In-service Teacher Development Research Articles

Interactive and Collaborative Professional Development for In-Service History Teachers

ABSTRACTThis article advances a continuing line of inquiry into an innovative teacher-support program intended to help in-service history teachers develop professional teaching knowledge for inquiry-based history instruction. Two prior iterations informed our design and use of professional development materials; they also informed the implementation schedule of experiences our materials intended to support. We asked: Can interactive and collaborative professional development encounters promote in-service history teachers' professional teaching knowledge? Following the thirteen-month study, no participant fully adopted the wise-practice pedagogy we advocated: problem-based historical inquiry. Findings do suggest, however, interactive experiences and sustained collaboration may help teachers raise their aspirational goals for planning powerful instruction. Throughout the study, teachers' collaboratively planned lessons became increasingly informed by our support program, and several participants' practice moved closer to our wise-practice model. Findings also suggest revisions to professional development materials and schedules to promote teachers' professional teaching knowledge.

The Effects of an Online Data-Based Decisions Professional Development for In-service Teachers of Students with Significant Disability

With the increase in the use of online professional development resources, especially for rural educators, this study evaluated the effects of online training modules on in-service teachers' ability to collect and use instructional progress monitoring data to make instructional decisions for students with significant disability (i.e., moderate to severe intellectual disability, autism). In this randomized control study, 29 teachers across three states participated in online data collection or data collection plus data-based decision making training. In addition, the generalization of teachers' ability to use data-based decisions with their own student outcome data were measured. Results indicated that while the modules did support teachers' acquisition of new information, they were not sufficient to carry over to applied use on their own students' data. Further discussion on the use of module-based professional development will be presented as well as how teachers in rural areas can access this information.

English teaching in the elementary school: Some critical issues

Although for the last 10 years Colombia has proposed a National Plan for Bilingualism in different stages, the education of young children in Colombian public and private schools in relation to English language learning evidences some critical issues regarding the preparation of future teachers, the professional development of in-service teachers, and the nationalstandards for foreign language teaching.

Solidarity with the People: Organizing to Disrupt Teacher Alienation

ABSTRACTAlthough research on teacher alienation and isolation has demonstrated the importance of developing collegial relationships, mentoring, and induction programs, there is limited research examining the ways to support critical educators with combatting their feelings of alienation and isolation as it relates to the larger sociopolitical dynamics they must endure. Within teacher education and teacher in-service development we must engage in research and approaches to learning that acknowledge the possibilities and potential of teachers to lead their development toward becoming critical and culturally relevant practitioners. Using an internal colonial framework where schooling is articulated as an extension of the colonial project, this article explores the reflections of ten educators, from the elementary to high school level, as they worked to create spaces for learning within a teacher-led, community based organization. Drawing from participant observations and interviews with organization members, this article explores the ways participation in a community based organization supported teachers with enduring the social and psychological consequences of the alienation they experienced in their schools. The data explore the ways in which participants worked to develop teaching practices drawing from anti-colonial perspectives and through their process developed a sense of solidarity with other teachers, which is discussed as three subthemes: shared beliefs, community, and commitment.

Teaching in the Field: What Teacher Professional Life Histories Tell About How They Learn to Teach in the Outdoor Learning Environment

This research investigates the professional life histories of upper elementary science teachers who were identified as effective both within the classroom and in the outdoor learning environment (OLE). The narratives of five teachers, collected through semistructured and open-ended interviews, provided the data for the study. Professional life histories were constructed for each teacher participant and an analysis of the teacher narratives identified the themes of teacher development across the voices of the participants. Narrative reasoning was used to unify those themes into a hypothetical professional life history as reported in this manuscript. Implications of this research can be realized for stakeholders in the preparation of pre-service teachers as well as the development of in-service teachers. Future research regarding the early induction years of new teachers, impacts of inclusion of the OLE in pre-service teacher instruction, and teacher experiences regarding professional development relating to efforts to include the OLE in formal education should be investigated.

What is a scientific experiment?: The impact of a professional development course on teachers’ ability to design an inquiry-based science curriculum

Designing inquiry-based science lessons can be a challenge for secondary school teachers. In this study we evaluated the development of in-service teachers’ lesson plans as they took part in a 10-month professional development course in Peru which engaged teachers in the design of inquiry-based lessons. At the beginning, most teachers designed either confirmatory or structured inquiry activities. As the course progressed, however, they started designing guided and open inquiry lesson plans. We found four factors that accounted for this change: re-evaluating the need for lab materials, revising their views on the nature of science, engaging in guided and open inquiry activities themselves, and trying out inquiry-based lessons with their own students. Our results point to the importance of engaging teachers in prolonged and varied opportunities for inquiry as part of teacher education programs in order to achieve the challenge of changing teachers’ views and practices in science education.

