Type Of Professional Development Research Articles

From Attendance to Collaboration: Contextual Differences in Teacher Perceptions of Multilingual Family Engagement

Background/Context: There is a growing need for schools to examine the best ways of working with immigrant and multilingual families, as it is ever more likely that all teachers will work with multilingual newcomers and their children during their career. However, teachers often view multilingual families in deficit ways, and many teachers lack experience in designing culturally responsive school–family partnerships. Although professional development (PD) has been shown to positively impact teachers’ beliefs regarding actively engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families, it is not clear from the literature how such PD is taken up across different district contexts. Purpose/Objective/Research Question or Focus of Study: This article explores teachers' perceptions of multilingual family engagement across four distinct school districts involved in a PD project. We specifically asked: (1) How have teachers’ perceptions of immigrant/multilingual family engagement changed over the first year of a PD program? (2) How do teachers’ perceptions of multilingual family engagement differ across district contexts? Research Design: In this mixed-method study, we examine teacher survey responses, reflections, and researcher field notes from our first cohort of teachers ( n = 25) participating in our National Professional Development (NPD) grant project. We completed descriptive statistics to address our initial research question before exploring how context could be shaping the ways teachers implemented ideas from the PD. Next, teacher reflections and researcher field notes were analyzed following an ethnographic approach. Conclusions/Recommendations: We found that power-sharing approaches to family engagement were conceptualized by teachers along a continuum of relationship-building and power-sharing across districts. While PD can support teachers to develop family engagement beyond common and traditional practices, buy-in by teachers can be limited by district context and opportunities. Researchers providing PD need to recognize that discussions around power-sharing will look different depending on district context. Furthermore, providing this type of PD will require relationship-building with districts/teachers, ongoing support, and different amounts of time specific to the context(s) they are serving.

Merging Authentic Field Experiences with Direct Interactions with Parents of ELs to Improve Hispanic Pre-service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy toward Parental Involvement

ABSTRACT This study offered a group of preservice bilingual generalists’ opportunities for one semester to engage in a unique form of professional development that merged authentic field experiences with direct interaction with parents and families of ELs. Specifically, the study investigated how Hispanic pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and dispositions about parental involvement changed as a result of having participated in this type of professional development. Thus, the current study went beyond the teacher education boundary from college campus to local schools and then to students’ families providing pre-service teachers the opportunity to experience direct interactions with parents that improved their self-efficacy toward parental involvement.

Teacher Professional Development in STEM Education: An Integrated Approach with Real-World Scenarios in Portugal

The implementation of an integrated approach of STEM education with real-life scenarios is crucial to motivate students to learn and to better prepare them for real-world challenges, which is a big challenge for teachers. Therefore, there are implications for teaching practice and consequently the need for professional development. This paper presents an integrated approach of STEM education developed in the context of a collaborative professional development programme implemented in an exclusive online context, provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme aimed at providing teachers with knowledge and skills to develop STEM integrated tasks to be implemented in class. This study used a quantitative–qualitative approach to answer the research questions, using mixed methods to collect data. Participants are primary school teachers who participated in the programme during four months in the school year 2020/2021. Based on data collected from questionnaires, participant observation and teachers’ final reports, it was verified that teachers recognized the importance of obtaining training in STEM education and that this type of professional development was very relevant and improved their knowledge and skills to implement STEM hands-on practices in class. In addition, a case study of a science and mathematics 6th grade teacher is presented to illustrate how she implement integrated STEM tasks in class based on a real-world scenario such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, teachers recognized the importance of this approach and that it increases students’ motivation to learn.

Professional Development and Faith Integration in Sport Management Education

Professional development is a critical component of academia and should support the institution’s vision, mission, and organizational goals (Lee & Briggs, 2020; 2021). The amount and type of professional development should be congruent with institutional expectations (COSMA, 2016), according to how faculty are to be evaluated, tenured, and promoted. When emphasizing professional development that integrates one’s faith, there are unique prospects to embody a Christian ethos. Hence, this article concentrates on professional development opportunities at faith-based institutions, notably Christian faculty members in the academic disciplines of Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure & Sport Studies (CSKLS). Using the specific emphasis on the academic field of Sport Management, detailed nuances and exemplar applications of professional development are provided using Boyer’s Scholarly domains as a framework.

