Tool For Teacher Development Research Articles

Professional Learning Community

This study aims to analyze the impact of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) on the quality of learning in Nusantara Capital Buffer Schools (IKN). A mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative elements, was employed to understand the phenomenon comprehensively. The results indicate a significant improvement in learning outcomes, as evidenced by the increase in the average post-test score (70) compared to the pre-test score (48.75). The PLC program provided a platform for teachers to collaborate, share insights, and develop effective strategies to address learning challenges. Furthermore, implementing the PLC fostered a more supportive school environment, making students feel more comfortable and engaged. The findings underscore the importance of enhancing and expanding PLC initiatives to improve students' academic and non-academic achievements. Practically, these results suggest that the PLC model can be a valuable tool for teacher development and improved student outcomes. Academically, this study contributes to the growing literature on collaborative learning environments and their role in enhancing educational quality.

Self-reflection in teaching: A comprehensive guide to empowering educators and enhancing student learning

This comprehensive guide report on self- reflection in teaching explores the significance of self-reflection as a professional development tool for teachers. Drawing upon research evidence and practical examples, it examines the benefits of self-reflection in enhancing teaching effectiveness, promoting continuous improvement, and fostering a reflective teaching culture within educational settings. The guide was implemented as an imitative in two post and basic schools ‘teachers as a case study aiming to show the effectiveness of implementing self-reflection in actual lessons, and to reflect the teachers` perspectives of self- reflection in the two schools. The teachers` views and testimonies were all positive and constructive towards the essentiality of applying self- reflection in teaching as such method is crucial to empower the teachers and to enhance them to be engaged thoroughly in the teaching process and contribute in their professional growth process which in consequence enhance the students` learning attitudes as well.

A deeper form of reflection: perezhivanie as a tool for teacher development

ABSTRACT Crediting Vygotsky in introducing perezhivanie, I argue that perezhivanie acts analogously to reflection in problem solving and much beyond that and can be used as a developmental tool for teachers. Analyzing teacher’s perezhivanie, a mentor can better understand their practice. Teachers’ perezhivanie is a psychological reaction to a problematic situation in the classroom, comprising several stages from cognitive dissonance to meaning making, and performing a new activity to resolve the problem. My argument is based on a narrative study into 10 university language teachers’ experiences. Using the structural elements of the narrative, data from one participant were iteratively analyzed and presented in this article to discuss the teacher’s perezhivanie when she tried to solve emerging problems in the classroom. The analysis traces the relation of two immanent characteristics of perezhivanie, its process and content, to teachers’ agency. The article suggests how perezhivanie can be meaningfully incorporated into in-service mentoring programs.

THE FUNCTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SUPPORTING TOOL FOR LECTURER CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITIES IN THE INDUSTRY 4.0 ERA

Lectures have many duties. The most important one is to implement the tri-dharma of higher education (teaching, research and community service). One of the efforts to support these duties in the Industry 4.0 era is the use of social media to develop professors' careers. A lack of understanding of the role of social media sometimes only sees the dark side of social media, which is actually very useful in developing lecturers' careers. This study uses a qualitative research method with a narrative research design. The subjects of this study were 92 individuals identified through purposive sampling technique. Data collection was done through an online survey. Data analysis in this study used coding techniques consisting of open coding, axial coding and selective coding stages. The findings of this study show that social media is a professional development tool for teachers and can enhance professional competence, which can contribute to teachers' professional development. Professional development that enhances the performance of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education in the areas of teaching, research and community service.

Multilingual socialisation in education (M-SOC): educator engagement and potential for collective action

ABSTRACT The linguistic choices teachers and educators make in their spheres of influence depend on their own language experiences and how these have shaped their thinking. In this article, we draw on teacher beliefs, social activism and language socialisation perspectives to demonstrate the potential impact of the Multilingual Socialisation (M-SOC) tool. This theory-informed tool was designed to: (1) make visible multilingual practices where they exist; (2) establish a link between biographical experiences, actions and beliefs related to multilingual practices in education; and (3) expose educators less familiar with multilingualism in education to practical ideas, thus enabling reflection and inspiration. This is part of a potentially wider collective action project that has the aim of generating greater acceptance of multilingual practices in education. Here, we present and evaluate the first stage of the M-SOC project and a follow-on consultation phase and draw conclusions for future research. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the first results (n = 81) from our ongoing data collection indicate that the M-SOC tool has a role to play as an effective theory-informed teacher development tool that is able to identify, inform and change teachers’ thinking and intentions regarding their classroom practices.

