Education Commons^™

The Conundrum Of Collaboration: Examining Collaboration As A Continuum Towards Professional Learning, Scott Harold Tavares Burnside

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Stories are a collaborative effort between teller and listener; utilizing the First Nations Métis Inuit (FNMI) tradition of Storytelling, this organizational improvement plan recounts the story of teacher collaboration at Ginkendan Secondary School (GSS, a pseudonym). A systems theory lens will be employed to frame a problem of contrived collegiality, a state of perfunctory collaboration resulting from dictated professional development that does not lead to professional learning. A feedback loop of teacher-derived professional learning will be investigated to propel teachers forward on a conceptual framework of a collaboration continuum. Comfortable collaboration, a stage where teachers are empowered to address their …

Grey Clouds And Silver Linings: Professional Learning For Secondary Educators During Covid-19, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Fundamental 4: Pandemic Learning Reveals The Value Of High-Quality Instructional Materials To Educator-Family-Student Partnerships, Elizabeth Chu, Andrea Clay, Grace Mccarty

Center for Public Research and Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous disruptions to PK-12 school systems, including long-held beliefs about teaching and learning. After several months of unexpected virtual and hybrid learning, some school systems have emerged with a new understanding of the instructional core. Commonly thought of as the relationships between teacher, student, and instructional materials that support student learning, these leaders have expanded their understanding of the instructional core to include families.

We conducted nearly 300 interviews with students, families, and educators from nine school districts and charter school organizations to learn more about the expanded instructional core. In Fundamental 4, we share …

Creating Conditions For Collaboration: A Case Study On Design-Based Professional Learning, Leslie A. Lehner

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Design thinking is a process for solving complex problems through creative actions. There are three primary ways design thinking is being used in education today: (a) as a teaching tool, (b) as a strategy for teachers to redesign their students’ learning experiences, and (c) as a tool for school leaders to design school change (Gallagher & Thordarson, 2018). Design thinking includes a strong emphasis on team-based learning regarding the problem and possible solutions (Lindberg et al., 2010). This case study describes one school’s approach to navigating complex challenges, inspiring school change, and developing conditions for meaningful collaboration using a design …

Professional Learning Opportunities For Teacher Candidates, Victoria N. Seeger, Chad Boyles

Educational Considerations

Using a case study model, the research explored how teacher candidates viewed professional learning, its impact on undergraduate preparation for the teaching profession, and what kind of role it was perceived to play by early-career teachers. Research participants responded to questions about how the professional learning impacted their views on preparation for teaching, how experiences influenced discussions with interviewers prior to being hired, and how professional learning prepared them for interacting with colleagues and administrators. The participants’ perceptions were explored through surveys and focus groups.

Rise To Thrive: A Vision For A Transformed And Equitable Education System, Center For Public Research And Leadership

Center for Public Research and Leadership

How might we design an education system that prepares every child, of every race and background, to thrive in school and in life? We answer this question in RISE to Thrive: A Vision for a Transformed and Equitable Education System.

Based on conversations with more than 300 students, families, teachers, education leaders, and organizers, among others, our latest publication also incorporates existing research on instructional practices as well as the insights and innovations gained since the pandemic. We hope RISE to Thrive will help education leaders transform their school systems into more equitable ones.

The Evolving Middle School Concept: This We (Still) Believe, Lisa Harrison, Penny A. Bishop

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The Successful Middle School builds upon many decades of commitment to the middle school concept. The fifth edition of AMLE’s landmark position paper amplifies the importance of responding both to young adolescents’ developmental needs and to their social identities. The edition’s release amidst a global pandemic and increasing protests against racial injustice reminds us that responding to the full diversity of student experience is not optional. It is critical to helping young adolescents--and indeed the world--to thrive, now and in the future.

Professional Learning With Staying Power, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Six steps to evidence-based professional learning that makes a difference.

Infographic: Rural, Regional And Remote Professional Learning, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

AITSL conducted surveys in 2018 and 2019 on the current arrangements of professional learning in rural, regional and remote schools across the country. Here, we look at some of the survey responses from teachers on their experiences.

Providing Job Embedded Professional Learning For Mathematics Specialists, Ian T. Shenk, Vickie L. Inge, Candace J. Standley, Allison C. Depiro

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

We know that if professional learning opportunities are to be meaningful and create long-lasting and systemic change, they must be ongoing and job-embedded. One of the most beneficial aspects of having mathematics specialists in schools is that they can provide job-embedded professional learning directly to teachers. Perhaps due to the strong impact mathematics specialists have on teaching and learning, we may overlook the need to provide professional learning to support the growth of mathematics specialists themselves. Just as we provide coaching to teachers to affect their professional growth, we must identify similar opportunities to affect the growth of mathematics specialists. …

Leveraging Social Media And Scholarly Discussion For Educator Empowerment, Steven Kolber, Sandy Nicoll, Kelli Mcgraw, Nicolas Gaube, Keith R. Heggart

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper shares insights from an international community of educators who have been using social media as a virtual space for a scholarly reading group: #edureading. The collection of educator narratives presented in this paper show how social networks on Twitter and Flipgrid were used as inclusive environments for teacher-led professional development. This paper is both a report of research involving five practitioners inquiring into their collective experience, and an exercise in building the scholarly capacity of the #edureading group. The accessibility of the social media platforms, as well as the collaborative, inquiry-based approach to scholarly reading, emerge as key …

Navigating Inquiry Group Professional Learning For In-Service Teachers With Mainstreamed English Language Learners : A Practitioner Action Research Study, Jennifer Wnuk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

For this study, I initiated an inquiry group to research how to meet the needs of mainstreamed English language learning (ELL) students. I chose a practitioner action research design with a socially critical lens in order to address the injustice inherent in the district where I currently work and inform future policy. Although what we learned about meeting the needs of mainstreamed ELL students was important to our individual professional development, the research did not yield new findings for the body of educational research on instruction for language learners. The primary contribution of this practitioner action research study was how …

Overcoming Challenges In Assessing Mathematical Reasoning, Sandra Herbert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post- lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated teachers’ collaborative efforts to assess their students’ reasoning from students’ work samples. The data included transcripts of all the reflective sessions; written work samples; and associated completed rubrics. Analysis of these data enabled identification of seven challenges teachers experienced in assessing reasoning: Limited guidance provided by curriculum documents; Teachers’ knowledge of reasoning; Teacher noticing …