Union Contracts and Teacher Professional Development

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Paul V. Bredeson

2001-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, I report the results of an investigation that examined the impact of teacher union contracts on the development of professional learning communities in schools. There are three primary sources of data used in the study: 1 100 written teacher union contract documents; 2 structured interview data from 21 educators (school superintendents, principals, directors of staff development, and teacher union representatives; and 3 focus group interview data from educational leaders in schools. The analysis and discussion focus on five areas related to teacher professional development with implications for policy and practice: explicit language covering opportunities for teaching learning in their work; governance and decision making structures, that is, specific provisions covering wages, hours, and conditions of employment; the description of legitimate and sponsored activities for the professional development of teachers; and the resources supporting the on-going professional growth of teachers. The findings indicate that rethinking, restructuring, and organizational re-culturing in schools are initial expressions of a new unionism that has the potential to lead to the development of more powerful professional learning communities in schools.

Teaching HIV/AIDS through a Child-to-Child Approach: A Teacher's Perspective

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Mwebi, Bosire Monari

2012-01-01

This paper draws from a larger study conducted in Kenya, which was a narrative inquiry into a teacher's experiences of teaching the HIV/AIDS curriculum using a child-to-child approach. The two major research questions of this study were: 1) What are the experiences of a teacher teaching the HIV/AIDS curriculum using a child-to-child curriculum…

Teacher consultation and coaching within mental health practice: classroom and child effects in urban elementary schools.

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Cappella, Elise; Hamre, Bridget K; Kim, Ha Yeon; Henry, David B; Frazier, Stacy L; Atkins, Marc S; Schoenwald, Sonja K

2012-08-01

To examine effects of a teacher consultation and coaching program delivered by school and community mental health professionals on change in observed classroom interactions and child functioning across one school year. Thirty-six classrooms within 5 urban elementary schools (87% Latino, 11% Black) were randomly assigned to intervention (training + consultation/coaching) and control (training only) conditions. Classroom and child outcomes (n = 364; 43% girls) were assessed in the fall and spring. Random effects regression models showed main effects of intervention on teacher-student relationship closeness, academic self-concept, and peer victimization. Results of multiple regression models showed levels of observed teacher emotional support in the fall moderated intervention impact on emotional support at the end of the school year. Results suggest teacher consultation and coaching can be integrated within existing mental health activities in urban schools and impact classroom effectiveness and child adaptation across multiple domains. © 2012 American Psychological Association

A Model of Professional Development: Teachers' Perceptions of Their Professional Development

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Avidov-Ungar, Orit

2016-01-01

This research aims to evaluate the manner in which teachers perceive their professional development process. Forty-three teachers from Israeli schools participated in the study. I used a semi-structured interview to understand the teachers' perceptions about their professional development. The qualitative analysis identified two dimensions that…

Exploring Japanese university English teachers' professional identity

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Nagatomo, Diane Hawley

2012-01-01

This book examines the professional identities of Japanese university English teachers. It focuses on how relatively new teachers develop their professional identities, how gender impacts the professional identities of female professors, and how teaching practices and beliefs reflect personal and professional identity.

Teacher Consultation and Coaching within Mental Health Practice: Classroom and Child Effects in Urban Elementary Schools

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Cappella, Elise; Hamre, Bridget K.; Kim, Ha Yeon; Henry, David B.; Frazier, Stacy L.; Atkins, Marc S.; Schoenwald, Sonja K.

2012-01-01

Objective To examine effects of a teacher consultation and coaching program delivered by school and community mental health professionals on change in observed classroom interactions and child functioning across one school year. Method Thirty-six classrooms within five urban elementary schools (87% Latino, 11% Black) were randomly assigned to intervention (training + consultation/coaching) and control (training only) conditions. Classroom and child outcomes (n = 364; 43% girls) were assessed in the fall and spring. Results Random effects regression models showed main effects of intervention on teacher-student relationship closeness, academic self-concept, and peer victimization. Results of multiple regression models showed levels of observed teacher emotional support in the fall moderated intervention impact on emotional support at the end of the school year. Conclusions Results suggest teacher consultation and coaching can be integrated within existing mental health activities in urban schools and impact classroom effectiveness and child adaptation across multiple domains. PMID:22428941

Child-to-Teacher Ratio and Day Care Teacher Sickeness Absenteeism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gørtz, Mette; Andersson, Elvira

2014-01-01

time periods, 2002–2003 and 2005–2006, by using generalized method of moments with lagged levels of the child-to-teacher ratio as instrument. Our estimation results are somewhat mixed. Generally, the results indicate that the child-to-teacher ratio is positively related to short-term sickness absence...

Understanding Teachers' Professional Learning Goals from Their Current Professional Concerns

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Louws, Monika L.; Meirink, Jacobiene A.; van Veen, Klaas; van Driel, Jan H.

2018-01-01

In the day-to-day workplace teachers direct their own learning, but little is known about what drives their decisions about what they would like to learn. These decisions are assumed to be influenced by teachers' current professional concerns. Also, teachers in different professional life phases have different reasons for engaging in professional…

EFL teacher professional change in India

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Toraskar Helen B.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article examines teacher professional change and compares two 10th standard English as a Foreign Language teachers employed in a Marathi-medium secondary school in Pune (India at different stages in their careers. Wenger’s (1998 three interconnected Community of Practice dimensions (i.e. mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire highlight pertinent facets of the teachers’ professional lives as viewed from the sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978. Case study methodology was utilized within a qualitative, ethnographic research paradigm. The aim is to uncover how the two EFL teachers engage in their professional community of practice and their career trajectories. Firstly, the data analysis indicates that periphery member status is established through active engagement in the professional community which creates trajectories along which novices may travel. Secondly, the accessing and sharing of information, ideas and experiences is beneficial for all members as it strengthens professional relationships and reconfirms already existing members’ central position. Lastly, active engagement in a professional community of practice offers a means of potential growth for novice teachers and central members. Access to communal resources such as new knowledge, stories and artifacts is acquired and aids in establishing novices’ competency.

Teacher Professionalism in Technical and Vocational Education

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Tampang, B. L. L.; Wonggo, D.

2018-02-01

The advancement of a nation is largely determined by the advancement of education, and the field of education is on the teachers’ shoulders. Therefore, professionalism of teachers should be improved in performing their duties as facilitators, initiators, and motivators in achieving the competence of graduates. Teachers should be able to facilitate the learning process and pay attention to the development of learners in its various dimensions, leading to the ownership and development of intelligence, learning skills, attitudes, work skills, and social independence. Vocational education carried by Vocational High School, should not only provide theory, but also be coupled with the application or application of theory. It is time for us to rise up to give birth to professional experts in their fields, in accordance with the needs of the workforce. A professional teacher is required to have a work ethic and a high commitment to his profession, and always through continuous development through professional organizations, the internet, books, seminars, and the like. With the professionalism of teachers, then the future teacher does not appear again only as a teacher (teacher), such a prominent function during this, but switch as coach, counselor, and learning manager. Each Educational Institution of Education Personnel graduate and other college graduates who wish to become teachers are required to have at least the competence of the standard. Thus, teacher professionalism is a life-long and never-ending process. Developing and developing vocational education is an important and absolute thing to do, considering that approximately 80% of the workforce in the field is lower middle-level workforce.

Professional Vision and the Politics of Teacher Learning

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Lefstein, Adam; Snell, Julia

2011-01-01

This article explores the political dimensions of teacher learning, both in theoretical work on teacher professional vision, and in an empirical study of video-based teacher professional development. Theoretically, we revisit the origins of "professional vision" in linguistic anthropology and trace the concept's evolution in teacher…

Learning, Motivation, and Transfer: Successful Teacher Professional Development

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McDonald, Lex

2012-01-01

In this article, I am concerned with three key issues of teacher professional development--teacher learning, motivation, and transfer of learning. Each issue has received minimal attention in teacher professional development literature. The three issues are discussed, and a model of an integrative professional development approach is outlined,…

Teachers' Experience from a School-Based Collaborative Teacher Professional Development Programme: Reported Impact on Professional Development

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Svendsen, Bodil

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to find out how science teachers who have participated in a one-year school-based collaborative teacher professional development programme, perceive the programme's impact on their professional development. Constant comparative analysis was used on data from three schools to generate the findings in this study. The…

Promoting teachers' professional development

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Runhaar, Pietsje Roelofje

2008-01-01

Because teacher quality has a great influence on pupil attainment, teachers’ professional development receives a lot of attention in educational policy. This dissertation contains five studies on how teachers’ professional development, in terms of learning at the workplace, can be explained and

Examining Professional Learning and the Preparation of Professionally Competent Teachers in Initial Teacher Education

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Tang, Sylvia Y. F.; Wong, Angel K. Y.; Cheng, May M. H.

2016-01-01

The relative contributions of higher education and schools, and hence the conceptual and practical aspects of ITE, to student teachers' professional learning have been an issue of concern in teacher education. This article reports a mixed-methods study showing the relationship between student teachers' engagement with the practical and conceptual…

Professional "Development" and Professional "Learning": Bridging the Gap for Experienced Physical Education Teachers

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Armour, Kathleen M.; Yelling, Martin

2004-01-01

This article analyses the career-long continuing professional development (CPD) of 85 experienced physical education (PE) teachers in England. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (20 teachers) and open-ended profile questionnaires (a further 65 teachers) to find out what forms of professional development these teachers had…

Effective teacher professionalization in networks?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofman, R.H.; Dijkstra, B.J.

Teacher professionalization has been focused to strongly on external experts and a one-size-fits-all set of solutions that often fail to distinguish between the needs of different teachers. This article describes a research into teacher networks that might be more successful vehicles for

The development of professional competence of future professional teachers

OpenAIRE

Muslimov Narzulla Alixanovich; Kadyrov Khayot Scharipovich

2015-01-01

This article outlines the elements of professional and personal, theoretical and practical components of pedagogical activities, serving the measure and method of creative self-realization of a professional education teacher in the resolution of various pedagogical situations aimed at professional competence development.

Transformation and Framework of Teacher Professional Development in Taiwan

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Huang, Bo-Ruey

2016-01-01

This article describes the situation of teacher professional development in Taiwan, including the history and the framework of teacher professional development. With diversification of teacher education systems and institutions, teacher professional development in Taiwan is undergoing a gradual governance shift from the model of centralised state…

Coaching Discourse: Supporting Teachers' Professional Learning

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Heineke, Sally F.

2013-01-01

Although coaching is used in many schools to facilitate teachers' professional learning, few studies look closely at coaching discourse. Exploring how coaching facilitates teachers' professional development, this study used tape-recorded coaching sessions and individual post-interviews to examine the one-on-one coaching interactions of 4…

"Follow" Me: Networked Professional Learning for Teachers

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Holmes, Kathryn; Preston, Greg; Shaw, Kylie; Buchanan, Rachel

2013-01-01

Effective professional learning for teachers is fundamental for any school system aiming to make transformative and sustainable change to teacher practice. This paper investigates the efficacy of Twitter as a medium for teachers to participate in professional learning by analysing the tweets of 30 influential users of the popular medium. We find…

Profiling Teachers' Sense of Professional Identity

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Canrinus, Esther T.; Helms-Lorenz, Michelle; Beijaard, Douwe; Buitink, Jaap; Hofman, Adriaan

2011-01-01

This study shows that professional identity should not be viewed as a composed variable with a uniform structure. Based on the literature and previous research, we view teachers' job satisfaction, self-efficacy, occupational commitment and change in the level of motivation as indicators of teachers' professional identity. Using two-step cluster…

Teacher Professional Development Strategies in Australian Government and Professional Associations Documents

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Kostina, Ludmyla

2015-01-01

Teacher in Australia is determined as an active participant of professional community with high level of collaboration, professional development coherent activities and collaborative learning practice. Thus, teacher quality is one of critical factors affecting student outcomes. The article touches upon the issue of the potential to improve…

Child-to-Teacher Ratio and Day-Care Teacher Sickness Absenteeism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Elvira; Gørtz, Mette

2013-01-01

-to-teacher ratio, i.e. the number of children per teacher in an institution, affects teacher sickness absenteeism. We control for individual teacher characteristics, workplace characteristics, and family background characteristics of the children in the day-care institutions. Our estimation results indicate...... that the child-to-teacher ratio is positively related to sickness absence for 2005-2006, but not for 2002-2004....

Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms.

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Friedman-Krauss, Allison H; Raver, C Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M; Kinsel, John

2014-01-01

The current article explores the relationship between teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers' executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children's challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher's workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers' executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children's school readiness skills and teachers' health.

Professional Development Programs for Teachers of English

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Singgih Widodo

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Well-planned programs based on the needs for professional development of teachers are strongly needed to enhance the teaching-staff improvement.The impact of teacher improvement will effect the students learning and school achievement. This paper aims at raising awareness of English teachers to upgrade themselves as autonomous learners as well as researchers and broaden their horizon for stepping the ladder-career of their profession. For that purpose, a survey as reported here aimed to identify the needs of individual English teachers and the preferred programs for professional development. The findings indicated that the 36 teachers involved needed teacher training, teacher association, teacher materials, continuing education, and interschool visit and that teacher training was the most well known program among teachers.

The importance of making progress in teacher professional development

OpenAIRE

Stamatović, Jelena; Kundačina, Milenko

2014-01-01

Professional development of teachers depends on many conditions, but the most distinguished ones are teachers' motivation and their opportunities for development and advancement. Quality planning of professional teacher development contributes to better development of school and teachers. This paper presents research that is aimed to acquire knowledge on important issues related to the promotion of teachers in professional development. The study sample consisted of 786 primary and secondary s...

PRAXIOCENTRALISM IN THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARD OF THE TEACHER

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L. Y. Monakhova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The main objective of the professional standard, systematizing the work function of a teacher, is to describe not personal qualities of teachers but the process and outcome of their activities. The logic of the development of the professional standard involves the analysis of teaching activities and evaluation of its results, which should possess the properties of measurability and diagnosability.The aim of the present publication is to identify praxiological foundations of the professional standard of the teacher via a comparative analysis of the requirements and fundamental concepts of praxeology – a General theory of successful activities developed by domestic and foreign authors and reflected in monographic and dissertation researches.Methodology and methods of research. Methodological basis of research is the ideas of system, activity and praxiological approaches.Results. The authors prove that pedagogical praxeology as the science and practice of effective organization of pedagogical activity is a new mechanism to describe the characteristics of pedagogical activity and formation of complex of professional portrait of the teacher. Pedagogical praxeology as the mechanism: establishes the framework of competences of the teacher; defines the requirements for structured content, conditions and quality of work of the teacher, their qualifications and competences in the field of professional activity; provides the necessary compliance awareness of teacher’s requirements; describes methods of assessing the development of competencies of teachers; promotes the involvement of the teacher in the task of improving the quality of education; serves as the basis for constructing a continuous trajectory of increasing level of professional training of each teacher.Scientific novelty. The content of professional standards from the standpoint of the praxiological approach is investigated; conceptual ideas of praxeology, defining role and

Critical Friends Group for EFL Teacher Professional Development

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Vo, Long Thanh; Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

2010-01-01

For the best student outcomes, teachers need to engage in continuous professional development. As a result, models of teacher professional development have been developed, among which is the Critical Friends Group (CFG) technique. However, whether it works well with EFL teachers in an Asian context like Vietnam, where EFL teachers in particular do…

Teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about child abuse and its prevention.

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Abrahams, N; Casey, K; Daro, D

1992-01-01

In considering the great responsibility placed upon teachers to involve themselves in child abuse prevention, education, and detection, the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA) conducted a nationwide survey of teachers from 40 school districts in 29 randomly selected counties. The survey explores teachers knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about child abuse and its prevention. Five hundred and sixty-eight teachers responded, revealing that while the majority of teachers confront child abuse among their students, they are provided insufficient education on how to address it. Other findings are reported with respect to teachers' reporting behavior, potential barriers to reporting, child assault prevention programs, and corporal punishment in schools.

Teachers Know Best: Teachers' Views on Professional Development

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2014

2014-01-01

To gain insights into the roadblocks to implementing effective professional development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contracted with the Boston Consulting Group in 2014 to reach more than 1,300 teachers, professional development leaders in district and state education agencies, principals, professional development providers, and…

Determinants of Teacher Professionalism.

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Lam, Y. L. Jack

1983-01-01

Reports a study of the effect of variables at the personal, school, and district/division level on these aspects of the attitudinal professionalism of 1,205 Manitoba teachers: use of professional organization as major referent, belief in public service, belief in self-regulation, sense of calling to the field, and autonomy. (SB)

Professional Development of Novice Special Education Teachers

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Silmara de Oliveira Gomes Papi

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The professional development of novice teachers in the profession and in special education is poorly understood, despite its relevance to the improvement of teaching. This study analyzes the challenges faced by such teachers with a view to understanding their professional development. The participants in the research were teachers of classrooms equipped with multifunctional resources (SRM in state schools. The research follows a critical-dialectic approach and a qualitative focus. The results indicate deficiencies in the professional development of novices, who experience difficulties related to teaching and bureaucracy, despite having specific training in the area. They also feel alienated in the schools and seek alternatives to fill existing gaps related to their professional practice.

Teacher-child relationships as dynamic systems.

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O'Connor, Erin

2010-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors associated with the quality of the teacher-child relationship from first through fifth grade using data from phases I, II and III of the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a prospective study of 1364 children from birth through sixth grade. On average, children evidenced moderately high quality relationships with teachers in fifth grade. However, there was extensive variation in fifth grade relationship quality across children. Children who received more support and stimulation at home and whose parents had higher quality interactions with the school had higher quality relationships. Additionally, children in classrooms with more positive environments and better management had higher quality relationships. Lastly, females, European-American children, children with lower levels of behavior problems and children who had higher quality relationships with their teachers in kindergarten also had higher quality relationships with teachers. On average, children evidenced decreases in the quality of their relationships with teachers from first through fifth grade. Interestingly, children whose parents had more contact with their schools, who were in schools where teachers received higher salaries and in classrooms that had more positive emotional climates and that were better managed evidenced slower rates of decline in relationship quality. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The practices and challenges of teacher educators' professional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Teachers' professional development is the core of educational improvement. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to assess the practices and challenges of teacher educators' professional development through Lesson Study in Oromia colleges of teacher education. To this effect, descriptive survey method was used.

An analysis of zoo and aquarium provided teacher professional development

Science.gov (United States)

Kubarek-Sandor, Joy

Informal science institutions are a significant provider of science teacher professional development. As pressure continues to critically analyze the work of teachers and their effectiveness in the classroom, it is important to understand how informal science institutions contribute to effective change in teacher science content knowledge and pedagogy. This research study analyzed zoo and aquarium provided teacher professional development to respond to the research questions: How do zoos and aquaria determine and assess their goals for teacher professional development? How do these goals align with effective teacher change for science content knowledge and pedagogy? Theoretical frameworks for high quality teacher professional development, effective evaluation of teacher professional development, and learning in informal science settings guided the research. The sample for the study was AZA accredited zoos and aquariums providing teacher professional development (N=107). Data collection consisted of an online questionnaire, follow-up interviews, and content analysis of teacher professional development artifacts. Analysis revealed that by and large zoos and aquariums are lacking in their provision of science teacher professional development. Most professional development focuses on content or resources, neglecting pedagogy. Assessments mismatch the goals and rely heavily on self-report and satisfaction measures. The results demonstrate a marked difference between those zoos and aquariums that are larger in capacity versus those that are medium to small in size. This may be an area of research for the future, as well as analyzing the education resources produced by zoos and aquariums as these were emphasized heavily as a way they serve teachers.

Professional development of teacher educators through informal learning

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MEd Marly Gootzen; drs Maurice Schols; dr Rita Schildwacht; dr.ir. Quinta Kools; drs Marina Bouckaert-den Draak

2012-01-01

Introduction and theoretical background Professional development of teacher educators is an important issue because in order to be able to teach the teachers of the future, teacher educators have to keep their own knowledge and skills 'future proof' (Kools, 2011a). A lot of professional development

Child Abuseby Teachers and Legal Ways to Encounterin Rural Areas

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Mohtaram Rabbani

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Many children closely interact with teachers for nine months out of the year and schools are one of the safest places for students to be educated and teachers have a vital role for this education. Teachers should prevent from different kinds of child abuses and have an important role for preventing from child abuse. The primary purpose of this literature review study is to investigate of the phenomenon of child abuse within the school environment by teachers. The second aim of this paper is to determine the legal ways in different countries to encounter with physical child abuse by teachers. Child abuseby teachers has an in depth influence on children’s behaviors and their academic achievements. Abused children have been found to suffer from extreme deficits in school, exhibit poor academic performance, antisocial behaviour, poor self-respect, higher criminal behaviour rates, scepticism of adults, and central nervous system functioning. The findings of this paper showed that there are many reported cases of child abuse by teachers in rural areas, nevertheless, many countries banned or restricted physical abuse or corporal punishment and made legal decisions.

Second Career Teachers and (Mis)Recognitions of Professional Identities

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Nielsen, Ann

2016-01-01

Since the late 1980s there has been an increase of "second career teachers" (SCTs), professionals that switch careers to become teachers. Little is known about SCTs and their sense of professional identity. Building from Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of power and cultural capital, the professional identities of teachers were examined…

The Investigation of Teachers' Metaphoric Perceptions about Professional Development

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Yurtseven, Nihal

2017-01-01

Professional development is an ongoing process in which teachers review their teaching practices and learn how to respond to their students' needs. To make the professional development process more effective, we need to define the identity of a teacher correctly and clarify the perspective about teachers' professional development. The purpose of…

Vocational Teachers and Professionalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Karen Egedal; Duch, Henriette

as other contextual factors. Our concern is adult vocational teachers attending a pedagogical course and teaching at vocational colleges. The aim of the paper is to discuss different models and develop a model concerning teachers at vocational colleges based on empirical data in a specific context......, vocational teacher-training course in Denmark. By offering a basis and concepts for analysis of practice such model is meant to support the development of vocational teachers’ professionalism at courses and in organizational contexts in general....

TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM ON TEACHER PEDAGOGIC KNOWLEDGE IN MERAUKE – PAPUA

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Rias Ning Astuti

2015-12-01

Full Text Available English becomes an international language that has to be mastered by the students in Indonesia and many countries in the world. Teaching English is not easy as we thought. As an English teachers, we should master some criteria to be  good teachers. Because English today in Indonesia is considered as a foreign language, then it difficult for the students to learn it. Teacher is also  important in teaching learning process in the classroom, the foundation of English teacher education, teacher knowledge, and professionalism of the teacher is primary goal that should be mastered In this case, the writer tries to explore the phenomena that happened in Indonesia especially in East Indonesia, that is,  Merauke - Papua. The educational system in Merauke- Papua is good enough, but there are several terms that should be changed by the government and the teachers themselves. There are some problems faced by the teacher when they teach in the class, such as: what they teach does not match with the skills the  subject requires and they only focus on finishing the curriculum. In this context, the roles of the government is very important in order to improve the teacher professionalism in Indonesia, one of which is certification for the teacher and the government will increase their salary per month. But, it is not only the matter of salary, but the government should find another ways to improve the teacher’s professionalism such as: conference, seminars, or another activities.

Preparing "Professional" Science Teachers: Critical Goals.

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Dass, Pradeep Maxwell

This paper focuses on pre-service teacher education and elaborates on the critical importance of three attributes to the development of professional science teachers: (1) science teachers must be reflective practitioners of their profession; (2) all instructional practice and decisions of science teachers must be backed by a research-based…

Who Are the Science Teachers That Seek Professional Development in Research Experience for Teachers (RET's)? Implications for Teacher Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Saka, Yavuz

2013-01-01

To address the need to better prepare teachers to enact science education reforms, the National Science Foundation has supported a Research Experience for Teachers (RET's) format for teacher professional development. In these experiences, teachers work closely with practicing scientists to engage in authentic scientific inquiry. Although…

On change of concepts: From teacher's occupational ethics to professional ethics

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Tan Chuan-bao

2006-01-01

The transition from experience-based teachers to expertise-based ones has marked a significant phase in the history of human education.The conceptive transition from the general "occupational ethics" of teachers to "professional ethics"is actually an important aspect of the transition from experience-based to expertise-based teachers.The establishment of teachers' professional ethics bears the saree historical inevitability as the movement of teachers' professionalization.Complying with this trend,we ought to promote the establishment of teachers' professional ethics specifically in view of the improvement in their living conditions and professional development.

Science Professional Learning Communities: Beyond a singular view of teacher professional development

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Jones, M. Gail; Gardner, Grant E.; Robertson, Laura; Robert, Sarah

2013-07-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are frequently being used as a vehicle to transform science education. This study explored elementary teachers' perceptions about the impact of participating in a science PLC on their own professional development. With the use of The Science Professional Learning Communities Survey and a semi-structured interview protocol, elementary teachers' perceptions of the goals of science PLCs, the constraints and benefits of participation in PLCs, and reported differences in the impact of PLC participation on novice and experienced teachers were examined. Sixty-five elementary teachers who participated in a science PLC were surveyed about their experiences, and a subsample of 16 teachers was interviewed. Results showed that most of the teachers reported their science PLC emphasized sharing ideas with other teachers as well as working to improve students' science standardized test scores. Teachers noted that the PLCs had impacted their science assessment practices as well as their lesson planning. However, a majority of the participants reported a differential impact of PLCs depending on a teacher's level of experience. PLCs were reported as being more beneficial to new teachers than experienced teachers. The interview results demonstrated that there were often competing goals and in some cases a loss of autonomy in planning science lessons. A significant concern was the impact of problematic interpersonal relationships and communication styles on the group functioning. The role of the PLC in addressing issues related to obtaining science resources and enhancing science content knowledge for elementary science teachers is discussed.

Enabling adaptive system leadership: teachers leading professional development

OpenAIRE

Boylan, Mark

2018-01-01

Internationally, there is increasing emphasis on teacher leadership of professional development. This provides opportunities for teachers to initiate and facilitate professional learning activities beyond their own schools. There is a need for theoretical tools to analyse their leadership activity and how to support it. Constructs from complexity leadership theory and the concept of teacher system leadership are used to develop a framework to analyse the purposes and practices of teacher prof...

