Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Conundrum Of Collaboration: Examining Collaboration As A Continuum Towards Professional Learning, Scott Harold Tavares Burnside

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Stories are a collaborative effort between teller and listener; utilizing the First Nations Métis Inuit (FNMI) tradition of Storytelling, this organizational improvement plan recounts the story of teacher collaboration at Ginkendan Secondary School (GSS, a pseudonym). A systems theory lens will be employed to frame a problem of contrived collegiality, a state of perfunctory collaboration resulting from dictated professional development that does not lead to professional learning. A feedback loop of teacher-derived professional learning will be investigated to propel teachers forward on a conceptual framework of a collaboration continuum. Comfortable collaboration, a stage where teachers are empowered to address their …

Grey Clouds And Silver Linings: Professional Learning For Secondary Educators During Covid-19, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Fundamental 4: Pandemic Learning Reveals The Value Of High-Quality Instructional Materials To Educator-Family-Student Partnerships, Elizabeth Chu, Andrea Clay, Grace Mccarty

Center for Public Research and Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous disruptions to PK-12 school systems, including long-held beliefs about teaching and learning. After several months of unexpected virtual and hybrid learning, some school systems have emerged with a new understanding of the instructional core. Commonly thought of as the relationships between teacher, student, and instructional materials that support student learning, these leaders have expanded their understanding of the instructional core to include families.

We conducted nearly 300 interviews with students, families, and educators from nine school districts and charter school organizations to learn more about the expanded instructional core. In Fundamental 4, we share …

Creating Conditions For Collaboration: A Case Study On Design-Based Professional Learning, Leslie A. Lehner

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development 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 …

Professional Learning Opportunities For Teacher Candidates, Victoria N. Seeger, Chad Boyles

Educational Considerations

Using a case study model, the research explored how teacher candidates viewed professional learning, its impact on undergraduate preparation for the teaching profession, and what kind of role it was perceived to play by early-career teachers. Research participants responded to questions about how the professional learning impacted their views on preparation for teaching, how experiences influenced discussions with interviewers prior to being hired, and how professional learning prepared them for interacting with colleagues and administrators. The participants’ perceptions were explored through surveys and focus groups.

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.

The Evolving Middle School Concept: This We (Still) Believe, Lisa Harrison, Penny A. Bishop

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The Successful Middle School builds upon many decades of commitment to the middle school concept. The fifth edition of AMLE’s landmark position paper amplifies the importance of responding both to young adolescents’ developmental needs and to their social identities. The edition’s release amidst a global pandemic and increasing protests against racial injustice reminds us that responding to the full diversity of student experience is not optional. It is critical to helping young adolescents--and indeed the world--to thrive, now and in the future.

Professional Learning With Staying Power, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Six steps to evidence-based professional learning that makes a difference.

Infographic: Rural, Regional And Remote Professional Learning, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

AITSL conducted surveys in 2018 and 2019 on the current arrangements of professional learning in rural, regional and remote schools across the country. Here, we look at some of the survey responses from teachers on their experiences.

Overcoming Challenges In Assessing Mathematical Reasoning, Sandra Herbert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post- lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated teachers’ collaborative efforts to assess their students’ reasoning from students’ work samples. The data included transcripts of all the reflective sessions; written work samples; and associated completed rubrics. Analysis of these data enabled identification of seven challenges teachers experienced in assessing reasoning: Limited guidance provided by curriculum documents; Teachers’ knowledge of reasoning; Teacher noticing …

Providing Job Embedded Professional Learning For Mathematics Specialists, Ian T. Shenk, Vickie L. Inge, Candace J. Standley, Allison C. Depiro

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

We know that if professional learning opportunities are to be meaningful and create long-lasting and systemic change, they must be ongoing and job-embedded. One of the most beneficial aspects of having mathematics specialists in schools is that they can provide job-embedded professional learning directly to teachers. Perhaps due to the strong impact mathematics specialists have on teaching and learning, we may overlook the need to provide professional learning to support the growth of mathematics specialists themselves. Just as we provide coaching to teachers to affect their professional growth, we must identify similar opportunities to affect the growth of mathematics specialists. …

Navigating Inquiry Group Professional Learning For In-Service Teachers With Mainstreamed English Language Learners : A Practitioner Action Research Study, Jennifer Wnuk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

