Education Commons^™

Wku International Student Teaching Program: Professional, Cultural, And Character Impacts On In-Service And Pre-Service Teachers, Meghan F. Althauser

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This project focuses on researching the effects of participation in WKU’s International Student Teaching Program on in-service and pre-service teachers. The program’s effect on teachers’ professional decisions made in the classroom and attitudes toward diversity in the classroom were the focus of this research. A mixed method approach of in-service teacher questionnaires and interviews, pre-service teachers interviews, and analysis of blogs/journals from in-service and pre-service teachers while they were abroad was used in this project. The results of the project have illustrated the benefits, as well as the professional, cultural, and character developments of participating in the WKU International Student …

The Professional Learning Motivation Profile (Plmp): A Tool For Assessing Instructional Motivation, Barbara A. Marinak, Divonna M. Stebick, Mary Paxton

Education Faculty Publications

This article chronicles the collaboration of administrators from six districts and three college professors as they assessed professional learning during the first year of teaching. The examination led to the development of a Professional Learning Motivation Profile. Results from the profile indicated a traditional model of professional development was not effective in growing the professional learning motivation of beginning teachers. Anecdotal data shared includes how administrators used the data to inform conversations designed to support teachers in their journey toward courageous, effective instruction.

Self-Assessment Inspires Learning, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Self-reflection is self-assessment, and one of the most significant learning tools we can model for our students. Ultimately, we want our children and adolescents to be the self-assessors of their work, dispositions, and goals. Research repeatedly reports that the difference between good teachers and superior teachers is that superior teachers self-reflect.

Naspa’S New Professionals Institute: Exploring The Personal And Professional Impact Of A Two-Day, Intensive Professional Development Experience, Ashley Stone

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Professional development experiences, like professional development literature, are vast. While existing professional development literature discussed the needs for and barriers toward professional development as well as the benefits and types of professional development experiences, no research existed about NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education’s (NASPA) New Professionals Institute (NPI), an intensive, two-day leading professional development experience for student affairs professionals who have been in the field for less than five years. Therefore, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study, which explored the meanings NASPA’s Region IV-West NPI participants made of their two-day professional development experience as well as the personal …

Boston Writing Project, Glenn Mitchell, Peter Golden

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Boston Writing Project focuses on the core mission of improving the teaching of writing and improving the use of writing across the disciplines by offering high-quality professional development programs for educators, at all grade levels, K–16 and across the curriculum.

Early Childhood Open Course Ware, Department Of Early Education And Care, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Build Out Of School Time Network - Bostnet

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings (EECIS) is UMass Boston's program for both entry-level and experienced early childhood practitioners. It is designed for individuals seeking leadership roles in the early childhood field. The program's specific focus is support for individuals who wish to work in Early Intervention and early childhood programs outside of the public schools.

The goal of the Early Childhood Open Course Ware is to provide on demand high quality professional development across the state with consistency available at various levels of academic rigor.

Situational Interest In Professional Development, Jean Stevens

Honors College

In this case study we look at three cases of situational interest during a teacher professional development workshop. The cases were selected because they illustrate events where multiple teachers exhibited spontaneous interest in a geologic feature or phenomena. This research was conducted at a three-day professional development workshop on the seashore in the northeastern part of the United States. The professional development involved 17 middle school teachers who spent the three days at three different locations learning about the geologic history at those locations. In this study, we express the signs of interest shown by the teachers in each case …

Secondary Social Studies Teachers' Experiences Implementing Common Core State Literacy Standards, Krista Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of secondary social studies teachers who implemented Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in history/social studies, science and technical subjects in social studies courses requiring End of Course Tests at secondary schools in one suburban district in Georgia. Ten teachers of United States history and economics courses participated in this study. Data was collected through questionnaires, reflective online journaling, documents, individual interviews, and focus groups. Analysis was conducted using transcription, thematic coding, textural and structural descriptions, and a composite description of the essence of the …

Instructional Learning Teams: A Case Study, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Brian Whitney, Roger A. Stewart, Joshua Pfiester, Julia Zarbnisky

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Changing teacher practices to improve student learning is a challenge. For teachers’ practices to change, faculties within schools must build communities of practice. However, supporting teachers’ collaborative learning within a Professional Learning Team can be an elusive challenge. We found through the Instructional Learning Team (ILT) model of professional development that teachers have a focused model to make effective changes to their practice. ILTs promote school improvement by providing a process through which teachers collaboratively focus on sustained reflection about student learning tasks, instruction, and student work using the Japanese Lesson Study and critiquing their work using Newmann’s (1996) Intellectual …

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

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

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 …