Child Abuseby Teachers and Legal Ways to Encounterin Rural Areas

OpenAIRE

Mohtaram Rabbani; Masoumeh Pourrajab; Shahnaz Rahpaymaelizehee; Bahare Fallahi

2014-01-01

Abstract Many children closely interact with teachers for nine months out of the year and schools are one of the safest places for students to be educated and teachers have a vital role for this education. Teachers should prevent from different kinds of child abuses and have an important role for preventing from child abuse. The primary purpose of this literature review study is to investigate of the phenomenon of child abuse within the school environment by teachers. The second aim...

Child Care Teachers' Response to Children's Emotional Expression

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Hey Jun; Stifter, Cynthia

2006-01-01

This observational study examined practices through which child care teachers socialize children's emotion. A specific aim was to describe strategies of teacher intervention in response to emotion displayed by children in child care centers, and to answer the question of differential interactions based on children's age and gender. The results of…

Child-care chaos and teachers' responsiveness: The indirect associations through teachers' emotion regulation and coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Lieny; Hur, Eunhye; Buettner, Cynthia K

2016-12-01

Teachers in early child-care settings are key contributors to children's development. However, the role of teachers' emotional abilities (i.e., emotion regulation and coping skills) and the role of teacher-perceived environmental chaos in relation to their responsiveness to children are understudied. The current study explored the direct and indirect associations between teachers' perceptions of child-care chaos and their self-reported contingent reactions towards children's negative emotions and challenging social interactions via teachers' emotional regulation and coping strategies. The sample consisted of 1129 preschool-aged classroom teachers in day care and public pre-K programs across the US. We first found that child-care chaos was directly associated with teachers' non-supportive reactions after controlling for multiple program and teacher characteristics. In addition, teachers in more chaotic child-care settings had less reappraisal and coping skills, which in turn, was associated with lower levels of positive responsiveness to children. Teachers reporting a higher degree of chaos used more suppression strategies, which in turn, was associated with teachers' non-supportive reactions and fewer expressive encouragement reactions to children's emotions. Results of this exploratory study suggest that it is important to prepare teachers to handle chaotic environments with clear guidelines and rules. In order to encourage teachers' supportive responses to children, intervention programs are needed to address teachers' coping and emotion regulation strategies in early childhood education. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teacher Activist Organizations and the Development of Professional Agency

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Quinn, Rand; Carl, Nicole Mittenfelner

2015-01-01

Teacher professional agency refers to the ability of teachers to control their work within structural constraints. In this paper, we show how teacher activist organizations can assist in the development of professional agency. We focus on a teacher activist organization in a large urban district in the United States and identify three…

The Factors that Affect Science Teachers' Participation in Professional Development

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Roux, Judi Ann

Scientific literacy for our students and the possibilities for careers available in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are important topics for economic growth as well as global competitiveness. The achievement of students in science learning is dependent upon the science teachers' effectiveness and experienced science teachers depend upon relevant professional development experiences to support their learning. In order to understand how to improve student learning in science, the learning of science teachers must also be understood. Previous research studies on teacher professional development have been conducted in other states, but Minnesota science teachers comprised a new and different population from those previously studied. The purpose of this two-phase mixed methods study was to identify the current types of professional development in which experienced, Minnesota secondary science teachers participated and the factors that affect their participation in professional development activities. The mixed-methods approach s utilized an initial online survey followed by qualitative interviews with five survey respondents. The results of the quantitative survey and the qualitative interviews indicated the quality of professional development experiences and the factors which affected the science teachers' participation in professional development activities. The supporting and inhibiting factors involved the availability of resources such as time and money, external relationships with school administrators, teacher colleagues, and family members, and personal intrinsic attributes such as desires to learn and help students. This study also describes implications for science teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and professional development providers. Recommendations for future research include the following areas: relationships between and among intrinsic and extrinsic factors, science-related professional development activities

Investigating Rural Teachers' Professional Development, Instructional Knowledge, and Classroom Practice

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Glover, Todd A.; Nugent, Gwen C.; Chumney, Frances L.; Ihlo, Tanya; Shapiro, Edward S.; Guard, Kirra; Koziol, Natalie; Bovaird, Jim

2016-01-01

Teachers Speak was a national survey study designed to investigate the characteristics of rural elementary school teachers' existing professional development; differences in professional development practices between rural and non-rural settings; and the potential influence of professional development characteristics on rural teachers' knowledge,…

Research and professional development of teacher educators

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Lunenberg, Mieke; Willemse, Martijn

2006-01-01

Over the last decade teacher educators have started to systematically study the processes involved in their efforts to improve their teacher education practices. This research by teacher educators (self-study research) has made an enormous contribution to the professional development of the teacher

NEW DISCOURSES OF TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM: A NORWEGIAN CASE

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Eyvind Elstad

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Teacher-training programmes at the universities should be at the level of and ideally ahead of developments in the schools. When both teaching organisations and the authorities place an emphasis on efforts towards increased professionalism in the work of the teacher, it is reasonable to ask how the teacher-training programmes at the universities can and should respond.  This is taking place at a time when new management systems are being put in place within the education sector.  The purposes of this article are to place the questions relating to efforts towards increased professionalism within a theoretical framework and to use this framework to discuss challenges faced by the teacher-training programmes at the universities in particular. The theoretical framework consists of four competing visions for influence in terms of the school’s activities: professionalism, administrative management of the school sector, school democracy and marketisation. I will use this theoretical framework to discuss the possibilities and limitations for efforts towards increased professionalism and their consequences for teacher-training institutions. The solutions to the conflicts between these visions suggest that it is rational to look for a balance between several positive but partially contradictory intentions.  The efforts towards increased professionalism have consequences both for student teachers and for established teachers, whilst tools for assessing teachers and making them accountable also have deep implications for teacher training.  The manner in which these tools will be used will have consequences for the competitive situation between schools.  Product development will be important in this perspective, which means a need to develop innovation skills within the teacher’s field of work. The conclusion must be that efforts towards increased professionalism based on tools for increasing responsibility and work assessment provides the teacher

Possible Challenges of Teacher Research for Teacher Professional Development

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Utami Widiati

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Teacher research (i.e. action research has gained acceptance as a tool for teacher professional development. In spite of its increasing popularity in language classrooms, concerns have been raised in the implementation of teacher research, such as issues of quality, sustainability, the development of standards, and accessibility. In the Indonesian context, the unprofessional working conditions and the education background of most teachers have made it difficult for teachers to sustain and access research. Since changing the former appears beyond the aim of this article, it is suggested that teacher education institutions focus on the latter, revisiting the curriculum of teacher education to provide more research components

PROFESSIONAL PREPAREDNESS OF FUTURE TEACHERS TO WORK WITH DISABLED STUDENTS IN CONDITIONS OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

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I. V. Ivenskih

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In the article we consider the structure of psychological preparedness of future teachers of the primary education level to work with students in the conditions of inclusive education. The following components are pointed out: motivation and values – the component which presupposes the formation of a new value – transformation of the direct relationship with a child into an indirect sociocultural relationship; activity component, which presupposes that a teacher has an ability not only to analyze their professional activity but also to create new situations of inclusive practice, to be more precise, a teacher should be able to plan the individual trajectory of each student’s development and create new ways of academic communication and new forms of academic interaction at the lesson; reflective-evaluative component, which presupposes that a future teacher has an ability to assess the achievements of each student while mastering an educational program, putting a special emphasis on the student’s individual success and progress in the process of his training, education and development. For this reason, at the stage of training future teachers of the primary education level at university they are to attend lectures aimed at educating them in the field of psychology and pedagogics concerning the peculiarities of the age psychic development and general psychic development of disabled children in primary school taking into consideration the specificity of student integration, the zones of actual and perspective development of a child, specific features of interdisciplinary and collective interaction of the specialists working with these children. Future teachers are also to be engaged in practical work of both types – on the campus and off-campus.Results: The article is devoted to the problem of specific features of professional preparedness of future teachers of the primary education level to work with students in the

Teacher Professionalism: The Wrong Conversation.

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Coulter, David; Orme, Liz

2000-01-01

Defining teachers as professionals in the same way that doctors or engineers are professionals is reductionist because such definition generally distorts the moral dimensions of teaching by using the wrong language (clients, customers), focusing on limited forms of knowledge, and ignoring the fundamental democratic character of education.…

Asthma knowledge level of child daycare center teachers' in Istanbul, Turkey.

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Akcay, A; Tamay, Z; Duksal, F; Celtik, C; Ergin, A; Guler, N

2014-08-01

Teachers are primarily responsible for supervising schoolchildren with asthma during school hours. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the level of knowledge of child daycare center teachers about asthma and factors affecting their knowledge. This study was performed on 297 teachers from 20 randomly selected child daycare centers in Istanbul. The teachers' level of knowledge about asthma was assessed by a questionnaire with 32 questions about asthma. The teachers were asked thirteen additional questions about demographic data and other characteristics of the child daycare centers and about themselves. One-way ANOVA and the independent samples t-test were used to determine differences in the level of asthma knowledge. A total of 297 teachers (287 females/10 males) filled in the questionnaire. The mean age of the teachers was 26.4 ± 8.1 years (range, 20-53 year). The teachers' "response score rate for each question" ranged from 38% to 94%. The teachers' "completely true response rate for each question" was lower and ranged from 1.6% to 83.9%. "The mean of asthma knowledge score" for the 32 questions was 113.64 ± 20.26 (71% ± 12.7%) from a maximum of 160 marks. "Asthma knowledge score for all questions" was related to teachers' gender, age, location and property of child daycare center and number of children in child daycare center. Although teachers of child daycare centers have some knowledge about asthma, their "completely true response rate for each question" was insufficient. Much more efficient educational programs are needed for these teachers.

Professional integrity of teachers in Uganda : Practical action strategies

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Wabule, Alice

2017-01-01

The study analyses the problem of professional integrity of teachers in Uganda and explores solutions. It analyses the difficult conditions under which Ugandan teachers work, reports on the professional dilemmas that they face, and on the serious issues of failings of professional integrity. The

Uncovering a Hidden Professional Agenda for Teacher Educators: A Mixed Method Study on Flemish Teacher Educators and Their Professional Development

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Tack, Hanne; Valcke, Martin; Rots, Isabel; Struyven, Katrien; Vanderlinde, Ruben

2018-01-01

Taking into account the pressing need to understand more about what teacher educators' professional development characterises, this article adopts a mixed method approach to explore Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) teacher educators' professional development needs and opportunities. Analysis results of a large-scale survey study with 611…

Counselling to a lifelong professional career as a Teacher

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Lisbeth Angela Lunde; Krøjgaard, Frede

2017-01-01

How to best induct new teachers into their role as professional educators, has been shown to be a global challenge. Research concerning the difficulties new teacher faces when they transition to their roles as professional teachers, has yielded much important knowledge in the last two decades. Th...

Improving Teacher Professionalism.

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Schultheis, Robert A.

1979-01-01

A teacher who feels secure, wanted, and recognized by the administration and the community, who is provided with adequate working conditions, including small classes and effective work space, and who is supported and encouraged to travel, study, and experiment is likely to behave in a highly professional manner and be very productive. (LRA)

Professional development and poststructural analysis: Stories of African-American science teachers

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Moore, Felicia Michelle

2003-10-01

This interpretivist study focused on the professional development of three African American science teachers from a small rural school district, Carver School District (pseudonym), in the southeastern United States. Stories teachers shared of their experiences in teaching and learning science and in their professional development were analyzed using a feminist poststructural analysis of power, knowledge/meaning, language, and difference. For science teaching, power was viewed as a form of ownership or possession and also as effect and processes that impact teaching, learning, and professional development. Teachers through instructional practices exerted a certain amount of power in their classrooms. Teaching practices heavily influenced student learning in science classrooms. For teacher professional development, power was viewed as effecting relationships between administration, peers, and students as a shifting force within different social contexts. Science teachers were perceived as objects of the system and as active social agents who in particular relations of power acted in their best interests as they developed as science teachers. Teachers negotiated for themselves certain power relations to do as they wished for teaching science and for participating in teacher professional development activities. Power was an inherent and critically important aspect in understanding what science teachers do in their classrooms, in teaching and learning science, and in developing as science teachers. Knowledge was closely tied to relations of power in that teachers acquired knowledge about themselves, their teaching of science, and their students from their past experiences and professional development activities. Through language, interactions between teachers and students enabled or disabled access to the culture of power via instructional practices. Language was implicated in teacher professional development as a powerful force for advancing or hindering teachers

Accountability or Authenticity? The Alignment of Professional Development and Teacher Evaluation

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Su, Yahui; Feng, Liyia; Hsu, Chang-Hui

2017-01-01

The alignment of professional development and teacher evaluation has been a growing concern in teacher professional development practices. The issue of how teacher evaluation can help authentic professional development is important in that teachers only learn what is real, useful and valuable to them. Based on our reflections on current…

Teacher Stress Predicts Child Executive Function: Moderation by School Poverty

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Neuenschwander, Regula; Friedman-Krauss, Allison; Raver, Cybele; Blair, Clancy

2017-01-01

Research Findings: Recent research has explored relations between classroom quality and child executive function (EF), but little is known about how teachers' well-being, including stress, relates to child EF--a crucial component of self-regulation. We hypothesized that teacher stress is negatively or curvilinearly related to child EF and…

Teacher professional development: articulation between contexts and dispositions

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Elisabeth Barolli

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Understanding the conditions that can promote professional teacher development is extremely relevant, especially in the perspective of providing subsidies for the planning of contexts for this purpose. In this work, we had the objective of investigating the trajectory of two Physics teachers when interacting with two formative contexts (Professional Master’s and Teaching Initiation Scholarship Institutional Program - PIBID differentiated in terms of requirements and possibilities of professional teacher development. Through semi-structured interviews, we obtained the necessary elements to reconstruct the trajectory of these teachers during their participation in those contexts based on Narrative Analysis associated with another procedure coming from Sociology, which is the Sociological Portrait. To reconstruct the history of these teachers we took into account the concept of individual heritage of dispositions addressed by Bernard Lahire (2005, as well as the dimensions of professional development proposed by Barolli et al. (2017. Our results indicate that it is not enough to propose a context that follows the guidelines of the literature in the sense of not being guided, for example, only in the guidelines of a technical rationality, so that the subject develops professionally. Deep changes seem to require conditions that have been closely linked to the particularities of subjects and contexts.

MOOCs for Teacher Professional Development: Reflections, and Suggested Actions

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Misra, Pradeep Kumar

2018-01-01

Teacher Professional Development (TPD) has become a major policy priority within education systems worldwide. But keeping teachers professionally up-to-date and providing them professional development opportunities on continuing basis is a big challenge. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be a cost and resource effective means to complement…

The Impact of Professional Development Schools on Teacher Leadership

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Cosenza, Michael N.

2010-01-01

Although there is no common definition for teacher leadership, the concept is continually advanced as a key component for both the success of schools and professionalization of teachers. Studies have shown that teachers who feel empowered as leaders are more effective in the classroom. Professional development schools (PDSs) provide multiple…

Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms

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Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M.; Kinsel, John

2017-01-01

Research Findings The current article explores the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers’ executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Practice or Policy Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children’s challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher’s workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers’ executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children’s school readiness skills and teachers’ health. PMID:28596698

Enabling Adaptive System Leadership: Teachers Leading Professional Development

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Boylan, Mark

2018-01-01

Internationally, there is increasing emphasis on teacher leadership of professional development. This provides opportunities for teachers to initiate and facilitate professional learning activities beyond their own schools. There is a need for theoretical tools to analyse their leadership activity and how to support it. Constructs from complexity…

Teachers Professionalism and The Challenge Of Education In A Global Era

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Sudrajat Sudrajat

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract:  The professional Attitude of a teacher is very necessary for the face of education in this global era. The task of the teacher is not only teaching but also educate, nurture, guide and shape the personality of the student. Mistakes teachers in understanding the profession will result in the shifting of the teacher function slowly. The relationship between teachers and students who need each other turns into a relationship of mutually indifferent, not blissful and boring. The professionalism of teachers is determined by behavior, will and capabilities on condition that Prime. Professionalisation should be viewed as a continuous process, so that the attitude and professional teachers actually formed in this process, pre-service education, educational upgrading, including in his coaching from professional organizations and the workplace, the society against the profession of teacher training, enforcement of the code of ethics of the profession, certification, improved quality of prospective teachers, rewards, etc collectively determine a person including professional development of teachers. This article presents an attempt discussion space for educators, prospective educators, and related parties in order to better understand, implement, and develop attitudes and behavior in the world of education through good example in mind, speech, and action. Keywords: Professional, Teacher, Education, Global Era

Organizational Structure and Professional Alienation: The Case of Public School Teachers.

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Cox, Harold; Wood, James R.

1980-01-01

Alienation among teachers has increased as their demands for greater professional autonomy increase. Conflict arises when principals reject teachers' need for independence. The professional teacher's rejection of bureaucratic organizational techniques results from professional training with its commitment to higher ideals. (JN)

Teacher Perspectives on Literacy and Mathematics Professional Development

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Martin, Christie; Polly, Drew; Mraz, Maryann; Algozzine, Robert

2018-01-01

This study examines teacher's perspectives of the most beneficial professional development they have participated in over the last three years in the content areas of literacy and mathematics. It also investigates teachers views on how professional development influences student learning. Specifically, this study is grounded in the following…

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of healthcare professionals regarding child maltreatment in China.

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Li, X; Yue, Q; Wang, S; Wang, H; Jiang, J; Gong, L; Liu, W; Huang, X; Xu, T

2017-11-01

A new, recently issued national law and regulation in China conferred the responsibility of healthcare professionals in child maltreatment intervention. However, few studies have reported on the recognition and reporting of child maltreatment by healthcare professionals in China. The aim of this study was to assess healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and self-perceived behaviour in terms of identifying, assessing, and reporting child maltreatment cases in China. A cross-sectional survey of 877 healthcare professionals from four provinces was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The respondents demonstrated insufficient knowledge on identifying potential child maltreatment cases. Over 30% of them were less than confident in the medical examination, evaluation, and treatment of child maltreatment cases, especially with regard to cases involving sexual abuse. Only 3.19% of respondents had ever received training on child maltreatment intervention, and as a result, lack of knowledge with regard to dealing with child maltreatment cases, referral procedures, and regulations was indicated to be the main cause of underreporting. Healthcare professionals in China have insufficient knowledge, skills, and confidence when it comes to dealing with all aspects of child maltreatment. Although participants reported a positive attitude towards their role in detecting and reporting child maltreatment cases, there are obstacles that hinder them from doing so. Appropriate training courses should be developed to empower professionals with knowledge and skills, as well as increase their confidence in dealing with suspected child maltreatment cases. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factor Analysis of Teacher Professional Development in Chinese Military Medical Universities

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Yue, Juan-Juan; Chen, Gang; Wang, Zhen-Wei; Liu, Wei-Dong

2017-01-01

Background and purpose: Teacher professional development potentially enhances teachers' professional morale, knowledge, skills and autonomy, which helps improve the quality of education. The military medical university is an important medical education institution in China; however, studies of teacher professional development within military…

Beyond Performativity: A Pragmatic Model of Teacher Professional Learning

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Lloyd, Margaret; Davis, James P.

2018-01-01

The intent and content of teacher professional learning has changed in recent times to meet the demands of performativity. In this article, we offer and demonstrate a pragmatic way to map teacher professional learning that both meets current demands and secures a place for teacher-led catalytic learning. To achieve this, we position identified…

Newly Qualified Teachers' Professional Digital Competence: Implications for Teacher Education

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Gudmundsdottir, Greta Björk; Hatlevik, Ove Edvard

2018-01-01

The professional digital competence (PDC) of teachers is of growing importance in classrooms, now that digital resources and digital media are becoming important parts of teachers' everyday practice. This study explores how newly qualified teachers are prepared to use information and communication technology (ICT) in their initial teacher…

Mother and preschool teacher as assessors of the child's language competence

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Urška Fekonja Peklaj

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Many researchers include child's parents as assessors of his/her language development as the results of many studies suggest their assessments to be valid and reliable measures of child's language competence. In the longitudinal study, presented in this paper, we examined whether child's mother and his/her preschool teacher can provide a valid estimation of child's language development. The sample included 80 Slovenian children from different preschool institutions, aged 3;1 years at first and 4;1 years at second assessment. Children's language competence was assessed individually, directly by the testators using Language Development Scale and Storytelling Test and indirectly by mothers and preschool teachers using the Child's Language Competence Questionnaire for Parents and Preschool Teachers. The achieved results showed that the estimates given by mothers and preschool teachers represent valid measures of child's language competence but not stable in time. The estimations given by mothers and preschool teachers explain a small share in variability of children's achievements on the Language Development Scale and Storytelling Test.

Kindergarten Teachers' Experience with Reporting Child Abuse in Taiwan

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Feng, Jui-Ying; Huang, Tzu-Yi; Wang, Chi-Jen

2010-01-01

Objective: The objectives were to examine factors associated with reporting child abuse among kindergarten teachers in Taiwan based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Method: A stratified quota sampling technique was used to randomly select kindergarten teachers in Taiwan. The Child Abuse Intention Report Scale, which includes demographics,…

In the Round: Supporting Teachers' Authentic Professional Learning

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Strand, Matt

2013-01-01

This is a study of teachers' authentic professional learning at a public school in Poudre School District in northern Colorado. At Polaris Expeditionary Learning School, teachers and administrators have developed a form of school-based instructional rounds referred to herein as PLC rounds (professional learning community rounds). In PLC rounds,…

Sensitivity in Teachers' Interaction Processes Is Central to the Improvement of Teacher-Child Relationships. Commentary on: "Formations of Attachment Relationships towards Teachers Lead to Conclusions for Public Child Care"

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Ahnert, Lieselotte

2016-01-01

In this commentary, Ahnert addresses the Beckh and Becker-Stoll's (2016) paper that characterized positive teacher-child relationships through high levels of closeness and low levels of conflict. Once teacher-child relationships are positively established, the children benefit the most in developmental domains which are considered typically weak…

Supporting Teacher Change Through Online Professional Development

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Charlotte J. Boling, Ph.D.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This multiple case study examines elementary teachers’ experiences as they participated in the online professional development course, Cognitive Literacy Strategies for the Elementary Classroom. This study explores teacher change and the elements necessary to facilitate the change. Issues concerning content, the change process, the online learning environment, and technology are examined. Findings indicate that online learning is a viable means of providing professional development and facilitating teacher change.

Combining Marriage and Career: The Professional Adjustment of Marital Teachers

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Rizvi, Afroz Haider

2016-01-01

In the paper, the researcher attempted to assess Professional Adjustment status and level of teachers according to their marital status on a sample of 792 teachers. Teachers have been classified into two categories viz. married and unmarried. To evaluate the status of professional adjustment of teachers, a tool viz. "Manual on Teachers…

Bridging the Gap of Teacher Education about Child Abuse

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Sinanan, Allison N.

2011-01-01

School personnel, particularly educators and school psychologists, are a first line of defense in protecting children from abuse. Teachers play an important role in the detection and reporting of child abuse. The relationship established between teachers and their students can facilitate the identification of child abuse. By virtue of their work,…

Depression among Migrant and Left-Behind Children in China in Relation to the Quality of Parent-Child and Teacher-Child Relationships

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Wang, Xiaohua; Qu, Zhiyong; Zhou, Qianyun; Ran, Chun; Wang, Xia; Hu, Juan

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine rates of depression among migrant children (MC) and left-behind children (LBC) as compared to non-left-behind children (NLBC) and also to examine the relationship between depression among these children and the quality of their parent-child and teacher-child relationships. This study collected data from a large sample of 3,759 children aged from 8 to 17 years, including 824 who had been left behind by one parent (LBCO), 423 who had been left behind by both parents (LBCB), 568 MC and 1944 NLBC. Children’s Depression Inventory–Short Form was used to measure child depression. Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS) and Teacher-Child Relationship Scale (TCRS) were used to measure the quality of parent-child and teacher-child relationships, respectively. The results showed that the prevalence of depression was 10.5% among NLBC, 13.1% among LBCO, 16.1% among LBCB, and 20.1% among MC. Depression was related to parent-child relationship quality and teacher-child relationship quality. Negative parent-child relationship was more relevant to depression than negative teacher-child relationship among LBCB, while negative teacher-child relationship was the most correlated with depression among MC. PMID:26719895

Child Abuse by Teachers and Legal Ways to Encounter in Rural Areas

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Mohtaram Rabbani

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Many children closely interact with teachers for nine months out of the year and schools are one of the safest places for students to be educated and teachers have a vital role for this education. Teachers should prevent from different kinds of child abuses and have an important role for preventing from child abuse. The primary purpose of this literature review study is to investigate of the phenomenon of child abuse within the school environment by teachers. The second aim of this paper is to determine the legal ways in different countries to encounter with physical child abuse by teachers. Child abuseby teachers has an in depth influence on children’s behaviors and their academic achievements. Abused children have been found to suffer from extreme deficits in school, exhibit poor academic performance, antisocial behaviour, poor self-respect, higher criminal behaviour rates, scepticism of adults, and central nervous system functioning. The findings of this paper showed that there are many reported cases of child abuse by teachers in rural areas, nevertheless, many countries banned or restricted physical abuse or corporal punishment and made legal decisions.

