Teacher Professional Development Activities Research Articles

EnglishTeachers’ Professional Development During COVID-19: Indonesian Elementary English Teacher Context

Teachers have important role in learning process to improve the quality of education output and outcome Indonesia. Therefore, to be professional teachers, activities should be carried out during COVID-19 pandemic to develop professionalism of teachers. The purpose of this research is to discover what teacher professional development (TPD) activities that the teachers could engage during COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines the viewpoints of teachers from both private and public schools. The method of the research employs qualitative research and focuses on case study technique utilized to investigate teachers’ thoughts on what TPD activities they participated in during the COVID-19 pandemic. The result of the research indicates that elementary teachers can still participate in TPD activities using the existing online platform even during pandemic. Teachers can develop their professionalism in creating and developing online media in learning during COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic provides new TPD opportunities for teachers and expands their understanding of internet technology and promote collaboration among teachers. However, further research should be conducted to address teachers' professional development in a deeper and broader perspective in Indonesia. It is expected to cover wider areas of teachers from different institution including higher education institutions. In order that we can learn about the types of TPD activities that may be done remotely during the pandemic from many perspectives.

Exploring the Teacher Professional Development Activities: Perspectives of Nigerian High School Teachers

The quality of education is central to the Sustainable National Development that can be attained by any country. Hence, the professional development of teachers is critical to classroom practices in the education system. Teachers attend various professional development activities every year to improve their classroom practices. The aim of the study was to establish teachers’ perspectives on professional development activities. The study adopted an interpretive qualitative approach to explore teachers' views on the phenomenon. The study engaged three heads of departments in semi-structured interviews and five teachers in a focus group interview to explore teachers’ lived experiences of professional development. The study employed andragogy as the theoretical framework to understand teachers' views on workshops, subject association meetings, conferences and other professional development activities they attended. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out systematically to generate themes from the findings. Teachers did not regularly attend annual professional development activities. The contents of the professional development activities did not adequately address teachers’ needs for dynamics in the classroom. It is therefore recommended that teachers’ classroom practices be assessed by their heads of departments, vice principals/principals or subject specialists to determine how their classroom practices could be enhanced. The frequency of professional development activities for teachers should be increased every year, to improve their classroom practices.

EFL Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Classroom Management: Perceptions, Practices and Reflections on Professional Learning and Development

<p style="text-align:justify">This paper reports the findings of an investigation into English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ self-efficacy and their classroom management in the context of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The paper also aims to find out what makes teachers different in terms of skills in classroom management. The study was designed as a descriptive mixed-methods one, using a questionnaire, focus group interviews, and classroom observations to collect data. Forty-six EFL teachers from three high schools responded to the questionnaire. Twelve got involved in the semi-structured interviews, and six as classroom observed teachers. Two group interviews were conducted with the participation of three vice-principals and three heads of English teams. The results indicated a significant interaction between EFL teachers’ self-efficacy and their classroom management skills. Teachers who own a higher level of self-efficacy showed to manage their classes in a more confident and purposive manner than those with a lower level of self-efficacy. Three main reasons differentiating teachers’ skills in classroom management, including pre-service teacher education, previous attending continuing professional development events, and teacher’s learning autonomy were detected. Case-based teaching, organizational learning, and lesson study are recommended in pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher professional development activities to enhance teachers’ self-efficacy and their classroom management.</p>

교직과 교사의 전문적 자본 영향요인 및 교원전문성 개발 활동과의 관계에 대한 연구 동향 분석

This study analyzes the preceding studies on professional capital presented by Hargreaves and Fullan (2012), examines the factors influencing the formation of professional capital covered in previous studies, and find out the case of professional capital construction through teacher professional development activities. The purpose of this study was to suggest the direction of future research related to professional capital. As a result of the study, teachers' gender, career, academic background, school satisfaction, teacher job satisfaction, and principal's leadership were used as the influencing factors of professional capital in the most studies, and it was found that they had a significant influence on the formation of professional capital. Teacher professional development activities include teacher learning community, educational practice, and teacher evaluation. The formation of professional capital through teacher learning community and school field-practice was found, but professional capital was not formed through teacher evaluation. Based on these results, the direction of future research on professional capital and the improvement direction of teacher professional development activities were suggested.

