Education Commons^™

Accountability By Design In Literacy Professional Development, Catherine Rosemary, Patricia Grogan, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Kathryn A. Kinnucan-Welsch

This article identifies the principles of high-quality professional development based on research and explores how the principles were used to examine the Literacy Specialist Project (LSP) in Ohio. It discusses how each principle was related to literacy professional development using examples from the LSP, reports data from the project about teacher and student learning, and presents implications and additional questions related to accountability systems for professional development.

Politics And Action Research: An Examination Of One School’S Mandated Action Research Program, Ryan Flessner, Shanna Stuckey

Ryan Flessner

Action research has been shown to empower educators, create lasting changes in schools, and have an impact on student learning outcomes. Given these positive results, many school leaders are beginning to mandate the use of action research within their schools. While some in the field have warned against mandating action research, there is little research examining the effects of doing so. This study examines the mandated school-wide action research program at Fieldstone Elementary. While some results align with the action research literature (importance of collaboration, necessity of time to conduct action research, etc.), this article also examines the political tensions …

Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research, Cathy Caro-Bruce, Ryan Flessner, M. Klehr, K. Zeichner

Ryan Flessner

Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instruction leadership. Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource …

Professional Development In Reading First Ohio: Comparison Of Four Methods Of Professional Development Delivery, Catherine Rosemary, Kathleen Roskos, Russell Brown, Leann Krosnick, Lisa Lenhart, Tania Jarosewich, John Savery, James Salzman, Linda Collins

John R Savery

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of Teacher Empowerment And Technical Education In Kentucky, Lee Wall

Lee Ann Wall

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of empowerment and principal use of power within career and technical education in Kentucky. The researcher posits that, with the continual process of educational reform, principals need to understand what empowers teachers to perform as additional expectations and responsibilities are being mandated. The researcher used a mixed methods design to examine power bases that career and technical education teachers perceived were used by their principals to identify teachers’ perceived empowerment, as well as influencers and barriers. Data were collected with a survey and two open-ended questions from …

Library Sector Leadership: Bridging Theory And Practice, Melanie Mills, Charlotte Innerd

Melanie Mills

Explore the issue of leadership in libraries with one current student and one graduate of The University of Victoria's Professional Graduate Certificate in Library Sector Leadership. Looking specifically at Kouzes and Posner's 'Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders' and Quinn et al.'s 'Competing Values Framework', we hope to share our own discoveries and insights and add to the important discussion of leadership in Libraries.

Practical Challenges And Possibilities For The Integration Of Academic Literacy In A First Year Subject, Clifford Jackson, Pauline Taylor, Adam Raoul

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

Successful Professional Learning, Marion Meiers, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

This edition is focused on research into teacher learning and professional development. Teacher learning includes not only activities such as conferences and workshops, but also includes participation in many formal and informal learning activities. Recent research has focused, amongst other things, on characteristics of successful professional learning, and on the connections between teachers' professional learning and improvements in student learning. This research has the potential to assist teachers and schools in selecting and planning for professional learning, so that it will maximise the benefits for participants. The first section of this digest presents some research findings on effective professional learning. …

Professional Development Settings: More Than Time, Place, Activity, Catherine Rosemary, Naomi Feldman

Catherine A. Rosemary

Like authors who create settings as integral components of engaging narratives, thoughtful literacy coaches and other educators who plan and implement professional development consider elements of settings to engage teachers in continuous learning. Many teacher educators, researchers, administrators, literacy coaches, and K-12 teachers understand that a great deal of continuous professional learning is required to teach effectively. Well-designed professional development settings are essential to promote and support teachers' development of new content knowledge and effective instructional practice. In these types of settings, teachers engage in intellectually deep conversations and close inspections of curriculum, teaching, and student learning issues. Such settings …

Professional Development In Reading First Ohio: Comparison Of Four Methods Of Professional Development Delivery, Catherine Rosemary, Kathleen Roskos, Russell Brown, Leann Krosnick, Lisa Lenhart, Tania Jarosewich, John Savery, James Salzman, Linda Collins

Catherine A. Rosemary

No abstract provided.

Designing Professional Development In Literacy : A Framework For Effective Instruction, Catherine Rosemary, Kathleen Roskos, Leslie Landreth

Catherine A. Rosemary

This highly practical guide is grounded in the authors' experience setting up and running a successful professional development program to improve K-3 reading instruction. The book systematically describes how professional development works: how sessions are organized, what they contain, routines and procedures, and the roles of each participant. Teacher educators, literacy specialists, and coaches also get invaluable information on the nuts and bolts of accountability, management, resource allocation, and reporting to multiple audiences. Many specific illustrations and examples are included, as are sample forms and other planning materials that can be adapted to the needs of particular schools, districts, or …

Accountability By Design In Literacy Professional Development, Catherine Rosemary, Patricia Grogan, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Catherine A. Rosemary

This article identifies the principles of high-quality professional development based on research and explores how the principles were used to examine the Literacy Specialist Project (LSP) in Ohio. It discusses how each principle was related to literacy professional development using examples from the LSP, reports data from the project about teacher and student learning, and presents implications and additional questions related to accountability systems for professional development.

Lesson Study : A Professional Learning Model That Actually Makes A Difference, Hilary Hollingsworth, Delwyn Oliver

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Over the past year, a group of mathematics teachers from one Victorian school engaged in a process of professional learning called Lesson Study. In bi-weekly meetings that focused on the development of a single exemplary lesson, they questioned, pondered, discussed, debated, explored, and examined mathematics, and the teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper describes the process and the outcomes of what these teachers consider to be the most powerful professional learning they have experienced.

Teacher Learning Instrument: A Metacognitive Tool For Improving Literacy Teaching, Catherine Rosemary

Catherine A. Rosemary

The focus of this chapter is on the Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI), a metacognitive tool to deepen understanding of literacy teaching and heighten awareness of the teacher's role in student learning. Four questions are addressed in this chapter: (1) What is the TLI? (2) How does the TLI engage teachers in metacognitive inquiry? (3) What are considerations in using the TLI? (4) What are directions for further research on inquiry tools for professional development? The first section describes the theoretical roots of the TLI and highlights findings from research on the use of the TLI in various educational settings. The …

From Research To Practice : Using The Timss Video Study Findings To Enhance Australian Mathematics Teaching, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

The findings of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study have been reported at both international and national levels, however its impact on Australian mathematics teaching has yet to be realised. How can the results of the video study inform teachers' efforts toward excellence in mathematics teaching in Australia? This paper highlights some of the findings and recommendations in the national report, 'Teaching Mathematics in Australia: Results from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study', and anticipates ways that the products of the study might be used for improving teaching and teacher development. The broad purpose of the …

Towards Knowledge Building : Reflecting On Teachers' Roles And Professional Learning In Communities Of Practice, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

This study was undertaken in conjunction with the Successful Integration of Learning Technologies (SILT) Project in Victorian state schools, and its purpose was to identify the forms of teachers' professional practice that enhance knowledge building, in order to inform teacher development policy and pre-service education. Knowledge building is based on a constructivist approach to learning and teaching, and this, in conjunction with the spread of learning technologies, is said to have greatly changed the role of the teacher in the classroom: from the expert dispensing knowledge to the facilitator of student learning. Using an ethnographic approach based particularly on observation …

Change Trajectories In Teacher Professional Growth, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

This paper reports some aspects of the professional growth of two Victorian mathematics teachers involved in the study and introduces the use of 'change trajectories' as a suitable mechanism for describing the growth process. The researcher made use of the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth for examining the process of change.