Relational Dynamics in Teacher Professional Development

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Finkelstein, Carla

2013-01-01

Teacher professional development (PD) is considered essential to improving student achievement toward high standards. I argue that while current notions of high quality PD foreground cognitive aspects of learning, they undertheorize the influence of relational dynamics in teacher learning interactions. That is, current conceptions of high quality…

Examining Preschool Teacher Candidates’ Liking Child and Motivations for Teaching Professions

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Esra DERELİ İMAN

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate whether liking child of preschool teacher candidates predicts motivations for teaching professions and whether students’ liking child, motivations for teaching professions differ based on qualifications of personnel was investigated. 396 preschool teacher candidates participant attending in two different university . The Barnett Liking Child Scale and Motivation Source and Problems Candidate Teacher Occupation Questionnaire are used as data collecting tool. In this study, independent t-test, one way variance analysis, Pearson Correlation analysis and, basic linear regression analysis were used for analyzing data. In the study, it was determined that liking child and motivations for teaching professions is high of teacher candidates, except negative factors for learning motivation, There is a significant difference between the liking child, motivations for teaching professions of students and their gender, academic achievement, and income level of family. Also, liking child of students significantly predicted motivations for teaching professions.

Music teacher identity and professionalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holgersen, Sven-Erik

2017-01-01

The present article is concerned with transformative learning and identity formation in student music teachers acting as researchers of a music education practice as part of their MA study programme. More specific, the aim is to discuss how engaging in a research perspective may serve as an eye......-opener for student music teachers and widen their perspective on subject didactics, teaching/learning issues and professional practice....

Professional responsibilities of the economics teachers

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Daliana Ecaterina TASCOVICI

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The present paper’s aim is to present the professional responsibilities belonging to teachers of economics. Firstly, we mentioned the mixed investigations addressed to the teachers activities: pedagogical, psychological, social and axiological. Secondly we define the expectancies concerning the teachers’ knowledge, abilities and attitudes in the present day’s environment learning. In order to establish these issues, we identified the needs of the education system. Here we present the actual points of view, advised pedagogical opinions, stages of the research in this field. Within the last part of the paper, we established the responsibilities for the teachers; expectancies under the form of enunciations for the following five activity domains: instruction, evaluation, learning environment, human relations and professional engagement, at the same time taking into account the three dimensions: knowledge, abilities and attitudes.

Professional Insiders/Outsiders? Teacher Professionalism and the Primary School Physical Education Specialist

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Brooks, Caroline; DinanThompson, Maree

2013-01-01

This paper provides a context for exploring the positioning of Physical Education specialist teachers (PE specialist teachers) in primary schools in Queensland in the discourses of teacher professionalism. A critical analysis of literature on the history and status of the subject and its practitioners aims to contextualize discourses in and about…

Teacher Professional Development through Digital Content Evaluation

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Xie, Kui; Kim, Min Kyu; Cheng, Sheng-Lun; Luthy, Nicole C.

2017-01-01

In this study, researchers designed and implemented a 1-year professional development (PD) program that focused on supporting teachers in evaluating and selecting digital learning contents. Participants in this investigation included 109 teachers who consented to the study amongst a total of 171 teachers from five school districts across central…

Health Professionals' Responses to Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse History: Female Child Sexual Abuse Survivors' Experiences

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McGregor, Kim; Julich, Shirley; Glover, Marewa; Gautam, Jeny

2010-01-01

This study reports on a postal questionnaire, conducted in 2004, with female survivors of historic child sexual abuse. The questionnaire explored their experiences of health professionals' responsiveness to disclosure of child sexual abuse history. Of 61 participants, aged between 22 and 65, 69% had disclosed to health professionals. Those who had…

An evaluation of a professional learning network for computer science teachers

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Cutts, Quintin; Robertson, Judy; Donaldson, Peter; O'Donnell, Laurie

2017-01-01

This paper describes and evaluates aspects of a professional development programme for existing CS teachers in secondary schools (PLAN C) which was designed to support teachers at a time of substantial curricular change. The paper's particular focus is on the formation of a teacher professional development network across several hundred teachers and a wide geographical area. Evidence from a series of observations and teacher surveys over a two-year period is analysed with respect to the project's programme theory in order to illustrate not only whether it worked as intended, by why. Results indicate that the PLAN C design has been successful in increasing teachers' professional confidence and appears to have catalysed powerful change in attitudes to learning. Presentation of challenging pedagogical content knowledge and conceptual frameworks, high-quality teacher-led professional dialogue, along with the space for reflection and classroom trials, triggered examination of the teachers' own current practices.

Teachers Performing Professionalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terri Bourke

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Faced with the perceived need to redefine education for more economic utilitarian purposes, as well as to encourage compliance with government policies, Australia, like many other Anglophone nations, has engaged in numerous policy shifts resulting in performativity practices becoming commonplace in the educational landscape. A series of interviews with teachers from Queensland, Australia, in which they revealed their experiences of professionalism are examined archaeologically to reveal how they enact their roles in response to this performative agenda. Findings suggest that while there is some acceptance among teachers of the performative discourse, there is increasing resistance, which permits the construction of alternative or counter-discourses to the currently internationally pervasive performative climate.

Teachers as Learners: Implications of Adult Education for Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Beavers, Amy

2009-01-01

Effective communication with teachers is a critical element of any successful professional development. Teachers are the foundational component of any educational system. It is vital that adequate attention is focused on appropriate and effective training of these teachers. Ideally, professional development offers a means of collaborative support…

Scientist-Teacher Partnerships as Professional Development: An Action Research Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Willcuts, Meredith H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2009-04-01

The overall purpose of this action research study was to explore the experiences of ten middle school science teachers involved in a three-year partnership program between scientists and teachers at a Department of Energy national laboratory, including the impact of the program on their professional development, and to improve the partnership program by developing a set of recommendations based on the study’s findings. This action research study relied on qualitative data including field notes recorded at the summer academies and data from two focus groups with teachers and scientists. Additionally, the participating teachers submitted written reflections in science notebooks, participated in open-ended telephone interviews that were transcribed verbatim, and wrote journal summaries to the Department of Energy at the end of the summer academy. The analysis of the data, collaboratively examined by the teachers, the scientists, and the science education specialist acting as co-researchers on the project, revealed five elements critical to the success of the professional development of science teachers. First, scientist-teacher partnerships are a unique contribution to the professional development of teachers of science that is not replicated in other forms of teacher training. Second, the role of the science education specialist as a bridge between the scientists and teachers is a unique and vital one, impacting all aspects of the professional development. Third, there is a paradox for classroom teachers as they view the professional development experience from two different lenses – that of learner and that of teacher. Fourth, learning for science teachers must be designed to be constructivist in nature. Fifth, the principles of the nature of science must be explicitly showcased to be seen and understood by the classroom teacher.

The influence of professional teachers on Padang vocational school students' achievement

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Ramli Bakar

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study determined: (1 the competency of professional teachers teaching in the classroom, (2 students' achievement in vocational schools in Padang, and (3 the influence of professional teachers on vocational school students' achievement in Padang. The population was 2,647 students in vocational schools. The sample, consisting of 160 students, was selected using a multistage, random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires and documentation, and then analyzed and presented using the SPSS software. The results showed: (1 overall, the professional teachers of vocational schools in Padang had good qualifications in pedagogical competence, professional competence, social competence, and personal competence, (2 the learning process of vocational schools in Padang was going well and in general, student achievement was at a good level of performance, and (3 there was a significant influence of professional teachers on vocational school students' achievement in Padang. Keywords: professional teacher, student achievement, vocational school

Active Learning Promoting Student Teachers' Professional Competences in Finland and Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Niemi, Hannele; Nevgi, Anne; Aksit, Fisun

2016-01-01

This study investigates student teachers' active learning experiences in teacher education (TE) in Finnish and Turkish contexts and attempts to determine how active learning methods' impact student teachers' professional competences. Student teachers (N = 728) assessed their active learning experiences and the professional competences they…

Secondary science teachers' view toward and classroom translation of sustained professional development

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Elizabeth Blake

This study concerns the phenomenon of secondary science teacher learning and enacting instructional strategies learned at the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) teacher professional development events, as well as teacher perception of, and relationship to, this year-long professional development program. The CISIP program teaches science teachers how to build scientific classroom discourse communities with their students. Some of the science teachers were previous participants in the professional development, and acted as mentor teachers. The research design employed an integrated conceptual framework of situated learning theory with an analytical lens of teachers' professional, institutional and affinity, identities. A multi-method approach was used to generate data. Throughout the 2007-2008 academic year, the teachers' fidelity to the professional development model was measured using a classroom observation instrument aligned with the professional development model. From these observation data a longitudinal model, using hierarchical linear modeling, was constructed. In addition, surveys and interview data were used to construct both whole group and case studies of two high school science teachers who taught biology at the same school. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between previous and new participants; specifically, the longer teachers had participated in the professional development, and adopted a mentorship role, the greater their fidelity of classroom instruction to the CISIP model. Additionally, the case study teacher who developed a CISIP model-aligned affinity identity implemented more of the instructional strategies than the teacher who maintained his school-based institutional identity.

Classroom-Level Teacher Professional Development and Satisfaction: Teachers Learn in the Context of Classroom-Level Curriculum Development

Science.gov (United States)

Shawer, Saad

2010-01-01

This qualitative study examined the impact of classroom-level teacher professional development (CTPD) and curriculum transmission on teacher professional development and satisfaction. Based on work with English-as-a-foreign-language college teachers and students, data analysis showed that CTPD significantly improved student-teacher subject,…

Journaling: An Effective Approach to Professional Development For Reflective Teachers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wang Peng

2008-01-01

As a new curriculum reform program was put forward in China,higher standards for teachers were given that teachers must have a potential of reflective development.Continuing and effective professional development is a common concern of most teachers and professional educators.Effective professional development usually means that not only does it have immediate impact on the work of the professional educator,but it has a long lasting impact.Unfortunately,such effective professional development activities are rare and,in turn,costly to the organization.The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a form of effective professional development which is not only economical but effective.That is the reflective journal.This article analyzes the application of Journal writing from these aspects of the definition,content and the procedures.

Continuous Professional Development of English Language Teachers: Perception and Practices

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AbdulRahman Al Asmari

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Professional development is considered as an essential element in enhancing the teaching and learning process to ensure student learning. Professional development can also be deemed as a cornerstone of teacher professionalism and quality. The governments and educational institutions invest significantly in Continuous Professional Development (CPD to improve teacher quality and to meet the changing needs of the students. To uncover the perceptions and practices of professional development in Saudi Arabia, a survey was conducted at Taif University English Language Centre. The sample consisted of 121 English language teachers from various countries and having varied educational and academic experiences. The survey comprised items relevant to learning approaches, concept of professional development, perceptions and feedback on CPD. The respondents supported lifelong learning and experiential learning leading towards learner centered approach. They perceived the CPD as a challenge to their existing knowledge and classroom practice. However, they expressed their concerns regarding indigenization of activities in CPDs, institutional support in conducting classroom activities, and follow up activities.  Keywords: Professional development, Teacher perception, ELT in Saudi Arabia

Helping Teachers Help Themselves: Professional Development That Makes a Difference

Science.gov (United States)

Patton, Kevin; Parker, Melissa; Tannehill, Deborah

2015-01-01

For school administrators to facilitate impactful teacher professional development, a shift in thinking that goes beyond the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to helping teachers rethink their practice is required. Based on review of the professional development literature and our own continued observations of professional development, this…

Flipped ESL Teacher Professional Development: Embracing Change to Remain Relevant

Science.gov (United States)

Razak, Rafiza Abdul; Kaur, Dalwinder; Halili, Siti Hajar; Ramlan, Zahri

2016-01-01

Many traditional professional development programs that are initiated to equip ESL teachers with knowledge and skills have been futile for numerous reasons. This paper addresses a gap in the recent research of ESL teachers' professional development. Literature has revealed many shortcomings of the traditional and online professional development…

Child Abuse by Teachers and Legal Ways to Encounter in Rural Areas

OpenAIRE

Mohtaram Rabbani; Masoumeh Pourrajab; Shahnaz Rahpaymaelizehee; Bahare Fallahi

2014-01-01

Abstract Many children closely interact with teachers for nine months out of the year and schools are one of the safest places for students to be educated and teachers have a vital role for this education. Teachers should prevent from different kinds of child abuses and have an important role for preventing from child abuse. The primary purpose of this literature review study is to investigate of the phenomenon of child abuse within the school environment by teachers. The second aim of th...

Contextual Effects on Kindergarten Teachers' Intention to Report Child Abuse

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jui-Ying; Wu, Yow-Wu B.; Fetzer, Susan; Chang, Hsin-Yi

2012-01-01

Child abuse is underreported for children with socioeconomic inequalities. The impact of geographic location combined with sociocultural characteristics on teachers' reports of child abuse remains unclear. A national survey of 572 kindergarten teachers from 79 schools in Taiwan used hierarchical linear modeling to investigate the contribution of…

Teacher ambivalence towards school evaluation : promoting and ruining teacher professionalism

OpenAIRE

Hult, Agneta; Edström, Charlotta

2016-01-01

Today’s evaluation society makes teachers participate in a stream of external evaluations. How teachers experience evaluation in school and how this affects their work and professionalism is the focus of this article. Teachers’ views of external and internal evaluations and of the consequences for school practice are described and analysed. The interviewed teachers emphasised the importance of internal evaluations performed close to daily teaching practice and jointly with students and collea...

Scaling Professional Problems of Teachers in Turkey with Paired Comparison Method

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Yasemin Duygu ESEN

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, teachers’ professional problems was investigated and the significance level of them was measured with the paired comparison method. The study was carried out in survey model. The study group consisted of 484 teachers working in public schools which are accredited by Ministry of National Education (MEB in Turkey. “The Teacher Professional Problems Survey” developed by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. In data analysis , the scaling method with the third conditional equation of Thurstone’s law of comparative judgement was used. According to the results of study, the teachers’ professional problems include teacher training and the quality of teacher, employee rights and financial problems, decrease of professional reputation, the problems with MEB policies, the problems with union activities, workload, the problems with administration in school, physical conditions and the lack of infrastructure, the problems with parents, the problems with students. According to teachers, the most significant problem is MEB educational policies. This is followed by decrease of professional reputation, physical conditions and the lack of infrastructure, the problems with students, employee rights and financial problems, the problems with administration in school, teacher training and the quality of teacher, the problems with parents, workload, and the problems with union activities. When teachers’ professional problems were analyzed seniority variable, there was little difference in scale values. While the teachers with 0-10 years experience consider decrease of professional reputation as the most important problem, the teachers with 11-45 years experience put the problems with MEB policies at the first place.

Teacher Research as Professional Development for P-12 Music Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Conway, Colleen; Edgar, Scott; Hansen, Erin; Palmer, C. Michael

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of seven music educators who conducted teacher research in their classrooms and to document whether the teachers and the local school district considered the project as professional development. Research questions included: (1) How do these music educators describe the experience of planning…

Initial teacher education and continuing professional development for science teachers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dolin, Jens; Evans, Robert Harry

2011-01-01

Research into ways of improving the initial education and continuing professional development of science teachers is closely related to both common and unique strands. The field is complex since science teachers teach at different educational levels, are often educated in different science subjects......, and belong to various cultures, both educationally and socially. Section 1 presents a review of the research literature across these dimensions and looks at the knowledge, skills and competences needed for teaching science, specific issues within science teacher education, and strategies for educating...... and developing science teachers....

Schooling Teachers: Professionalism or Disciplinary Power?

Science.gov (United States)

Bourke, Terri; Lidstone, John; Ryan, Mary

2015-01-01

Since public schooling was introduced in the nineteenth century, teachers in many western countries have endeavoured to achieve professional recognition. For a short period in the latter part of the twentieth century, professionalism was seen as a discourse of resistance or the "enemy" of economic rationalism and performativity. However,…

Teachers as Therapeutic Agents: Perceptions of a School-Based Mental Health Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Lindo, Natalya A.; Taylor, Dalena Dillman; Meany-Walen, Kristin K.; Purswell, Katherine; Jayne, Kimberly; Gonzales, Terri; Jones, Leslie

2014-01-01

Teacher-child relationship building (TCRB) is a play-based professional development programme adapted from kinder training and filial therapy. Intended for early education teachers and students, TCRB is designed to strengthen the teacher-child relationship, improve student behaviour, enhance academic involvement and develop teachers' classroom…

Teacher Professional Learning: Developing with the Aid of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kyprianou, Marianna; Nikiforou, Eleni

2016-01-01

Education is a field that constantly changes, which dictates the need for continuing teacher professional learning and development. Teacher professional learning and development can be divided into two categories: formal learning/ development and informal learning/development. This paper focuses on the experience of the presenters as coordinators…

Teacher Professionalization in the Age of Social Networking Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Kimmons, Royce; Veletsianos, George

2015-01-01

As teacher education students become professionals, they face a number of tensions related to identity, social participation, and work-life balance, which may be further complicated by social networking sites (SNS). This qualitative study sought to articulate tensions that arose between professionalization influences and teacher education student…

MOOCs for Teacher Professional Development: Reflections and Suggested Actions

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Pradeep Kumar Misra

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Teacher Professional Development (TPD has become a major policy priority within education systems worldwide. But keeping teachers professionally up-to-date and providing them professional development opportunities on continuing basis is a big challenge. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs can be a cost and resource effective means to complement the traditional methods of professional development of teachers. This optimism is based on the assumption that use of MOOCs will facilitate mass training of teachers as per their convenience and ease. The other assumption is that being MOOCs-based training, it will be easy to adapt it to different cultures and languages. Considering these assumptions, this concept paper which is based on reviews of different reports, documents and research papers - discusses the challenges of TPD, reflects upon promises of using MOOCs for TPD; details initiatives and experiences of using MOOCs for TPD; and suggests actions for promoting the use of MOOCs for TPD.

Child Abuse by Teachers and Legal Ways to Encounter in Rural Areas

OpenAIRE

Shahnaz Rahpaymaelizehee, Bahare Fallahi, Mohtaram Rabbani, Masoumeh Pourrajab

2014-01-01

AbstractMany children closely interact with teachers for nine months out of the year and schools are one of the safest places for students to be educated and teachers have a vital role for this education. Teachers should prevent from different kinds of child abuses and have an important role for preventing from child abuse. The primary purpose of this literature review study is to investigate of the phenomenon of child abuse within the school environment by teachers. The second aim of this pa...

The pedagogical professional development of the English teacher in the Professional and Technical Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa María Padrón Otaño

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The teacher of English in Informatics studies in the Professional and Technical Education shows an insufficient preparation to plan the teaching learning process of reading comprehension in professional contexts, a fact that affects the communicative development of their students. The limitations in the development of these teachers of English were confirmed as one of the key causes. This research follows a dialectical materialist philosophy. In the diagnosis and the evaluation empirical methods such as the interview to teachers of English and document analysis, specialist criterion and a preexperimental design were used. The main research outcome is a contextualized pedagogical professional development strategy. The strategy comprises scientific foundations, diagnosis, general objective, specific actions and the evaluation. The main action of the strategy is postgraduate course to develop the pedagogical professional skills in the use of a methodology which promotes the development of knowledge and skills in both the technical sphere and a specialized didactics (Content and Language Integrated Learning. The practical implementation of the strategy elaborated seemed to allow the teachers of English to be able to plan their lessons using this methodology, and to show a new attitude which meant their active involvement in the creation of a community of learning with higher levels of interdisciplinary collaboration between the teachers of English and those of the technical sphere, as well as an effective management of their own continuing professional development.

Literacy-Related Professional Development Preferences of Secondary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Shara L.; Lee, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

A survey of 100 teachers in one Ontario school board examined their literacy-related professional development preferences. The majority preferred short durations of literacy-related professional development. A small number did not want any literacy-related professional development. The most preferred forms of professional development were shared…

Mediating Artifact in Teacher Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Svendsen, Bodil

2015-01-01

This article focuses on teacher professional development (TPD) in natural science through the 5E model as mediating artifact. The study was conducted in an upper secondary school, grounded in a school-based intervention research project. My contribution to the field of research on TPD is founded on the hypothesis that teachers would be best…

Networking and professional development among teachers of Early Childhood Education

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Rosario Mérida Serrano

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the professional development of 24 teachers involved in the Early Childhood Education-CPD Centre for Teachers-University Network ([blind review]. Collaborative research-action is carried out with teachers and pupils of Early Childhood Education, an adviser from the Continuing Professional Development (CPD Centre for Teachers, researchers, and teacher training undergraduates from the University of [blind review] ([blind review]. Taking a qualitative approach, through interviews, focus groups, and research journals, the benefits obtained by the teachers through their involvement in the [blind review] network are identified: (1 Their colleagues offer them emotional support and provide examples of good practices; (2 The teacher training undergraduates provide technological resources and the possibility of calmly observing what goes on in the classroom; (3 The researchers foster processes of reflection about practice and endorse the validity of the Project Approach; (4 The adviser provides continuing professional development.

Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners: Discursive Norms, Learning Processes, and Professional Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Molle, Daniella

2010-01-01

The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

Mobile learning for teacher professional learning: benefits, obstacles and issues

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Peter Aubusson

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reflects on the role of mobile learning in teachers' professional learning. It argues that effective professional learning requires reflection and collaboration and that mobile learning is ideally suited to allow reflection-inaction and to capture the spontaneity of learning moments. The paper also argues for the value of collaborations between teachers and students in professional learning. It suggests that authentic artefacts and anecdotes, captured through mobile technologies, can enable the sharing, analysis and synthesis of classroom experiences by teachers and students. Such analysis and synthesis helps to encourage collaborative reflective practice and is likely to improve teacher and student learning as a result. Ethical issues that might arise through using mobile technologies in this way are also discussed. Teacher voice is presented to indicate the range of views about mobile learning and to indicate current practices. Practical, school systemic, attitudinal and ethical factors may inhibit mobile technology adoption; these factors need to be researched and addressed to realise the potential of teacher mobile professional learning.

Teacher-Child Relationships in Preschool Period: The Roles of Child Temperament and Language Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Yoleri, Sibel

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine how children's temperament and language skills predict the effects of teacher-child relationships in preschool. Parents and preschool teachers completed three questionnaires: The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, the Marmara Development Scale and the Short Temperament Scale for Children. The relational…

Professional Development Needs of Online Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Mamta; Boboc, Marius

2016-01-01

Keeping in mind the rising rate of K-12 enrollment, and the increased demand for online teachers, the need for professional development of online teachers is keenly felt. The skills needed for teaching in face-to-face environments are not always transferable to online settings. There is a pointed change in the way teaching takes place in an online…

Through the eyes of professional developers: Understanding the design of learning experiences for science teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Tara Eileen

Professional development is important for improving teacher practice and student learning, particularly in inquiry-oriented and technology-enhanced science instruction. This study examines professional developers' practices and their impact on teachers' classroom instruction and student achievement. It analyzes professional developers designing and implementing a five-year professional development program designed to support middle school science teachers. The professional developers are four university-based researchers who worked with sixteen science teachers over three years, setting program goals, facilitating workshops, providing in-classroom support for teachers, and continually refining the program. The analysis is guided by the knowledge integration perspective, a sociocognitive framework for understanding how teachers and professional developers integrate their ideas about teaching and learning. The study investigates the professional developers' goals and teachers' interpretations of those goals. It documents how professional developers plan teacher learning experiences and explores the connection between professional development activities and teachers' classroom practice. Results are based on two rounds of interviews with professional developers, audio recordings of professional developers' planning meetings and videotaped professional development activities. Data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, teacher reflections during professional development activities, and results from student assessments. The study shows the benefit of a professional development approach that relies on an integrated cycle of setting goals, understanding teachers' interpretations, and refining implementation. The professional developers based their design on making inquiry and technology accessible, situating professional development in teachers' work, supporting collaboration, and sustaining learning. The findings reflect alignment of the design goals with the

Professional Development Needs of English Language Teachers in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Khandehroo, Koroush; Mukundan, Jayakaran; Alavi, Zhinoos Kamal

2011-01-01

This study surveyed the professional development (PD) needs of school English language teachers at Melaka State in Malaysia. With close cooperation with the Department of Language at the Ministry of Education, the whole population of English language teachers had been studied on their types of professional development needs in instructional…

Transfer of Online Professional Learning to Teachers' Classroom Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Herrington, Anthony; Herrington, Jan; Hoban, Garry; Reid, Doug

2009-01-01

Professional learning is an important process in enabling teachers to update their pedagogical knowledge and practices. The use of online technologies to support professional learning has a number of benefits in terms of flexibility and scalability. However, it is not clear how well the approach impacts on teachers' classroom practices. This…

A Framework for Professional Ethics Courses in Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Warnick, Bryan R.; Silverman, Sarah K.

2011-01-01

Evidence suggests that professional ethics is currently a neglected topic in teacher education programs. In this article, the authors revisit the question of ethics education for teachers. The authors propose an approach to the professional ethics of teaching that employs a case-analysis framework specifically tailored to address the practice of…

ICT FOR TEACHER'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OpenAIRE

Nina P. Dementievska; Nataliia V. Morze

2010-01-01

The article focuses on pedagogy and psychological issues connected to high order thinking skills development in process of PBL (Project Based Learning) with using ICT (Information Communication Technology). Based on materials of teacher's professional development training course.

When teacher clusters work: selected experiences of South African teachers with the cluster approach to professional development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loyiso C Jita

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Recent scholarship on teacher professional development has shown renewed interest in collaborative forms of teacher learning. Networks, communities of practice and clusters are related concepts that describe forms of collaboration between schools and/or teachers that encourage such learning. In South Africa, teacher clusters represent a relatively recent and popular experiment in teacher professional development. However, there is no verdict yet about their effectiveness. While the utility of such collaborative structures for teacher learning is fairly well established in many developed countries, we still know very little about how the intended beneficiaries (the teachers experience these non-traditional structures of professional development. Using qualitative data from a large-scale research project, we explore teachers' perspectives on what constitutes a successful clustering experience, and the kinds of professional development benefits they derive from their participation therein. Our major findings are twofold: First, clusters seem to enhance teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Second, and somewhat unexpectedly, the teachers identified another set of benefits, the so-called "process benefits" that include collaboration, instructional guidance and teacher leadership. In a context where teachers have tended to work solo and insulated their classroom practices from influence, the presence of the "process benefits" represents a significant finding. We conclude the paper by exploring several possible directions for further research on these process benefits of clusters for teachers in South Africa and elsewhere.