A Skill Application Model to Improve Teacher Competence and Professionalism

<p>Teacher professionalism is needed for quality education. The current practice for increasing teacher professionalism is to use skill applications. However, the implementation of skill applications has, in fact, not succeeded in significantly increasing teacher professionalism. This study aims to explain the importance of an effective skill application model coupled with a comprehensive approach to raise the level of teacher competence. This study is qualitative with its data derived from observations, interviews, and questionnaires. The paper's research findings show that existing programs are not sufficiently enhancing teacher competencies and professionalism. Various teacher professional development activities are conducted; however, there has been no continuous post-activity follow-up. These professional development activities tend only to fulfill the administrative requirements for teacher promotion. What is needed is a comprehensive and continuous teacher professionalism assessment model, which is underpinned by a system of mentoring. This study has implications for evaluating the teacher's professional competencies. More comprehensive skill applications need to be formulated as part of an integrated, sustainable, and mentoring [terpadu, sustainable, pendampingan-TSP] approach to develop teacher professionalism significantly.</p>

OTOMATISASI PEKERJAAN GURU BERBASIS AUTOCRAT: MODEL PENDIDIKAN DAN PELATIHAN BERDASARKAN PENDEKATAN KONEKTIVISME

In addition to having an obligation to teach students in the classroom, teachers also has obligation to carry out administrative tasks to involve students outside the classroom. If implemented using conventional methods, this will complicate the effectiveness of the teacher's work. The purpose of this study is to develop a connectivity-based education and training model related to the automation of teacher work in the digital era through the use of the Autocrat Add-on in Google Sheets. The development of the model began by conducting a needs analysis of 59 teacher respondents from various parts of Indonesia to review the technical problems being faced, the need for problem-solving solutions, an initial understanding of the work support tools of the Autocrat Add-on and the expected output from the use of the Autocrat Add-on. The findings in this study can be used as a basis for carrying out teacher professional development activities in the digital era, especially related to the automation of teachers' work through the use of Ad-on Autocrats in order to make their work more efficient and effective.

Zambian Secondary School Biology Teachers’ Profiles of Planned Topic-specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Respiration

Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has the potential to influence lesson planning, teaching and students’ academic performance in science. Since PCK is embodied in lesson planning (as planned PCK), this study employed the multiple-case design to describe in-depth the biology teachers’ profiles of planned topic-specific PCK (plTSPCK) for teaching respiration. While the target population comprised all biology teachers in Chipata district of Zambia, data were collected from nine teachers drawn from six secondary schools. The study used face-to-face lesson planning interviews which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Mavhunga and Rollnick’s model of TSPCK was adopted as the analytical framework. After analysing each interview transcript, the teachers’ integration of plTSPCK components was summarised into plTSPCK maps. The findings reveal that (a) the integration of the plTSPCK components in the teachers’ profiles was idiosyncratic; (b) the components conceptual teaching strategies, curricular saliency and students’ prior knowledge were central to the integration of plTSPCK; and (c) representations and what makes the topic easy/difficult were the least integrated components. The study recommends enhancing teachers’ PCK through teacher professional development activities such as lesson studies using the TSPCK framework as an analysis tool for the lesson plans and the observed lesson to demonstrate the planned and enacted PCK respectively.