Improving mathematics instruction and supporting teacher learning in Korea through lesson study using five practices

Given the effect of lesson study on improving the quality of mathematics instruction and supporting teachers’ professional development, this paper describes how a lesson study using five practices for mathematics discussion was implemented in the Korean context. This paper then analyzes how the lessons were changed through the lesson study cycle and what the participating teachers learned through lesson study. The results showed that the lessons were changed to specify learning goals for students, to devise mathematical tasks in a rigorous and meaningful way, and to design the lesson structure to maximize students’ engagement. The results also demonstrated that the lessons were enhanced by implementing the five practices. Whereas the anticipating practice was well-implemented from the beginning of the lesson study cycle, the connecting practice was fully established only in the final phase of the cycle. The participating teachers learned the importance of detailed lesson planning, realized the complexity of teaching practices, and developed a better understanding of how to utilize students’ ideas. Building on these results, it is expected that they will expand our understanding of lesson study and facilitate international dialogue regarding the professional development of in-service mathematics teachers.

Building a classroom-based professional learning community through lesson study: insights from elementary school science teachers

Professional development of in-service teachers requires a sustainable and school-based model which will provide them with opportunities for collaboration in building an environment that supports their capacity-building and pedagogical improvement. In this professional development model, teachers are treated as central to the learning process, allowing them to be engaged in critically assessing their own improvement. A qualitative method was used in this study to explore the positive outcomes of lesson study as a professional development model. Data included transcripts from year-long interaction of the teachers and science education experts taken in various form such as reflective logs, audio and video-tape recordings, non-structured questions and formal written interviews. Analysis was done through the constant comparison method to reveal the coding patterns for the positive impact of lesson study. Teachers’ insights provided positive evidence that lesson study developed them professionally, especially in terms of enhancing their science content knowledge, improving their teaching strategies aligned to inquiry, building a collaborative and professional working environment, and recognizing the significance of post-lesson reflection and discussion. Results therefore show the growing acknowledgement of lesson study as a professional development model for in-service teachers which can possibly be adapted by other Asian and international education settings.

The Role of Collaborative Action Research in Teachers’ Professional Development

<p><span>Teachers’ professional development is a key factor to have more reflective educators capable of working on teams to find solutions to problems that arise in their classrooms. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact that the collaborative planning, implementation, and evaluation of classroom projects, developed through collaborative action research, have in the professional development of in-service and pre-service teachers in a BA in English program. This is a qualitative research study focused on collaborative action research. Data were collected through journals, surveys, and meeting proceedings of collaborative sessions. As a result, it was possible to describe the processes and dynamics generated, as well as the changes perceived, which contributed to the professional development of the participants.</span></p>

Upper Secondary Teachers' Knowledge for Teaching Chemical Bonding Models

ABSTRACTResearchers have shown a growing interest in science teachers’ professional knowledge in recent decades. The article focuses on how chemistry teachers impart chemical bonding, one of the most important topics covered in upper secondary school chemistry courses. Chemical bonding is primarily taught using models, which are key for understanding science. However, many studies have determined that the use of models in science education can contribute to students’ difficulties understanding the topic, and that students generally find chemical bonding a challenging topic. The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ knowledge of teaching chemical bonding. The study focuses on three essential components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK): (1) the students’ understanding, (2) representations, and (3) instructional strategies. We analyzed lesson plans about chemical bonding generated by 10 chemistry teachers with whom we also conducted semi-structured interviews about their teaching. Our results revealed that the teachers were generally unaware of how the representations of models they used affected student comprehension. The teachers had trouble specifying students’ difficulties in understanding. Moreover, most of the instructional strategies described were generic and insufficient for promoting student understanding. Additionally, the teachers’ rationale for choosing a specific representation or activity was seldom directed at addressing students’ understanding. Our results indicate that both PCK components require improvement, and suggest that the two components should be connected. Implications for the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers are discussed.

Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools (ATLAS)

The Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools (ATLAS) database is a valuable teaching tool that takes some of the mystery out of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification process, and provides pre-service and novice in-service teachers with a repository of best practices to use as models while they develop their own teaching practices. The database was specifically designed for Colleges and Schools of Education in higher education, state departments of education, and school districts to support the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers. The content of the database is dependent on the subscriber’s geographic location, but includes over 1,000 cases aligned to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and its Five Core Propositions and six other collections including edTPA, InTASC, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), TeachingWorks High-Leverage Practices, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts/Literacy and Math, Deeper Learning Competencies, and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. All cases include a 15 to 20 minute video of an accomplished teacher facilitating a lesson in his or her own classroom, written commentary analyzing the planning, instructional context, and effectiveness of the lesson, and additional background information and instructional materials to provide context for users to understand each case. All case materials were included in portfolios submitted by National Board Certified Teachers during their National Board candidacy. Despite its restrictive contract provisions, ATLAS’s content, intuitive user interface, powerful advanced search feature, and interactive tools make it a highly recommended resource for Colleges and Schools of Education within higher education, state departments of education, and K-12 school districts.

Paving the Way for New Literacies Integration in Elementary Teacher Education

This collective case study examines new literacies integration by student teacher/cooperating tea- cher dyads supported by a coach in elementary schools. The theoretical lens for this study combines two areas: the TPACK framework for examining technology integration into teaching and a transformative “Third Space” approach to growing practitioner knowledge. The study took place in a large Midwestern public school district where many student teachers from a public university complete their student teaching experience. The research explored how collaboration in new literacies integration was enacted between student teacher, cooperating teacher, and coach. Results are organized around three themes: collaborative approaches to integration, affordance and effort, and expectations with support. Examination of the enactment of new literacies integration led us to create an innovative teacher education model. In the proposed Triarchic Model of Teacher Education, a university coach supports the concurrent development of preservice and inservice teachers in technology integration.

Professional Development for Promoting 21st Century Skills and Common Core State Standards in Foreign Language and Social Studies Classrooms

To help satisfy the pressing need for technology-related professional development for in-service teachers, the Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute (GAETI) was implemented to provide in-service foreign language and social studies teachers with content, pedagogy, and technology explorations centered on the teaching of the Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Skills. Sixteen teachers attended the institute, which consisted of 20 days during the summer plus one follow-up day in September and one in March. The strongest aspects of GAETI were the demonstration activities that integrated subject-area content, successful pedagogies, and ways to effectively integrate the latest and most effective classroom technologies. Participants not only reflected positively on their experiences with GAETI but also showed a significant level of improvement in all dimensions of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). Improvement from pre to post-test was most pronounced in the four dimensions of TPACK most closely associated with technology.

Becoming a Reflective In-service Teacher: Role of Research Attitude

In this article we consider the importance of the role of reflective practice and research attitude for the professional development of in-service teachers. Nine teachers engaged in an international master course (in a Belgium and French university) are interviewed to obtain self-narratives. The two years full-time master was aimed to acquire skills of science educational research. The interview was conducted at the end of the master to explore their reflective practices and to evaluate the impact of the research attitude developed during the master on their reflective practices.

Measuring teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction

This article describes the development of an instrument to measure teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction, the Teacher Knowledge of Vocabulary Survey (TKVS). This type of knowledge has become increasingly important as all classroom teachers are expected to help students meet language and literacy standards that include vocabulary acquisition. While a few studies have measured teacher knowledge of reading, there are no known instruments for measuring teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction. However, vocabulary is a crucial determinant of reading comprehension and content area knowledge, particularly for English learners (Graves, August, & Mancilla-Martinez, 2013). Statements about vocabulary development and instruction were gathered from foundational texts, reviewed by subject matter experts, and researched in cognitive labs for possible inclusion as items in the TKVS. The survey’s 52 statements comprise 6 categories, including one section on vocabulary development, four sections on instruction, and one section on instruction specifically for English learners. Ratings of item difficulty by subject matter experts were then used to distinguish three levels of teacher knowledge of vocabulary: emergent, intermediate, and expert. Fifty teachers completed the TKVS, and their performance was found to correlate with the experts’ predicted difficulties of the items. Initial analyses provide evidence for the content and construct validity of the TKVS as a measure of teacher knowledge of vocabulary development and effective instruction. The discussion considers implications for the use of the instrument, including as a needs assessment or guide for professional development for both preservice and inservice teachers.