Stages of Teachers' Careers: Implications for Professional Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Judith; And Others

This monograph on the development of teachers' careers synthesizes researchers' prescriptions for early-, mid-, and late-career professional development; and describes successful programs that demonstrate sensitivity to the stages of teachers' growth. The first chapter, "Teachers' Career Development," reviews current adult- and career-stage…

Teacher educators: their identities, sub-identities and implications for professional development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Swennen, J.M.H.; Jones, K.; Volman, M.L.L.

2010-01-01

In this article we address the question: 'What sub-identities of teacher educators emerge from the research literature about teacher educators and what are the implications of the sub-identities for the professional development of teacher educators?' Like other professional identities, the identity

Presentatie: Professional development of university teachers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ebrecht, Diny

2012-01-01

Ebrecht, D. (2012, 4 juni). Professional development of university teachers. Presentatie bijeenkomst UOC-vertegenwoordigers in het kader van Erasmusuitwisseling, Heerlen, Nederland: Open Universiteit, L&C.

A Quest for Legitimacy: On the Professionalization Policies of Sweden's Teachers' Unions

Science.gov (United States)

Lilja, Peter

2014-01-01

The aim of this article is to contribute to the ongoing discussion on teacher professionalism by analyzing the professional strategies of Sweden's two teachers' unions from an organizational perspective. Drawing on institutional theory, the article argues that the teachers' unions' focus on strategies of professionalization has as much to do with…

Perceptions of Early Childhood Education Professionals on Teacher Leadership in Finland

Science.gov (United States)

Heikka, Johanna; Halttunen, Leena; Waniganayake, Manjula

2018-01-01

This study investigated perceptions of early childhood education (ECE) professionals employed at three ECE centres on teacher leadership enactment in Finland. These professionals comprised childcare nurses, teachers and ECE centre directors. Theoretically, the study was anchored on an analysis of teacher leadership and distributed leadership…

Active Learning and Self-Regulation Enhance Student Teachers' Professional Competences

Science.gov (United States)

Virtanen, Päivi; Niemi, Hannele M.; Nevgi, Anne

2017-01-01

The study identifies the relationships between active learning, student teachers' self-regulated learning and professional competences. Further, the aim is to investigate how active learning promotes professional competences of student teachers with different self-regulation profiles. Responses from 422 student teachers to an electronic survey…

Signature Pedagogies in Support of Teachers' Professional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Melissa; Patton, Kevin; O'Sullivan, Mary

2016-01-01

Signature pedagogies [Shulman, L. 2005. "Signature pedagogies in the professions." "Daedalus" 134 (3): 52--59.] are a focus of teacher educators seeking to improve teaching and teacher education. The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary common language of signature pedagogies for teacher professional development…

Professional Development Urban Schools: What Do Teachers Say?

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Tanya R.; Allen, Mishaleen

2015-01-01

This quantitative causal-comparative study compared perceptions of professional development opportunities between high-achieving and low-achieving elementary-middle school teachers in an urban school district using the Standards Assessment Inventory (SAI). A total of 271 teachers participated including 134 (n = 134) teachers from high-achieving…

Greek Teachers' Experience and Perceptions of Child Abuse/Neglect

Science.gov (United States)

Bibou-Nakou, I.; Markos, A.

2017-01-01

The present paper focuses on teachers' experiences of child abuse/neglect cases, teachers' awareness of reporting or discounting, and their ways of responding to a hypothetical disclosure of abuse/neglect. A total of 1877 teachers in Greek public schools participated from a national teacher in-service training across the country; of them, 306…

Teacher training, capacity building and professional capital

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jens

well it is performed. High performing countries do not only praise the quality of the individual teacher, which is important, they also focus on support on the job, the importance of strong professional learning communities, and teachers possibility of taking part in successful school development...

Professional Dialogue, Reflective Practice and Teacher Research: Engaging Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers in Collegial Dialogue about Curriculum Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Simoncini, Kym M.; Lasen, Michelle; Rocco, Sharn

2014-01-01

While embedded in teacher professional standards and assumed aspects of teacher professionalism, willingness and ability to engage in professional dialogue about practice and curriculum initiatives are rarely examined or explicitly taught in teacher education programs. With this in mind, the authors designed an assessment task for pre-service…

Teacher participation in science fairs as professional development in South Africa

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Clement K. Mbowane

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This research was undertaken to understand the perceptions of the Physical Sciences teachers who participate in the South African ‘Eskom Expo for Young Scientists’, regarding the educational significance of the science fair, and the extent to which expo participation provides an opportunity for professional development. The educational significance of this article is found in its contribution to the professional identity of teachers in their roles as organisers, mentors and judges. The model of Beijaard et al. (Teach Teach Educ. 2004;20:107–128 was used to characterise the teachers’ professional identity in terms of professional knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, norms and values, as well as emotions and agency. Interviews with the Physical Sciences teachers were analysed using thematic analysis, ultimately interpreting and linking the categories of responses to the theme of professional identity. The study found that expo participation contributes to pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge (as both procedural and declarative or factual knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Self-efficacy beliefs were strengthened, positive attitudes were developed, and strategies of inquiry-based learning and effective methodological instruction were observed during participation, which contributed to the participants’ school-based teaching. Teachers learn both from their engagement with learners, and through networking opportunities with fellow teachers. Teachers themselves value these aspects, and consequently, science fair participation is a sustainable form of professional development. It is recommended that the opportunity for professional development that is provided by teachers’ participation in such school-level science fairs should be acknowledged and promoted by schools and fair organisers. Significance: Science expos offer professional development to participating teachers and improve learners’ academic performance.

Challenges Confronting Career-Changing Beginning Teachers: A Qualitative Study of Professional Scientists Becoming Science Teachers

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Watters, James J.; Diezmann, Carmel M.

2015-03-01

Recruitment of highly qualified science and mathematics graduates has become a widespread strategy to enhance the quality of education in the field of STEM. However, attrition rates are very high suggesting preservice education programs are not preparing them well for the career change. We analyse the experiences of professionals who are scientists and have decided to change careers to become teachers. The study followed a group of professionals who undertook a 1-year preservice teacher education course and were employed by secondary schools on graduation. We examined these teachers' experiences through the lens of self-determination theory, which posits autonomy, confidence and relatedness are important in achieving job satisfaction. The findings indicated that the successful teachers were able to achieve a sense of autonomy and confidence and, in particular, had established strong relationships with colleagues. However, the unique challenges facing career-change professionals were often overlooked by administrators and colleagues. Opportunities to build a sense of relatedness in their new profession were often absent. The failure to establish supportive relationships was decisive in some teachers leaving the profession. The findings have implications for both preservice and professional in-service programs and the role that administrators play in supporting career-change teachers.

Professional self-esteem as a predictor of teacher burnout across Iranian and Turkish EFL teachers

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Ebrahim Khezerlou

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at measuring the perceived Professional Self-esteem, Emotional Exhaustion (EE, Depersonalization (DP, and Personal Accomplishment (PA of Iranian (n = 230 and Turkish (n =156 EFL teachers and determining the prediction role of Professional Self-esteem in EE, DP, and PA processes. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES was used to measure the perceived burnout levels of the participants, and a shortened English version of Professional Self-esteem Scale developed by Aricak (1999 was employed to measure the participants’ self-esteem perceptions in five dimensions of satisfaction, knowledge development, commitment, adaptation and communication. The internal reliability of the professional self-esteem scale was r = 0.821. The results revealed that professional selfesteem was strongly correlated with EE, DP, and PA burnout. They also showed that EE, DP, and PA processes were better predicted by Satisfaction, Commitment, and Knowledge Development dimensions of Professional Self-esteem in the case of both Iranian and Turkish teachers, respectively. Moreover, the EE and PA prediction variances of Iranian group were greater than that of Turkish group, whereas the DP prediction variance of Turkish group was greater than that of Iranian group. The study highlights the significance of professional self-esteem in education and offers strategies for teachers and authorities to combat burnout for better teacher productivity.

Professional Satisfaction of Secondary Education Teachers: The Case of Greece

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Koutrouba, Konstantina; Michala, Myrto

2017-01-01

The present questionnaire-based study examines 379 Greek teachers' perceptions about professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction. According to the results, teachers are professionally satisfied when they, firstly, feel able to effectively establish behaviour and communication rules in their classrooms, secondly, respond to students' expectations…

Mentor preparation: A qualitative study of STEM master teacher professional development

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Click-Cuellar, Heather Lynn

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has required districts to staff all classrooms with highly qualified teachers. Yet, retaining certified teachers in the profession has been a national concern, especially among new teachers who leave at alarming rates within their first three years. This comes at a heavy cost to districts financially and in trying to maintain highly qualified status, but also to the continuity and effective education of students. Mentoring has been identified by many researchers as a plausible solution to reducing attrition rates for beginning teachers. In this dissertation, I conducted qualitative research to explore and understand the perceptions of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Master Teachers' mentoring professional development in the context of the Master Teacher Academies program situated at Desert State University (pseudonym), a large institution located on the Texas-Mexico border. Additionally, I examined the reported teaching self-efficacy of STEM Master Teachers (mentors), as well as that of their novice teachers (mentees). Another purpose of the study was to investigate the forms and elements of interactions between these mentors and their mentees. Participants of this study were Texas certified Master Mathematics or Master Science Teachers, and their novice mathematics or science teacher mentees; all of whom teach in a high need U.S. Mexico border city school district serving a student population that is over 93% Hispanic. A grounded theory approach was used in examining and analyzing mentor and mentee perceptions and experiences through case studies. A constructivist framework was utilized to derive findings from interviews and the review of documents and contribute a diverse context and population to the literature. The study reveals conclusions and recommendations that will benefit educators, universities, school districts, and policy makers in regard to teacher mentor preparation.

THE IMPACT OF EGO STATES OF PARENT, ADULT AND CHILD ON THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE OF TEACHERS

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Denitsa Alipieva

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article uses an empirical approach examining the role of ego-states in the choice of pedagogical professionals 174 students were involved in the study that aims to show the discrepancies of the states of Parent, Child and Adolescence for choice of speciality and future work. The study subjects were provided with a Transactional Analysis Questionnaire (TAQ, 2014 and Thomas – Killman Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI, 1974.

Evaluating Mathematics Teachers' Professional Development Motivations and Needs

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Caddle, Mary C.; Bautista, Alfredo; Brizuela, Bárbara M.; Sharpe, Sheree T.

2016-01-01

While there is widespread agreement that one-size-fits-all professional development (PD) initiatives have limited potential to foster teacher learning, much existing PD is still designed without attention to teachers' motivations and needs. This paper shows that the strengths and weaknesses of middle school mathematics teachers that engage in PD…

The Teachers' Perspective on Teacher Professional Development Evaluation

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Chen, Yu-Fen

2013-01-01

This study constructs indicators and weights that can be used in the professional development evaluation (PDE) of elementary school teachers. The indicators were constructed using data collected from literature reviews, interviews with experts, and questionnaire surveys. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAPH) was used to analyze the collected…

An innovation in child health: Globally reaching out to child health professionals

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Russell Jones

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Worldwide deaths of children younger than 5 years reduced from 12.7 million in 1990 to 6.3 million in 2013. Much of this decline is attributed to an increase in the knowledge, skills, and abilities of child health professionals. In turn this increase in knowledge, skills, and abilities has been brought about by increased child-health-focused education available to child health professionals. Therefore child-health-focused education must be part of the strategy to eliminate the remaining 6.3 million deaths and to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. This article describes a child-health-focused program that was established in 1992 and operates in 20 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. The Diploma in Child Health/International Postgraduate Paediatric Certificate (DCH/IPPC course provides a comprehensive overview of evidence-based current best practice in pediatrics. This includes all subspecialty areas from infectious diseases and emergency medicine through to endocrinology, respiratory medicine, neurology, nutrition, and dietetics. Content is developed and presented by international medical experts in response to global child health needs. Content is provided to students via a combination of learning outcomes, webcasts, lecture notes, personalized study, tutorials, case studies, and clinical practice. One hundred eleven webcasts are provided, and these are updated annually. This article includes a brief discussion of the value and focus of medical education programs; a description of the DCH/IPPC course content, approaches to teaching and learning, course structure and the funding model; the most recent evaluation of the DCH/IPPC course; and recommendations for overcoming the challenges for implementing a multinational child

School Health Promotion and Teacher Professional Identity

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Jourdan, Didier; Simar, Carine; Deasy, Christine; Carvalho, Graça S.; McNamara, Patricia Mannix

2016-01-01

Purpose: Health and education are inextricably linked. Health promotion sits somewhat uncomfortably within schools, often remaining a marginal aspect of teachers' work. The purpose of this paper is to examine the compatibility of an HP-initiative with teacher professional identity. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research design was…

Professional Competencies of (Prospective) Mathematics Teachers--Cognitive versus Situated Approaches

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Kaiser, Gabriele; Blömeke, Sigrid; König, Johannes; Busse, Andreas; Döhrmann, Martina; Hoth, Jessica

2017-01-01

Recent research on the professional competencies of mathematics teachers, which has been carried out during the last decade, is characterized by different theoretical approaches on the conceptualization and evaluation of teachers' professional competencies, namely cognitive versus situated approaches. Building on the international IEA Teacher…

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS’ PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES – THE FUTURE TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS

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Mariya B. Shashkina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the investigation is to describe the authors’ approach to the assessment of the professional competence of the future teacher of mathematics.Methods. The methods involve comparative analysis of the Professional Standard of the teacher and the Federal State Educational Standards in teacher education, as well as the method of predictive analysis of modern educational situation.Results. Qualimetric approach to the structuring of the professional competencies of students is described; it allows concretizing the assessment object, to select the criteria and levels of its formedness, to trace the dynamics of development in the medium of profile preparation of a bachelor. The methodology of assessment a professional-profile competence of the future mathematics teachers is proposed; examples of the competence-assessment tools are provided.Scientific novelty. The study gives a detailed analysis of developing the innovative approach to competencies assessment as metasubject learning outcomes.Practical significance. The proposed method of competencies assessment can be used in the mathematical preparation of the future mathematics teacher, and can serve as a basis for monitoring the professional competencies of students.

Constructing Occupational Identities: How Female Preschool Teachers Develop Professionalism

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Kim, Mina

2013-01-01

This study explores how female teachers construct their occupational identities as teachers within early childhood education (ECE) settings. The combination of feminist scholarship and the use of teacher life history method allow these women to describe themselves as professionally trained and educated teachers who love teaching and children even…

Chemistry teacher professional development using the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Chemistry teacher professional development using the technological pedagogical content knowledge(TPACK) framework. ... But with the advent of modern technologies, information and communication ... [AJCE 4(3), Special Issue, May 2014] ...

From Professional Practice to Practical Leader: Teacher Leadership in Professional Learning Communities

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Wilson, Adrianne

2016-01-01

The primary purpose of this research is to illuminate perceptions and lived experiences of secondary teachers through their involvement in a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Teachers' experiences within a PLC were examined for patterns of cultivated leadership. The second purpose of the study was to identify variables that either promote or…

Professional Development for Rural and Remote Teachers Using Video Conferencing

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Maher, Damian; Prescott, Anne

2017-01-01

Teachers in rural and remote schools face many challenges including those relating to distance, isolation and lack of professional development opportunities. This article examines a project where mathematics and science teachers were provided with professional development opportunities via video conferencing to help them use syllabus documents to…

PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY CRISIS EXPERIENCE BY TEACHERS

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N. O. Sadovnikova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. In the conditions of constant changes in many public institutions, economic and social instability, permanent educational reforms generate and increase the sense of personal insecurity experienced by modern educators. The requirements of the new social and professional situation involve the independent design of their professional path, the presence of high internal motivation for professional achievement. At the same time, against the backdrop of the low social status of the profession as well as the increasing requirements for the level of performance of activities, many teachers and educators are not prepared to rethink own role in the modern educational process and to resolve emerging professional difficulties. The aim of the publication is to analyze the essence of the concept of “professional identity crisis” and to disclose the psychological features of the experience of this state by teachers. Methodology and research methods. The following questionnaire methods were used for empirical data collection in the course of the study: the method of biographical reflection of M. V. Klementyeva; differential reflexivity test developed by D. A. Leontiev and E. A. Osin; the test of meaningful orientations by D. A. Leontiev. Data processing was conducted by means of descriptive statistics, comparative analysis with the involvement of the Mann-Whitney U test and correlation analysis having applied the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results and scientific novelty. Based on the theoretical analysis of the literature, the authors have defined the term “professional identity crisis experience”. The phenomenological questionnaire “Professional Identity Crisis Experience” has been developed. Having used the materials of questioning and self-reports of teachers, the group of the respondents going through the professional personality crisis (n=70 was found out among the examinees (n=150. In the course of the analysis of

Contested Discourses of Teacher Professionalism: Current Tensions between Education Policy and Teachers' Union

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Mausethagen, Solvi; Granlund, Lise

2012-01-01

This article addresses constructions and redefinitions of teacher professionalism by focusing on the discursive negotiations between the government and the teachers' union in Norway. Based on an examination of three white papers on teacher education from the past 15 years and policy documents put forth by the Union of Education Norway during the…

Preparation and Professional Development of Teacher Educators in Tanzania: Current Practices and Prospects

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Namamba, Adam; Rao, Congman

2017-01-01

Teacher educators play a key role in teacher education and education in general. Worldwide, little is known about preparation and professional development of teacher educators. This paper critically examined teacher educators' preparation and professional development in the context of educational reforms and mushrooming of teacher education…

Teacher Research as a Robust and Reflective Path to Professional Development

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Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth; Crawford, Patricia A.; Hickmann, Rosemary

2010-01-01

This article explores the role of teacher research as part of a robust program of professional development. Teacher research offers teachers at every stage of development a recursive and reflective means of bridging the gap between current practice and potential professional growth. The purpose of this dual level inquiry was to probe the concept…

Forming professional mobility of a future teacher: methodological approaches

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Prima Raisa Nikolaevna

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Analyzes the theoretical and methodological principles of occupational mobility of future teachers. Focuses on the motivation of the choice of systems methodology, the "system integrity" as the dominant conceptual study. It is noted that the educational process of higher education provides an opportunity: the implementation of integration and differentiation of learning content, technology, formation of professional mobility, the stimulating activity of quasi professional future teachers, mainstream interdisciplinary connections. It is established that the formation of a mobile professional organization provides some of the "field capacity", education and upbringing environment, life. It focuses on the future of professional diversity of choice of the status of growth, professional development, rapid orientation (adapted, actively striving to change the unfavorable situation.

Exploring the Professional Ideals of Christian Teachers from Conservative Protestant Schools in the Netherlands

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Boele-de Bruin, H. L.; de Muynck, A.

2018-01-01

Professional ideals arise from personal worldviews and specify teachers' professional identities. This study aimed to explore how faith is present in the professional ideals of Christian teachers. The professional ideals of 107 Dutch teachers from conservative Protestant primary and secondary schools were explored using an open-ended…

Exploring Elements That Support Teachers Engagement in Online Professional Development

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Prestridge, Sarah; Tondeur, Jo

2015-01-01

This study sought to identify the most effective elements required in online professional development to enable teachers to improve their use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in their classrooms. Four schools in Queensland were involved, with twelve classroom teachers participating in a year-long online professional development…

Preschool Teachers' Child-Centered Beliefs: Direct and Indirect Associations with Work Climate and Job-Related Wellbeing

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Hur, Eunhye; Jeon, Lieny; Buettner, Cynthia K.

2016-01-01

Background: Early childhood teachers' child-centered beliefs, defined as teachers' attitudes about how children learn, have been associated with teachers' developmentally appropriate practices and positive child outcomes. The predictors of teachers' child-centered beliefs, however, are less frequently explored. Objective: This study tested whether…

Continuing Professional Development in Context: Teachers' Continuing Professional Development Culture in Germany and Sweden

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Wermke, Wieland

2011-01-01

This article investigates the continuing professional development (CPD) culture of teachers, and asks how it is influenced by properties of the school system. It reports the results of a questionnaire study with 418 secondary teachers from Sweden and Germany. The results show highly significant differences between Swedish and German teachers'…

Child Development Knowledge and Teacher Preparation: Confronting Assumptions.

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Katz, Lilian G.

This paper questions the widely held assumption that acquiring knowledge of child development is an essential part of teacher preparation and teaching competence, especially among teachers of young children. After discussing the influence of culture, parenting style, and teaching style on developmental expectations and outcomes, the paper asserts…

A Multi-Year Study of the Impact of the Rice Model Teacher Professional Development on Elementary Science Teachers

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Diaconu, Dana Viorica; Radigan, Judy; Suskavcevic, Milijana; Nichol, Carolyn

2012-01-01

A teacher professional development program for in-service elementary school science teachers, the Rice Elementary Model Science Lab (REMSL), was developed for urban school districts serving predominately high-poverty, high-minority students. Teachers with diverse skills and science capacities came together in Professional Learning Communities, one…

Professional Standards for Australian Special Education Teachers

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Dempsey, Ian; Dally, Kerry

2014-01-01

Although professional standards for Australian teachers were developed several years ago, this country is yet to develop such standards for special education teachers. The lack of standards for the special education profession is associated with the absence of a consistent process of accreditation in Australia and a lack of clarity in the pathways…

Evaluating the Impact of Teacher Professional Development: An Evidence-Based Framework

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King, Fiona

2014-01-01

Does teacher professional development make a difference? How do we know? While researchers and policy-makers acknowledge that teacher professional development (PD) needs to be assessed and evaluated, there is often little clarity as to how this can be achieved. Evaluation of teacher PD by schools has been described as the weak link in the PD chain…

Vocational Teachers and Professionalism - A Model Based on Empirical Analyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duch, Henriette Skjærbæk; Andreasen, Karen E

Vocational Teachers and Professionalism - A Model Based on Empirical Analyses Several theorists has developed models to illustrate the processes of adult learning and professional development (e.g. Illeris, Argyris, Engeström; Wahlgren & Aarkorg, Kolb and Wenger). Models can sometimes be criticized...... emphasis on the adult employee, the organization, its surroundings as well as other contextual factors. Our concern is adult vocational teachers attending a pedagogical course and teaching at vocational colleges. The aim of the paper is to discuss different models and develop a model concerning teachers...... at vocational colleges based on empirical data in a specific context, vocational teacher-training course in Denmark. By offering a basis and concepts for analysis of practice such model is meant to support the development of vocational teachers’ professionalism at courses and in organizational contexts...

MEANS OF FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE TEACHERS OF INFORMATICS

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Kateryna P. Osadcha

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Teacher of Informatics has been in business in an environment that constantly change and modify, so his training requires the diversity of forms, methods, approaches and teaching technologies as well as learning tools that foster professional competence of students - future teachers of informatics. This article describes the use of author the Internet information resources, electronic textbook, multimedia training programs to ensure the process of studying professional disciplines in the context of the formation of professional competence of future teachers of informatics.

INDONESIAN EFL TEACHERS STUDYING OVERSEAS: FEELINGS, EXPECTATIONS, AND PERSPECTIVES ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Bambang Yudi Cahyono

2015-02-01

Full Text Available One of the ways to develop English teachers' professional competence is by sending them to study in a graduate program in English language education. Sending English teachers to pursue their higher level of education is one of the policies taken by the Government of East Java to improve English teachers' professional competence. In response to the Government of East Java's policy, teachers were selected to study in a graduate program with a sandwich study. The sandwich takes the format of "in-house training" held at State University of Malang and overseas study in Angeles University Foundation, Philippine. This article explores the English teachers' feelings, expectations, and perspectives on professional development with regard to the opportunity in studying overseas. The results of the study show that studying overseas contributed to professional development of the English teachers participating in the sandwich study program during their graduate education.

Exploring Change in EFL Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development

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Mohammadi, Mohammad; Moradi, Khaled

2017-01-01

Continuous professional development (CPD) is important for teachers in attaining sustainable education. Accordingly, exploring teachers' perceptions could be a significant endeavor as teachers' beliefs impact their classroom practices, thereby, impacting student learning and, thus have educational implications. Therefore, this study was designed…

Disciplining Professionals: A Feminist Discourse Analysis of Public Preschool Teachers

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Sisson, Jamie Huff; Iverson, Susan V.

2014-01-01

Educational reforms across the globe have had implications for the work of preschool teachers and thus their professional identities. This article draws on a feminist discourse lens to examine data collected from a recent narrative inquiry focused on understanding the professional identities of five public preschool teachers in the USA. This…

Considering teacher cognitions in teacher professional development: studies involving Ecuadorian primary school teachers

OpenAIRE

Lucero-Mareydt, Maria

2013-01-01

Four empirical studies contribute to the comprehensive understanding of teachers’ behavior and other related characteristics (i.e. their environment, beliefs, competencies, mission, and identity). The aim is also to promote a teacher professional development approach that takes into account what teachers do, think, and feel. In this sense, experiential learning, social learning, and reflection are useful to influence not only the cognitive but also the affective domain, which has been traditi...

