Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

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.

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.

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.

Integrative Approach: A Teacher Evaluation Process To Improve Practice At Fraser Valley Christian High School, N. Matthew Beimers

Master of Education Program Theses

This qualitative case study examines if the teacher evaluation process at Fraser Valley Christian High School (FVC) leads to improved teacher practices. In this case study, the author examines three current teachers at FVC who have gone through the evaluation process in the last twelve months and the impact the evaluation process had on their practice. FVC takes an integrated approach to its evaluation, combining both summative and formative evaluations with a focus on teacher participation in all facets of the process. Teachers at FVC are invited to consider how the domains of Planning and Preparation, Classroom Instruction, Classroom Community, …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Retention, Quality, Commitment Of Graduates From One School-University Partnership, Brenda Kraber

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of mentoring on retention, quality and commitment of graduates from one school-university partnership. This project explored this issue through a review of relevant literature on effective teaching, components of quality teacher preparation programs, beginning teachers, mentoring and Professional Development Schools. How to best prepare teachers for the multi-faceted, challenging job that needs to be done has been a question that has faced universities and school districts for many years. With the growing numbers of veteran teachers now ready to retire and the increasing need for more teachers, the proportion between experienced and inexperienced teachers is …

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, …

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 …

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.

A Case Study Of The Attributes Of Teacher Efficacy, Joanmarie Baggs Penney

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Evaluating A Four State Workforce Education Project: Questions Of Investigative Interest And Impact, Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, Applied Information Management Institute, Jeanne L. Surface

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

How can a large scale, multi-state, collaborative workforce development project be evaluated? This article describes the evaluation process of the Midwest Center for Information Technology (MCIT). The project uses “impact threads” to connect the outcomes of the project to strategic evaluation questions. The MCIT project, involving 10 public two-year colleges located in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, strives to assist partner colleges in enhancing information technology training and related degree programs. The MCIT was funded as a regional center within the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This article details the evaluation plan …

Continuing Teacher Professional Development In Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, Rahat Joldoshalieva

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

After the collapse of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan became an independent Central Asian state in 1991. Since its independence, there have been enormous changes in the political, social and economic life of the young state, which strives to become a democratic and aspiring market-oriented economy. Its education system has also begun experiencing changes. However, most of the reforms brought in this area continue to be short-term and ever-changing. Economic hardship does not allow the continuation of the previously state-funded teacher retraining system, which further creates deteriorating quality education in the schools. On one hand, the country continues to follow the Soviet …

Teachers' Education And Training Factors And Their Influence On Formative Assessment Processes, William Clark Reed

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study sought to identify factors in teachers' education and training that may be associated with their capacity to use formative testing to inform instruction and, ultimately, improve their students' achievement. This research involved the identification of teachers' educational and training variables that might influence their abilities to analyze formative testing results, interpret the analyses, and modify instruction so as to improve students' achievement in third grade mathematics. The goal was to identify those factors in (1) teachers' educational histories and (2) teachers' professional development and training histories that contribute to their capacity to use formative testing results to inform …

Terms Of Inquiry, Margaret A. Macintyre Latta, Gayle Buck, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Lora Carpenter

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Teaching and learning continues to be driven by a version of professionalism that construes practice to be a form of applied science. This paper challenges that paradigm. In particular, subjecting and assimilating practical activity to a technical mode of rationality is challenged as not being the most appropriate way to approach teaching, learning, and the process that drives both of these phenomena, inquiry. Middle school science classrooms provide the contexts to explore the situated consequences of embracing the terms of inquiry. Placing inquiry at the core of the thinking and experiences of middle school science educators as a philosophical/theoretical/practical educative …

Associates Cohort 10: Diverse Educators Read, Converse, And Reflect Together, Sharon Black

Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Tying It All Together: Implications For Classrooms, Schools, And Districts, Ryan Flessner, Kenneth Zeichner, Kalani Eggington

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Ryan Flessner, Kenneth Zeichner, and Kalani Eggington's contribution to "Creating Equitable Classrooms through Action Research"

The Emotional Dimensions Of Urban Teacher Change, Nate Mccaughtry, Jeffrey J. Martin, Pamela Hodges Kulinna, Donetta Cothran

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

This study used an emotional geographies theoretical framework to analyze the emotional dimensions of urban teacher change. Fifteen urban physical education teachers involved in a comprehensive curriculum reform project were interviewed and observed multiple times across one school year. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis, and trustworthiness measures included triangulation, peer debriefing, researcher journals, and member checks. Teachers reported that emotional dimensions related to their urban students, colleagues, and status heavily influenced their engagement in the project. The discussion section maps the emotional dimensions of these teachers' change experiences onto an emotional geographies framework that situates their experiences in change …

Charting A New Course: Professional Development Strategies For Improving Literacy Education Across The Curriculum, Vikki K. Collins, Dawn Upshaw, H. Marguerite Yates

Perspectives In Learning

This paper reviews the effects of a program of professional development for literacy teachers in an urban, southeastern elementary school. During academic year 2002-2003, only 67% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in reading as measured by the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), and only 77% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in English/language arts as measured by the CRCT (Georgia Department of Education, 2005).