For this study, I initiated an inquiry group to research how to meet the needs of mainstreamed English language learning (ELL) students. I chose a practitioner action research design with a socially critical lens in order to address the injustice inherent in the district where I currently work and inform future policy. Although what we learned about meeting the needs of mainstreamed ELL students was important to our individual professional development, the research did not yield new findings for the body of educational research on instruction for language learners. The primary contribution of this practitioner action research study was how …

Leveraging Social Media And Scholarly Discussion For Educator Empowerment, Steven Kolber, Sandy Nicoll, Kelli Mcgraw, Nicolas Gaube, Keith R. Heggart

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper shares insights from an international community of educators who have been using social media as a virtual space for a scholarly reading group: #edureading. The collection of educator narratives presented in this paper show how social networks on Twitter and Flipgrid were used as inclusive environments for teacher-led professional development. This paper is both a report of research involving five practitioners inquiring into their collective experience, and an exercise in building the scholarly capacity of the #edureading group. The accessibility of the social media platforms, as well as the collaborative, inquiry-based approach to scholarly reading, emerge as key …

Professional Learning Of Literacy Teachers Of Specialized Populations, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jodi Falk

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In this article, the researchers share results from a study on teachers’ responses to professional learning experiences with a focus on balanced literacy methods to best meet the literacy needs of their d/Deaf students. The authors use theories of communities of practice, connected learning, and collective hope. Findings indicate that for professional learning to be meaningful and actionable, it needed to include the following four criteria: (1) must be relevant to the specific population of children; (2) must acknowledge and value organic, teacher-initiated professional learning; (3) must incorporate a collaboratively decided-upon shared purpose; and (4) must be joy driven and …

Critical Language Awareness Pedagogy In First-Year Composition: A Design-Based Research Study, Megan Michelle Weaver

English Theses & Dissertations

In this design-based research (DBR) study, I collaborated with two first-year composition (FYC) instructors in designing and implementing Critical Language Awareness (CLA) pedagogy to promote students’ linguistic consciousness while strengthening and enhancing their postsecondary writing skills. I designed and implemented this study by drawing on a critical theory of language, informed by literature on language ideologies (Silverstein, 1979; Irvine & Gal, 2000; Kroskrity, 2010) and raciolinguistics (Flores & Rosa, 2015; Alim, 2016), and a critical theory of pedagogy, informed by literature on critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970, 1973; Giroux, 2011) and critical race pedagogy (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Lynn, 1999). After …

The Value Of Conflict And Disagreement In Democratic Teacher Education, Kiel F. Harell

Democracy and Education

Deliberative democracy surfaces disagreements so that people holding conflicting stances understand each other’s reasons for the purpose of decision-making. Democratic education approaches should provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice how to address conflict in the collective decision-making process. In this paper, I examine the Foxfire Course for Teachers, a professional development retreat in which teachers learn to practice democratic teaching by themselves experiencing democratic decision-making. In particular, a series of disagreements among course participants is analyzed in detail to understand the learning that resulted and the conditions that supported that learning. As a result of this experiential …

Exploring Implicit Bias To Evaluate Teacher Candidates' Ethical Practice In The Internship, Jamie Silverman, Jessica Shiller

Journal of Practitioner Research

To create an equitable and ethical learning environment in the classroom requires teacher candidates (TCs) to develop positive relationships with students and to reflect on who they are. Using the elements of Richard Milner’s (2007) Framework of Researcher Racial and Cultural Positionality, this article presents an account of an innovative practice in how to engage secondary education TCs in a reflection of implicit biases, and how to interrupt them to become more ethical professionals. This article takes InTASC 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice as a point of departure and describes how a new teacher mentor piloted a series of …

Infographic: Wise Words On Professional Development, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Each year in the Teacher 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 professional development.

Using Video To Reframe The Teacher Evaluation Process As A Professional Learning Experience : An Action Research Study, Andrew C. Matteo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to work with a group of teachers to refine an organizational routine dealing with teacher evaluation with the dual goals of (a) increasing the teachers’ sense of professionalism and improving the technical core of their work—instruction— and (b) moving toward a routine that the district will be able to use in the future. The research question that guided this work was, “How do we experience the organizational routine that I developed using video for teacher evaluation for improving teacher practice as compared to the existing teacher evaluation system, and how does our …

Exploring The Professional Learning Experiences Of Adjunct Faculty In An Educational Leadership Preparation Program, Karen M. Swann

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of adjunct faculty to understand their roles and means for professional collaboration. The study examined how adjuncts engage and collaborate, professionally and informally, and what vehicles influence their growth. Finally, the study addressed how educational leadership preparation programs might be enhanced for relevant, continuous learning in order to improve instructional practices and the experiences of aspiring school leaders.

