Education Commons^™

Learning To Lead: Examining The Moderator Role In Debrief Conversations Among Professional Developers, Heather K. Harkins

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This paper reports on a study wherein the author examined her own practice when moderating debrief conversations. The analysis applied a multifaceted theoretical framework from professional learning. The findings suggest that the moderator's role as it was implemented primarily arranged organizing circumstances (Spear and Mocker, 1984) provoked by her own basic psychological needs (Deci and Ryan, 2000), her mental models (Seel, 2001), and her perception of these individual attributes in others. The implications for her future practice as a moderator are discussed.

Professional Development Initiatives That Bridge, Develop And Support Learning Environments For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse School Communities In The Us And Guatemala, Miriam Pepper-Sanello, Adrienne Andi Sosin, Michelle Zucaro, Cynthia Rainbow

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This paper describes action research initiated by members of the Alpha Upsilon Alpha Literacy Honor Society of the International Reading Association at Adelphi University. In an ongoing service project sponsored by the Nassau Reading Council (NRC) and sanctioned by the Minister of Education in Guatemala, the participants are teacher educators and teacher-researchers studying their own professional learning as they provide literacy pedagogical techniques for colleagues in the US, as well as observing the effects of the NRC professional development initiative in literacy for Guatemalan teachers. Educational insights will resonate in improved literacy practices in the US and Guatemala.

Locating Supervision—A Reflective Framework For Negotiating Tensions Within Conceptual And Procedural Foci For Teacher Development, Jennifer L. Snow-Gerono

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manuscript presents a theoretical construct for analyzing procedural and conceptual tensions within instructional leadership for teacher development. The dynamic, multi-dimensional framework demonstrates possibilities for locating supervision as having procedural and conceptual bases. By employing the questions identified, educators place themselves within the framework focused on specific areas and located along a procedural to conceptual continuum. Identifying tensions in practice guides educators to be more reflective when engaging in professional growth. Ultimately, teachers need to become empowered to engage in reflective supervision in order to guide professional development, teaching and learning.

Interim Report: Pilot Project – Technology Integration In Underserved Schools Using Thinkfinity, Sandra G. Flank

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

This pilot project was conceived as a way to enable teachers in schools with fewer technical resources than typical public schools, or with special needs for students and teachers, to explore and utilize the resources of Thinkfinity in lessons and activities.

The project will conclude at the end of May, 2008, and a final, complete report will be submitted at that time. This interim report will describe the assumptions of the project team, how the project was carried out, and highlights of the project to date.

The project team consists of the director of the Pace University Computer Learning Center, …

Triad Experiences: The Impact Of Joint Professional Development Forpre- And In- Service Science Teachers On Triad Dynamics, Todd Campbell, Kimberly H. Lott

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This presentation focuses on the results of in-depth phenomenological interviewing of triads involved in a pilot professional development project.

What Helps Law Professors Develop As Teachers? -- An Empirical Study, Gerald F. Hess, Sophie M. Sparrow

Law Faculty Scholarship

The overall goal of this article is to provide concrete suggestions for how law schools can improve teaching and enrich law student learning. In doing so, it reviews and analyzes the data collected from two national surveys about the kinds of faculty development activities that are most effective in improving law professors’ teaching. One survey was designed to quantify how many law teachers engaged in twenty-two types of teaching development activities over the previous five years and to assess the effectiveness of each of those activities. The other survey focused on the effectiveness of a national conference on teaching and …