Teacher Collaboration Research Articles

Effects of Teacher Collaboration on Teaching Practices in China and England: A Structural Equation Model With TALIS 2018 Data

Teacher collaboration has gradually become a common idea in the reform of teacher education all over the world. However, up to now, the current situation of teacher collaboration is still isolated and conservative to a certain extent. How to avoid being mere formality and promote the development of teachers’ cooperative practice effectively has become an urgent problem for educational researchers and practitioners. Based on the data of TALIS 2018, this study focuses on the impact of teacher cooperation on teaching practice in China and the United Kingdom, with teacher self-efficacy playing the mediating role. Above all, SPSS 23.0 was used for data preparation, descriptive statistics, and Pearson product difference correlation analysis. Then, maximum likelihood estimation and robust standard deviation (MLD) were applied to estimate confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model through Mplus 7.4. In addition, bootstrap self-help sampling method was adopted to test the mediating effect. About the direct effects of teacher collaboration on teaching practices, the results indicated that exchange and co-ordination was positively related to clarity of instruction in both China and England while professional collaboration was not significantly related to clarity of instruction in the two countries. In terms of the mediating role of self-efficacy between teacher collaboration and teaching practices, the study revealed the indirect effects of professional collaboration on three sub-scales of teaching practices exist via teacher self-efficacy in both China and England. Theoretical and managerial implications regarding using teacher self-efficacy as a mediating variable to examine the effect of common collaboration forms on specific teaching practices were discussed. Limitations and further research were also offered.

“Go Where the Big Challenges Are”: Preservice Physical Educators as Change Agents

Purpose: This study explored the tensions around physical and literacy integration initiatives from the view of physical education teacher education candidates. Method: We situated our data collection in qualitative case study methodology, emphasizing data from focus group interviews conducted during the final month of physical education teacher education candidates’ programs. Results: We demonstrated candidates’ recognition of the role of literacy integration within physical education in relation to (a) candidates’ feelings of pride and defensiveness of their field, (b) the importance of teacher collaboration, (c) teachers’ responsibility to support school goals and the students themselves, and (d) the potential of candidates to become change agents and leaders in their future school environments. Discussion/Conclusion: We assert that collaboration is required, and it must transpire within and among multiple educational contexts spaces, including K–12 settings, among teacher education faculty and programs, and across K–12 and higher education divides.

Constructing teacher identity in teacher collaboration: What does it mean to be a teacher of culturally and linguistically diverse English learners?

Research calls for practice-based inquiry where language teachers conduct exploratory action research to transform their pedagogical practices to impact student achievement. This study builds on the research in practitioner inquiry, teacher collaboration, and teacher identity to investigate how a seventh-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher (Heather) constructed her identity as she collaborated with an ESL teacher (Amanda) to plan for and teach ESL students in a collaboratively taught ELA classroom. Our qualitative inquiry included data gathered from two collaborative cycles with three semi-structured interviews, two collaborative planning sessions, fieldnotes of the collaborative teaching sessions, and two reflective journals authored by the ELA teacher. The findings illustrate that Heather constructed her teacher identity as a novice teacher with surface-level understandings of ESL students and a limited knowledge about how to plan for the ESL students in her classroom. Collaboration did not disrupt her deficit student perspectives nor did this partnership pave the way for Heather’s renewed understandings about how to teach ESL students in the ELA classroom. Collaboration, instead, provided Heather access to Amanda, whom Heather positioned as an experienced content teacher who could make the content accessible to ESL students.

교사협력활동과 교수역량의 관계에서 교사효능감의 매개효과분석

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the mediating effect of teacher efficacy in therelationship of collaborative activities and teaching competencies of elementary school teachers. Methods: We analyzed the data of 3,165 Korean elementary school teachers of TALIS (TeachingAnd Learning International Study) 2018. Two mediating models (full mediation and partial mediationmodels) were compared,using Mplus 5.2.In particular, sampling weights of teachers were incorporatedin the structural equation modeling to account for possible selection bias. Results: Results are as follows. First,the mediating effect of teacher efficacy in the relationship ofcollaborative activities and teaching competencies was statistically significant. Second,the partial mediationmodel outperformed the full mediation model in terms of statistical significance and explanation. Conclusion: Teachers who actively participates in teacher collaboration were found to have higherefficacy, and higher efficacy in turn lead to higher teaching competencies.And teacher efficacy showsa significant mediating effect on teacher collaboration and teaching competencies. This study can beutilized as an evidence in designing and implementing effective teacher collaboration activities topromote teaching competencies. The fact that this study analyzed a large-scale dataset (TALIS) whichtargets the whole population of Korean elementary school teachers also contributes to the generalizationof the results.