Teachers' Engagement in Professional Learning: Exploring Motivational Profiles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen in de Wal, Joost; Den Brok, Perry; Hooijer, Janneke; Martens, Rob; Van den Beemt, Antoine

2017-01-01

This study investigated to what extent secondary school teachers are motivated to work on their professional learning. To this end, profiles ofmotivational dimensions fromself-determination theorywere explored in a sample of 2360 teachers by means of latent profile analysis. The motivational

Examining the effects of a DNA fingerprinting workshop on science teachers' professional development and student learning

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Sonmez, Duygu

The 21st century has become the age of biology with the completion of the human genome project and other milestone discoveries. Recent progress has redefined what it means to be scientifically literate, which is the ultimate goal in science education. "What students should know?" "What needs to be taught?" These questions lead to reformulation of the science curriculum due to the changing nature of scientific knowledge. Molecular biology is increasingly emphasized in the science curriculum along with applications of the latest developments within our daily lives, such as medicine or legal matters. However, many schools and classrooms exclude the latest advances in molecular genetics from science curriculum and even teach biology as a non-laboratory science. Many science educators wonder what can be done to help every child gain meaningful experiences with molecular genetics. Limited content knowledge among teachers due to the changing nature of scientific knowledge, and the rapid discoveries in technology are known to be a part of the problem for teachers, especially for teachers who have been in the workforce for many years. A major aim of professional development is to help teachers cope with the advances in scientific knowledge and provide paths for teachers to continually improve their knowledge and skills. The expectation is that increased knowledge and skills among teachers will be reflected in student achievement. Professional development is typically offered in a variety of formats, from short-term, one-shot workshop approaches to long term courses. The effectiveness of short-term exposures, though, is in many cases is questionable. One of the issues appears to be the gap between the incidence of teachers' attendance at professional development programs and the incidence of implementation in participants' classrooms. This study focuses on this issue by exploring the relationship between teachers' professional development attendance and their implementation

The Effects of Child-Teacher Relationships on Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills of Children

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Ocak, Sakire

2010-01-01

Early positive relationships between children and adults are critical in the acquisition of children's problem-solving skills. The early teacher-child relationship has an important role in how a child negotiates the conflicts and manages relationships with peers. Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the teacher-child relationship at…

Supporting Teachers' Understandings of Function through Online Professional Development

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Silverman, Jason

2017-01-01

This article explores one segment of an extended research and development project that was conducted to better understand the ways online teacher professional development can support teachers' development of deep and connected mathematical understandings. In particular, this article discusses teachers' understandings of the concept of…

Teacher Transformation: An Exploration of Science Teachers' Changing Professional Identities, Knowledge, and Classroom Practices

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Whitacre, Michelle Phillips

This qualitative, multiple case study examines five teachers' experiences with a National Science Foundation-funded professional development (PD) program focused on science literacy. Using a three dimensional conceptual framework combining transformative learning theory, communities of practice, and sociocultural conceptions of identity it explores: the ways the "Science Literacy through Science Journalism" (SciJourn) project built professional community and influenced teacher learning; the influence of the project on participating science teachers' professional identities, knowledge, and classroom practices; and the ways teachers were or were not transformed by participation in the project. To this end, data from surveys and phenomenological interviews were analyzed through qualitative textual analysis and narrative analysis. Four of the teachers experienced a change in their stories to live by, aka, an identity shift. Three predominant themes emerged across these cases. These included a changed conceptualization of science literacy, the importance of student engagement and authenticity, and the value of SciJourn's professional development and community. The changed conceptualization of science literacy was particularly salient as it challenged these teachers' assumptions, led them to rethink how they teach science literacy, and also influenced them to re-evaluate their teaching priorities beyond the PD. Consequently, this study concludes that PD efforts should focus as much, or more, on influencing teachers' ideas regarding what and how they teach and less on teaching strategies. A close comparison between two teachers' diverging experiences with the program showed that student engagement played a significant role in teachers' perceptions of the value of project, suggesting that whether or not teachers sustain a new practice is closely tied to their students' feedback. Additionally, this analysis showed that a teacher's individualized needs and sense of efficacy

Professional Development of the Teachers from the Angle of School Managers

OpenAIRE

Mirascieva, Snezana

2012-01-01

The paper focuses on the problem of teachers' professional development and its relation to school management. The professional development of teachers is a common phrase that has actuality among educational experts. The role of the teacher in the development and progress of the community is determined by the teacher’s development. The teacher will monitor changes in the community, will apply new scientific knowledge, develop practice applying new teaching strategies and media depends on its d...

Exploration of Values: Israeli Teachers' Professional Ethics

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Fisher, Yael

2013-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to explore Israeli teachers' professional ethics and values using the Facet Theory (Guttman in Psychmetrika 33:469-506, 1968). Since Israel does not have a teachers' code of ethics, such exploration can be a basis for constructing one. The study is mainly exploratory, and the main hypotheses that guided the study…

Factors Related to Professional Development of English Language University Teachers in Thailand

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Wichadee, Saovapa

2012-01-01

Professional development is deemed necessary for university teachers at all levels, as it helps to enhance teaching quality. However, the extent of English language university teachers' professional development might depend on a number of factors. This paper reports on a study investigating English language university teachers' professional…

What Makes Professional Development Effective? Results from a National Sample of Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Garet, Michael S.; Porter, Andrew C.; Desimone, Laura; Birman, Beatrice F.; Yoon, Kwang Suk

2001-01-01

Used a national probability sample of 1,027 mathematics and science teachers to provide a large-scale empirical comparison of effects of different characteristics of professional development on teachers' learning. Results identify three core features of professional development that have significant positive effects on teachers' self-reported…

Teacher change and professional development: A case study of teachers engaged in an innovative constructivist science curriculum

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Akura, Okong'o. Gabriel

This study examined both the changes that elementary school teachers experienced when they implemented a reform-based science curriculum and the impact of professional development on this transformation. The research involved a case study of three purposefully selected teachers implementing the Linking Food and the Environment (LIFE) program during the 2002--2003 school year. The LIFE program is a curriculum designed to enhance science literacy among learners from high poverty urban environments. While the study was grounded in the tradition of critical theory (Carspecken, 1996), the theoretical perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, 1990) guided data collection and analysis. Extensive observations of the teachers were made in order to capture and record the teacher change phenomenon. Data were recorded by means of field notes, audio and videotapes, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and video Stimulated Recall (SR) interviews. Emerging themes relating to teacher change, knowledge interests, constructivist pedagogy, and professional development illustrated how teachers grapple with various aspects of implementing a reform-based science curriculum. The teachers in this study were similar to those in earlier investigations, which found that sustained professional development programs involving mentoring and constant reflection enable elementary science teachers to change their instructional strategies from the technical-realist orientation towards the practical-hermeneutic and emancipatory-liberatory orientations. The study has implications for science curriculum developers and designers of professional development programs.

Codes of Ethics and Teachers' Professional Autonomy

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Schwimmer, Marina; Maxwell, Bruce

2017-01-01

This article considers the value of adopting a code of professional ethics for teachers. After having underlined how a code of ethics stands to benefits a community of educators--namely, by providing a mechanism for regulating autonomy and promoting a shared professional ethic--the article examines the principal arguments against codes of ethics.…

Towards a Pedagogy of Humanizing Child Education in Terms of Teacher-Student Interaction

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Shih, Yi-Huang

2018-01-01

By reading and analyzing related studies, this article investigates methods for humanizing child education in terms of teacher-student interaction. It is hoped that this study will allow teachers to understand the essence of child education, to become better educators and humanizing child education, so that students can develop a healthy body and…

In Defense of Teacher Professionalism as a Policy Choice.

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Sykes, Gary

1991-01-01

Whereas democracy institutionalizes distrust, professionalism relies on trust. Responding to Berbules and Densmore, this article identifies strong normative reasons, grounded in the interests of children, for promoting teacher professionalism. Exorcising the evils of classic professionalism will eliminate neither equity nor quality problems.…

Teachers' professional development needs and current practices at the Alexander Science Center School

Science.gov (United States)

Gargus, Gerald Vincent

This investigation represents an in-depth understanding of teacher professional development at the Alexander Science Center School, a dependent charter museum school established through a partnership between the California Science Center and Los Angeles Unified School District. Three methods of data collection were used. A survey was distributed and collected from the school's teachers, resulting in a prioritized list of teacher professional development needs, as well as a summary of teachers' opinions about the school's existing professional development program. In addition, six key stakeholders in the school's professional development program were interviewed for the study. Finally, documents related to the school's professional development program were analyzed. Data collected from the interviews and documents were used to develop an understand various components of the Alexander Science Center School's professional development program. Teachers identified seven areas that had a high-priority for future professional development including developing skills far working with below-grade-level students, improving the analytical skills of student in mathematics, working with English Language Learners, improving students' overall reading ability levels, developing teachers' content-area knowledge for science, integrating science across the curriculum, and incorporating hands-on activity-based learning strategies to teach science. Professional development needs identified by Alexander Science Center School teachers were categorized based on their focus on content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, or curricular knowledge. Analysis of data collected through interviews and documents revealed that the Alexander Science Center School's professional development program consisted of six venues for providing professional development for teachers including weekly "banked time" sessions taking place within the standard school day, grade-level meetings, teacher support

Exploring the Benefits of Music-Making as Professional Development for Music Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Pellegrino, Kristen

2011-01-01

Although much has been written about professional development in general education and music education literature, little has addressed the benefits of music-making as meaningful professional development for music teachers. For music teachers, music-making and meanings of music-making have been connected with teachers' identity, well-being,…

Teachers' professional judgement in real teaching situations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Sidse Hølvig; Daugbjerg, Peer; Sommer, Lise

2017-01-01

Teachers' daily work is complex consisting of teaching, dialogue with pupils, principals, colleagues, parents besides a variety of daily supervision tasks. This entails that the teachers' workdays are loaded with judgements, evaluations, reflections and actions founded on reasonable considerations....... Teachers' capability to make sensible judgements in pedagogical situations and moments are based on their personal norms and knowledge. Norms and knowledge that makes it possible for them to make well-considered decisions regarding good teaching. Teachers' planned changes in teaching are typically well...... as well as unconscious and they are expressed bodily and verbally. The presentation will discuss methodological approach on how to investigate teachers' professional judgement. We will use video recordings of actual teaching situations to generate dialogue with the participating teachers. The dialogue...

Professional development strategies for teaching urban biology teachers to use concept maps effectively

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor Petgrave, Dahlia M.

Many teachers are not adequately prepared to help urban students who have trouble understanding conceptual ideas in biology because these students have little connection to the natural world. This study explored potential professional development strategies to help urban biology teachers use concept maps effectively with various topics in the biology curriculum. A grounded theory approach was used to develop a substantive professional development model for urban biology teachers. Qualitative data were collected through 16 semi-structured interviews of professional developers experienced in working with concept maps in the urban context. An anonymous online survey was used to collect quantitative data from 56 professional developers and teachers to support the qualitative data. The participants were from New York City, recruited through the NY Biology-Chemistry Professional Development Mentor Network and the NY Biology Teachers' Association. According to the participants, map construction, classroom applications, lesson planning, action research, follow-up workshops, and the creation of learning communities are the most effective professional development strategies. The interviewees also proposed English language learning strategies such as picture maps, native word maps, and content reading materials with underlined words. This study contributes to social change by providing a professional development model to use in planning workshops for urban teachers. Urban teachers improve their own conceptual understanding of biology while learning how to implement concept mapping strategies in the classroom. Students whose teachers are better prepared to teach biology in a conceptual manner have the potential of growing into more scientifically literate citizens.

Teacher Professional Competency Analysis: Implementation Aspect of Continuous Professional Development (CPD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annisa Vidya Safitri

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to identify the practice of teacher reflection as the basis for the implementation of Sustainable Professionalism (PKB program based on Permendiknas No. 16/2007 at SMKN 2 Kediri. This research is qualitative with phenomenology design. The informants of this research are principal, productive teacher of marketing, vice principal, teacher and marketing teacher. Technique of data collecting done by in-depth interview and documentation. The validity of the data using technique triangulation and source. Data analysis using Miles and Huberman interactive models, extension of observation, and referential adequacy. The results showed that the reflection was not used as the basis of CLA and the teachers did not implement the CLA planning. Elements of PKB activities have been in accordance with the guidelines of self-development and scientific publications. PKB activities have an impact on teacher groups that discuss research issues, more varied and contextual KBM, and administrative demands for teachers.

Teachers' Goal Orientation Profiles and Participation in Professional Development Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Kunst, Eva M.; van Woerkom, Marianne; Poell, Rob F.

2018-01-01

Participation in professional development activities is important for teachers to continuously improve their knowledge and skills. However, teachers differ in their attitude towards learning activities. This paper examined how different goal orientation profiles are related to participation in professional development activities (acquiring…

Enabling the development of student teacher professional identity ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper explores the views of student teachers who were provided vicarious learning opportunities during an educational excursion, and how the learning enabled them to develop their teacher professional identity. This qualitative research study, using a social-constructivist lens highlights how vicarious learning ...

Teachers' engagement in professional learning : exploring motivational profiles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen in de Wal, J.; Brok, den P.J.; Hooijer, J.G.; Martens, R.L.; Beemt, van den A.A.J.

2014-01-01

This study investigated to what extent secondary school teachers are motivated to work on their professional learning. To this end, profiles of motivational dimensions from self-determination theory were explored in a sample of 2360 teachers by means of latent profile analysis. The motivational

Teachers' Professional Development in Schools: Rhetoric versus Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Gemeda, Fekede Tuli; Fiorucci, Massimiliano; Catarci, Marco

2014-01-01

Across the country of Ethiopia, a centrally planned and prescribed professional development programme was implemented in schools, with the intention of enhancing teachers' knowledge, skills and disposition, thereby improving student learning and achievement. This article explores and describes the lived experiences of teachers involved in…

Development of Professional Teacher Competences for Cooperation with Parents

Science.gov (United States)

Viskovic, Ivana; Višnjic Jevtic, Adrijana

2017-01-01

Based on the belief that professional competences can partially be developed through professional training a cycle of ten educational workshops was designed. Combining theoretical knowledge, quality practice examples and discussions, the workshops strived to improve professional teacher competences. The assumed outcome was determined by difference…

More than teacher directed or child initiated: Preschool curriculum type, parent involvement, and children's outcomes in the child-parent centers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Graue

2004-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the contributions of curriculum approach and parent involvement to the short- and long-term effects of preschool participation in the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Data came from the complete cohort of 989 low-income children (93% African American in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, who attended preschool in the 20 Child-Parent Centers in 1983-1985 and kindergarten in 1985-1986. We found that implementation of an instructional approach rated high by Head Teachers in teacher-directed and child-initiated activities was most consistently associated with children’s outcomes, including school readiness at kindergarten entry, reading achievement in third and eighth grades, and avoidance of grade retention. Parent involvement in school activities, as rated by teachers and by parents, was independently associated with child outcomes from school readiness at kindergarten entry to eighth grade reading achievement and grade retention above and beyond the influence of curriculum approach. Findings indicate that instructional approaches that blend a teacher-directed focus with child-initiated activities and parental school involvement are origins of the long-term effects of participation in the Child-Parent Centers.

Biology Teachers' Professional Development Needs for Teaching Evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Friedrichsen, Patricia J.; Linke, Nicholas; Barnett, Ellen

2016-01-01

The social controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution puts pressure on secondary biology teachers to deemphasize or omit evolution from their curriculum. In this growing pressure, professional development can offer support to biology teachers. In this study, we surveyed secondary biology teachers in Missouri and report the data from…

Teachers' personal didactical models and obstacles to professional development: Case-studies with secondary experimental science teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Wamba Aguado, Ana Maria

The aim of this thesis has been to elaborate criteria which characterise how teachers teach, as a curriculum component of their professional knowledge and to infer the obstacles which hinder their desired professional development, in such a way that they are considered in the design of proposals for teacher training in secondary education. In addition to this, a further objective was to elaborate and validate data analysis instruments. Case studies were carried out on three natural science secondary teachers with more than ten years' experience, enabling the characterisation of the teachers' science and science teaching conceptions as well as the description of classroom practice. Finally, with the help of these data together with the material used by the teachers, the inference of the teachers' personal didactical models and the obstacles to their professional development were made possible. Instruments for data collection used a questionnaire to facilitate the realisation of a semi-structured interview, video recordings of the classroom intervention of each teacher which correspond to a teaching unit taught over a two-week period and all the written material produced for the unit was collected. For the data analysis a taxonomy of classroom intervention patterns and a progression hypothesis towards desirable professional knowledge were elaborated, from the perspective of a research in the classroom model and according to a system of categories and subcategories which refer to their concepts about scientific knowledge, school knowledge, how to teach and evaluation. With the interview and the questionnaire a profile of exposed conceptions was obtained. The intervention profile was obtained using the classroom recordings; according to the patterns identified and their sequencing, both of which determine the characteristic structures and routines of these teachers. An outcome of these results was the validation of the previously mentioned taxonomy as an instrument of

Gender, professionalization, and the child in the Progressive Era: Patty Smith Hill, 1868-1946.

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Allen, Ann Taylor

2011-01-01

This article discusses the career of Patty Smith Hill, a major figure in the American kindergarten movement, in the context of the Progressive Era in American history. Hill, an educator and child-welfare activist, became known both as a reformer of early-childhood education and as an advocate of the inclusion of the kindergarten, originally a private institution, in public-school systems. The article acknowledges this as one of the most significant achievements of the woman-led reform movements of the Progressive Era, but at the same time notes that it involved a substantial transfer of power from the women who had originally developed the kindergarten to the male principals and superintendants who now supervised kindergarten teachers, often without much understanding of their distinctive methods and aims. As a professor at Columbia Teachers College, Hill also exercised an international influence. Hill's career exemplifies broader patterns of women's professionalization during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

The Relationship between Internal Teacher Profiles and the Quality of Teacher-Child Interactions in Prekindergarten

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Decker-Woodrow, Lauren

2018-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between internal teacher profiles and pre-K teacher-child interaction quality in the pre-K classroom. Two questions were addressed: (1) What internal profiles exist for pre-kindergarten (pre-K) teachers? and (2) Do internal profiles relate to observed structural and process quality in the pre-K classroom?…

A Comparative Analysis of Primary Teacher Professionalism in England and Finland

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Webb, Rosemary; Vulliamy, Graham; Hamalainen, Seppo; Sarja, Anneli; Kimonen, Eija; Nevalainen, Raimo

2004-01-01

Policy-makers' conceptions of teacher professionalism currently differ markedly in England and Finland. In England they are shaped by agendas associated with the drive to raise standards and "commercialized professionalism" whilst in Finland they are influenced by notions of "teacher empowerment". This article analyses findings…

Transitioning to Inquiry-Based Teaching: Exploring Science Teachers' Professional Development Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Kazempour, Mahsa; Amirshokoohi, Aidin

2014-01-01

The literature on professional development is replete with studies that utilize survey, interview, and classroom observation data, primarily collected post professional development experience, to explore teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and actions; however, we lack a clear understanding of teachers' learning process and reflections during the…

Studying Motivational-Axiological Component of Professional Competence of a College Teacher

Science.gov (United States)

Gutsu, E. G.; Demeneva, N. N.; Kochetova, E. V.; Mayasova, T. V.; Belinova, N. V.

2016-01-01

Present article addresses the problem of changing requirements towards professional competencies of higher school teachers due to the introduction of new educational standards. Motivational-axiological component of college teacher's professional competence gets a central position. The article provides the authors' view upon the concept of…

Key Issue: Enhancing Teacher Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, 2007

2007-01-01

"Teachers are leaders when they function in professional communities to affect student learning; contribute to school improvement; inspire excellence in practice; and empower stakeholders to participate in educational improvement" (Childs-Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000, p. 28). Enhancing teacher leadership can help schools and districts reach the…

[Professional burnout among university and high school teachers--comparative study].

Science.gov (United States)

Swietochowski, Waldemar

2011-01-01

Professional burnout is a set of negative emotional and behavioral symptoms, observed in workers of widely understood human service occupations, including teachers. In spite of the considerable number of studies of burnout in teachers, a few of them concern university teachers. The aim of the article was to estimate the degree of burning threat in this professional group and to analyze individual determinants and dynamics of burning out in academic teachers. Gender, age, personality traits and temperament traits were given the status of main factors in the study. The role of the perceived social support was also analyzed. 97 academic workers of three state universities (University, Medical University and Technical University) in Łódź took part in the study; 100 teachers of high schools formed a comparative group. MBI General Survey was applied to measure dependent variables (burnout and its three components: Emotional Exhaustion, Cinicism and Professional Efficacy). The level of factors was measured with standard psychological tests: NEO-FFI and FCZ-KT. The Scale of Perceived Social Support was also applied. The results show considerably lower threat of the burning out syndrome in university than in high school teachers. Among individual factors only two temperament traits (emotional reactivity and perseveration) and one personality trait (extroversion) seem to be important determinants of professional burnout. The perceived social support does not prevent the progress of burnout syndrome. Based on the obtained results several practical conclusions were formulated. They refer mainly to preventive training for beginners in teaching and changes in the organization of academic teachers' work.

International classroom teachers in need of professional development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Karen M.

International classroom teachers in need of professional development: Outcomes of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network project 2012-15 The IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network (2012-15) has addressed the opportunities and the challenges of the multicultural (international) classroom where higher educ...... and challenges in the multilingual and multicultural learning space. Final document of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network project 2012-15. Aarhus: IntlUni. http://intluni.eu/uploads/media/The_opportunities_and_challenges_of_the_MMLS_Final_report_sept_2015.pdf...... and reflect on their teaching processes and negotiate the learning processes with their students as well as manage and leverage diversity in the classroom. Therefore, one of the IntlUni Recommendations is for the higher education institutions to provide the necessary professional development and teacher...... sources (e.g. Gregersen-Hermans, 2016), all pointing towards the need for more professional development and training of higher education teachers teaching multicultural student cohorts. Based on these very recent sources, the paper will discuss and offer examples of how such activities may be organized...

Enhancing Social Competence and the Child-Teacher Relationship Using a Child-Centred Play Training Model in Hong Kong Preschools

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Leung, Chi-hung

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a child-centred play training model, filial play therapy, enhances child-teacher relationship and thereby reduces children's internalising problems (such as anxiety/depression and withdrawal) and externalising problems (such as aggressive and destructive behaviour). Sixty teachers (n = 60) and 60…

Exploring the Malaysian Rural School Teachers' Professional Local Knowledge in Enhancing Students' Thinking Skills

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Jamil, Hazri; Arbaa, Rohani; Ahmad, Mohamad Zohir

2017-01-01

This paper discussed a qualitative research findings on the case of Malaysian teachers employed their professional local knowledge for enhancing students' thinking skills in classroom practices. In this paper, a teacher's professional local knowledge is viewed as a teacher's professional knowledge and skills developed through the combination of…

Australia's Supervising Teachers: Motivators and Challenges to Inform Professional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Wendy; Mena, Juanjo; Clarke, Anthony; O'Shea, Sarah; Hoban, Garry; Collins, John

2017-01-01

This paper offers an overview of what motivates and challenges Australian supervising teachers to work with preservice teachers in their classrooms. In the contemporary Australian context of new National Professional Standards for Teachers, a new national curriculum and new standards for Initial Teacher Education programs, what motivates and…

Twenty Years of One Astronomy Teacher Professional Development - The EXES Teacher Associate Program at UT Austin

Science.gov (United States)

Finkelstein, Keely; Hemenway, Mary Kay; Sneden, Chris; Lacy, John; Richter, Matthew J.; EXES Teacher Associates

2018-01-01

The Astronomy Department and McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin has and continues to offer a suite of different astronomy based K-12 teacher professional development programs. One of our longest running, and most successful programs, is reaching its 20th anniversary, the EXES Teacher Associate Program, which was started in 1998. The EXES Teacher Associate program features sustained and continued professional development opportunities for K-12 science and math educators. It consists of 6 times per year day-long meetings, coupled with other professional development opportunities provided at various times. In total, there are approximately 30 active members of the group currently, but more than 90 teachers have participated in this group over its 20 year history. The program has had astronomy education as its focus throughout its history, but different partnerships and collaborations with other programs have supported the group and have allowed for a variety of professional development opportunities and themes for educators to engage in. We will give an overview of this program, present evaluation data and teacher feedback related to program success and student impact, and highlight a few specific program opportunities that are unique and have been shown to be most impactful for participants.

The Influence of Teacher Education on Mentor Teachers' Role Perception in Professional Development Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Klieger, Aviva; Oster-Levinz, Anat

2015-01-01

Apprenticeship and professional development schools (PDSs) are two models for teacher education. The mentors that are the focus for this research completed their initial teacher training through one of these models and now mentor in PDSs. The paper reports on how the way in which they were trained as student teachers influenced their role…

EFL Teachers' Self-Initiated Professional Development: Perceptions and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Simegn, Birhanu

2014-01-01

This study assessed perceptions and practices of secondary schools (Grade 9-12) EFL teachers' self-initiated professional development. A questionnaire of likert scale items and open-ended questions was used to gather data from thirty-two teachers. The teachers were asked to fill out the questionnaire at Bahir Dar University during their…

Te Kotahitanga: Culturally Responsive Professional Development for Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Russell; Berryman, Mere

2010-01-01

Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development project that aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand's indigenous Maori students in public/mainstream classrooms. An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Maori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction…

Teacher Morale, Motivation and Professional Identity: Insight for Educational Policymakers from State Teachers of the Year. Teacher Researcher Policy Paper Series

Science.gov (United States)

Bosso, David

2017-01-01

Informed by a qualitative study involving 24 individuals, each of whom has been recognized as a State Teacher of the Year, this report presents an exploration of the phenomena of teacher morale, motivation and perceptions of job satisfaction as related to professional identity and professional growth in the context of educational change. The…

A case study of continuing teacher professional development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We consider the professional development of in-service teachers and review traditional development efforts that have been used in the past. An alternative form of professional development using Japanese lesson study is proposed and discussed as a possibility. A case study involving the Mpumalanga Secondary Science ...

What Contributes to First-Year Student Teachers' Sense of Professional Agency in the Classroom?

Science.gov (United States)

Soini, Tiina; Pietarinen, Janne; Toom, Auli; Pyhältö, Kirsi

2015-01-01

This study explores Finnish first-year primary teacher students' (N = 244) sense of professional agency in the classroom. In addition, the interrelation between student teachers' sense of professional agency and the perceptions of teacher education as a learning environment is explored. The sense of professional agency in the classroom…

Trajectories of Classroom Externalizing Behavior: Contributions of Child Characteristics, Family Characteristics, and the Teacher-Child Relationship during the School Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Silver, R.B.; Measelle, J.R.; Armstrong, J.M.; Essex, M.J.