Patterns of teacher collaboration, professional development and teaching practices: A multiple correspondence analysis of TALIS 2018

Teacher collaboration and professional development activities are core issues of teacher professionalisation. The purpose of this explorative study is to explore patterns of professional development participation, teacher collaboration and teaching practices using multiple correspondence analysis. Feedback provided to teachers and class characteristics were also included in the analysis. Therefore, secondary analysis of lower secondary teacher data from the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 was conducted. The explorative analyses show that teachers who are not participating in collaboration activities are less likely to use teaching practices like clear instruction and cognitive activation. Feedback and class characteristics also show small but notable connections to collaboration and teaching practices. Teacher working with challenging classes (e. g. high number of children with problem behaviour) frequently use cognitive activation and clear instruction practices but also less collaboration and participation in professional development.

TEACHERS' INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE TOWARDS TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF EFL TEACHERS IN INDONESIA CONTEXT

In Indonesia, Participation in Teacher Professional Development activities depends on the availability of the programs and the rotation in school (Shinta Sari et al., 2020). A recent study has found some of the essential features of effective TPD are missing in Continuous Professonal Development (CPD) program. One of them was that The PKB program has not targeted teachers based on years of experience (Revina et al., 2020). Specifically, Among EFL teachers, there are only some engaging with TPD program are reported to have a positive impact on their professional lives (Cirocki & Farrell, 2019). Therefore, This qualitative research use narrative inquiry, aims to know more about the effective strategies of TPD among EFL teachers and how EFL teachers develop their TPD. The subject of the research was two EFL teacher who has been teaching English language for many years and has a lot of experience in teaching English language throughout their career. The findings from two participants indicates that for over more than 20 years of experience as an EFL teachers both participants realized how crucial Teacher Professional development to learned new knowledge and develop their professionalism from experiences throughout their entire career. By having benefits from developing extensive reading, attended some workshops and joining English community as subject focused learning related with English language teaching and the benefit of technology. Keywords : Teachers Professional Development, EFL teachers, Narrative Inquiry

The Experiences, Challenges and Perception on Online Lesson Study (O-LS) as Teacher Professional Development Program

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted a drastic change in the educational landscape across the world, which force education leaders to come up with teacher professional development (TPD) activities to provide support for teachers to overcome the sudden learning modality change and to ensure that quality education is not compromised. Hence, this descriptive research was undertaken to explore the teachers’ lived experiences, challenges and perception on the newly introduced Online Lesson Study (O-LS) as a TPD. The five (5) English teachers took part of the O-LS as TPD. There were 2 research instruments used, the structured guide questionnaires for the FGD, and the self-test checklist for the teachers’ perception on O-LS as TPD. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data gathered and percentages for the qualitative responses on the teachers’ perceptions of the O-LS as a TPD. Results showed that teachers highly appreciated and well accepted O-LS as a TPD. Teachers find the O-LS TPD as an opportunity for intrapersonal and professional growth. There were few challenges in the implementation of O-LS, however it can be worked out. Thus, it is forwarded that administrators to organize an online lesson study through in-service trainings. Further, similar studies may be conducted in other subjects and may consider other factors such as coordination of work assignment, gathering of students’ responses as bases for lesson design, teachers’ preparation for discussion and internet signal which are found as challenges in the implementation of O-LS.

Professional Development for Sustaining the ‘Pivot’: The impact of the Learning Design and Course Creation Workshop on Six Belarusian HEIs

Throughout 2020, and into 2021, national governments were forced at different times to impose ‘lockdown’ on traditional approaches to education to cope with the impact of COVID-19. Higher education institutions (HEI) with face-to-face models scrambled to ‘pivot’ to distance and online learning. Whilst originally conceived as a temporary measure, the longevity of the virus has raised significant questions about the sustainability of these approaches and revealed a need for teacher professional development (TPD) activity to support teachers in designing learning based on robust distance and online education frameworks. One example of such teacher professional development is the Learning Design and Course Creation (LDCC) Workshop from The Open University UK. Prior to the pandemic, in September 2018, this workshop was attended by staff from six Belarusian HEIs involved in a project titled Enhancement of Lifelong Learning in Belarus (BELL). The 18-month longitudinal study presented here used the Academic Professional Development Effectiveness Framework as a structure to evaluate the impact of this activity on the participants’ practice, and the five courses they were tasked with creating. The findings suggest that on the whole the team-based, reflective and experiential TPD pedagogy employed by the LDCC Workshop was effective in preparing the BELL Project participants for designing and creating their online and blended learning courses and this approach should be utilised effectively to support other HEIs that plan to enhance their distance capacity, either due to COVID-19, or for other reasons.

