Education Commons^™

A Professional Development Program For Science Adjunct Faculty: The Mentoring-Learning Community (Mlc), Linda B. Purvis, Jason D. Lang, Julie A. Luft

Georgia Journal of Science

Institutions of higher education have become increasingly dependent on adjunct faculty. These faculty members are often unfamiliar with current teaching strategies emphasizing an active learning approach. To support science adjunct faculty in learning about active learning, a professional development program was designed and implemented by the authors of this study, the Mentoring-Learning Community. The Mentoring-Learning Community program design was informed by literature regarding the use of professional development programs that focused on adjunct faculty. To determine the impact of this program, participants in the Mentoring-Learning Community were observed and interviewed over one semester. Mentoring-Learning Community participants transformed through all three …

Teacher Inquiry: A Catalyst For Professional Development, Divonna Stebick, Jonathan Hart, Lauren Glick, Jaime Kindervatter, Jenna Nagel, Cathy Patrick

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Teachers seek and require meaningful professional development opportunities to truly grow in the profession. Teacher inquiry, or teacher research, is one way to accomplish professional development goals. Teacher inquiry is thought of as individualized, personalized, and meaningful professional development (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999). In this paper we articulate the learning of a cohort of certificated professionals engaged in a year-long project that included asking research questions, designing data collection tools, and developing an independent study to examine their questions. Nine certificated professionals participated in the year-long project representing various grade levels and experiences. Data was collected through teacher reflections and …

The Relational Exchange Model For Academic Partnerships (Remap): A Transition From Transactional To Transformational Relationships Between Pk-12 School Districts And Institutions Of Higher Education, Kaleb G. Patrick Ed.D., Gregg Dionne Ph.D.

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

Education is in an incredible time of transition. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was mounting importance on the need for professional development to meet the ever-increasing demands of students, families, and communities along with ongoing accountability and improvement measures. This increased need of professional development for educators in PK-12 school districts has only accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. Considering this need, a new model for sustainable, mutually beneficial, relationships between PK-12 school districts and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) is critical. A movement from the currently existing, singularly beneficial, transactional finite relationships to a sustained, mutually beneficial, …

Emergency Remote Teaching Versus Planned Remote Teaching: Narrowing The Gap With Targeted Professional Development, Bonnie J. Covelli, Sudipta Roy

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study reviews faculty members’ comfort level with remote teaching in the Fall 2020 semester to evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development workshops.

Method: Using survey research, we examined professional development activities and subsequent comfort level and ease of adjustment with remote teaching in Fall 2020.

Results: Following the training, faculty reported high planned usage of various online teaching tools and great comfort with using them. The data reveals some differences between part-time and full-time faculty members.

Conclusions: The experience gained in the emergency semester, combined with the targeted professional development workshops offered eased the stress of planned …

“We Can Position Ourselves As Experts”: Teachers Learning To Write And Publish On National Blogs, Henry "Cody" Miller, Gage Jeter

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This article focuses on a collective case study of two teachers attending a professional development workshop focused on writing for publication via educational blogs. Through a qualitative study, we sought to understand how attending the workshop and publishing on a national organization's blog shaped the two teachers' own identities as teachers and shifted their thinking about blogs as a genre. We argue the two teachers had a shift in conceptualizing what counted as scholarship as well as problematizing who counted as a scholar. In an era of increased attacks on teachers' intellectualism and autonomy, we believe publishing on national blogs …

Building A Culture Of Collaboration And Shared Responsibility For Educational Equity Work Through An Inclusive Teaching Community Of Practice, Francesca Marineo, Chelsea Heinbach, Rosan Mitola

Collaborative Librarianship

For libraries to be equitable spaces as educational institutions and places of employment, it is necessary that educational equity be a shared, collaborative goal. Unfortunately, equity and inclusion work in libraries has historically been an individual pursuit that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) library workers. Communities of practice employ social learning principles to facilitate praxis and offer opportunities to develop shared goals, language, and responsibility. This article explores how we developed and implemented an inclusive teaching community of practice with members of our instruction department in order to foster a culture of …

“Drown[Ing] A Little Bit All The Time: The Intersections Of Labor Constraints And Professional Development In Hybrid Contingent Faculty Experiences, Courtney Adams Wooten, Brian Fitzpatrick, Lourdes Fernandez, Ariel M. Goldenthal, Jessica Matthews

Academic Labor: Research and Artistry

Faculty teaching during COVID-19 have been asked to adapt to a wide range of instructional modalities that have often increased the labor they experience without commensurate compensation. Hybrid courses, which were already popular pre-pandemic, have become even more common as schools and universities have rushed to adapt instruction to students’ needs. This article reports on interviews with faculty teaching hybrid courses to investigate their perceptions of the labor involved in teaching in this instructional modality, drawing connections to the labor many faculty are experiencing as they adapt to hybrid or other, similar instructional modalities. It then argues that targeted professional …

University English Teachers’ Professional Development Through Academic Visits: Using Identity As A Theoretical Lens, Feng Ding, Rui Eric Yuan, Fiona Curtis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Academic visitor programs aim to enhance university teachers’ teaching and research capacity and intercultural competence. Its impact, however, has remained under-researched. Using the data collected from two rounds of in-depth interviews with 13 Chinese university English teachers over a year and a half, this study explored their experiences as academic visitors in the UK through the lens of professional identity. Findings revealed that the participants came with various expectations and negotiated and constructed different identities during their academic visits. The participants’ developing identities in turn affected their investment in their professional development in their situated contexts. The study provides important …