2005-01-01

The unique and interactive contributions of past externalizing behavior, negative parenting, and teacher-child relationship quality to externalizing behavior trajectories after the transition to school were examined. In a sample of 283 children, random regression analyses indicated that conflict in the teacher-child relationship during the school…

Students' Evocative Impact on Teacher Instruction and Teacher-Child Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Nurmi, Jari-Erik; Kiuru, Noona

2015-01-01

Classroom research has typically focused on the role of teaching practices and the quality of instruction in children's academic performance, motivation and adjustment--in other words, classroom interactions initiated by the teacher. The present article presents a model of classroom interactions initiated by the child, that is, the notion that a…

Emotional Behavior Problems, Parent Emotion Socialization, and Gender as Determinants of Teacher-Child Closeness

Science.gov (United States)

Bardack, Sarah; Obradovic´, Jelena

2017-01-01

Research Findings: Drawing from a diverse community sample of 89 children, ages 4-6, their primary caregivers and teachers, this study examined the interplay of child emotional behavior problems, parent emotion socialization practices, and gender in predicting teacher-child closeness. Teachers reported on perceptions of closeness with children.…

DEPTH2: Developing Professional Knowledge in D&T Secondary Initial Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Owen-Jackson, Gwyneth

2008-01-01

There are various aspects to teachers' professional knowledge, some such as subject knowledge are more easy to articulate than others, for example knowing how to construct a scheme of work. Student teachers need to be able to understand the various aspects of teachers' professional knowledge in order to be able to help themselves reflect on and…

The Professional Project among Danish Kindergarten Teachers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøje, Jakob Ditlev

2016-01-01

This article describes ways in which the professionalization strategy among Danish kindergarten teachers is realised in practice by newly educated members of the occupation. It focusses on relations between gender and professionalisation and concludes that the professionalisation strategy is real...... educated kindergarten teachers employed in three different pedagogic institutions: day-care (0-6 years), after-school institutions (6-10 years) and club facilities (10-18 years)....

Teacher and child predictors of achieving IEP goals of children with autism.

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Ruble, Lisa; McGrew, John H

2013-12-01

It is encouraging that children with autism show a strong response to early intervention, yet more research is needed for understanding the variability in responsiveness to specialized programs. Treatment predictor variables from 47 teachers and children who were randomized to receive the COMPASS intervention (Ruble et al. in The collaborative model for promoting competence and success for students with ASD. Springer, New York, 2012a) were analyzed. Predictors evaluated against child IEP goal attainment included child, teacher, intervention practice, and implementation practice variables based on an implementation science framework (Dunst and Trivette in J Soc Sci 8:143-148, 2012). Findings revealed one child (engagement), one teacher (exhaustion), two intervention quality (IEP quality for targeted and not targeted elements), and no implementation quality variables accounted for variance in child outcomes when analyzed separately. When the four significant variables were compared against each other in a single regression analysis, IEP quality accounted for one quarter of the variance in child outcomes.

Developing a workable teacher identity: Building and negotiating identity within a professional network

Science.gov (United States)

Rostock, Roseanne

The challenge of attracting and retaining the next generation of teachers who are skilled and committed to meeting the growing demands of the profession is of increasing concern to researchers and policy makers, particularly since 45--50% of beginning teachers leave the profession within five years (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). Reasons for such attrition include compensation, status and working conditions; however, there is growing evidence that a critical factor in new teacher retention hinges on teachers' ability to accomplish the difficult task of forming a workable professional identity in the midst of competing discourses about teaching (Alsup, 2006; Britzman, 2003). There is little research on professional identity development among those beginning teachers at highest risk for attrition (secondary math and science teachers, and those with strong academic backgrounds). This study explores the professional identity development of early-career math and science teachers who are part of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation's (KSTF) teaching fellowship program, an external support network that aims to address many of the issues leading to high attrition among this particular population of teachers. Using narrative research methods, I examine three case studies of beginning teachers, exploring how they construct professional identity in relation to various discourse communities and negotiate tensions across multiple discourses. The cases identify both dominant discourses and counter-discourses that the teachers draw upon for important identity development resources. They also demonstrate that the way a teacher manages tensions across competing discourses is important to how well one can negotiate a workable professional identity. In particular, they emphasize the importance of engaging in borderland discourses (Gee, 1996) as a way of taking agency in one's own identity development as well as in transforming one's discourse communities. These cases shed light on how

Continuous Professional Development of English Language Teachers: Perception and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Al Asmari, AbdulRahman

2016-01-01

Professional development is considered as an essential element in enhancing the teaching and learning process to ensure student learning. Professional development can also be deemed as a cornerstone of teacher professionalism and quality. The governments and educational institutions invest significantly in Continuous Professional Development (CPD)…

Early Education and Professional Choice: Brazilian Teachers' Views

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Galvão, Afonso; Brasil, Ive

2014-01-01

This qualitative and exploratory research is aimed at investigating the underlying reasons for the professional choice of Brazilian teachers who work within early education. Seventeen teachers (seven from public schools and 10 from private schools) were interviewed in depth in a semi-structured manner. Questions concerned the reasons that guided…

Child in a Form: The Definition of Normality and Production of Expertise in Teacher Statement Forms--The Case of Northern Finland, 1951-1990

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Koskela, Anne; Vehkalahti, Kaisa

2017-01-01

This article shows the importance of paying attention to the role of professional devices, such as standardised forms, as producers of normality and deviance in the history of education. Our case study focused on the standardised forms used by teachers during child guidance clinic referrals and transfers to special education in northern Finland,…

"Cruel Optimism": Teacher Attachment to Professionalism in an Era of Performativity

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Moore, Alex; Clarke, Matthew

2016-01-01

This study provides a critical exploration of the way teachers' attachment to notions of professionalism may facilitate a process whereby teachers find themselves obliged to enact centralised and local education policies that they do not believe in but are required to implement. The study argues that professionalism involves an entanglement of…

Relational Agency and Teacher Development: A CHAT Analysis of a Collaborative Professional Inquiry Project with Biology Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

McNicholl, Jane

2013-01-01

Teacher quality largely determines student outcomes and many argue for high quality teacher training and professional development (PD). Much PD has been heavily critiqued and what constitutes effective provision for teachers remains contested. Disenfranchisement of teachers, through neglect of prior expertise and failure to acknowledge teachers'…

Implementing Action Research and Professional Learning Communities in a Professional Development School Setting to Support Teacher Candidate Learning

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Shanks, Joyce

2016-01-01

The paper reviews teacher candidates' use of action research and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept to support their work in their pre-student teaching field experience. In this research study, teacher candidates are involved in a professional development school relationship that uses action research and PLCs to support candidate…

Teacher Career Motivation and Professional Development in Special and Inclusive Education: Perspectives from Chinese Teachers

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Feng, Yan

2012-01-01

Limited evidence is available from the existing literature that relates teachers' career motivation to their attitudes towards special and inclusive education and their motivation for professional development in China. A mixed-method approach was used to investigate teachers' perspectives in this respect. A sample of teachers at seven mainstream…

Teachers' Perceptions of the Quantity and Quality of Professional Development Activities in Turkey

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Bellibas, Mehmet Sukru; Gumus, Emine

2016-01-01

Professional development for teachers has been a substantial issue in contemporary educational research and policy. Yet, opportunities for professional development activities have been very limited in Turkey. In this study, we examined Turkish teachers' involvement in professional development activities by comparing their participation with the…

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Kayode OLAKULEHIN

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examined the contemporary teacher training and professional development in Nigeria as an example of the experiences in developing countries of the world. Against the background of the ascendancy of information and communications technologies in all aspects of human life this study attempted to situate the concept of Information and Communication technology at the centre of the pre-service training and continuing professional development of the Nigerian teacher. A review of some of the major challenges confronting the nation in terms of adopting a technology driven teacher education model was carried out. It also explored the potentials of ICTs for and in teachers’ professional development in Nigeria and developing countries of the world. Consequently, proposing a model of a sustainable teacher training and professional development for Nigeria and other developing countries, within the functional framework of the Information and Communication Technologies was developed to indicate how ICTs could be gradually introduced into the school systems. The study conclude by further highlighting the benefits that Nigeria and other developing countries stand to gain by adopting an ICT driven approach for the pre-service and in-service training and professional development of teachers.

Who's the Teacher? Who's the Learner? Professional Growth and Development of a Novice Teacher in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Yuen Lai

2014-01-01

This study highlights the importance of mentorship focused on reflective practice during preservice teacher education and early years of teaching. Thoughtful reflection about teaching practices during early years of teaching is critical in preparing teachers for a child-centered curriculum. To successfully distinguish between teacher-directed and…

Infusing Neuroscience into Teacher Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Dubinsky, Janet M.; Roehrig, Gillian; Varma, Sashank

2013-01-01

Bruer advocated connecting neuroscience and education indirectly through the intermediate discipline of psychology. We argue for a parallel route: The neurobiology of learning, and in particular the core concept of "plasticity," have the potential to directly transform teacher preparation and professional development, and ultimately to…

Professional Development to Promote Teacher Adaptability

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Allison Ward; Ankrum, Julie Winneur; Morewood, Aimee

2016-01-01

Effective professional development (PD) follows adaptive teaching principles; it increases teacher understanding and instructional purpose, which ultimately supports and extends adaptive teaching. Through this article, we compare and contrast training models with educative models of PD (Duffy, 2004). We discuss characteristics of effective PD that…

Rights in the Workplace: A Guide for Child Care Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Christine; Stoken, Amy; Fritts, Jonathan; Magar, Michele; Bellm, Dan; Shukla, Renu; Vardell, Rosemarie; Wayne, Claudia; Whitebook, Marcy

Research on child care quality and experience in the field shows that the quality of working conditions are linked to a caregiver's ability to provide quality care. Noting that legal rights that generally apply to most child care teachers are not upheld in every workplace, this guide provides information on federal legal rights of child care…

Analysis of an Instructional Coach's Role as Elementary School Language Teachers' Professional Developer

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Chien, Chin-Wen

2013-01-01

Coaches can provide teachers with quality professional development experiences by mentoring, providing workshops, modeling, or encouraging professional growth (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). This study focuses on the instructional coach's role in the professional development of teachers of English language learners (ELLs). The study has the following…

Teacher Educators Developing Professional Roles: Frictions between Current and Optimal Practices

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Meeus, Wil; Cools, Wouter; Placklé, Inge

2018-01-01

This article reports on a study of the professional learning of Flemish teacher educators. In the first part, an exemplary survey was conducted in order to compile an inventory of the existing types of education initiatives for teacher educators in Flanders. An electronic survey was then conducted in order to identify the professional needs of…

Developing a Professional Learning Community among Preservice Teachers

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Bond, Nathan

2013-01-01

This action research study examined the development of a professional learning community (PLC) among 20 preservice secondary teachers as they met regularly during a semester-long, field-based education course to share artifacts of learning from their professional portfolios. The PLC model described by Hord and Tobia (2012) served as a framework…

Service-Learning Linking Family Child Care Providers, Community Partners, and Preservice Professionals

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Garner, Pamela W.; Parker, Tameka S.

2016-01-01

This article describes the implementation of a service-learning project, which was infused into a child development course. The project linked family child care providers, their licensing agency, and 39 preservice teachers in a joint effort to develop a parent handbook to be used by the providers in their child care businesses and to support…

The Student Teacher Portfolio as Autobiography: Developing a Professional Identity.

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Antonek, Janis L.; And Others

1997-01-01

Argues that student teacher portfolios are a viable, effective, appropriate tool for documenting teacher growth and development and for promoting reflective practice. Traces the unique paths of two pre-service foreign language teachers who constructed a professional identity from the historical and cultural conditions of their classroom…

Nurturing Early Childhood Teachers as Leaders: Long-Term Professional Development

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Crawford, Patricia A.; Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth; Hickmann, Rosemary

2010-01-01

"Teacher leadership" is often described as a murky concept that refers not to a particular position, but rather to varied formal and informal leadership roles that teachers play within school communities. Teacher leadership may involve shaping curricula, choosing instructional materials, leading professional book clubs, planning staff…

Inconvenient Truths about Teacher Learning: Towards Professional Development 3.0

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Korthagen, Fred

2017-01-01

Based on recent findings about teacher learning, a critical analysis of traditional and new approaches to professional development is presented. To a large degree, teacher learning takes place unconsciously and involves cognitive, emotional and motivational dimensions. Moreover, teacher learning takes place at various levels. Although these…

The role of teacher-child interaction in promoting peer communication

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Denisenkova, Natalia S.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available It is well-known that communication is the main source and necessity of human development and activity. It promotes social relationships, self-image and a wide range of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Preschoolers communicate both with their peers and adults. It is traditionally assumed that peer communication greatly depends on the teacher-child interaction, leading role of the adult, and the child’s own activity, which are the main elements of the Russian preprimary education system. Changes in social situations, reductions in available play time, greater engagement of children in activities and many other factors can affect modern preschoolers’ peer communication. Therefore, the effect of teacher-directed and child-directed teacherchild interactions on preschoolers’ peer communication important to study. The following methods were applied: peer-communication observation, the behavioral tests ‘Magic room’ and ‘Mosaic’, and the sociometric procedure ‘Two houses’. The sample included 49 Moscow preprimary students aged 4 to 6 year old (25 girls and 24 boys. The research proved that preschoolers showed better results in child-directed interactions, such as playing skills, compared with a similar situation in which the children were directed by the teachers. Additionally, the level of proactiveness, communication success, conflict resolution, prosocial behavior and emotional response to peer influence did not differ among children. Thus, the child-directed approach is more beneficial to preschoolers’ communication development than a teacher-directed approach.

Behavior problems in late childhood: the roles of early maternal attachment and teacher-child relationship trajectories.

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O'Connor, Erin E; Collins, Brian A; Supplee, Lauren

2012-01-01

The purposes of the current study were: (1) to examine the roles of early maternal attachment relationships and teacher-child relationships during childhood for externalizing and internalizing behaviors in late childhood, and (2) to investigate teacher-child relationships, as well as externalizing and internalizing behaviors in early childhood as possible mechanisms linking early maternal attachment relationships to behavior problems in late childhood. Longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1140 mothers and children) were used in this investigation. There were three main findings. First, insecure/other maternal attachment relationships in early childhood (i.e., 36 months) were associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors in late childhood (Grade 5). Second, elevated levels of teacher-child conflict during childhood were associated with externalizing behaviors in late childhood whereas low levels of teacher-child closeness were associated with internalizing behaviors. Third, the effects of insecure/other attachment on externalizing and internalizing behaviors in late childhood were mediated through teacher-child relationships during childhood and early externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Implications for attachment theory are discussed.

Teacher-Child Relationships in Turkish and United States Schools: A Cross-Cultural Study

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Beyazkurk, Derya; Kesner, John E.

2005-01-01

Recent educational research utilising Bowlby's attachment theory has focused on children's interpersonal relationships with their teachers. Research in this area has indicated that the security of the teacher-child relationship influences children's development in many of the same ways as secure parent-child attachments. The purpose of this study…

Middle Childhood Teacher-Child Relationships: Insights from an Attachment Perspective and Remaining Challenges

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Verschueren, Karine

2015-01-01

An increasing body of research points to the significance of teacher-child relationships in shaping children's development. Extending the research literature on early childhood, this review examines the value of an attachment perspective to the study of teacher-child relationships in middle childhood. First, we discuss the conceptualization and…

Enrolling science teachers in continual professional development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Birgitte Lund

2010-01-01

The theoretical paper presents a model of how science teachers working in small groups can use video to diagnose the challengees that students face when learning science content, and how they can then design and refine appropriate teaching interventions. The analysis and discussion suggest...... that the proposed professional development program, based around group learning, should be formatively assessed, researched and refined over time following the principles of design based research, likewise the teachers' classroom interventions....

Professional teachers development through a constructivist approach: didactic contexts,

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Suzana Maria Coelho

2008-09-01

Full Text Available The present paper discusses the partial results obtained from a research that aimed professional development courses for primary and secondary school teachers, under a constructivist and hands-on approach. The intention was to analyze how teachers grasp knowledge under such context, what difficulties emerge and what situations favour their learning process, as well as to study the consequences of professional development courses on their classroom practices. Thirteen teachers participated on workshops during which the investigation of electrostatic phenomena was proposed and low cost experimental apparatus were built, and simultaneously teachers had the opportunity to reflect and analyze their pedagogic practices. The methodological approach of this investigation was qualitative, data were collected with records of oral and written outcomes from researched subjects, as well as records of researchers observations. The learning context generated in those workshops enabled the identification of both conceptual and linguistic difficulties, along with other learning forms, such as action learning and group action learning. Metacognition processes fostered a critical view upon the mechanisms of scientific knowledge acquisition. It is assumed that the experience and the analysis of situations that are similar to those proposed to students might favour an isomorphism with future classroom actions. This professional development proposal seems promising as to consolidate methodological changes arisen from teachers new models and conceptions, different from those regarded as traditional. The analysis of the data regarding the reflections on teachers practices and how the transposition of methods and contents to classrooms happened indicate to this sense and will be covered in a future paper.

What do you mean by "teacher"?psychological research on teacher professional identity

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Luca Tateo

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Teacher Professional Identity is today an autonomous theoretical construct. The paper explores the dimensions of TPI stressed in psychological and educational research, presenting different answers provided to questions such as: Which dimensions have been taken into account to define what a teacher is? The image of teachers actually emerging from literature analysis points out vectors of tension between "mainstream" Social Representations of teacher and everyday experience; between different perceptions of TPI; between established practices and innovation in teaching; between technical rationalist assumptions and lived experience of teachers' job, involving ethical and emotional nature of teaching; and, definitely, between "reality-as-it-is" and "reality-to-be" in teaching. These questions are closely connected to the wider social debate on the future of education. Asking what a teacher is also implies questions about what a "good" teacher is, what should be and, consequently, what are the role and the Social Representations of teachers in society.

Science and Mathematics Teachers' Experiences, Needs, and Expectations regarding Professional Development

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Chval, Kathryn; Abell, Sandra; Pareja, Enrique; Musikul, Kusalin; Ritzka, Gerard

2008-01-01

High quality teachers are essential to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics and science, necessitating effective professional development (PD) and learning environments for teachers. However, many PD programs for science and mathematics teachers fall short because they fail to consider teacher background, experience, knowledge,…

Patterns in Teacher Learning in Different Phases of the Professional Career

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Vermunt, Jan D.; Endedijk, Maaike D.

2011-01-01

This paper reviews recent research on learning patterns of student teachers and experienced teachers, mostly in the context of educational innovation and teachers' professional development. The discussion is structured along a model of teacher learning patterns comprising learning activities, regulation of learning, beliefs on own learning about…

Child Sexual Abuse at Preschools--A Research Review of a Complex Issue for Preschool Professionals

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Bergström, Helena; Eidevald, Christian; Westberg-Broström, Anna

2016-01-01

The objective of this research review is to synthesize research published between 2000 and 2015 regarding child sexual abuse, preschool and preschool teachers. The review identifies themes relevant for the preschool teacher profession: child sexual abuse at preschools, suspicions and consequences for the preschool sector, preventing techniques and…

Practice variation amongst preventive child healthcare professionals in the prevention of child maltreatment in the Netherlands: Qualitative and quantitative data.

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Visscher, Simeon J A; van Stel, Henk F

2017-12-01

This article provides both qualitative and quantitative data on practice variation amongst preventive child healthcare professionals in the prevention of child maltreatment in the Netherlands. Qualitative data consist of topics identified during interviews with 11 experts (with quotes), resulting in an online survey. The quantitative data are survey responses from 1104 doctors and nurses working in 29 preventive child healthcare organizations. Additionally, the interview topic list, the qualitative data analysis methodology, the survey (in English and Dutch) and anonymized raw survey data (http://hdl.handle.net/10411/5LJOGH) are provided as well. This data-in-brief article accompanies the paper "Variation in prevention of child maltreatment by Dutch child healthcare professionals" by Simeon Visscher and Henk van Stel [1].

Influence of Teacher Empowerment on Teachers' Organizational Commitment, Professional Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Schools

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Bogler, Ronit; Somech, Anit

2004-01-01

The present study focuses on the relationship between teacher empowerment and teachers' organizational commitment, professional commitment (PC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). It examines which subscales of teacher empowerment can best predict these outcomes. The data were collected through a questionnaire returned by a sample of…

Inter-professional education of prospective speech-language therapists and primary school teachers through shared professional practice placements.

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Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T

2017-07-01

Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another useful avenue to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills for inter-professional collaboration. Research examining the impact of different approaches to IPE is required to advance our understanding of effective design and evaluation of such initiatives. To understand how student SLTs and student teachers develop competency for collaborative practice when co-working during professional practice placements to support children's speech and literacy development. A case study design was used to monitor the impact of the IPE. Student SLTs (n = 4) were paired with student teachers (n = 4) to participate in shared professional practice placements in junior school classrooms. An inductive thematic analysis of interviews conducted with participants after the IPE was employed to explore the development of competencies in collaborative practice. Change in inter-disciplinary knowledge and perceptions over the IPE was evaluated via survey to further explore the development of collaborative competencies. Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings suggested that participants began to develop four broad areas of collaborative competency: understanding of professional roles and expertise, communication skills to support shared decision-making, inter-dependency in supporting children's learning, and flexibility to implement alternative instructional practices. Interview analysis also revealed factors related to the facilitators and learning contexts that supported and/or limited the collaboration between participants. Shared placement experiences between student SLTs and student teachers may be an effective method for building participants

THE ROLE OF MENTORING IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION OF NOVICE TEACHERS

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Līga Paula

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Entering teaching profession is considered as the most determining stage in a teacher’s professional life. The aim of this research is to explore opinions of novice teachers in Latvia about the role of mentoring in their professional socialization. The following research questions were defined: (1 what difficulties novice teachers faced during their in-service experience? (2 what support novice teachers needed when they started teaching? (3 what the role of mentoring in teachers’ professional socialization is? Qualitative research design was developed for the research. Empirical data were obtained during the focus group discussion with ten teachers representing Council of young teachers (in age below 35 of the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees, nine semi-structured interviews with novice teachers, and interview with a mentor. Novice teachers face teaching reality which often differs from perceptions about the profession developed during the studies at university. The research shows that teachers from the sample faced following challenges during their first years of in-service: establishing teacher’s authority and self-positioning as a teacher, time management, problems with discipline in a classroom, lack of skills to develop curriculum and lesson plans, difficulties in communication with parents. During socialization novice teachers learned their responsibilities and acquired specific knowledge; appropriate support such as mentoring reduced level of stress and uncertainty while novice teachers adapted to school during the period of transition from pre-service period to in-service period. In relation to mentoring, novice teachers expected that a mentor would introduce them to school traditions and internal rules and would advise on discipline in a classroom as well as would help to develop curriculum. Policy makers should focus on teachers’ support guidelines at national level, which would allow schools to ensure the

How we developed a role-based portfolio for teachers' professional development.

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Pyörälä, Eeva

2014-09-01

Faculty development requires practical tools for supporting teachers' professional development. In a modern medical education context, teachers need to adapt to various educational roles. This article describes how a role-based portfolio with a qualitative self-assessment scale was developed. It strives to encourage and support teachers' growth in different educational roles. The portfolio was developed between 2009 and 2012 at the University of Helsinki in dialogue with teachers involved in faculty development. It is based on the role framework presented by Harden and Crosby. Today, it also involves the educational premises of constructive alignment, reflection and a scholarly approach to teaching. The role-based portfolio has led the teachers to discover new educational roles and set goals in their professional development.

Perceived Effectiveness of Professional Development Programs of Teachers at Higher Education Level

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Malik, Sufiana Khatoon; Nasim, Uzma; Tabassum, Farkhanda

2015-01-01

The major purpose of the study was to assess the perceived effectiveness of professional development programs of teachers at higher educational level. The objectives of the study were: "to assess university level teachers'" opinion about effectiveness of professional development training with reference to quality teaching, to measure…

The development of integrated service centre system for professional teachers empowerment in North Sumatera

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Gultom, S.; Simanjorang, M. M.; Muchtar, Z.; Mansyur, A.

2018-03-01

Based on Act number 12 in year 2012 the function of higher education is related to individual, social community, knowledge and technology development. Hence, higher education providers need to think and develop policies in order to improve their service and fulfil the higher education function. As part of the effort to fulfil its function Universitas Negeri Medan (Unimed), which historically was a pre-service teacher training institute, should has a special interest on improving teachers’ professionalism. The Act number 14 in year 2005 described requirements for professional teacher, including academic qualification and set of competencies possessed by the teacher. The Act also guaranties teachers’ right to have opportunities for improving their competencies and academic qualification through training and other professionalism development programme. The question is how this guarantee can be implemented. In order to answer this question a developmental study has been done which aimed on developing an integrated service centre system for professional teachers empowerment. As the name implies, this integrated service centre system is expected to be a real manifestation of Unimed’s support towards the improvement of professional teachers quality, which in the end will boils down to the improvement of national education services quality. The result of this study is an integrated service centre system for professional teachers empowerment that fulfils the professionalism principles described in the Act number 14 in year 2005, which has been developed by considering problems faced by and also supports needed by teachers post certification programme.

Teacher education program explores building professional learning ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-05-02

May 2, 2016 ... Teacher education program explores building professional learning ... table in the Bengaluru Rural District Institute of Education and Training ICT lab. ... more people go online in Asia, digital privacy is increasingly seen as an ...

Teacher Professionalization: Motivational Factors and the Influence of Age

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Hildebrandt, Susan A.; Eom, Minhee

2011-01-01

This study examines motivational factors of teachers who have achieved a national standard of professionalization. Data were collected from National Board certified teachers in the United States (N = 453) using a two-part, web-based survey. Exploratory factor analysis found five motivators: improved teaching, financial gain, collaborative…

Teacher Perceptions about Value and Influence of Professional Development

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Martin, Tami S.; González, Gloriana

2017-01-01

We used a situative perspective to examine teachers' perceptions of a professional development intervention that integrated lesson study, video clubs, and animation discussions. The analysis of interviews with the five geometry teachers who participated in the intervention during two consecutive years showed three characteristics of professional…

Using a Standardized Task to Assess the Quality of Teacher-Child Dyadic Interactions in Preschool

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Whittaker, Jessica E. V.; Williford, Amanda P.; Carter, Lauren M.; Vitiello, Virginia E.; Hatfield, Bridget E.