Using Student Generated Qualitative Ecological Models, J. Scott Blackwood, Marion Dresner, Hang-Kwang Luh

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this activity, students construct qualitative models of an ecosystem and use the models to gain a better understanding of direct and indirect ecological interactions. Qualitative modeling is described for use in two procedures, each with different educational goals and student backgrounds in mind. Part 1 is designed with the non-major or beginning ecology student in mind, and is intended both to improve student understanding of the ecosystem of interest and to provide a framework for the instructor to assess student learning. Part 2 is designed for more advanced students of ecology and involves the use of modeling software (POWERPLAY) …

Professional Development And School Improvement In Central Asia, Gulgunchamo Naimova

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Developing Professional Development Teacher, Fauzia Shamim, Anjum Halai

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Teacher Education And School Improvement: A Case Study From Pakistan, Anil Khamis, Shahida Jawed

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of The Writing Consultant As A Professional Development Model For Elementary School Teachers, Shirley E. Martin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Professional Development Of Efl Teachers In Mexico: Examining Cross-Cultural And Global Linkages, Influences, And Outcomes, Robert A. Devillar, Binbin Jiang

Faculty Articles

During the past twenty years, the paradigm of professional development in U.S. education has shifted from an analyitco-incremental model to an integrative-systematic model. The integrative-systematic model focuses on the whole-scale improvement of general student performance through the articulation, implementation, and assessment of standards that apply to teachers and teacher preparation institutions as well as to students. This article addresses the basis for this paradigm shift in the U.S. and the global expansion of the professional development mandate. The authors describe the first phase of a three-year, cross-cultural professional development program involving English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) teachers at a private school in …

Under Pressure: Controlling Factors Faced By Classroom Literacy Teachers As They Work Through A Professional Development Program, Faith H. Wallace

Faculty Articles

This critical constructivist inquiry was designed to understand controlling factors faced by classroom literacy teachers involved in a professional development program. Two guiding questions framed this critical inquiry: (1) how can I describe controlling factors faced by teachers in their respective school cultures and (2) what is the resultant impact of these controlling factors on the teachers' classroom instruction. Findings indicated that participants felt pressure to conform to a particular school philosophy, but empowered themselves by solidifying their own philosophies of instruction.

Lessons Learned From Palestinian Law Professors About Transfer Of Learning, Sandra Ratcliff Daffron, William Davis

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Links Between Teacher Professional Development And Student Learning Outcomes, Marion Meiers, Lawrence Ingvarson

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

This report, in two volumes, describes an investigation of the links between teacher professional development and student learning outcomes. The study, funded by the Australian Government, provides a review of the research literature and of national and international initiatives linking professional development with student outcomes. It provides detailed case studies of the school-based trials of ten professional development programs in a number of different sites. It examines the repeated measures of student achievement from students in the classes of teachers in the school-based trials. Analysis and discussion of a common questionnaire completed by teachers in the school-based trials is provided. …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Professionalism In Government Primary Schools In Karachi, Pakistan, Meher Rizvi, Bob Elliot

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper examines teachers’ perceptions of their professionalism under conditions of educational reforms in government primary schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Conceiving teacher professionalism in terms of four dimensions (teacher efficacy, teacher practice, teacher leadership and teacher collaboration) it reports a quantitative survey research study of teachers in these schools, where educational reforms have been initiated. One conclusion from the study is that such teachers do perceive themselves as professionals—a finding that is counter to the often-held beliefs about these teachers. The paper argues that it is important to regard teachers as professionals, capable of further enhancing their own professionalism, for …

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Quality Of Staff Development Experiences As Perceived By West Virginia Teachers, Melinda Backus

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Teaching is an ever-changing profession. The field of education is expanding each year as advancements are made in technology and brain-based research. To keep pace with the changing world, teachers must stay abreast of current pedagogical knowledge and skills, a task accomplished through participation in professional growth opportunities. The professional growth of the teacher has become a vital component of national and state reform efforts. Great investments are being made by federal and state organizations to ensure the quality of professional growth experiences in which teachers participate. This study examined the quality of staff development experiences in which teachers in …

Teaching Our Teachers: Practical Suggestions To Improve The Quality Of Learning In Bemidji State University's Department Of Professional Education, Ann M. Gassert Carstens

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

A Qualitative Study Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Staff Development In Three Public Northeast Tennessee Elementary School Districts., Rebekah Ellen Barnard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study serves as an insight into teachersÆ perceptions of their staff development experiences. With the constraints under the No Child Behind Act, teachers, schools, and school systems are faced with the challenge of meeting extremely high standards with students. Although standards such as these expectations have never been met, it remains that teachers are faced with attempting this task. Teachers shared their perceptions of the staff development experiences they have received. Student achievement and its relationship to staff development was explored. Teachers discussed perceived factors that influenced staff development training. Also, included in the study was teachers' perceptions …