The Effect of Mindfulness Techniques on Teacher Resilience as Moderated by Conscientiousness

Burnout continues to be apparent among teachers and often leads to increased health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover rates. Burnout stems from unmanaged stress, which is the result of teachers’ response to challenges in the workplace. The purpose of this cross-sectional design study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. An additional purpose was to examine whether the personality trait and conscientiousness moderate the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience. The frameworks for this study were based on the self-awareness, -regulation, and -transcendence (S-ART) framework, the theory of planned behavior, and the concepts of resilience and job burnout. Four surveys were used to gather data from 133 high school teachers to understand the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience as well as how conscientiousness moderates the relationship. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. This study found a significant relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. Additionally, this study found that conscientiousness does not significantly moderate the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. These results might be used to create a professional development tool for teachers to help them learn how to increase the quality of classroom interactions and their resilience through the use of mindfulness techniques. The outcome may be a more positive social and academic environment for students as well as teachers, based on the encouraged use of mindfulness techniques.

The Effect of Mindfulness Techniques on Teacher Resilience as Moderated by Conscientiousness

Burnout continues to be apparent among teachers and often leads to increased health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover rates. Burnout stems from unmanaged stress, which is the result of teachers’ response to challenges in the workplace. The purpose of this cross-sectional design study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. An additional purpose was to examine whether the personality trait and conscientiousness moderate the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience. The frameworks for this study were based on the self-awareness, -regulation, and -transcendence (S-ART) framework, the theory of planned behavior, and the concepts of resilience and job burnout. Four surveys were used to gather data from 133 high school teachers to understand the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience as well as how conscientiousness moderates the relationship. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. This study found a significant relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. Additionally, this study found that conscientiousness does not significantly moderate the relationship between mindfulness techniques and resilience in high school teachers. These results might be used to create a professional development tool for teachers to help them learn how to increase the quality of classroom interactions and their resilience through the use of mindfulness techniques. The outcome may be a more positive social and academic environment for students as well as teachers, based on the encouraged use of mindfulness techniques.

Teachers’ Reflection on their Agency for Change (TRAC): a tool for teacher development and professional inquiry

ABSTRACT Claims about teachers’ potential to influence change tend to overlook that educational outcomes arise from complex, situated practices of many actors including teachers. This article introduces a tool for Teachers’ Reflection on their Agency for Change (TRAC) for empirical analysis of teaching as a collective activity designed to ‘track’ the diverse outcomes of teacher agency, including but not limited to student attainment, while accounting for the relational and institutional contexts. Activity theory is applied to map purposes and contexts of eacher agency. Uses of TRAC in professional development and inquiry are illustrated with an example of one teacher’s reflection during her collaboration with researchers on a change project aimed at ‘closing the attainment gap’. Inclusive pedagogy is used as an interpretative lens to discuss agency in relation to its specific purpose and context. The article offers guidance for future uses of TRAC to consider teachers’ impact on any change agenda.

Towards a professional development tool for teachers of English in bilingual streams: the dynamics of beliefs and practices

ABSTRACT This study highlights tensions and challenges experienced by language teachers in CLIL contexts. Using an example from the Netherlands, it explores the pedagogical and collaborative practices of Teachers of English in Bilingual streams (TEBs). The study shows how, using formal and practical theories (Borg and Burns 2008. “Integrating Grammar in Adult TESOL Classrooms.” Applied Linguistics 29 (3): 456–482. doi:10.1093/applin/amn020.), pedagogical and collaborative practices were formulated and used to investigate the beliefs and practices of language teachers in bilingual settings. The paper presents the operationalisation of 36 practices for TEBs and reports on an online survey investigating TEBs’ stated beliefs and practices. The findings suggest this set of practices has potential, both as a professional development tool for language teachers in bilingual education settings, and for further research. Results of the online survey revealed that the disciplinary identity of most Dutch TEBs leads to a focus on language, communication, literature, and language arts. TEBs are not necessarily aware of, and do not automatically consider, possibilities for expanding their own pedagogical practices in relation to subject-specific language or supporting and collaborating with their subject teacher colleagues. We suggest that policy guidelines, curricula development and teacher education programmes should pay more attention to the unique position of language teachers in these settings.

Introducing Teacher Mentoring in Kosovo Schools – Potential and Challenges for Sustainability

This study examined the lessons learned from the introduction of a teacher mentoring culture within a teacher professional development program in selected pilot schools in Kosovo. Four mentor teachers and four mentee focus groups were involved in the open interviews, and their portfolios were examined. The important themes in terms of developing a schoolmentoring culture in a system that had lacked mentoring practices and is embarking on an ambitious curricular reform were identified. The study revealed that individual, collegial and institutional dimensions are critical in attempting to introduce the mentoring culture. The study concluded that mentoring is a mixed concept and is viewed as hierarchical but is,nevertheless, an important professional development tool for teachers who are facing the pressure of the reform. This formalized way, known as “Balkanization” culture, marks a critical step towards developing a collaborative school culture as the desired end point.