Exploring the role of professional development on secondary special educators self-efficacy and use of evidence-based transition practices

BACKGROUND: Past research has suggested that secondary special educators enter the profession with limited knowledge and skills to provide effective evidence-based transition practices (EBTPs) to students with disabilities. Professional development (PD) is known to be one pathway to expand teachers’ knowledge and delivery of evidence-based transition practices, yet minimal research exists investigating what PD activities are most effective at increasing teachers’ use of EBTPs. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine how transition specific PD influenced secondary special educators’ knowledge and perceived self-efficacy regarding the use of EBTPs in their classrooms to support students with disabilities. METHODS: A correlational research design was used to investigate teacher self-efficacy to deliver EBTPs when the amount, type, and location of PD are factors. Descriptive statistics, an analysis of variance (ANOVA), and a multiple linear regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: The amount of PD offered had a significant effect on teachers’ perceived efficacy compared to the location and type of professional development received. Further, the results of teachers’ perceived effectiveness, changes made as a result of PD, and other factors related to PD are reported. CONCLUSIONS: After receiving PD, teachers were more likely to make changes in their classroom that, in turn, affected their self-efficacy and effectiveness to deliver EBTPs to support students with disabilities. Implications for teacher professional development research, practice, and policy are also discussed.

Professional Development Engagement and Career Satisfaction of Agriscience Teachers

Teachers should possess a set of professional commitments, which includes active participation in professional development that leads to student learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between professional development engagement and career satisfaction. This study used a quantitative descriptive correlational research design. A purposive stratified sample of states and a census of teachers in those states were used. The Tailored-Design Method, using multiple points of contact with various modes was used to collect data with minimal survey error. There was a response rate of 72.5% (n = 892). The mean score for the professional development engagement was 118.3 (SD = 13.4; n = 858) on a 150 point scale. Agriscience teachers participated in workshops at a higher rate than any other type of professional development. Levels of implementation varied among types of professional development. The mean score for career satisfaction was 19.9 (SD = 4.4; n = 878) on a 25 point scale. Professional development engagement and career satisfaction had a moderate positive correlation (r = .34). These findings showed a high level of participation in professional development, especially workshops and a high level of career satisfaction. Recommendations for practice and future inquiry are provided.

Delivering Performance Feedback to Teachers Using Technology-Based Observation and Coaching Tools

Effective professional development (PD) for teachers should be directly and intricately linked to their teaching practice. One way to link PD to practice is for administrators or coaches to provide performance feedback based on classroom observations, accompanied by reflection and coaching. This type of PD can be time-consuming and difficult to manage in practice, but technology offers ways to facilitate performance feedback. This article highlights a multimedia observation tool capable of documenting teachers’ instructional moves in real time with the intent of providing a teacher with unbiased, descriptive data used to fuel coaching conversations. Additional multimedia options are provided for observing instruction and providing critical performance feedback with the intent of improving student learning outcomes.

Using Professional Development Opportunities to Advance Your Nuclear Medicine Career.

Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) have multiple opportunities to advance their careers beyond an entry-level NMT. Many careers that NMTs can obtain require additional skills, education, or qualifications. Participating in professional development (PD) opportunities is necessary to acquire the skills necessary for career advancement. PD opportunities can come from professional societies or organizations, be sponsored by an institution or employer, or come from participating in an educational degree program or advanced certificate program. The type or types of PD in which NMTs should engage will be unique for the type of position they are striving for and their current skills, knowledge, and educational level. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of PD should be considered by NMTs who are wishing to advance their careers and to select the development path that is most suited for their needs.

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACTS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ON SHARED PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES: EVIDENCE OF NINE COUNTRY CASES FROM TALIS 2013

In the current dispensation due to accountability measures in schools, there have been enormous pressures on key actors to enhance school effectiveness and improvement. This has put some pressures especially on schools heads/principals and teachers to improve student learning outcome, despite growing policies with respect to professional development of schools principals and teachers. At the same time there are increasing efforts to train and re-train school heads to adopt distributed or shared leadership practices so as improve student learning outcomes and school improvement, however there seems to be limited evidence in three ways. First, with regards to whether or not there is a relationship between professional development activities and principal shared leadership skills. Secondly, whether or not there exist some differences between privately or publicly managed schools with respect to principals shared leadership style and finally if there exists variations between female or male principals regarding shared leadership style. Using the TALIS 2013 for data analysis in nine countries which was conducted by the OECD. The results of the study revealed that there was no statistically mean differences with regards to how gender differ with principals’ shared leadership, secondly there is a difference in variation of mean with both publicly and privately managed school with respect to principals shared leadership and finally the type of professional development that includes courses, conferences, or observational visits had no significant effect on principals’ shared leadership. This paper has some sought of policy lessons for both policy makers and practitioners in the arenas of educational policy with respect to the type of leadership style and type of professional development for enhancing student learning outcomes and school-wide improvement. Article visualizations:

Enhancing the Impact of Professional Development in the Context of Preschool Expansion

Among all the factors that influence the success of preschool programs, none is more important than the quality of the teaching workforce. The design and delivery of effective approaches to professional development (PD) are central to the support of the early childhood education workforce. In this article, we provide a model outlining the PD features that help to ensure that PD is effective, as well as the program- and policy-level supports needed to implement this type of PD as a part of local, state, and federal preschool programs. Throughout the article, we summarize recent research that is refining our understanding of the characteristics of effective PD, and we draw from research as well as our own experience in working with Head Start and state preschool programs across the country to illuminate challenges and promising practices in implementing effective PD at scale.

How do teachers define the notion of professional development? The case of primary music teachers

While research in teacher professional development (PD) has focused on numerous topics, not much is known about how teachers understand the notion of PD. Studying this topic is important because, for PD to be effective, all parties involved in its design and implementation need to have a common understanding of the scope and purposes of PD. We asked 315 Singapore primary school music teachers to define PD using their own words. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and cross-tabulations were used to analyze the definitions and the extent to which these differed according to certain demographic variables. We found that teachers’ definitions were not entirely consistent with those proposed in the educational literature, as teachers referred to a narrower scope of ideas regarding the content, facilitation type, format, and outcomes of PD. For example, while the ultimate goal of PD according to scholarly definitions is enhancing student learning, teachers seem to primarily understand PD as a means to improving themselves. No differences were identified when teachers’ definitions were compared according to variables such as age, teaching experience, designation, and specialization. Based on our findings, we conclude that it is essential to help teachers develop broader understandings of what PD means and entails.

Five Star Teacher: In-Service on the Move

ABSTRACTTeachers learned knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions through spending significant amounts of time working with heritage sites as they learned more about social studies. Elementary social studies teachers engaged in teacher in-service to increase their abilities to meet geography standards. Teacher professional development that caused instructors to engage with cultural and historic sites benefited them and should be considered as well as other models of teacher in-service. Teachers used study travel opportunities to engage in geographic investigation and exploration to accomplish inquiry. Teachers determined that extended time was required to experience the place, to value it, and to harbor the disposition to teach about it; they learned in-depth content from spending time on-site, and they learned skills to extract knowledge from site through reading the landscape. Teachers encountered multiple perspectives, technology, and controversial issues through their studies of regions in the Ohio River Valley. Teachers of elementary social studies may wish to consider this type of professional development to understand a sense of place and how it relates to the curriculum they teach.

Applying theories of adult learning in developing online programs in gerontology

The Department of Aging and Geriatric Research at the University of Florida College of Medicine has established online education programs to provide healthcare professionals with advanced training in the field of gerontology to establish proficiency in providing quality care to older individuals. A major barrier to creating our online education programs was the challenge of transitioning our faculty from a traditional face-to-face learning environment to an online platform. A current trend in this type of professional development is to treat the faculty themselves as adult learners. Meyer has made several recommendations for professional faculty development specific to online education based on an extensive literature review. Here we present a reflection on how we addressed these various recommendations in the professional development of our faculty. We focus on our team’s ability to mentor the faculty through the course creation process by piloting an adult learning/transformative theory approach to instruct the faculty to think as online educators. Our intent is to inform other educators creating similar programs so they may learn from our experiences and use our methods for creating their own online education programs, especially with a “lean team.”

Responding to student thinking: Enhancing mathematics instruction through classroom based professional development

This article describes a type of professional development focused on students’ thinking that occurs in middle school mathematics classrooms. This type of professional development is called “Classroom Embedded” and occurs over one or two days in a classroom with middle school students and their teacher. Teachers actively participate in the planning and implementation of problems designed to elicit and extend students’ understanding of contextualized problem situations. Similar to Lesson Study, teachers observe the lesson and evaluate student responses. The emphasis is on assessment of students’ mathematical understandings and making their thinking explicit through sharing of strategies and connections among key mathematical concepts and procedures. Aspects of both the common core content standards and the eight standards for mathematical practice are highlighted throughout the article.