2018-01-01

Research Findings: This study explored the quality of teacher-child interactions within the context of a newly developed standardized task, Teacher-Child Structured Play Task (TC-SPT). A sample of 146 teachers and 345 children participated. Children who displayed the highest disruptive behaviors within each classroom were selected to participate.…

EAL Teacher Agency: Implications for Participation in Professional Development

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Gurney, Laura; Liyanage, Indika

2016-01-01

Teachers construct their practice, education and professional development within two domains of professionalism: sponsored and independent. The association between these two domains, however, is complex; it is overlapping, inseparable and sometimes uneasy. The complexity is further exacerbated by the codependent nature of association between the…

Can Professional Environments in Schools Promote Teacher Development? Explaining Heterogeneity in Returns to Teaching Experience

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Kraft, Matthew A.; Papay, John P.

2014-01-01

Although wide variation in teacher effectiveness is well established, much less is known about differences in teacher improvement over time. We document that average returns to teaching experience mask large variation across individual teachers and across groups of teachers working in different schools. We examine the role of school context in explaining these differences using a measure of the professional environment constructed from teachers responses to state-wide surveys. Our analyses show that teachers working in more supportive professional environments improve their effectiveness more over time than teachers working in less supportive contexts. On average, teachers working in schools at the 75th percentile of professional environment ratings improved 38% more than teachers in schools at the 25th percentile after 10 years. PMID:25866426

Teacher-Child Interaction Training: A Pilot Study With Random Assignment.

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Fernandez, Melanie A; Adelstein, Jonathan S; Miller, Samantha P; Areizaga, Margaret J; Gold, Dylann C; Sanchez, Amanda L; Rothschild, Sara A; Hirsch, Emily; Gudiño, Omar G

2015-07-01

Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), adapted from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is a classroom-based program designed to provide teachers with behavior management skills that foster positive teacher-student relationships and to improve student behavior by creating a more constructive classroom environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate TCIT in more classrooms than previously reported in the literature, with older children than previously reported, using random assignment of classrooms to TCIT or to a no-TCIT control condition and conducting all but two sessions within the classroom to enhance feasibility. Participants included 11 kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers and their 118 students from three urban, public schools in Manhattan, with five classrooms randomly assigned to receive TCIT and six to the no-TCIT control condition. Observations of teacher skill acquisition were conducted before, during, and after TCIT for all 11 teachers, and teacher reports of student behavior were obtained at these same time points. Teacher satisfaction with TCIT was assessed following training. Results suggested that after receiving TCIT, teachers increased rates of positive attention to students' appropriate behavior, decreased rates of negative attention to misbehavior, reported significantly less distress related to student disruptive behavior, and reported high satisfaction with the training program. Our study supports the growing evidence-base suggesting that TCIT is a promising approach for training teachers in positive behavior management strategies and for improving student disruptive behavior in the classroom. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Teachers' Online Experience: Is There a Covert Curriculum in Online Professional Development?

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Norton, Priscilla; Hathaway, Dawn

2015-01-01

Although the literature emphasizes the need for teachers to have online learning experiences in preparation for teaching online, teachers have few opportunities to experience online learning. One opportunity is online professional development. The authors hypothesized that online professional development might serve not only as a way to gain…

Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Education in Botswana: The Role of Professional Development

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Mangope, Boitumelo; Mukhopadhyay, Sourav

2015-01-01

The continuing professional development of teachers is crucial for implementation of inclusive education and improving the quality of educational service delivery of all learners. The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore teachers' beliefs about professional development for inclusive education in two primary and two secondary schools in…

Factors Influencing Teacher Instructional Practice in Mathematics When Participating in Professional Development

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Walker, William S., III

2016-01-01

In this research, I investigated teachers' interpretations of the goals of professional development and factors that contributed to enacted instructional practices. A multiple-case study design was used to examine the interpretations of four high school teachers participating in a year-long professional development program with a standards-based…

Banking Time in Head Start: Early Efficacy of an Intervention Designed to Promote Supportive Teacher-Child Relationships

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Driscoll, Katherine C.; Pianta, Robert C.

2010-01-01

Research Findings: This exploratory study encompassed a collaboration to implement and evaluate the early efficacy of Banking Time, a dyadic intervention designed to promote supportive teacher-child relationships. Banking Time is a set of one-on-one meetings between a teacher and a child consisting of child-led play and teacher facilitation…

Methods of Forming Professional Competence of Students as Future Teachers

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Omarov, Yessen B.; Toktarbayev, Darkhan Gabdyl-Samatovich; Rybin, Igor Vyacheslavovich; Saliyevaa, Aigul Zhanayevna; Zhumabekova, Fatima Niyazbekovna; Hamzina, Sholpan; Baitlessova, Nursulu; Sakenov, Janat

2016-01-01

The article presents an analysis of the problem of professional competence; a methodological basis of forming professional competence of college students as future teachers is established. The essence of professional competence is defined. The structure has been experimentally proved and developed; the contents, criteria and levels of professional…

Supports and Concerns for Teacher Professional Growth During the Implementation of a Science Curriculum Innovation

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Peers, Cheryl (Shelley) E.; Diezmann, Carmel M.; Watters, James J.

2003-02-01

Internationally, considerable reform in science education is occurring which promotes constructivist philosophies and advocates constructivist-inspired pedagogical strategies that are new to many teachers. This paper reports on the supporting factors necessary for teacher professional growth and the issues of concern that were evident during one primary teacher''s successful implementation of a unit of work based on a draft of a new state-wide science syllabus which proposes such approaches. One researcher (CEP) provided guidance during the writing and implementation of the unit through professional development workshops complemented by ongoing collegial support. The analysis of the teacher''s practice reveals that professional growth required a willingness of the teacher to engage with change and modify his professional practice. The support factors for teacher growth consisted of an appropriate program of professional development, teacher understanding of the elements of the curriculum innovation, and successful experiences in implementing new approaches. In contrast, the issues of concern were: the adequacy of support for planning including the time required to understand the innovation and make changes to teaching practice; science equipment; teacher knowledge; classroom management strategies; and ways to cope with change. Understanding of these support factors and issues of concern is vital for the successful implementation of science curriculum innovations.

A mixed-methods study of mid-career science teachers: The growth of professional empowerment

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland, Amy Laphelia

The purpose of this concurrent, mixed-methods study was to examine the professional empowerment qualities of mid-career (years 4-8), science teachers. I used the construct of professional empowerment as the theoretical frame to explore K-12 mid-career science teachers' career trajectories and consider how they can be supported professionally and ideally retained over time. In investigating the qualities of these teachers, I also constructed a new teaching trajectory model and tested the differences between mid-career and veteran science teachers. I analyzed seventy-eight surveys of mid-career science teachers across Texas, including six in-depth, interview-based case studies. The qualitative piece used behavior-over-time graphing combined with the interviews and the quantitative component used survey data from the Teacher Empowerment Survey (TES). Results indicated that science content knowledge gain through professional development opportunities was an especially important factor in supporting mid-career teachers' sense of empowerment. This increased content knowledge connected positively with the dimensions of decision-making, status, and impact. In a between-group analysis using a larger subset of TES data, I analyzed 254 surveys by conducting a nonparametric statistical test. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups, in that mid-career science teachers had a lower sense of "status" than their more experienced counterparts (p empowerment. The study was situated within a broader scope of exploring how educational leaders and professional development providers can understand and support science teachers of varying experience levels. A well-designed and possibly differentiated professional development program could successfully connect with these kind of empowered and receptive mid-career science teachers, and thus increase the probability of implementing quality science education programs, content, and pedagogy into schools. The

Career Development and Professional Attrition of Novice ESL Teachers of Adults

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Valeo, Antonella; Faez. Farahnaz

2013-01-01

Research and development in language teacher education and, more recently, teacher accreditation has had enormous impact on the professional lives of ESL teachers in Canada. There has been less interest, however, in examining the career development and employment experiences of accredited ESL teachers as they transition from TESL programs to ESL…

Understanding Teachers' Professional Cultures through Interview: A Constructivist Approach.

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Knight, Peter; Saunders, Murray

1999-01-01

Describes a research method used in a British project studying the professional culture of teachers, that of "dialogic interviews." The focus was on cultural constructs teachers used spontaneously, and the interviews were formed around elements of concept, discourse, general accounts of teaching, and site-specific accounts of teaching.…

Teachers' Professional Learning: The Role of Knowledge Management Practices

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Niehoff, Karissa

2010-01-01

This qualitative study explored the degree to which knowledge management strategies addressed teacher professional learning at the high school level. In the setting of a Connecticut public high school, interviews were conducted which explored teacher perceptions of knowledge sharing practices in the school and how those practices influenced their…

Self reported awareness of child maltreatment among school professionals in Saudi Arabia: impact of CRC ratification.

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AlBuhairan, Fadia S; Inam, Sarah S; AlEissa, Majid A; Noor, Ismail K; Almuneef, Maha A

2011-12-01

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was ratified by Saudi Arabia 15 years ago; yet addressing the issue of child maltreatment only began in more recent years. School professionals play a significant role in children's lives, as they spend a great deal of time with them and are hence essential to protecting and identifying those in danger or at risk. The objective of this study is to identify school professional's awareness of child maltreatment and the existing national policies and procedures to examine the extent of efforts made in Saudi Arabia and to activate the roles of schools and school professionals in protecting children from violence and implementation of Article 19 of the CRC. This was a cross-sectional study, where school professionals from randomly selected schools throughout the country were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 3,777 school professionals participated in the study. Fifty-five percent of professionals had at least 10 years of work experience. A low-level of awareness of child maltreatment was found in about 1/3 of school professionals. Only 1.9% of school professionals had ever attended any sort of specific training on child maltreatment, though 69.3% of those who had not, were willing to attend future training. With regards to awareness of CRC Article 19 or policies and procedures addressing child maltreatment, only 22% reported being aware of it. The majority of school professionals in Saudi Arabia have a low-intermediate level of awareness of child maltreatment, ratification of CRC, and related national policies and procedures, yet most are willing to attend training programs on this subject matter. Efforts need to be made in the country to fill this gap. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teachers' professional development needs in data handling and probability

OpenAIRE

Nieuwoudt, Hercules David; Wessels, Helena

2011-01-01

Poor Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) results and widespread disappointing mathematics results in South Africa necessitate research-based and more efficient professional development for in-service mathematics teachers. This article reports on the profiling of mathematics teachers’ statistical knowledge, beliefs and confidence in order to inform the development of in-service teacher education programmes in statistics for Grade 8 and Grade 9 teachers. Ninety mathema...

Novice Music Teachers Learning to Improvise in an Improvisation Professional Development Workshop

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Filsinger, Mark H.

2013-01-01

With the intent of improving music improvisation pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to examine experiences of six novice music teachers and a professional development facilitator in an eight-week Improvisation Professional Development Workshop (IPDW). The research questions were: 1. How do teachers learn to improvise within the context of…

Practice variation amongst preventive child healthcare professionals in the prevention of child maltreatment in the Netherlands: Qualitative and quantitative data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simeon J.A. Visscher

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article provides both qualitative and quantitative data on practice variation amongst preventive child healthcare professionals in the prevention of child maltreatment in the Netherlands. Qualitative data consist of topics identified during interviews with 11 experts (with quotes, resulting in an online survey. The quantitative data are survey responses from 1104 doctors and nurses working in 29 preventive child healthcare organizations. Additionally, the interview topic list, the qualitative data analysis methodology, the survey (in English and Dutch and anonymized raw survey data (http://hdl.handle.net/10411/5LJOGH are provided as well. This data-in-brief article accompanies the paper “Variation in prevention of child maltreatment by Dutch child healthcare professionals” by Simeon Visscher and Henk van Stel [1].

Australian Undergraduate Primary School Student-Teachers' Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and Its Mandatory Reporting

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Goldman, Juliette D. G.

2010-01-01

This study aims to understand how primary school teachers, as mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse, are responding to child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting, even though many teachers do not receive a compulsory course in Child Protection and its legal requirements in their pre-service university training. A cohort of 81 Australian…

Collaborative Professional Development for Statistics Teaching: A Case Study of Two Middle-School Mathematics Teachers

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de Oliveira Souza, Leandro; Lopes, Celi Espasandin; Pfannkuch, Maxine

2015-01-01

The recent introduction of statistics into the Brazilian curriculum has presented a multi-problematic situation for teacher professional development. Drawing on research in the areas of teacher development and statistical inquiry, we propose a Teacher Professional Development Cycle (TPDC) model. This paper focuses on two teachers who planned a…

Professional Identity and Burnout among Pre-School, Elementary, and Post-Elementary School Teachers in Israel

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Fisherman, Shraga

2015-01-01

The novelty of the present study is its attempt to distinguish between pre-school, elementary, and post-elementary school teachers, regarding the relationship between professional identity and burnout. Two hundred and forty teachers responded to two questionnaires: professional identity and teacher burnout scales. Pre-school teachers were found to…

Effects of Professional Development on Teachers' Instruction: Results from a Three-year Longitudinal Study.

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Desimone, Laura M.; Porter, Andrew C.; Garet, Michael S.; Yoon, Kwang Suk; Birman, Beatrice F.

2002-01-01

Examined the effects of professional development on teachers' instruction using a purposeful sample of about 207 teachers across 5 states for 1996-1999. Professional development focused on specific instructional practices increased teachers' use of those practices in the classroom, and specific features, such as active learning opportunities,…

Teachers' perceptions of effective science, technology, and mathematics professional development and changes in classroom practices

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Boriack, Anna Christine

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' perceptions of professional development and changes in classroom practice. A proposed conceptual framework for effective professional development that results in changes in classroom practices was developed. Data from two programs that provided professional development to teachers in the areas of technology, mathematics, and science was used to inform the conceptual framework. These two programs were Target Technology in Texas (T3) and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Teacher Preparation Academies (MSTTPA). This dissertation used a multiple article format to explore each program separately, yet the proposed conceptual framework allowed for comparisons to be made between the two programs. The first study investigated teachers' perceptions of technology-related professional development after their districts had received a T3 grant. An online survey was administrated to all teachers to determine their perceptions of technology-related professional development along with technology self-efficacy. Classroom observations were conducted to determine if teachers were implementing technology. The results indicated that teachers did not perceive professional development as being effective and were not implementing technology in their classrooms. Teachers did have high technology self-efficacy and perceived adequate school support, which implies that effective professional development may be a large factor in whether or not teachers implement technology in their classrooms. The second study evaluated participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of mathematics and science professional development offered through a MSTTP academy. Current and former participants completed an online survey which measured their perceptions of academy activities and school environment. Participants also self-reported classroom implementation of technology. Interviews and open-ended survey questions were used to provide further insight into

Supporting Novice Special Education Teachers through Quality Professional Development

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Tate, Mary E.

2013-01-01

The special education teaching environment is a teaching environment with unique duties that often challenge novice special education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain clarity of the work environment of special education teachers to uncover professional development practices that would work to support them. Research…

The Relationship between Teachers' Occupational Professionalism and Organizational Alienation

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Yorulmaz, Yilmaz Ilker; Altinkurt, Yahya; Yilmaz, Kursad

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between occupational professionalism and organizational alienation levels of teachers. The study is designed as a survey model. The sample of the study consists of 303 teachers working in the Mugla province of Turkey. Participants were selected by using the disproportionate cluster…

Elementary Teachers' Perception of Professional Capital within Their Community of Practice

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Walker, Allison Edwards

2017-01-01

Many teachers, after having worked in isolation for so long and a business capital model of education reform, do not understand the concept of professional capital and its impact for transforming education. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers' perception of professional capital within their community of practice. The data…

Support for teachers in improving science instruction and building a professional culture: An investigation

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Morris, Meg

Teachers, already working in a demanding and complex occupation, face new challenges posed by current recommendations for changes in science teaching. Reform challenges that teachers face today and principles for professional development suggested by Judith Warren Little are used as a conceptual framework for this study. The study examines one professional development opportunity, the South Coast Science Project (SCSP) which is one site of the statewide California Science Project. In 1995 twenty-eight teachers of grades K--12 participated in the SCSPs four week summer institute and six follow-up days during the next two school years. Responses to open-ended questions on questionnaires answered by each teacher and my observation as a participant were used to study teachers' experiences in the institute. In classroom observations and interviews I gathered data about teaching practice and leadership activities of the teachers after the institute. Findings show that after the institute participating teachers made changes in teaching practice and leadership activities congruent with the aims of the SCSP. Important factors in the institute's success in supporting teachers to make changes include: the institute's mission, design, principles, and aims are in agreement with Little's (1993) suggested principles for professional development; investigations in an inquiry method are used to emphasize teaching science, rather than separating science and teaching; teacher leadership was enhanced by modeling and opportunities for the participants to practice leadership; a non-elitist model gave all teachers access to this learning opportunity. The method used for this study shows a way to better understand how professional development can have an impact on classroom practice. By collecting data in both the contexts---the learning opportunity and the subsequent classroom applications---the impact of the professional development can be traced. Findings for this study show that well

Codes of Professional Conduct and Ethics Education for Future Teachers

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Maxwell, Bruce

2017-01-01

This paper argues that the way future teachers are being initiated into the ethical dimensions of their future profession is largely out of step with the movement to professionalize teaching. After recalling the role that codes of professional conduct play in the ecology of professional self-regulation, and arguing that familiarizing students with…

Parental and teacher attitude to girl-child education and economic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated how parental and teacher attitude to girl-child education affect her economic empowerment. The study is built on the premise that attitude can determine how emancipated and economic empowered the girl-child becomes when educated (and, or otherwise). It is also hinged on the assumption that ...

The Survey and Analysis of Excellent Senior High School Physics Teachers' Professional Growth Actuality

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Sun, Haibin; Liu, Tingting

2010-01-01

Excellent senior high school physics teachers are the backbone power in the new course reform of physics in China. The excellent senior high school physics teachers' professional growth actuality in Shandong is surveyed in this article by the self-made "Questionnaire of Excellent Senior High School Physics Teachers' Professional Growth",…

Perspectives on Science Teacher Professional Development: A study of the ASSET Experience

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Reeves, Katrina; Miller, Scott; Foster, Andrea

2015-01-01

The Astronomy Summer School of East Texas (ASSET) is a two-year NASA-funded teacher professional development program created to help improve middle and high school science teachers' knowledge of and attitudes toward astronomy. During an intensive summer astronomy course experience, science teachers are taught astronomy concepts and principles through engaging pedagogical techniques. The workshop models hands-on/minds-on teaching strategies that strengthened teachers' own pedagogical content knowledge and ways of teaching astronomy to students.As part of our second year of ASSET, participants were observed and interviewed before, during and after the workshop experience to ascertain their perspectives on their own professional development and understanding of astronomy. Interview data, participant observations, surveys, and artifact data (journaling, one-minute papers, etc...) were analyzed and three broad themes emerged regarding the significance of the ASSET experience on teacher enhancement of content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and the significance of teacher professional development communities in teaching and learning science. We will discuss the major implications of our observations and outline what tools and techniques can be best implemented as part of professional development workshops such as ASSET.This project is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science (EPOESS), which is part of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), Grant Number NNX12AH11G.

Criteria, indicators and levels of formed professional functional competences of future teachers of physical culture

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Samsutina N.M.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available It is shown the structural components of the functional competence of professional teachers of physical education: motivational, cognitive and action-practical. We used the following methods of scientific knowledge, as the analysis of psychological, educational and methodological literature, synthesis, comparison, generalization, specification, classification, ordering Criteria and levels of occupational functional competence of future teachers of physical education. It is determined that the high level of professional formation of the functional competence of future teachers of physical culture is characterized by the motivation to perform professional functions of a teacher of physical culture, fundamental knowledge required to perform professional functions of a teacher of physical culture, a high level of general physical fitness, pronounced specific motor abilities and skills.

Boundary Crossing during Pre-service Teacher Training: empowering or hampering professional growth?

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Harrison, Christine

2017-10-01

Yuli Rahmawati's paper presents an auto-ethnographic inquiry into her lived experiences as a science teacher in different countries. Through her reflections and analysis of events, Yuli captures and builds a model of her identity and explores the influence of inter- and intra-cultural perspectives in shaping how she recognizes herself and brings meaning to her professional life. Yuli's insights and explanations of teaching within different cultural contexts highlight the importance of personally relevant and meaningful knowledge, where expectations and accepted norms, that might fit well within one community, may be seen quite differently in another. While for Yuli, this led to professional growth as she inquired and made sense of her new context, my concern is that the social and cultural change could, in some instances, lead to disengagement rather than professional growth. My concern is that the conflict that arises from boundary crossing may be experienced even stronger by inexperienced professionals, such as pre-service teachers. The learning trajectory of pre-service teachers is steep; they need to gain stronger knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy and an awareness of how their students learn. They also need to build confidence in their professional self and what they can do to support and trigger student learning. For this to happen, in the tight time frames available on teacher education courses, pre-service teachers need to understand and engage with the new community that they are placed in very quickly, to make sense of both their role and that of others within the community. This paper suggests that pre-service providers should carefully consider the learning opportunities offered by school contexts, that may vary dramatically from the social and cultural contexts experienced by their teachers as part of their own education, to prevent disengagement or misunderstanding hampering professional growth.

The development of teacher interpersonal competence throughout the career : professional identity

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Want, van der A.C.; Brok, den P.J.; Beijaard, D.; Brekelmans, J.M.G.; Wubbels, Th.; Brok, den P.; Tartwijk, van J.; Levy, J.

2010-01-01

Aiming at a better understanding of teacher burn out and attrition, the main object of this study is the development of teacher interpersonal expertise , with a special focus on the professional identity development, one of the components of teacher expertise. Two other main components,

Elementary teachers' perceptions of science inquiry and professional development challenges and opportunities

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Jones, Kathleen M.

Inquiry science, including a focus on evidence-based discourse, is essential to spark interest in science education in the early grades and maintain that interest throughout children's schooling. The researcher was interested in two broad areas: inquiry science in the elementary classroom and the need/desire for professional development opportunities for elementary teachers related to science education, and specifically professional development focused on inquiry science. A cross sectional survey design was prepared and distributed in May 2005 and usable responses were received from 228 elementary teachers from the south-central area of Pennsylvania which was a representative sample of socio-economical and geographical factors. Areas of particular interest in the results section include: (1) The use of Science Kits which is popular, but may not have the desired impact since they are "adjusted" by teachers often removing the opportunity for evidence-based discourse by the students. This may be partly based on the lack of time dedicated to science instruction and, secondly, the teachers' lack of comfort with the science topics. Another issue arising from science kits is the amount of preparation time required to utilize them. (2) Teachers demonstrated understanding of the high qualities of professional development but, when it came to science content professional development, they were more inclined to opt for short-term opportunities as opposed to long-term learning opportunities. Since elementary teachers are generalists and most schools are not focusing on science, the lack of attention to a subject where they are least comfortable is understandable, but disappointing. (3) There is a great need for more training in evidence--based discourse so teachers can implement this needed skill and increase students' understanding of science content so they are more able to compete in the international science and math measurements. (4) Professional development, especially

Becoming a Mathematics Teacher: The Role of Professional Identity

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Akkoç, Hatice; Yesildere-Imre, Sibel

2017-01-01

Teachers' pedagogical practice and choices for their actions could not only be explained by their knowledge, beliefs or attitudes (Rodgers & Scott, 2008). Identity also has a crucial role in learning to teach. The aim of this study is to investigate contextual nature of preservice mathematics teachers' professional identities. For this aim, a…

Professional Learning Communities: Teachers Working Collaboratively for Continuous Improvement

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Griffith, Louise Ann

2009-01-01

Current research indicates that a professional learning community (PLC) is an effective means for helping teachers to bridge the gap between research and practice. A PLC is a team of educators systematically working together to improve teaching practice and student learning. This study evaluated the PLC formed by teachers at a public elementary…

Effects of biology teachers' professional knowledge and cognitive activation on students' achievement

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Förtsch, Christian; Werner, Sonja; von Kotzebue, Lena; Neuhaus, Birgit J.

2016-11-01

This study examined the effects of teachers' biology-specific dimensions of professional knowledge - pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and content knowledge (CK) - and cognitively activating biology instruction, as a feature of instructional quality, on students' learning. The sample comprised 39 German secondary school teachers whose lessons on the topic neurobiology were videotaped twice. Teachers' instruction was coded with regard to cognitive activation using a rating manual. Multilevel path analysis results showed a positive significant effect of cognitive activation on students' learning and an indirect effect of teachers' PCK on students' learning mediated through cognitive activation. These findings highlight the importance of PCK in preservice biology teachers' education. Items of the rating manual may be used to provide exemplars of concrete teaching situations during university seminars for preservice teacher education or professional development initiatives for in-service teachers.

Physical Education Teachers' Career-Long Professional Learning: Getting Personal

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Makopoulou, Kyriaki; Armour, Kathleen M.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to build upon previous PE-CPD (Physical Education Continuing Professional Development) research by exploring Greek case study physical education (PE) teachers' engagement in professional learning. It is argued that in the contemporary European context, where the teaching profession is viewed as central to achieving wider…

Facilitating Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners

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Molle, Daniella

2013-01-01

The study explores the process of facilitation in professional development for educators. The study relies on discourse analysis of interaction among K-12 teachers and administrators in a Midwestern U.S. state during a semester-long professional development program especially designed for educators working with English language learners (ELLs).…

Teachers' Self-Initiated Professional Learning through Personal Learning Networks

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Tour, Ekaterina

2017-01-01

It is widely acknowledged that to be able to teach language and literacy with digital technologies, teachers need to engage in relevant professional learning. Existing formal models of professional learning are often criticised for being ineffective. In contrast, informal and self-initiated forms of learning have been recently recognised as…

Teacher Learning in a Mathematics and Science Inquiry Professional Development Program: First Steps in Emergent Teacher Leadership

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Yow, Jan A.; Lotter, Christine

2016-01-01

This study investigates the role of an inquiry professional development institute in empowering middle school mathematics and science teachers to develop as teacher leaders. Teachers and coaches jointly attended content sessions and participated in practice teaching sessions with students. The coaches led reflection sessions following the practice…

Exploratory Factor Analysis and Psychometric Evaluation of the Teacher Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse

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Walsh, Kerryann; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Mathews, Ben; Farrell, Ann; Butler, Des

2012-01-01

This paper presents an evaluation of an instrument to measure teachers' attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse and discusses the instrument's merit for research into reporting practice. Based on responses from 444 Australian teachers, the Teachers' Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse was evaluated using exploratory factor…

Navigating the Complex Practices of Specialized Literacy Professionals in Formalized Teacher Leadership Positions

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Yurkewecz, Thea A.