Qualitative Content Analysis of Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences in Using Blended Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools and shifted the mode of education to digital and distance learning methods. However, the socioeconomic status of students affects their access to education. Blended learning, which includes online classes, television and radio broadcasts, and modular lessons, offers a more inclusive education that caters to the needs of the students. While the subject has been discussed in the literature from the perspective of the learners, this paper explores the perceptions, experiences, and insights of teachers in the Philippines on blended learning at the time of the pandemic. This study surveyed 39 basic education teachers and analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis. The results showed an agreement on teachers' perspectives about the effectiveness of educational policies implemented and the government's response to the pandemic. Despite the flexibility in using blended learning, the teachers experienced various challenges in applying this method during the pandemic, such as readiness, technology literacy, access to technology, financial difficulties, and health risk. These findings suggest the government and other education stakeholders provide additional financial support to schools during the pandemic; enhance the professional development activities for teachers; and continue developing learning platforms allowing open access to quality and reliable educational resources during and beyond the pandemic.

DIDACTICAL DESIGN RESEARCH BASED REFLECTION PRACTICE IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Reflection practice is a form of teacher professional development activity that has become the focus of study, research, and discussion in several scientific forums. The practice of reflection used so far is lesson study and educational action research. Didactical design research is one form of educational design research. DDR for mathematics teachers has been widely developing in Indonesia, both at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. This service program begins with an introduction to Didactical Design Research. Form and its characteristics of didactical design research provide through a zoom meeting, and it will continue with the creation and development of a didactic design for learning mathematics based on the problems faced by the teacher. After the participants' activities, especially teachers, based on the results of the questionnaire response analysis of knowledge and understanding related to the concept of didactical design research, then the practice of reflection based on didactical design research increases and is ready for a workshop.

Teachers’ Perspectives on Professional Development in South Africa and Nigeria: Towards an Andragogical Approach

This study explored the perspectives of teachers in both South Africa and Nigeria on professional development using andragogical approach. The quality of teachers translates to the quality of the education system; this is why many African countries have been making a significant impact on the professional development of their teachers. A qualitative method approach was employed to explore the views of South African and Nigerian teachers on the professional development activities available to them. Adult learning theory was used as the theoretical framework to underpin this interpretive study. Data collection was through semi-structured face to face interviews with 6 Heads of Departments and semi-structured focus group interviews with 10 teachers from 16 high schools in both countries. The interviews were audio-recorded with permissions from the participants, further transcribed, coded and analysed through content thematic analysis. Findings from both countries revealed that though there were professional development programmes for teachers. However, they were inadequate and irregular for the teachers every year. The study, therefore, recommends appropriate professional development activities for teachers at least once a term. The study also recommends that these professional development activities should focus on the teachers’ diverse classroom needs.
 
 Received: 12 August 2020 / Accepted: 3 November 2020 / Published: 10 May 2021

Exploring the role of curriculum materials in teacher professional development

ABSTRACT Curriculum materials (schemes of work, lesson plans, etc.) play a complex and pivotal role in school and teacher practices. The adaptation and development of curriculum materials often constitute part of teacher professional development (PD) activities. However, compared with research examining the relationship between PD and teacher professional change, the role of curriculum materials in professional learning remains under-researched and under-theorised. We address this gap by applying a multi-perspectival approach to data from a PD programme in which teachers were supported to develop curriculum materials. We use an interconnected model to analyse the role of curriculum materials in catalysing change in individual teachers’ practice. Our use of Boundary Theory proposes that curriculum material adoption is mediated by the solidity of boundaries between school practice and research findings, and Actor-Network Theory perspectives examine the assemblage of networked relations within and beyond schools that are entangled in curriculum materials. We highlight how combining linear and non-linear perspectives may contribute to improved understanding of the complexity of supporting teachers’ learning and use our analyses to outline implications of using curriculum materials in teacher professional development.