An Analysis Of Critical Literacy In Featured Manuscripts Appearing In Two Major Literacy Journals (2011-2020), Kathleen A. Gormley, Peter Mcdermott

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Literacy journals provide an important resource for teachers’ professional development. Although school districts offer in-service education for their faculty and teachers often attend conferences and workshops sponsored by professional teaching organizations, journal reading remains an important source of information for teachers’ ongoing learning. In this study we examined what elementary teachers would learn about teaching critical literacy from reading major journals in literacy education. Critical literacy served as our focus because of the increasing importance of readers knowing how to recognize political, social and cultural perspectives embedded in the texts that they read. Content analysis served as our research method …

College Students’ Attitudes Towards Remote Instruction During The Coronavirus Pandemic: Future Directions, Selenid M. Gonzalez-Frey, Keli Garas-York, Corinne M. Kindzierski, Julie J. Henry

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Undergraduate and graduate education students completed a survey to examine their attitudes toward remote instruction during the coronavirus pandemic. At the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester in which all courses transitioned from a face-to-face to an online format, students, N = 93, were asked to describe what worked well in their courses in regards to their remote instruction experience and, when things did not go so well, what would have helped to make their experience better. The qualitative data were coded, and inductive analysis was used to generate categories (Johnson, 2012; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Responses were grouped into …

Empowering Faculty Using Distance Learning Mentoring Programs, Nicole Luongo, Sara T. O'Brien

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This article discusses the value of developing mentoring programs for the empowerment of distance learning faculty. The paper describes various ways mentoring relationships enhance the development and teaching of distance learning courses. Distance learning faculty mentoring programs consist of a process where a more experienced faculty member assists a newer faculty member in developing a distance learning course. By creating and supporting distance learning faculty mentoring programs, higher education institutions can provide an efficient and valuable way for new distance learning faculty to gain empowerment as well as the skills and knowledge they need to teach online. This article asserts …

The Role Of The Clinical Educator In Teacher Preparation: An Exploratory Study Of Perceptions Of Preparedness, Kristen M. Driskill

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

As the demands on P-12 teachers increase, so do the demands on teacher preparation programs. In higher education institutions across the country, coursework is regularly updated to reflect changing academic standards, increasing diversity in classrooms, rigorous certification exams, etc. In addition, accreditation standards have been updated to reflect the need for P-12 partnerships in best preparing teacher candidates. As a result, clinical practice has come under focus. Yet the role of the clinical educator remains unclear. There is a gap in the literature regarding the preparedness and support of clinical educators, particularly addressing their role in developing teacher candidates along …

Reinvigorating Classroom Practice Through Collaborative K-12 And Higher Education Professional Development, Sean W. Agriss, Katie O'Connor, Louann Reamer, Andrea Reid

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

High school, community college, and university faculty attempted to address student readiness for first-year college English classes by working with each other across sectors in an ongoing, collaborative professional development project, Successful Transitions to College (STC). STC demonstrates that teachers can work across sectors to smooth transitions for students who often navigate multiple educational systems throughout their K-16 experience. This professional development work intentionally built opportunities for faculty to work collaboratively while honoring teaching expertise and shared problem solving. Interest in student transition across academic sectors has created a fresh realization for many teachers—one of the best ways to …

Promoting Scholarship And Faculty Development Through Faculty Learning Communities, Olive J. Yonge Dr., Sandra J. Davidson

Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formation infirmière

Faculty learning communities (FLCs), whether they are topic or cohort-based, are a form of professional development that promote scholarship and collegiality among faculty members. This article describes how a number of FLCs were initiated in a Faculty of Nursing (FoN). Members who participated described the FLCs as scholarly, creative and morale enhancing. One of the most significant impacts in the topic-based FLCs was having members create a scholarly product such as articles, letters, theatrical performances, books, faculty modules, briefs and paintings. For the cohort-based FLC the product was preparing pre tenure faculty for tenure. It is recommended FLCs be voluntary, …

Stem High School Teachers’ Views Of Implementing Pbl: An Investigation Using Anecdote Circles, Aimée L. Dechambeau, Susan E. Ramlo

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been gaining in popularity, especially within the context of STEM-based (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) schools. Program assessments for these schools typically focus on student standardized test scores rather than the needs of the teachers. This study utilized anecdote circles, storytelling via moderated group discussions, to investigate teachers’ needs related to developing and implementing authentic, interdisciplinary PBL activities in an urban, public STEM high school. Teacher experiences and viewpoints were explored within three broad themes: assessment; coaching and training; and authentic learning. The analyses provide insights for transitioning a school for effective PBL implementation as well …

Charting A New Course: Professional Development Strategies For Improving Literacy Education Across The Curriculum, Vikki K. Collins, Dawn Upshaw, H. Marguerite Yates

Perspectives In Learning

This paper reviews the effects of a program of professional development for literacy teachers in an urban, southeastern elementary school. During academic year 2002-2003, only 67% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in reading as measured by the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), and only 77% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in English/language arts as measured by the CRCT (Georgia Department of Education, 2005).