Student and Teacher Collaboration in Developing STEM-Based Learning Modules and Pancasila Student Profiles

Implementing an independent curriculum in Indonesia urges teachers to develop learning modules. However, conditions in elementary schools indicate that teachers still need to receive training related to teaching modules following the independent curriculum. Therefore, this study aims to develop a product in the form of a valid and effective STEM-based learning module and Pancasila Student Profile. The type of research is Research & Development (R&D) regarding the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) development model. The developed product was tested on fourth-grade students at one of the elementary school levels. The results of product quality materials are assessed from expert judgment, language, media, and practitioners. The learning module developed obtained an average score of 94.5%, categorized as very feasible. The results of student responsiveness to the learning module obtained an average of 85.5% with an exciting category. The learning module has succeeded in streamlining learning outcomes and student character formation. The implementation of the learning module successfully reflects the character formation of the Pancasila Student Profile in critical reasoning, independence, and cooperation. Thus, in elementary schools, learning is needed that is oriented to the STEM model and efforts in forming the character of the Pancasila Student Profile so that the compiled modules are considered to be used in the learning of fourth-grade elementary school students.

Assessment of Professional Learning Teams: The College of Education Experience

In the recent professional development training, professional learning communities were recognized as a strategy for school development and student achievement. This descriptive exploratory study establishes the practices of PLT in the Education Department, College of Liberal Arts, Science, and Education (CLASE). The researchers investigated leadership and teacher collaboration, professional learning, and development attempts. All 21-full time faculty members were the participants in this study. They answered the 52-item Likert-type questionnaire adopted from Antinluoma, Ilomaki, and Toom (2021). Researchers sent Informed consent forms to the participants before the conduct of the study. Results showed that the academic supervisor is described as a visionary leader who started the positive creation, shared the leadership, and created the commitment to common departmental goals. Change in leadership is seen to have a positive effect. Decision-making processes were collaborative, cooperative, inclusive, and democratic. Relationship among faculty members is based on mutual trust and openness. Each faculty is encouraged to express their opinions. Shared responsibility for faculty members' peer mentoring, encouragement, cooperation, and peer teaching was practiced in both online and face-to-face strategies. Frequent online collaboration and communication were channels of effective professional learning engagements. The findings of this study present how other educational institutions can learn from the data in creating an environment that is proactive for teachers' professional practice, given the background of the professional learning communities' construct by which teachers can gain professional learning and development. The PLT serves as a process from which the department must continuously derive its development mechanism.

Expert Teams in Instructional Leadership Practices Based on Collaboration and Their Transference to Local Teaching Improvement Networks

This article shows the research results of implementing a professional learning model based on instructional leadership practices and structured teacher collaboration. The primary purpose was to promote a collaboration model focused on developing communities of practice, formed by school leaders and teachers, focusing on instructional improvement in 8th grade Math and English. The model consists of a cycle with 4 iterative practices: planning, classroom observation, feedback, and refinement and three guiding principles: deprivatisation, collaboration, focus on learning. The methodological approach was a design-based research model, with school teams (within-school level) and collaboration networks (between schools-level) that included principals and teachers. 22 schools in two districts in Chile, 44 school leaders, 74 teachers, 49 non-participating teachers as a control group, and at least 1,000 students in 40 classes were part of the study sample that participated in the research between 2019 and 2020. Mixed methods were used for data analysis. The research team conducted a five-scale questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with participants and non-participants teachers as the control group. The main progress was the deprivatisation of pedagogical practice and joint decision-making for teaching improvement. The practical implications of the model, adjusted for local characteristics, are that it facilitates professional development at three levels: individual, within school teams, and allows professional exchange between schools. It enabled the enactment of peer collaboration practices, and the role of instructional leadership shared between teachers and the school leadership team members were bolstered.