Improving Teaching Through Coaching, Mentoring and Feedback: A Review of Literature

This article investigates the literature on mentoring and coaching and the embeddedness of these in wider fields which are referred as 'professional development' and 'teacher learning'. It concentrates on education but also considers selected work from other professions to provide a comparative perspective on the education material. There are clearly identifiable similarities across all of the literature reviewed, despite different lexicons. The review also identifies what appears to be recurrent theoretical and research issues and difficulties in the mentoring and coaching and professional development literatures. These have prima facie relevance for the teacher professional development projects and activities currently being underway by education jurisdictions across the globe. They are summarised at the end of the article.

Professional Development Activities and Teacher Performance

Learning to teach reflectively is a lifelong process that is strengthened through the active engagement of varied professional development activities inside or outside the school. This study assessed the quality of instruction and professional development activities in a well-known university in Cebu, the Philippines, where it determined teachers' teaching competencies and perception in their professional development activities, issues, and concerns. It utilized a quantitative-descriptive research design where respondents were selected through universal sampling. Findings showed that professional development activities for teachers had achieved mastery in instructional planning, instructional delivery, knowledge of the subject matter, rapport with students, and classroom management. On the other hand, professional development activities were perceived to have little benefit for the teachers. It was also found out that there is no significant relationship between the teaching competencies and professional development activities. Perceived benefits of professional development activities were attributed to personal perceptions and contextual factors. The findings call for strategic professional development planning, implementation, and evaluation for teachers to benefit more. Thus, the conduct of a similar study in a broader parameter is recommended.

Manajemen Pengembangan Keprofesian Berkelanjutan (PKB) bagi Guru dan Kepala Sekolah

The purpose of this study is to examine the management of sustainable professional development (SPD) for teachers and principals. By using library research methods and content analysis techniques, the results of this study can be concluded as follows: First, sustainable professional development management is a competency development program for teachers and principals which is implemented according to the needs, gradually, continuously to improve teacher professionalism. Secondly, teachers and principals are obliged to carry out SPD activities in stages at each level of their ranks with the aim that every teacher and headmaster can maintain, improve, and expand their knowledge and skills to carry out the learning process professionally. The big goal of the SPD activity is the realization of quality learning to improve abilities in the fields of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students. Third, the implementation of sustainable professional development management includes planning, implementing, evaluating, and reflecting activities designed to improve characteristics, knowledge, understanding, and skills. Through an evaluation cycle, reflection on learning experiences, planning and implementation of teacher professional development activities on an ongoing basis, it is hoped that teachers and principals will be able to accelerate the development of pedagogical, professional, social, and personality competencies for career advancement. Fourth, teachers and principals can implement sustainable professional development management through several programs, namely: 1) Self-development, which includes: a) following functional training; and b) carrying out teacher collective activities. 2) Scientific publications, which include: a) making scientific publications on research results; and b) make book publications. 3) Innovative works, which include: a) discovering fixed technology; b) find / create art; c) create / modify learning tools; and d) follow the development of standards, guidelines, questions and the like. Fifth, with the realization of sustainable professional development management for teachers and principals that are programmed in stages and tiered it is expected to improve: 1) the professionalism of each teacher and school principal; 2) improve the quality of learning and competence of students in the mastery of knowledge, skills and attitudes; 3) improve the quality of education nationally in order to realize the nation's competitiveness Indonesia in the global era.

