Education Commons^™

Learning Through Play At School Ukraine: Final Research Report, Rachel Parker, Amy Berry, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson, Oksana Zabolotna

Student learning processes

The Learning Through Play (LTP) at School Research Study Ukraine was a four-year intervention study funded by the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA). The intervention was a two-year professional learning program that blended online, and face-to-face learning called the Teacher Innovative Play Program (TIPP). The TIPP was designed based on documented evidence that reports that teachers need opportunities to experiment and reflect to change practice. The study was guided by three research questions which were revised following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces …

More Than Just Checking A Box: Teachers' Experiences Of Transformation In Equity-Focused Professional Learning, Melissa E. Moxley

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Pennsylvania has the largest disparity between student and faculty demographics. In fact, over half of Pennsylvania schools employ zero teachers of color. As student demographics change and teacher demographics remain the same, there is an ever-increasing need to train in-service teachers on diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets. Training teachers to be culturally competent requires them to alter their understandings in a transformational way. Often, cash-strapped districts attempt to produce training sessions in-house, developed by administrators who may have little training in the area themselves. This leads to professional learning that is left in the conference room once teachers leave. Research …

Learning Through Play At School: Ukraine, 2019-2024, Rachel Parker, Amy Berry, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson, Oksana Zabolotna

Student learning processes

The Learning Through Play at School Research Study Ukraine was a four-year longitudinal intervention study funded by the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Ukrainian Educational Research Association (UERA). The study was implemented between 2019 and 2024, during COVID-19 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. Despite, at times, insurmountable challenges, the professional learning intervention was successful in supporting most teachers to progress from a surface level understanding of learning through play to a deep level. In addition, almost all children’s literacy and social-emotional skills grew significantly from start …

Regenerating Professional Learning: The Influence Of Relationships On Teacher Identity, Agency, And Advocacy, Todd W. Mckinley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional development for teachers gained more attention with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 2001. However, reform efforts spurred by this act focused mainly on training for specific programs and curriculum materials, resulting in little attention to instruction. In the last thirty or more years, new approaches to professional development have emerged, with teacher leadership, in particular, gaining more attention in studies as an important mechanism for reforming classroom practice to raise student achievement. Research has mainly examined collaborative frameworks to sustain teacher growth through professional learning communities situated within the context of schools and …

Connecticut Educator Insights On Building A More Effective, Diverse Educator Workforce, Madeleine Sims, Elizabeth Chu, Scheherazade Salimi, Delaney Lawson, Zoe Mitrofanis, Ivy Moore, Julia Skwarczyński

Center for Public Research and Leadership

Teachers are the strongest school-based determinant of student success. Yet at the start of the 2022-23 school year, across the state of Connecticut, over 1,200 certified staff member positions were vacant. The educator shortage was particularly acute in upper-level math and science, special education, and bilingual education.

Despite growing demand for educators in those subject areas, the number of pre-service educators pursuing those endorsements has generally remained constant or decreased between 2015-2021, suggesting that absent meaningful change, shortages will persist.

Educators, administrators, and policymakers hypothesize that the state’s current educator preparation and certification process contributes to the state’s twin challenges …

School Leadership Assessment Of Teachers’ Work-Life Balance: Perceptions And Professional Learning Needs During A Global Health Pandemic, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Alissa Sasser, Katherine Fallon, Katarina Evans

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand the work-life balance of educators teaching students during the Covid-19 health pandemic. Teachers face a multitude of challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from traditional face-to-face class to online learning resulting in a cyclical phenomenon for many teachers as schools have shifted back and forth between virtual and in-person settings in response to constantly changing coronavirus messaging. The findings identified three overarching themes related to teachers’ needs including Boundaries with Time and Commitments, Mentally Processing Daily Stressors, and Healthy Lifestyle. Implications for practice denote that …

The Infinity Mirror: Learning To Lead Through Action-Oriented Inquiry, Robert D. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation-in-practice is a reflective self-study exploring the lived experience of the current researcher as a leader of Lesson Study (LS) over 2 years. Drawing on the concepts of perspective and engagement articulated by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger- Trayner (2016) in their Learning in Landscapes of Practice conceptual framework, the study is organized around the primary critical question: How has my perspective on what it means to be a teacher leader been transformed through my engagement with LS in the context of a US community of educational practice? Working within the paradigm of first person action-oriented inquiry, the method of self-study …

The Impact Of Culture On Learning Transfer In Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Culture is a predominant force in people’s lives that impacts learning and thus culture influences learning transfer. Because working across nations has become the norm and every year billions of dollars are spent on professional learning around the world, it is crucial for organisations to understand the role culture plays in the learning transfer process. Using a multidimensional model of learning transfer and the six dimensions of national culture model as conceptual frameworks, this qualitative study used a case study approach to examine the impact of culture on learning transfer in Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa. Interviews were conducted …

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 …

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.

Chart A Clear Course: Evaluation Is Key To Building Better, More Relevant Learning, Chase Nordengren, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

When we engage in professional learning, we do it for one big reason: to get better at supporting students. Rigorous and thoughtful program evaluations can provide the critical connection between well-designed programs or initiatives and continuous improvement that builds essential knowledge and skills for educators. Evaluation helps us examine what has been accomplished in a professional learning initiative and identify course corrections that can help the initiative improve.