Using a phenomenological methodology, 27 adjuncts were interviewed from a university-based educational leadership preparation program in the southeast region of the United States. These in-depth interviews were transcribed and analyzed, using …

What's The Problem Now?, Randall Bass

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Revisiting an essay from 1999, this article explores the current conditions in higher education, and society more broadly, that help shape the roles for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and educational development. By seeing the current “crises” of higher education not only as “problems” to be investigated but as a “wicked problem,” we might be able to elevate and complicate the role that inquiry into teaching and learning might play in institutional change and the expansion of higher education. The article argues for the necessity, even urgency, of seeing educational development as a lever for change, fully engaged …

Primary Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectancy: A Case Study, Gillian Ward, Helen Dixon, Helen Withy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Self-efficacious teachers are critical in the development of students’ positive attitudes towards science and scientific literacy yet to date little attention has been given to studies of experienced teachers of primary science and development of their self-efficacy (SE) beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore how two experienced teachers of primary science built their SE beliefs and outcome expectancy. Bandura’s (1977) SE framework provided the conceptual lens to understand participants’ experiences and beliefs. Findings suggest that teachers’ SE beliefs had developed over time, creating a foundation for a strong expectancy outcome. Each of the sources of influence made …

The Socialisation Of Early Career Principals In Western Australia, Simon Fittock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research aimed to investigate and understand the socialisation of early career principals in Western Australian public schools. It is widely acknowledged that school principals are critical in the successful education of students and delivering on this is seen to be the core purpose of the role. It is evident that the development of effective principals has great value. As a result, the socialisation of principals during the formative early career stage, whereby they learn the necessary knowledge, skills and understandings of the role, is important in the educational experiences of students. Due to the impact principals have on student …

Reframing Professional Learning To Analyze Teacher Practice And Promote System-Wide Change, Jennifer Smerecky

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined teachers’ perceptions of targeted professional learning experiences offered within their educational agency. This study focused on teachers' perceptions of the planning, delivery, and follow-up support from teacher professional learning sessions. The teacher participants shared their perceptions of professional learning, implementation of new strategies, barriers to implementation, and support needed from their administration in order to grow as educators. This focus of this study aims to reframe professional learning by forming cooperation between administrators and teachers within education organizations to reform professional learning opportunities. This study advocates for further development in the collaboration of a system-wide change …

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 …

Professional Learning In Trauma Informed Positive Education: Moving School Communities From Trauma Affected To Trauma Aware, Helen Stokes, Tom Brunzell

School Leadership Review

In order to assess and then to identify promising approaches for school leadership within rural communities, it can be helpful to reframe struggling schools as trauma-affected schools. Acknowledging the impacts of childhood trauma on students and their learning allows school leaders to undertake professional learning both with and for their schools to become trauma-aware. Embedded within a rural community located in a region contending with intergenerational disadvantage, the findings reported in this study suggest that when school leaders deliberately implemented trauma-aware practice as a whole-school approach for all staff members, there was growth in student academic outcomes. In addition to …

Contextual Factors In Early Career Teaching: A Systematic Review Of International Research On Teacher Induction And Mentoring Programs, Benjamin Kutsyuruba, Keith D. Walker, Lorraine Godden

Journal of Global Education and Research

Early career teachers (ECTs) are situated in a dynamic contextual landscape that both influences their development and practice and dictates professional expectations for instruction and professional learning. This systematic review of international research literature sought to establish the understanding of teacher induction and mentoring program support of ECTs through the following research questions: 1) which nations and regions are represented in research literature that details formal or programmatic support of ECTs? 2) what international research evidence is there to describe various contextual factors that affect experiences of ECTs? and, 3) how do teacher induction and mentorship programs respond to the …

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.

Hashtags And Pins In Education: Digital Native Educators In Digital Habitats., Kelly Pilgrim Cassidy

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

As technology becomes more ubiquitous in society, education cannot ignore the impact it is having on education. This research seeks to understand how Digital Native educators are using Digital Habitats in their professional practice. By gaining a deeper understanding of how educators use Digital Habitats, including their tools, like hashtags and pins, we can begin to develop ways to incorporate these skills into our teacher preparation programs. The knowledge gained from this study can help administrators, technology leaders and coaches to better understand their Digital Native teachers and how they are using these technology tools in their professional practice. This …