Effects of Teacher Participation in in-service Training on Achievement in Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Teacher Professional Development is a key component of educational reforms across the world due to its effects on teacher effectiveness and learner outcomes. Teachers engage in different professional development programs to improve learner achievements. However, the effects of teacher participation in in-service courses on learners’ achievement have come under scrutiny due to persistent low learning outcomes. The study adopted convergent parallel mixed methods approach design. A sample of 194 teachers in 68 public and private primary schools was selected using stratified random and purposive sampling. Data collection instruments were questionnaires and focus group discussion guide. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study established that teacher participation in formal training programs had statistically insignificant effects on Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination achievement indicating that other factors like individualized attention to learners, prompt marking and revision of tests as well as supervision of teaching and learning contributed greatly. The in-service courses were found to be short term and infrequent. The study recommends engagement of teachers in continuous and frequent professional development activities and establishment of school infrastructure to support daily collaborative teacher professional development activities at the school level.

Growth Trajectory of Learning-centered English Class and its Relation with Teacher Professional Development Activities

이 연구는 경기교육종단연구 1-3차년도(2012-2014년) 중학생 938명의 데이터를 활용하여 혁신학교의 수업혁신인 배움중심 영어수업의 성장추이를 알아보고 그 성장추이에 영향을 미치는 교사 활동 변인들을 분석하였다. 분석 방법으로는 고차잠재성장모형(Curve-of-Factors)을 적용하였다. 분석 결과, 혁신중학교의 배움중심 영어수업 평균의 초깃값과 변화율은 모두 정적인 방향을 나타냈으며 통계적으로도 유의한 것으로 파악되었다. 이는 혁신중학교 1학년 때 배움중심 영어수업이 잘 시행되고 있고, 중학교 3년 과정에 걸쳐 배움중심 영어수업 시행 정도도 증가하고 있다고 학생들이 인식한다는 것을 의미한다. 배움중심 영어수업의 성장에 영향을 미치는 영어교사 전문성 개발 활동 변수들을 살펴보면, 단위학교 차원의 교과협의회와 교사의 자생적 연구단체 활동이 배움중심 영어수업의 초깃값에 정적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 교육청 차원의 수업컨설팅과 교과교육연구회 활동은 부적인 영향을 미쳤다. 3년 동안 변화율과 관련해서는, 교육청 차원의 수업컨설팅 활동은배움중심 영어수업 변화율을 증가시키지만, 자생적 연구단체 활동은 감소시킨다고 나타났다. 연수와관련해서는 교육과정 관련 연수는 배움중심 영어수업 초깃값에 정적인 효과를 나타냈지만, 수업전문성 관련 연수는 오히려 부적인 효과를 나타냈다. 마지막으로 교사협력 변수는 교수·학습방법과 학생들의 가정환경 및 생활지도에 관한 교사협력이 배움중심 영어수업 초깃값에 정적인 영향을 미치지만, 학생들의 수업태도 및 행동에 관한 교사협력은 부적인 영향을 미쳤다. 이러한 연구 결과를 토대로 혁신학교 중학교 배움중심 영어수업 발달에 필요한 교사 요인과 관련된 정책을 제언하였다.This study was designed to analyze change trends in learning-centered English class (LCEC), which is implemented in an innovation middle school and to investigate the effect of teachers’ professional development activities on the growth of LCEC. This study used the data with 938 students from the 1st to 3rd year (2012∼2014) of the Gyeonggi Education Panel Study (GEPS). A Curve-of-Factors model was employed. The findings indicated that both the initial value (level) and the rate of change of the LCEC were positive and statistically significant. Among the predictors, subject teachers conference and voluntary teacher study group activities influenced positively on the initial value of the LCEC. However, both the instructional consulting and subject study group run by local education office showed negative effects. Regarding the rate of change, instructional consulting showed increasing effects on the growth rate of the LCEC, but voluntary teacher study group activities showed a decreasing effect. In-service teacher training for curriculum showed positive, but training for teaching expertise showed a negative effect. Both teacher collaboration for teaching improvement and student guidance showed a positive effect, but collaboration for students’ class attitude and behavior showed a negative effect. Based on the results, we discussed the prevention policy for the development of LCEC and teachers’ professional development activity factors in the foreign language learning context.