], for the explanatory power of practical consciousness. With this in mind, I will begin my commentary with an outline of the limits of rational arguments in explaining the change process. This will be followed by a critique of Cassidy’s use of Giddens’ Structuration theory [1] within a sports coaching context.

Using common formative assessments as a source of professional development in an urban American elementary school

By implementing a system of common formative assessments, the teachers at an American urban elementary school improved student achievement and facilitated their own professional development. By aligning content standards with assessments and purposeful instruction, the teachers at this school developed a depth of knowledge about their content standards, improved their ability to design assessments, learned to better link assessments with instruction, and planned for intervention for students who continued to struggle with reading and writing.

Leadership in technology education

Abstract The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has posed a challenge for curriculum leaders and teachers in all learning areas. These challenges have been particularly acute for technology departments because of the need for teachers from a range of subject areas to develop coherent, school-wide technology programmes that ensure a range of opportunities for student achievement in technology education. This paper is based on research carried out in 2002 and 2003, when NCEA Level 1 was being implemented. It details the importance and impact of curriculum leadership using case studies of three technology departments, as described by teachers and the leaders themselves. The findings indicate that curriculum leadership affects teacher confidence and the way technology is taught and assessed within a school. A framework that has the potential to support student achievement in technology education is suggested for leaders to consider. Introduction Leadership within a school is a key influence on teacher response to educational change (Fullan, 2002). Leadership is about providing both the direction and the means to accomplish change, and often involves taking people outside their comfort zone (McGee, 1997). Leadership for change can be provided by the principal and others in senior management, by heads of department, and by classroom teachers (McGee,1997), although principal support for change is an important contributor to teacher commitment to implementation (Fullan, 1991). In secondary schools, heads of departments, as curriculum leaders, play a key role in leading change relating to teaching and learning (McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001). Research suggests that there is some variation between schools in teaching and assessing the curriculum, particularly between different subject areas, with some of these variations involving the differential leadership of department leaders (Busher & Harris, 2000). Subject teachers tend to recognise the department rather than the school as the central and immediate unit of organisation (Busher & Harris, 1999). Heads of department are responsible for the operational work of the teachers in their curriculum area. They have discretion over decisions regarding curriculum delivery affecting teaching and learning in the classroom, including what teaching materials are used and how students are assessed (Brundrett & Turrell, 2004). These heads of department are often the most accessible and immediate source of professional development for teachers within a curriculum area. As leaders they need to be able to: * work with department members, both as individuals and as a group, to develop a shared vision * foster knowledge creation as well as knowledge sharing * monitor and manage ongoing change (Fullan, 2002). Leadership for this purpose becomes more crucial at times of change. Teachers need knowledge, support, and time to make sense of and grapple with the practical implications of curriculum change (Fernandez & Ritchie, 2003; Spillane, 1999). Curriculum leadership within a department also involves tasks such as communicating between senior management and staff in the department (Busher & Harris, 1999). The time and resource support teachers need in times of change often have financial and organisational implications that can only be addressed through the support of senior management. Edwards (2002) sums up the diversity of leadership roles within a department in four tasks: managing the business; working with people; guiding the curriculum; and leading towards the future. Each of these is salient when considering the role of a head of department at a time of curriculum or assessment change. Leadership for student achievement in NCEA technology The NCEA, introduced from 2001, aims to focus on raising the achievement of all students by providing wider opportunities for students to accumulate credits from both achievement standards and unit standards, where both academic and vocational learning are acknowledged (Black, 2003). …

‘It's almost like a secondment’: parenting as professional development for teachers

There are many sources of professional development. This article considers the experience of parenting as a source of personal and professional development in Scotland. Nias (1989), in her work on teacher identity, stresses the importance of the personal dimension in effective teaching. Becoming a parent has been identified as a significant transition in adult life. Such a major influence on personal development seems likely to impinge on how teachers play their professional roles. Some of this influence would be expected to relate to the effect of having increased family and domestic commitments, which compete with limited time. Sikes (1997) explores the impact of parenthood on teachers' definitions of their job. In contrast to the emphasis on problems associated with being a parent teacher, Sikes identified a productive link between parenting and teaching, with parent teachers reporting increased tolerance and understanding. This article reinforces and clarifies this link: identifying the impact of parenting on teachers' reported capacity to understand pupils' and parents' points of view, on teacher behaviour in reporting with parents and on school policy and practice in relation to home-school partnerships and communication and homework policy.

Engaging the right mindset in qualitative marketing research

Addresses the need in qualitative market research to consider how best to sample and recruit the right mindsets (respondents) and, if appropriate, prime these for subsequent interviews to maximise insight. Discusses models that might direct recruitment and some of the myths of good recruitment practice and argues for a more eclectic use of different approaches depending on the nature of the research problem. Provides examples of how pre‐tasking can benefit the qualitative research interview and argues the case for post‐tasking to maximise insight as well as provide a greater degree of confidence in the findings and as a source of professional development.

Developing Professionally

Teaching is a challenging job and teachers need to perform well in order to deliver their lessons effectively. One major prerequisite for effective performance is the need for teachers to engage in continuous professional development (CPD). Professional development (PD) includes a cluster of activities related to the enhancement of career growth and refinement of the skills of the practitioner. It may range from activities like attending pre-service and in-service training, participating in conferences, seminars, workshops, joining teacher associations, reading books and articles etc. This article briefly highlights the key ingredients of professional development, outlines the sources of PD and argues that professional development is essential for promoting individual and professional growth. Keywords: Professional Development (PD), Continuous Professional Development (CPD), Teacher Development (TD), knowledge base, ELT professional, facets of Continuous Professional Development.DOI: 10.3329/dujl.v1i2.3723 The Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics: Vol. 1 No .2 August, 2008 Page: 169-180