Collaborative Professional Learning In Early Literacy: The Impact On Teacher Knowledge, Actions, And Beliefs, Jaime Henderson Dawson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Literacy is the foundation for individual success and economic independence. Early literacy development is an area of importance; thus, professional learning in early literacy is critical and significant. This study examined the impact of a collaborative professional learning model in early literacy on teacher knowledge, actions, and efficacy and how learning transfer resulted in changes to instructional practices. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Data were collected from participants in a specific collaborative professional learning model, the Early Literacy Professional Development (ELPD) model. Quantitative data were collected through surveys to identify professional learning topics perceived as having …

Teacher Evaluation Practices And Policy Implications: Effective Strategies For Changing Instruction, Scott Grens

Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation of the effectiveness of teacher evaluation practices in a small suburban elementary school district in Illinois from 2017-2019. The primary research question explored in this program evaluation is whether and to what extent the teacher evaluation process is changing teacher practices in Washington School District 25. Employing a qualitative research methodology, with data gathered from teacher interviews, school administrator interviews, and document analysis, this study identified several key components to the improvement of instructional practices for teachers. Policy implications and recommendations highlight the importance of the following: a common instructional framework, staff involvement in …

Infographic: Wise Words On Lifelong Learning, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Each year in our reader survey, we ask you: ‘looking back on your experience as an educator, if you could share one piece of advice with your peers, what would it be?’ In this infographic, we take a look at some of your responses on the topic of lifelong learning.

Brookings, South Dakota: Learning Lab, Doriane Paso

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper explores the possibilities of education in one local setting using both an insider and outsider perspective. Education is a part of society, and as society changes, why should education not change with it?

Professional Learning Interventionn In Mathematics: A Case Of Developing Portfolio Assessment, Hem Chand Dayal, Bronwen Cowie

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This paper reports findings from a Fijian study that engaged secondary mathematics teachers in a two-day professional development workshop on the use of portfolios as an alternative means of assessing student learning in mathematics. Utilising an action research approach with a view to involve teachers as key stakeholders in mathematics education, the professional development prompted a small group of secondary mathematics teachers to think about the mathematics content and processes which could not be assessed using written tests, and to develop assessments that would reflect higher-order thinking in mathematics. While the majority of the teachers came up with ideas …

A Phenomenological Study On The Motivating Factors Influencing Participation In Tennessee’S Governor’S Academy For School Leadership, Amy B. Horton Mrs.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational administration is such a demanding field, so it is important to understand why an aspiring principal would self-select to commit to an optional yearlong, intensive professional development activity with very little compensation and no promotion. Motivation may prove to be a key component of the recruitment and sustainability of professional development activities. By discovering the factors affecting both personal and professional motivation of beginning administrators to participate in a professional development led by the collaboration among the Tennessee Department of Education, Vanderbilt University, and Governor Bill Haslam, the researcher hopes to gain an understanding that may apply to future …

Learning From Mistakes, Geoff N. Masters Ao

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

A willingness to acknowledge and learn from failure is essential for all progress, writes Professor Geoff Masters AO.

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Glenn Rowley (retired)

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Learning Needs Analysis For The Deaf Education Sector, Julie Kos, Marion Meiers, Lawrence Ingvarson

Marion Meiers

The Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI), Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to undertake a project to design, conduct and analyse the learning needs of teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. The focus of the study was to identify any gap between teachers’ existing skills and knowledge and the skills that are needed to optimise student learning outcomes.

Starting Coaching And Mentoring Conversations, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

Establishing the right conditions for coaching and mentoring programs helps ensure these conversations play an important role in a school's improvement agenda.

Professional Learning Communities: What Are The Important Questions For An Educator To Ensure A Sustainable Community?, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

No abstract provided.

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Martin Murphy

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Julie McMillan

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013: Main Report On The Survey, Phillip Mckenzie, Paul R. Weldon, Glenn Rowley, Martin Murphy, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Paul Weldon

This report provides an overview of the results obtained from the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) 2013 survey commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The work was supported by an Advisory Committee of government and non-government school authorities and other stakeholder groups. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, and to gather information to assist in future planning of the workforce. It was also designed to provide comparative and updated data following on from the previous SiAS surveys conducted in 2006-07 …

Reflections On An Inherent Tension Between Peer Collaboration And Individual Assessment In Online Professional Learning, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Leena Vainio

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

In this paper, the authors reflect on potential tensions between peer learning among adult students and current forms of assessment in two professional learning contexts: one in Finland, and one in Australia. The two groups participated separately in online and face to face learning that required them to gather data, reflect, communicate and try out new strategies in their workplaces. Formal learning outcomes and assessment were expected.

Partnerships, Policies And Professional Learning: Experiences From An Australian Government-University Partnership, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

No abstract provided.

Finding Time For Teachers, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

The life of a teacher can be hectic, so what can you do to free up time for development? Take a look at this infographic.

Planning Professional Learning, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

With backward planning, schools can ensure that they choose professional development activities aligned with their most important goals.