Exploring Reflective Practice Among College EFL Teachers in Saudi Arabia

During the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the role of reflection in professional development, especially amongst teacher educators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Engaging in reflective practice means taking an active role in learning and recognizing one’s personal responsibility for one’s own lifelong learning. Despite its prevalence as an important topic in the educational field and the multidimensional plans that have been implemented to restructure the Saudi education system, there is little to guide EFL educators in Saudi Arabia on how to effectively develop reflective ability in themselves and consequently in their learners. This study intends to explore the perceptions of EFL teachers on reflective teaching as a tool for teacher development and its challenges in the higher education sector in Saudi Arabia. The study is qualitative in nature, whereby semi-structured interviews were conducted with four EFL college educators in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the study indicate that the participants are aware of the value of reflective practice, and use different models of reflection in order to reflect on their daily practice. However, some participants manifested some uncertainties regarding reflective practice and its multifaceted nature whereas others highlighted the constraints impeding the practice of reflective teaching, namely, fixed curricula and the absence of adequate professional training. Thus, the professional development staff should provide in-service teachers with professional training about reflective practice and work with college administrators to produce a culture of inquiry in their teacher-learners.

The role of teaching observations: Developing or managing academic practice?

Observations of teaching are becoming increasingly common in Higher Education, often as part of a peer observation project, taught teacher education programme or other professional development activity. In the context of the evolving Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), this paper argues that teaching observations can and should play a central role in developing teaching quality but that there needs to be clarity about the value and purpose of them from the start. Drawing on experiences from the Further Education sector, issues and pitfalls are highlighted that illustrate how a tool for teacher development can become a managerial mechanism for teacher perfromance monitoring whilst also suggesting approaches designed to create a positive engagement with observation by both the observer and the observed.

Exploring Reflective Practice among College EFL Teachers in Saudi Arabia

During the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the role of reflection in professional development, especially amongst teacher educators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Engaging in reflective practice means taking an active role in learning and recognizing one‟s personal responsibility for one‟s own lifelong learning. Despite its prevalence as an important topic in the educational field and the multidimensional plans that have been implemented to restructure the Saudi education system, there is little to guide EFL educators in Saudi Arabia on how to effectively develop reflective ability in themselves and consequently in their learners. This study intends to explore the perceptions of EFL teachers on reflective teaching as a tool for teacher development and its challenges in the higher education sector in Saudi Arabia. The study is qualitative in nature, whereby semi-structured interviews were conducted with four EFL college educators in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the study indicate that the participants are aware of the value of reflective practice, and use different models of reflection in order to reflect on their daily practice. However, some participants manifested some uncertainties regarding reflective practice and its multifaceted nature whereas others highlighted the constraints impeding the practice of reflective teaching, namely, fixed curricula and the absence of adequate professional training. Thus, the professional development staff should provide in-service teachers with professional training about reflective practice and work with college administrators to produce a culture of inquiry in their teacher-learners.

Peer-group mentoring as a tool for teacher development

Peer-group mentoring (PGM) is a new model designed to support the professional development of teachers in Finland. This study examines the experiences of mentees participating in PGM and potential differences in the experiences of teachers in general education and vocational education. It also addresses the mentees’ perceptions of the results of PGM with regard to the professional, personal and social dimensions of professional development. Quantitative research methods were used. An online survey was completed by 69 teachers in general education and 47 teachers in vocational education (n = 116). The results showed that the participants saw PGM as an important tool for professional development throughout the entire teaching career. In general, there were few significant differences between vocational teachers and their colleagues in general education in their perceptions of PGM. The study further suggests an alternative conceptualisation of professional development based on the following components: development of skills and knowledge, strengthening professional identity and self-confidence, and development of a work community.

Female Teachers’ Perception of Reflective Teaching as a Teacher Development Tool in the Saudi Context

Teacher development in the EFL context has been well-established in Western educational institutions. However, although there are some limited studies in the Middle East, it is still under-researched in Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the EFL teachers’ perceptions of reflective teaching as a tool for teacher development and its challenges in higher education in Saudi Arabia. It also aims to raise teachers’ awareness of the importance of teacher development and its empowering impact in meeting their students’ needs. Based on a review of previous studies, the present study hypothesized a significant relevance between reflective teaching practice and the promotion of professional development. A structured questionnaire is used as a quantitative methodology followed by qualitative analysis of the findings. The findings support the hypothesis in which the participants’ views revealed a strong relationship between reflective teaching and professionalism in teaching. Finally, further recommendations that suggest methods of reflective teaching are proposed.