Applying an Evidence-Based Framework to the Early Childhood Coaching Literature

Professional development (PD) is a critical pathway for promoting the use of evidence-based intervention practices in early childhood (EC) settings. Coaching has been proposed as a type of PD that is especially promising for job-embedded learning. A lack of consensus exists regarding evidence-based EC coaching strategies and what types of support coaches need to implement these strategies. In this literature review, we analyzed the EC coaching literature in terms of coaching strategies shown to improve EC practitioners’ use of effective intervention practices, coaching model components and strategies, the rigor and quality of the research, and the preparation provided to coaches in the identified articles. We conclude with recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of coaching and improving the preparation of coaches who serve in EC settings.

Professional Development Aligned with AP Chemistry Curriculum: Promoting Science Practices and Facilitating Enduring Conceptual Understanding

The recent revisions to the advanced placement (AP) chemistry curriculum promote deep conceptual understanding of chemistry content over more rote memorization of facts and algorithmic problem solving. For many teachers, this will mean moving away from traditional worksheets and verification lab activities that they have used to address the vast amounts of content in the AP chemistry course. Moreover, a substantial shift in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning of chemistry will be needed to facilitate the transformation of their instructional practices. Research has shown that such substantial shifts in beliefs and practices also requires a shift in professional development (PD) models, away from the traditional one-day to one-week workshops and toward PD that is sustained, coherent, content- and inquiry-focused, and supported. This paper uses the Target Inquiry (TI) program as an example of this latter type of PD to highlight important considerations in developing PD experiences that will suppor...

Professional Development Through Planning for and/or Participating in an Accreditation/Approval Review

The quality of delivery of health education services is connected to landmark events in the history of health education. Quality assurance is one type of professional development in which practicing health education specialists engage. This article presents the steps of an accreditation/approval process, brief overviews of the major accreditation/approval systems, and the opportunities within the accreditation/approval process for professional development.

Characterizing Key Features of the Early Childhood Professional Development Literature

Professional development (PD) has been defined as facilitated teaching and learning experiences designed to enhance practitioners' knowledge, skills, and dispositions as well as their capacity to provide high-quality early learning experiences for young children. The purpose of this study was to use a framework from the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (2008) to characterize key components of early childhood PD by conducting a descriptive systematic review of empirical literature. Two hundred fifty-six studies were identified that met specified inclusion criteria: (a) described a type of PD, (b) involved early childhood practitioners who were working with children birth through the age of 5 years, and (c) reported empirical evidence about PD outcomes for either early childhood practitioners or children. Findings revealed that studies typically included information about PD recipients, the topic or content focus of the PD, and the type of facilitated teaching and learning experiences provided. Seventy-four percent of the reviewed studies included systematic follow-up as a component of the facilitated teaching and learning experiences but limited information was provided about dose and fidelity of implementation of the follow-up. The review provides a descriptive characterization of the who, what, and how of early childhood PD. These data complement an emerging experimental intervention literature focused on second-generation PD research questions. We discuss the need to reach consensus about reporting key components of PD interventions to facilitate interpretations of relationships among PD interventions, improvements in practice, and desired child outcomes.

Public reflection within learning communities: an incessant type of professional development

This article is based on a study focusing on how structured learning communities can promote reflective awareness and professional development, through collaborative analysis of professional experience. As participant–observer, the researcher used recorded observations as well as individual participants’ reflective writing as data. Of importance is the fact that all seven participants argued that they developed professionally and started to dig deeper into their experiences as the five-month study progressed. They also pointed out that this type of professional development was immediately relevant to their present needs, and this was what motivated them to further engage in reflection as a tool for professional development. Aspects such as conflict and uncertainty in teacher learning, and how collaboration promotes further reflection will also be discussed.

25. Engaging New Faculty in Reflection and Inquiry About Their Teaching

Similar to faculty development offerings at other North American post-secondary institutions, the University of Alberta has delivered orientations and short programs that primarily focus on teaching techniques. While this type of professional development is an important element of enhancing teaching, the literature stresses the need for learning opportunities that encourage reflection as well as time for practice and experimentation. Building upon programs and services already in existence, and in alignment with the University of Alberta’s new vision, a formally structured teaching program called the new professor Teaching program was developed and piloted with faculty. The purpose of the program was to engage new professors in the understanding of the academic scholarship of teaching and provide a supported environment for innovation in their teaching. A research study was undertaken to understand how this new program engaged newly hired faculty in reflection and stimulated inquiry about their teaching. The findings of the data collected from the participants indicated that the program was a success and of value. All participants remarked that the program was helpful in developing their teaching repertoire and extending their knowledge of how to become effective teachers.