Enhancing access to general education mathematics instruction through special education preteaching: special education-general education teacher collaboration

The study described in this paper investigated a unique collaboration among a special education and two general educators that sought to prepare students for success in the general education mathematics curriculum and that consisted of coordinated, reform-based instructional design across classroom and pull-out services provided by the special educator including preteaching. During preteaching, the special educator delivered instruction on key mathematics and collaboration skills that special education students would need a few days before they would receive instruction on the same content in their general education classrooms. Their collaboration produced high levels of teacher satisfaction, substantive teacher change, and increases in student engagement, self-efficacy, and achievement.

Exploring the Teacher Empowerment Strategies of School Heads at Secondary Level in Punjab, Pakistan

Teacher empowerment strategies are essential for a positive organizationalidentity. School heads are expected to use a variety of empowermenttechniques to maximize the potential of their faculty members, inspire themin various ways, and motivate them to work. The current study intends toinvestigate the teacher empowerment strategies of secondary school headsin Punjab, Pakistan. A study was based on a qualitative research design.The semi-structured interview protocol was used to collect data. Apurposive sampling technique was used. The sample was comprised of 57secondary school teachers. Data were analyzed through the thematicanalysis technique. The findings show that school heads have given theirstaff members greater autonomy by fostering opportunities for group
 decision-making, praising employees for good work, increasing self-efficacy, and promoting effective teacher collaboration. However, school
 heads have less focus on professional growth opportunities, supportingteachers' autonomy, and improving their status.

Knotworking — not working: Interprofessional collaboration and co-figuration of pre-service special education teachers

ABSTRACT The growing expectations and demands for teacher education highlight the need to provide future teachers with more knowledge and to prepare teachers as expert collaborators who can learn from each other. This qualitative case study based on video-recorded reflective assignments investigated how Finnish pre-service special education teachers’ experiences in relational interprofessional work within institutional boundary spaces – the so-called knotworking – contributed to the evolution of their professional agency. The results indicate that interprofessional collaboration during teacher education was challenging and orienting themselves as students was the principal way teachers negotiate their role within boundaries.

“Sometimes I Really Need the School Counselling Service”: Some Aspects of School Counsellor–Teacher Collaboration

The school counselling service in Slovenia is part of every school. Collaboration among all participants in the school community is particularly important for the quality of the work. The aim of this paper is to gain insight into the collaboration between school counsellors and teachers in Slovenian primary and secondary schools. The frequency with which teachers take the initiative to cooperate with school counsellors in different areas of work will be presented, as well as the specific issues of classwork and teaching in which they believe they would most benefit from cooperation with school counsellors. A quantitative research design was used, and questionnaires were designed for school counsellors and teachers. These were sent to all school counsellors, of whom 315 (32.6%) responded. The questionnaires for teachers were sent to randomly selected schools; 501 teachers responded. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results show that - according to both teachers and counsellors - teachers most often take the initiative to support individual students who need help. On the other hand, according to teachers' open-ended responses and the perception of the counsellors themselves, teachers also need support and collaboration in their work with the classroom community. However, if the focus of school counselling is solely on remedial and service tasks, it is difficult to speak of quality collaboration. This paper reveals the importance of strengthening mutual collaboration in co-creating supportive and inclusive learning environments and classroom communities. In the future, it would be useful to examine the obstacles to such collaboration.

Exploring Teachers’ Instructional Practice Profiles: Do Distributed Leadership and Teacher Collaboration Make a Difference?