Evaluating the Evidence Base of Video Analysis

Special education teacher development is continually studied to determine best practices for improving teacher quality and promoting student learning. Video analysis is commonly included in teacher development targeting both teacher thinking and practice intended to improve learning opportunities for students. Positive research findings support video analysis as a teacher development tool, but the practice has not been deemed evidence based. In this evaluation, quality indicators, adapted from special education research and government recommendations, were used to determine whether video analysis is an evidence-based practice for developing special education pre-service and in-service teachers. A systematic literature search resulted in 113 identified articles which were narrowed to seven experimental studies using screening criteria adapted from What Works Clearing House. Significant findings supported video analysis across all seven studies, and the overall quality of the published research suggests video analysis is a promising practice. Implications and recommendations for special education teacher development are discussed.

Coaching as a leadership development tool for teachers

Without support for the development of leadership talents and the chance to climb the career ladder, many teachers will leave the teaching sector in search of other career opportunities that will provide an outlet for their interests and talents. Coaching is potentially a way to help teachers fulfil, support and encourage their leadership talents. Being able to employ management and leadership skills is said to be a major determinant of success or failure in education but those who believe that they can make a difference are more likely to see coaching as a tool that can help them expand and strengthen their teaching skills. Although educational leadership has been extensively investigated over the years, educational coaching as a form of leadership development has not been as well researched. This raises the question: can coaching help to create a teacher‐leader? The results from this case study have shown that the use of coaching workshops and one‐on‐one sessions may be an effective way for educational professionals to develop their leadership skills through continual professional development.

Using blogs as a professional development tool for teachers: analysis of interaction behavioral patterns

The coming era of Web 2.0 focuses on users' active online participation and interaction. Among such interactive media, the blog is one representative tool of online knowledge construction. The purpose of this study is to explore the behavioral patterns and the depth of knowledge construction when using blogs for teachers' professional development. This research combines quantitative content analysis, sequential analysis, and qualitative protocol analysis. We studied how 470 teachers used blogs to conduct instructional knowledge interactions prior to the intervention of teacher educators and analyzed the teacher's behavioral patterns and the depth of knowledge construction. On the basis of the discovered behavioral patterns, we see that although blogs can serve as a channel for teachers to share teaching information, the aspect of knowledge construction is limited. We point out these limitations, and provide suggestions on how teacher educators can guide interactions during training. We also suggest how system developers can adjust blog functions to facilitate the discussion quality of online teacher communities.

‘How far down can you go? Can you get reincarnated as a floorboard?’ Religious education pedagogy, pupil motivation and teacher intelligence

A doctoral study is reported, of action research on the motivation of 12–14‐year‐old religious education pupils in England. An earlier master's dissertation gives the basis and cues a developed conceptual framework including adolescence, creativity, ethnography, pedagogy and iterativity. Four cycles of praxis are traced. The emergent factors in pupil motivation are dialogue with difference, existential and ethical interest and personal significance. Recommendations for religious education pedagogy are advanced but their epistemological status as possibilities for change, subject to assessment and refinement in successive contexts, is kept in view. A critical discussion integrates the recommendations with elements of current religious education debate and then reviews the study's methodology in the light of current discussions of the nature of action research. The article concludes with remarks on the power of action research as a teacher development tool.

The Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices surveys: An English case study

This study describes the implementation of the Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP) surveys in 4 English schools, 3 primary schools and 1 secondary school during the academic year 2002 – 2003. The ALCP teacher and student surveys for grades kindergarten through 12 were developed and validated with over 25,000 students and their teachers in the United States. The theoretical basis for the ALCP surveys is the American Psychological Association's Learner-Centered Psychological Principles. This paper firstly describes the knowledge base underpinning the ALCP surveys, then describes their implementation in the UK. Although the ALCP surveys have been extensively validated in the US, this study is the first attempt to trial them in the UK as a teacher development tool. Given the cultural similarities between the US and UK, as well as the presumed generalizability of the Learner-Centered Psychological Principles, establishing the psychometric qualities of the ALCP surveys with English teachers extends the cross-cultural usefulness of these surveys. The study found that the ALCP surveys demonstrated comparable reliability and validity as U.S. data and their usefulness in practice were confirmed via teacher evaluations.