Effects of improved content knowledge on pedagogical content knowledge and student performance in physical education

Background: Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an interaction of several knowledge bases upon which the teacher makes decisions about what and how to teach. To date, there are no studies in physical education directly documenting relationships between specialized content knowledge (SCK) and PCK. Such relationships have not been empirically evidenced, in part because there have not been operational and thus replicable measures of SCK and PCK. SCK is the knowledge teachers need to teach content to students and consists of knowledge of errors and task presentations. In this study we used measures of SCK and PCK that were operational, replicable, and quantifiable.Purpose: In this study we examined changes in PCK and concomitant changes in student performance as a function of a content knowledge workshop designed to teach teachers predominately SCK in badminton. Play Practice served as the instructional model for badminton. Our research questions were: (1) How did the teacher's enacted PCK differed after the content knowledge workshop? and (2) How did student performance defined in terms of correct and incorrect trials differed as a function of teacher's PCK?Methods: A teacher taught a six-day badminton unit to four intact classes (comparison), participated in a content knowledge workshop, and then taught a six-day badminton unit to four different classes (experimental). Eight students in each class blocked into low, average, and high skilled students (n = 64) were observed. Our quasi-experimental design used treatment, class nested within conditions, skill levels, and interactions among conditions, gender, and skill levels.Results: The results showed that the teacher's PCK was substantively different before and after the workshop. Higher counts of descriptions, analogies/metaphors, cues, and specific congruent feedback were observed in the experimental classes compared to the comparison classes. Higher counts of correct demonstrations and lower counts of partially correct demonstrations were observed in the experimental groups compared to the comparison. In the experimental classes, the teacher selected 80 tasks that were developmentally and principle (i.e. in accordance with Play Practice) appropriate compared to 12 in the control. Student performance was also significantly different. Participants in the experimental group performed a higher percentage of correct trials and less incorrect trials relative to those in the comparison group. Students from all skill levels in the experimental groups performed significantly better than those in the comparison groups.Discussion and conclusion: This study demonstrates that improved SCK changes PCK and student performance. The changes in the teacher's PCK from comparison groups to the experimental classes differed in two areas: how tasks were presented and the appropriateness of the tasks selected for student performance. The use of a knowledge packet-CK workshop in professional development for both pre-service and in-service teachers requires further investigation in terms of the content and organization of the knowledge packets and in terms of developing packets for other physical education content areas besides badminton.

The Conceptual Development of In-service EFL Teachers’ Perception of Grammatical Mediation on Three Planes: A Sociocultural Perspective

The Conceptual Development of In-service EFL Teachers’ Perception of Grammatical Mediation on Three Planes: A Sociocultural Perspective

Assessing and Enhancing Pre-service Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy to Teach Science Through Argumentation: Challenges and Possible Solutions

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of an intervention on pre-service science teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science through argumentation and explore the challenges they experienced while implementing argumentation. Forty pre-service science teachers in their final semester of schooling participated in an intervention that lasted for 11 weeks. Intervention focused on participants’ understanding of argumentation as a scientific practice and as a pedagogical tool. The participants engaged in argument construction, evaluation, and critique, taught three argumentation lessons, engaged in peer observation of teaching, and reflection on their teaching skills. Data were collected through Argumentation Self-Efficacy Scale and an open-ended questionnaire. The results show that the intervention had a significantly positive effect on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy. Despite this reported self-efficacy, participants experienced significant challenges in guiding their students to construct scientific arguments and assessing the arguments developed by their students. Discussion focuses on implications for professional development of pre-service and in-service science teachers.

Physical Education Teacher Training in Fundamental Movement Skills Makes a Difference to Instruction and Assessment Practices

The purpose of this study was to investigate instruction and assessment of fundamental movement skills (FMSs) by Physical Education (PE) teachers of Year 7 girls. Of 168 secondary school PE teachers, many had received little FMSs professional development, and although most assessed student FMSs proficiency, the quality of assessment was variable. Neither years of experience nor confidence influenced the quality of assessment tools used; however, greater FMSs training improved assessment practice regularity. Teachers more recently out of preservice were more confident in demonstrating FMSs. The results suggest that FMSs education for teachers should be a priority inclusion in both the training of preservice teachers and the ongoing professional development of in-service teachers.

Teacher Training and In-Service Teacher Development: Its Contribution to Social Justice

Teacher Training and In-Service Teacher Development: Its Contribution to Social Justice