Purpose: While the literature includes multiple studies on the relationship between school leadership and instructional quality, they often use instructional practice as a continuous variable, assuming that a teacher would perform all sub-dimensions of instructional practice at a similar rate and failing to link distributed leadership to classroom teaching. Addressing these gaps in the literature, this study aims to identify teacher- and school-level latent profiles of teachers’ instructional practices and to investigate how distributed leadership predicts teachers’ membership in different instructional practice profiles, with the mediating role of teacher collaboration. Research Methods/Approach: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design using Türkiye's TALIS data for lower secondary education. Multilevel latent profile analysis with mediation modeling was conducted on data from 3,223 teachers in 192 schools. Findings: This analysis yielded four teacher profiles: laissez-faire, typical, controlling, and versatile; and two school profiles, high controlling and high laissez-faire. Findings indicate that distributed leadership promotes professional collaboration in lessons among teachers, which could, in turn, play a critical role in determining both individual teacher- and school-level profiles. Implications: This study provides practical contributions to understanding the nature of classroom teaching, suggesting that future studies should use instructional practice profiles instead of a single construct of teaching.

The distributed knowledge base: Preservice language teachers’ positioning in language–content teacher collaboration

Effective language–content teacher collaboration is beneficial when teaching content to English language learners through the medium of English. Preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) for collaboration is increasingly common, but there is still a perception that the English language teacher's role is more supportive than collaborative. In this paper, we report on research that provided English language PSTs with a more agentic, collaborative role. For data collection, we audio-recorded English language and content PSTs’ collaboration activities as part of preservice programs at an Australian university and interviewed the PSTs after they completed the collaboration activities. We used a framework of distributed knowledge base and positioning theory to analyse the data. The findings showed that English language PSTs positioned themselves and were positioned by the content PSTs as leading in the shared domains and language-related domains and as supporting in content-related domains of professional knowledge. We discuss implications for theory, research and practice in preparing language teachers for collaboration with content teachers.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING TEACHERS’ COLLABORATION: THE CASE OF GEORGIA

Studies confirm that professional development at the school base through the teachers’ collaboration is the most result-oriented outcome among the alternative ways of teachers’ professional development. One of the declared goals of the centralized system of teachers’ professional development and performance assessment operating in Georgia is to facilitate teachers’ collaboration. However, the contribution of the mentioned system in strengthening the teachers’ collaboration has not been studied so far. The purpose of the present research was to study the impact of the centralized system of teachers’ professional development and performance assessment on teachers’ collaboration at general educational institutions. The issue was studied using the qualitative methods - focus group, interview, and content analysis of documents. Eight schools were selected for the study. Two focus groups were conducted with teachers and one interview was recorded with a school leader at each school. Furthermore, Interviews with six experts in the field were recorded. It was demonstrated that the centralized system of professional development and assessment focused on developmental assessment helps to strengthen the teachers’ professional relations. Activities closely related to the teacher's work, the correct attitude of the school leaders, teachers’ involvement in making decisions, the existence of preset goals, working schedule and space are important for collaborative relations. Existence of unified mechanisms for professional development, mistrust among colleagues, changes being constantly introduced to the education system, shortage of time were revealed as hindering factors for teacher collaboration. Keywords: qualitative research, school-based teachers’ professional development, teachers’ assessment, teachers’ collaboration

Chapeau à vous : French-minority Language Teachers’ Pandemic Pedagogies

The purpose of this paper was to unpack French-minority language teachers’ perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on their teaching. In fall 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with 40 K-12 teachers of French as a minority language in Manitoba and Nova Scotia. While the pandemic has undoubtedly been challenging for language and literacy teachers, many have also developed adaptations and strategies. This paper focuses on those pedagogical accomplishments and teachers’ self-reported moments of success. Three main themes explored were the integration of technology into language teaching, language teacher collaboration and linguistic community building with students.

Teacher Collaboration in Overcoming Learning Mathematics

In efforts to achieve the goals of learning Mathematics there are various problems that make the learning objectives not optimally achieved, one of which is due to difficulties in learning Mathematics. Indicators for determining student learning difficulties are students not being able to master the subject matter in accordance with the allotted time, students obtaining low learning achievement ratings compared to other students and students not being able to achieve learning achievements according to their abilities, this requires collaboration from the teacher BK and Mathematics teachers in overcoming it. This research uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive type. The subjects in this study were counseling teachers, math teachers and 2 class XI students. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews and documentation studies. Data were analyzed through several stages, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation and data verification. The results of this study indicate that there is collaboration between the counseling teacher and the mathematics teacher in alleviating students' learning difficulties. The establishment of close collaboration between the two parties, students not only overcome their problems but students can develop fully and optimally.

Pendidikan Pembelajaran Agama Islam Sebagai Karakter dalam Membentuk Kepribadian Siswa yang Islami

This research explores the use of Islamic religious teaching in an effort to shape the Islamic personality of Muslim students. The research used is qualitative research. The research methodology uses multidisciplinary methods from various fields, including management, pedagogy, sociology, and psychology. Islamic Education instructors are the main data source for this study. The study also used theories on learning methodology, school profiles, Islamic religious education and Muslim personality development as secondary data sources. Observation, interview and documentation were used as data collection methods. The stages of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing were used in the data analysis technique. According to the research findings, two learning strategies - direct learning and indirect learning - are used by Islamic religious education to help students develop their Muslim personality. The supporting variables of Islamic Religious Education teachers' strategies in developing students' Muslim personality in terms of Islamic Religious Education learning include: 1) School policy, 2) Teacher collaboration, and 3) Family and community context. The limiting elements are: 1) Students' ignorance about behaviors that show Muslim mentality; 2) Family and community environment. Family and community environment. In order to have a positive impact on students' religious behavior, discipline, and respect for others, the results of the Application of Islamic Education Teacher Strategies in Islamic Education Learning still require improvement and special attention in terms of developing disciplinary behavior.

Classroom Study of Teacher Collaboration for Multilingual Learners: Implications for Teacher Education Programs

ABSTRACT There has been growing evidence suggesting that collaboration between content teachers and English as a second language (ESL) teachers is crucial for multilingual learners’ (MLLs) equitable learning experiences. What is lacking is more nuanced analyses of teacher collaboration in the classroom context. This article reports on the findings of a qualitative case study to address the nuanced contexts through the voices and actions of participant teachers and students. It focuses on the teachers’ roles in supporting MLLs and the elements involved in an effective collaborative partnership through the perspectives of an English language arts teacher and an ESL teacher in a middle school setting. Findings suggest that joint teacher presence can be achieved if both teachers recognize their overall role to support MLLs’ successful language and content learning. Despite the limited time for planning lessons together, the teachers attempted to overcome the challenge by leveraging their professional capital, enacting their agency, and taking a flexible form of collaboration. This study refines existing findings that there is an uneven power structure between content teachers and ESL teachers and provides teacher education programs with suggestions and future directions for effective collaboration for MLLs.

Using video enhanced mobile observation for peer-feedback in teacher education

Mobile tools are integrated into teacher education settings to provide contextualized, connected, and collaborative teacher learning practices. In this case study, the video-enhanced observation (VEO) app was used in a science methods course to facilitate preservice teachers’ reciprocal peer-teaching of inquiry-based lesson study. This research examined preservice teachers’ perceptions on the challenges and affordances of using video enhanced mobile observation with peer-teaching feedback. Results from the technology acceptance model (TAM) revealed moderate levels of perceived ease of use, usefulness, and intention to use the VEO app. Further analysis of the open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews revealed self-reflection, feedback, and inquiry-based teaching support as emerging themes for the app integration. This research offers recommendations for implementing video enhanced mobile observation as a promising formative and performative-based assessment strategy within peer-feedback contexts in teacher education programs.

An intersectional framework for anti-racist pedagogy in uncertain times

ABSTRACT Anti-racism is an imperative for those committed to a world and planet free of the manifestations of racial oppression. This correspondence between two critical women teacher educators illustrates ideologically aligned ‘work friends’ theorising anti-racist pedagogy in the context of heightened sociopolitical uncertainty. We explore creative possibilities for uncertainty-oriented anti-racist pedagogy vis-à-vis the aims of inquiry-based, social justice teacher preparation. We co-develop pedagogical insights using an anti-racist intersectional frame as an analytical lens for re-viewing teaching artefacts, reflecting on lived experiences, and posing probing questions. Eschewing feigning pedagogical mastery, we employ the epistolary form to reflexively interrogate the nexus of anti-racism, pedagogy, uncertainty, and teacher education. This exchange contributes (a) an intersectional framework for the practice of antiracist pedagogy, and (b) a model for the emergent, dialogic process of letter writing as a tool for critical collaborative teacher inquiry.