2017-01-01

This dissertation reports on how one school community engaged in a professional development grant initiative that incorporated teacher leadership. Teacher leaders may have numerous roles and responsibilities that support the professional learning and instructional practices of school communities. This study examined the experiences of three…

Child-Centred Education: Preschool Teachers' Beliefs and Self-Reported Practices

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Sak, Ramazan; Erden, Feyza Tantekin; Morrison, George S.

2016-01-01

This study analyses the beliefs and self-reported practices of preschool teachers with regard to the concept of child-centred education, as well as the consistency between these beliefs and practices. Data were collected via interviews with 20 female teachers employed in public preschools in Ankara, Turkey. The results indicated that the…

Teacher Professionalism on the Developing Children Creativier Professionalism on the Developing Children Creativity (Sociology of Education PerspectiveProfessionalism on the Developing Children Creativity (Sociology of Education Perspective

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Ummi Nurul Muslimah

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This research is to study the concept of teachers’ professionalism and children creativity also the relation in sociology of educational perspective. This is a library research with a descriptive method. The writer collected the data from the writing sources published about some problems of teacher’s professionalism on the developing children creativity. Then, analyzing the thinking of every ideology and philosophy described clearly and completely, so the similarity and differences can be treated clearly by using the description of teacher professionalism on developing children creativity. The findings of this study showed that the relation between teacher professionalism and developing children creativity in sociology of education is every educator have an important role in children education, although in teaching learning process or in out class, educators have always supported and challenged abilities of the gift, talent and creativity. The reason is because the children are more often spend much time with teacher, so the teacher more to know and more responsible to their children.

Opinions of legal professionals: Comparing child and adult witnesses' memory report capabilities

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Jens Knutsson

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The opinions of legal professionals about child and adult witnesses might influence the likelihood that a case is allowed to proceed through the different stages of the legal process. With the aim of knowing the opinions of legal practitioners about child and adult witnesses, 84 legal professionals (Swedish police, prosecutors, and attorneys were surveyed about their beliefs about child and adult eyewitness memory (and metamemory abilities. The respondents answered 27 questions relating to nine forensically relevant belief areas in which they compared the memory ability of children (ages 7 to 11 years and adults. The results showed no differences in assessment among members of different professions and a general trend suggesting that, across the professions, children were believed to be poorer witnesses than adults regarding their memory abilities. Moreover, the professionals' within-group consensus was very low. These results are discussed in the context of eyewitness research findings and with respect to the implications for both legal and research practice.

Lesson study: Professional development and its impact on science teacher self-efficacy

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Roberts, Megan Rae

This study focuses on an analysis of a professional development program known as lesson study via data obtained during an in-service professional development program for secondary school science teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of one group of science teachers related to their experiences in a lesson study. Another purpose for this research, aligned with the first, included a theoretical analysis of the lesson study construct to see if its design promoted positive self-efficacy beliefs of its participants. The research is framed within the context of social constructivism and self-efficacy and is qualitative in nature and utilized descriptive analysis as a means of research. Case studies were conducted detailing two of the six participants. Data sources included researcher field notes and transcriptions of all planning and debriefing sessions; individual interviews with each participant and the schools' principal; a participant questionnaire, and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument. Themes that emerged included the positive perceptions of lesson study as a collaborative and teacher-centered experience; the understanding that lesson study can instill a sense of professionalism to those who participate in the process; the sense that discussing student learning using objective observations from classroom is a powerful way to assess learning and uncover personal teacher beliefs; and the insight that the time commitment that lesson study requires can inhibit teachers and schools from sustaining it as a form of on-going professional development. Although these themes are consistent with the research on lesson study in Japan and elsewhere in the United States, they also extend the research on self-efficacy and science teacher professional development. In the end, this study supported some of the conclusions of the self-efficacy research as it relates to professional development while also adding that interpersonal

Continuing Professional Education for Teachers and University and College Faculty

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Cranton, Patricia

2016-01-01

In this chapter, the author explores a variety of aspects of continuing professional education for teachers and university and college faculty members. She discusses the kinds of knowledge that are addressed and the role of online learning in continuing professional education.

Pathways of professional learning for elementary science teachers using computer learning environments

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Williams, Latonya Michelle

This dissertation reports on a three year study designed to investigate the trajectories of two urban elementary school teachers---a novice and an experienced teacher---learning to teach a science curriculum unit using an inquiry approach supported by the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). This research investigated teachers' development in knowledge and practice. Through analyses of video records of classroom instruction and professional development meetings, repeated interviews, and student assessments, I have produced case studies of teachers' journeys as they implement the technological inquiry-based instructional model. This study captures the interplay between the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, enacted practice, and insights into students' thinking about complex science ideas. I trace the factors that encouraged and supported the teachers' development, in addition to the kinds of struggles they faced and overcame. I discuss the social supports I provided for the teachers, including scaffolding them in reflecting on their practice, assisting them with curriculum customizations, and supporting their learning such as arranging online interactions with scientists. I analyze spontaneous activities such as teachers' own reflections. The results suggest that the novice and experienced teacher's classroom practices became more inquiry oriented across time. For both teachers, use of technology accompanied an increase in science dialogue with small groups in years two and three. The novice teacher began asking inquiry questions in her second year of classroom experience, after a great deal of professional support. Both teachers improved in their pedagogical content knowledge from years one through three as a result of the varied professional development supports. The results suggest that teachers' improvement in instructional strategies and pedagogical content knowledge accompanied students' improvement in understanding of the science content.

Lifelong Learning and the Professional Development of Geography Teachers: A View from Slovenia

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Kolenc Kolnik, Karmen

2010-01-01

Lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD) are considered important activities for geography teachers. However, research in Slovenia shows that many lose their enthusiasm for these activities when they leave university and enter professional practice. In Slovenia, whilst geography teachers have a sound undergraduate education,…

MODERN TRENDS TO UPGRADE THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE MATHEMATICS TEACHER

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Tatochenko V.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available An article devoted to the actual problem of professional pedagogical education - the modern tendencies of updating the system of professional training of the future teacher of mathematics. The relevance of the study is due to rapid changes in society, which involve making changes to the goal of preparing speech to life, which requires the teacher to transition from the knowledge model to the competent. This necessitates a fundamental need to rethink all the factors on which the quality of the educational process depends. In the article, based on the analysis of social production in societies of different types, the goal of general education at the stage of transition from industrial to postindustrial society is specified. The specified purpose explains the necessity of changes as a mathematical education in general educational institutions, as well as the system of professional training of teachers of mathematics. On the basis of the analysis of the state of the problem, a number of contradictions in the preparation of future mathematics teachers who will work in qualitatively new conditions of postindustrial information societies, which are characterized by rapid development and dynamism, is highlighted, the problem of preparing teachers for professional activity in a new, communicative environment, when the aging of information occurs faster than the educational cycle in an educational institution ends. The term "professional activity of the teacher of mathematics" is defined as a holistic purposeful complex open volatile dynamic pedagogical system, the functioning of which involves resistance to certain subsystems that ensure the readiness of students for effective pedagogical activity. The interconnection of subsystems on the basis of their integration allows achieving the main goal of the system - to prepare a competent teacher of mathematics. The functioning of such a system provides the creation of conditions for the development of the

The sustainability of a teacher professional development programme for beginning urban teachers

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Gaikhorst, L.; Beishuizen, J.J.J.; Zijlstra, B.J.H.; Volman, M.L.L.

2017-01-01

This study investigated the long-term effects of a professional development intervention for beginning urban teachers and explored which characteristics and activities in school organisations contributed to the sustainability of these effects. A quasi-experimental study (n = 72) investigated whether

Teachers' Professional Development: The Case of WhatsApp

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Cansoy, Ramazan

2017-01-01

In this study, the kinds of shares made by science teachers in a WhatsApp group as an online community of practice to support professional development were examined. The netnographic research method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The messages shared by 12 science teachers, who worked at a private school between…

The Impact of Teacher Professional Development to Reposition Pedagogy for Indigenous Students in Mainstream Schools

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Hynds, Anne S.; Hindle, Rawiri; Savage, Catherine; Meyer, Luanna H.; Penetito, Wally; Sleeter, Christine

2016-01-01

There is a dearth of empirical evidence that examines the impact of teacher professional development for culturally responsive pedagogies, particularly on Indigenous student achievement and teacher practices. Te Kotahitanga was a large-scale professional development initiative for culturally responsive practices for secondary teachers in New…

Engagement with a Teaching Career--How a Group of Finnish University Teachers Experience Teacher Identity and Professional Growth

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Korhonen, Vesa; Törmä, Sirpa

2016-01-01

The aim of this qualitative study was to identify teachers' ways of experiencing their identity and development challenges as teachers in the social and professional context of university. Identity and development as a teacher were examined based on interviews and drawings of career paths collected from a group of university teachers representing…

Psychological and Educational Support in Professional Self-Determination in Students: Through the Lens of Professional Standard for Teachers

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Antonova M.V.,

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the importance of organized educational support for students in their professional self-determination. It reviews the list of professional competencies defined in the professional standard for teachers dealing with self-determination in students and analyses the basic requirements set for teacher education programmes. The system of professional self-determination for young people is described basing on the experience of the Republic of Mordovia, where career guidance in schools is regulated by the Regional Educational Module “Start into the Profession”. This module was developed according to the specifics of the given region and represents an integrated system of activities aimed at efficient career guidance for students living in rural and urban areas of the Republic of Mordovia.

Professional Learning Communities: Teachers' Perceptions and Student Achievement

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Peters, Erica

2013-01-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) are designed to help schools improve student achievement; all decisions are based on the needs of students. PLC's are an effective way to receive professional development (PD), allow for collaboration with fellow teachers, and offer timely intervention to all students. In a district known for PLC…

Use of WebQuest Design for Inservice Teacher Professional Development

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Iskeceli-Tunc, Sinem; Oner, Diler

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether a teacher professional development module built around designing WebQuests could improve teachers' technological and pedagogical skills. The technological skills examined included Web searching and Web evaluating skills. The pedagogical skills targeted were developing a working definition for higher-order thinking…

Physical Education Teachers' Professionalization: A Review of Occupational Power and Professional Control

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Kougioumtzis, Konstantin; Patriksson, Goran; Strahlman, Owe

2011-01-01

This article reviews research on physical education (PE) teachers' professionalization considering their relative position at schools and in the community as well as their control over the lesson formation. The position considers issues of prestige, status and esteem while lesson formation regards constitutional, organizational and physical…

Factors Contributing to EFL Teachers' Professional Development in Indonesia

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Muhammad Amin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study was aimed at investigating factors contributing to English as a Foreign Language teachers’ professional development and how these factors have shaped their professionalism. The subjects of the study included six English teachers at senior high schools under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs in three different regions in Indonesia. Findings of the study reveal that there are both personal and environmental factors identified as having contributed to an EFL teacher’s professionalism, both prior to and after their induction into EFL teaching. Prior to the induction, two of the personal factors were identified: an early interest in English and a high aptitude, although early exposure to English may also be considered an environmental factor. After induction, their professional development is affected by: the level of job satisfaction, commitment to their own learning and student learning, communication skills, and resilience as personal factors, and students, school facilities, teacher colleagues, curriculum change, school leadership, and the supervisory system as environmental factors.

Teachers' professional development: Awareness of literacy practices

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hennie

professional development and deepen teachers' understanding of literacy practices and teaching. Interviews and ... these disadvantages, linked to both material and human resources, have continued, and in fact become .... given access to literacy usage and variation, but ... English as their LoLT, though it may be their.

Evaluation of Prospective Teachers in Terms of Academic Self-Efficacy and Professional Competence

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Aslan, Mahire; Bakir, Asli Agiroglu

2017-01-01

This study aims to determine the relationship between the self-efficacy perceptions of the prospective teachers and the levels of their professional competence. In the study, relational screening model is used and it is investigated whether prospective teachers' perceptions of academic self-efficacy and professional competence differed according…

The Effectiveness of a Brief Asthma Education Intervention for Child Care Providers and Primary School Teachers

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Neuharth-Pritchett, Stacey; Getch, Yvette Q.

2016-01-01

Limited information exists about management of asthma in child care settings and primary school classrooms. The goal of this study was to evaluate a brief asthma management intervention for child care providers and primary school teachers. Child care providers and primary school teachers were recruited to participate in two 3-h workshops on asthma…

Integration of ICT into Teacher Training and Professional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Integration of ICT into Teacher Training and Professional Development in Kenya. ... Makerere Journal of Higher Education ... In Kenya, integration of ICT into the curriculum has been the subject of extensive research and various researches ...

Grounding formative assessment in high-school chemistry classrooms: Connections between professional development and teacher practice

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Cisterna Alburquerque, Dante Igor

This study describes and analyzes the experiences of two high-school chemistry teachers who participated in a team-based professional development program to learn about and enact formative assessment in their classrooms. The overall purpose of this study is to explain how participation in this professional development influenced both teachers' classroom enactment of formative assessment practices. This study focuses on 1) teachers' participation in the professional development program, 2) teachers' enactment of formative assessment, and 3) factors that enabled or hindered enactment of formative assessment. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and using evidence from teacher lessons, teacher interviews, professional development meetings as data sources, this single embedded case study analyzes how these two teachers who participated in the same learning team and have similar characteristics (i.e., teaching in the same school, teaching the same courses and population of students, and using the same materials) differentially used the professional development learning about formative assessment as mediating tools to improve their classroom instruction. The learning team experience contributed to both teachers' development of a better understanding of formative assessment---especially in recognizing that their current grading and assessment practices were not appropriate to promote student learning---and the co-creation of artifacts to gather evidence of students' ideas. Although both teachers demonstrated understanding about how formative assessment may serve to promote student learning and had a set of tools available to utilize for formative assessment use, they did not enact these tools in the same way. One teacher appropriated formative assessment as mediating tool to verify if the students were following her explanations, and to check if the students were able to provide the correct response. The other teacher used the mediating tool to promote

Enrolling science teachers in continual professional development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Birgitte Lund

2010-01-01

The theoretical paper presents a model of how science teachers working in small groups can use video to diagnose the challengees that students face when learning science content, and how they can then design and refine appropriate teaching interventions. The analysis and discussion suggest that t...... that the proposed professional development program, based around group learning, should be formatively assessed, researched and refined over time following the principles of design based research, likewise the teachers' classroom interventions.......The theoretical paper presents a model of how science teachers working in small groups can use video to diagnose the challengees that students face when learning science content, and how they can then design and refine appropriate teaching interventions. The analysis and discussion suggest...

PROFESSIONAL MOBILITY AND COMPETENCE CORRELATION OF RURAL SCHOOLS TEACHERS IN THE CONDITIONS OF EDUCATION MODERNIZATION

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Olga Vladimirovna Gavrilova

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The article deals with the problem of teacher's professional activity in conditions of education modernization. The subject of analysis is professional mobility and competence correlation of rural schools teachers and the conditions of its formation. The authors’ aim to reveal the concepts of teacher’s "professional mobility", "professional competence" in rural schools and to determine its nature and structure in the changing paradigm of education. Results. The results of this work are that the authors give the definition of teacher’s "professional competence" and "professional mobility" in rural schools; concern teacher’s professional competence as a part of professional mobility in rural schools and suggest the conditions of studying to improve teacher’s professional competence and mobility. Practical implications. The results of the study can be applied in the field of teachers retraining and advanced training in primary and secondary school.

Teacher-Child Relationship Quality and Academic Achievement in Elementary School: Does Gender Matter?

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McCormick, Meghan P.; O'Connor, Erin E.

2015-01-01

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,364) and 2-level hierarchical linear models with site fixed effects, we examined between- and within-child associations between teacher-child relationship closeness and conflict and standardized measures of children's…

Can teacher-child relationships support human rights to freedom of opinion and expression, education and participation?

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Wang, Cen; Harrison, Linda J; McLeod, Sharynne; Walker, Sue; Spilt, Jantine L

2018-02-01

This study explored how teacher-child relationships change over the early school years, in terms of closeness and conflict, whether these trajectories differ in type and frequency for children with typical development and children with speech and language concern (SLC), and whether the trajectories are associated with school outcomes at 12-13 years. Participants were children, parents and teachers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Parents identified 2890 children with typical communication and 1442 children with SLC. Teacher-rated teacher-child closeness and conflict were collected biennially over six years. Academic and social-emotional outcomes were reported by teachers and children. Growth mixture modelling was conducted to generate teacher-child relationship trajectories and Wald's chi-square analyses were used to test the association between trajectories and school outcomes at 12-13 years, after controlling for a range of covariates including child's sex, language background, Indigenous status, age and socio-economic position. In both groups, the majority of children had teacher-child relationship trajectories with sustained high closeness and low conflict that predicted positive outcomes at age 12-13, but the SLC group was more at risk of less positive trajectories and poorer school outcomes. Close, less conflicted relationships with teachers may provide a supportive context for later language, literacy and social-emotional development. This study highlights the role of teachers in supporting children in their development of communication and academic skills that will optimise their capacity for freedom of opinions and expression, education and participation, as enshrined in Articles 19, 26 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Robots Teaching Other Little Robots: Neoliberalism, CCSS, and Teacher Professionalism

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Endacott, Jason L.; Wright, Ginney P.; Goering, Christian Z.; Collet, Vicki S.; Denny, George S.; Davis, Jennifer Jennings

2015-01-01

Recent quantitative research on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in schools across Arkansas has discovered that teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction, agency, and professionalism are significantly affected by their school leaders' openness towards autonomy, flexibility, and opinions of teachers (Matlock et al.…

Using Technology for Geography Teacher Education: Web-Based Professional Development

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Frazier, Cheryl A.; Boehm, Richard G.

2012-01-01

This qualitative study explores the perceived value of a video-based online workshop in Geography, "Watershed Management," part of the Geography: Teaching with the Stars series, a 22 program professional development series for teachers of geography, social studies, and environmental science. Results indicated that teachers reported…

STEM Outreach Activities: An Approach to Teachers' Professional Development

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Aslam, Farzana; Adefila, Arinola; Bagiya, Yamuna

2018-01-01

STEM outreach programmes in secondary schools are mediated by STEM teachers who are responsible for organising, implementing and evaluating the activities with a view to promoting STEM subjects. However, research investigating teachers' STEM roles and professional development through participation in outreach activities is limited. This paper…

Teachers' Motivation to Learn: Implications for Supporting Professional Growth

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Appova, Aina; Arbaugh, Fran

2018-01-01

In this study, we investigated teachers' motivation to learn following in the footsteps of emergent research efforts in the field. This qualitative study was grounded in the intersection of four research fields: policy, educational psychology, andragogy and professional development (PD). Findings indicate that teachers' dissatisfactions with their…

Beyond the Garden of Eden: Deep teacher professional development1

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Becoming a professional teacher is falsely understood to be a simple process: usually consisting of a transference of skills to execute classroom pedagogy or classroom management. This article begins by exploring the many forces which influence the curriculum of teacher education in higher education, signaling the ...

HOW PEER COACHING AFFECTS PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF STUDENT TEACHERS IN TEYL PRACTICUUM

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Dwi Winarsih

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The present study aims to advance English Department students‘ professional competence about Teaching English to Young Learners. The research questions addressed are (1 does peer coaching improve students teachers‘ professional competence and (2 how does peer coaching affect their professional competence. This qualitative research is carried out by studying pre-service teachers' pedagogicalreasoning in a peer coaching program.Each week during a three-month practicum, twenty student teachersreceive training in clarity skills. Dataare collected in the form of videos, weeklyjournals, questionnaires, observation, focus-group interviews. Follow-up interviews are analyzed qualitatively. Peer provides opportunities to discuss, analyze, and reflect on problems ofprofessional practice. It improve professional practice of student teachers andclarity competenciesare perceived as valuable for TEYL.They also enhance mastery and presentations of language elements and learning activities and classroom management.Italso shows more pedagogical reasoning that as a vehiclefor competencies acquisition and teacher reflection.The cooperating teacher is akey success of studentteachers' interaction with pupils, classroom management, and adaptation ofcontent to relevant aspects of pupils' learning needs. Lecturer‘s feedback assists studentteachers in setting goals for improvement. Thepeer coach functions of collegiality, technicalfeedback, adaptation to students, analysis of application, and support.

Variation in prevention of child maltreatment by Dutch child healthcare professionals.

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Visscher, Simeon J A; van Stel, Henk F

2017-08-01

Child maltreatment (CM) is a common condition with a large impact on the victim and society. In the Netherlands, the preventive child healthcare (CHC) aims to protect children against such threats. However, several studies indicate that the efficacy in this area may be suboptimal for many CHC professionals. Therefore, this study aims to map the practice variation in the primary and secondary prevention of CM, by CHC physicians and nurses. This mixed-methods study used interviews to identify relevant topics and develop an online questionnaire. All CHC organizations in the Netherlands (n=45) were asked to forward this questionnaire to their professionals. Practice variation was described with domain scores and item response distributions. Multi-level analysis was used to assess case mix-corrected variance between organizations. Interview participants (n=11) expected suboptimal care in 35 topics which they considered important for prevention of CM, resulting in a 15min questionnaire. Nearly two-thirds of the organizations (n=29) agreed to forward the questionnaire to their employees. The response rate was 42% (n=1104). Suboptimal care and practice variation was found in all domains (i.e. communication, medical expertise, collaboration, involvement in prevention of CM, and improvement opportunities), mostly caused by intra-organization variance. Significant inter-organization variance was found for collaboration (variance partition coefficient 6-7%) and involvement (2-3%). Furthermore, the majority of the respondents (96%) reported fear in acting upon suspicions of CM. Substantial suboptimal care and practice variation in prevention of CM warrant action from authorities, CHC training institutes, CHC organizations, and professionals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Development of University Teachers' Professional Identity: A Dialogical Study

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Scartezini, Raquel Antunes; Monereo, Carles

2018-01-01

This study investigated whether changes can occur on indicators of teachers' professional identity (TPI) when teachers and students share representations about what happens in class during an academic term. TPI is a process of constant negotiation between the different I-positions of teachers at the personal, social and cultural levels. The main…

In-house consultation to support professionals' responses to child abuse and neglect: Determinants of professionals' use and the association with guideline adherence.

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Konijnendijk, Annemieke A J; Boere-Boonekamp, Magda M; Kaya, Anna H; Haasnoot, Maria E; Need, Ariana

2017-07-01

This study examined the presence and strengths of determinants associated with consultation of an in-house expert on child abuse and neglect (CAN) by preventive child health care professionals who suspect CAN. This study also assessed the relationship between in-house CAN expert consultation and professionals' performance of six recommended activities described in a national guideline on preventing CAN for preventive child health care professionals. A total of 154 professionals met the study's inclusion criteria. They filled in a questionnaire that measured in-house consultation practices and twelve determinants associated with the professional, the in-house expert, and the organizational context. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) reported to consult the in-house expert in (almost) all of their suspected CAN cases. Professionals who reported better recollection of consulting the in-house expert (i.e. not forgetting to consult the expert) (p=.001), who were more familiar with consultation (p=.002), who had more positive attitudes and beliefs about consultation (p=.011) and who reported being more susceptible to the behavior (p=.001) and expectations/opinions (p=.025) of colleagues regarding in-house expert consultation were more likely to consult the in-house expert. Furthermore, in-house expert consultation was positively associated with two of six key guideline activities: consulting the regional child protection service and monitoring whether support was provided to families. The implications of these results for improving professionals' responses to CAN are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can teacher-child relationships alter the effects of early socioeconomic status on achievement in middle childhood?

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McCormick, Meghan P; O'Connor, Erin E; Parham Horn, E

2017-10-01

Using data from the NICHD SECCYD (N=1053), we used two-level hierarchical linear models with site fixed effects to examine whether teacher-child closeness and conflict moderated associations between two indicators of early socioeconomic status (maternal education and family income) and standardized measures of children's math and reading achievement at 54months, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. Children whose mothers had lower levels of education and conflictual relationships with teachers exhibited lower reading achievement, on average, across elementary school. At the same time, children with less educated mothers who experienced increases in teacher-child closeness and decreases in teacher-child conflict exhibited improvements in reading achievement across elementary school. Finally, low teacher-child closeness elevated the risk for poor math achievement posed by low family income. Implications for intervention design and development are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Professional Self-Esteem as a Predictor of Teacher Burnout across Iranian and Turkish EFL Teachers

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Khezerlou, Ebrahim

2017-01-01

The study aimed at measuring the perceived Professional Self-esteem, Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA) of Iranian (n = 230) and Turkish (n = 156) EFL teachers and determining the prediction role of Professional Self-esteem in EE, DP, and PA processes. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey…

The Professional Identity of Urban Teachers in the Context of Educational Modernization

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Lyudmila V. Klimenko

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the research findings of the empirical study in secondary schools in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don in 2017. A survey of more than 1,500 respondents was aimed at analyzing the perception of their social and economic situation by the teachers; studying the teacher’s social identity structure; identifying the labor motivation and estimate the degree of precaritization of the Russian teachers. The survey findings have shown that the state social policy and salary level affect professional well-being of teachers. Teachers in the provincial city, compared with those who live in the capital (considering significant pay gap, are more critical about the prestige of their profession, quality of life and material prosperity, they are more sensitive to increased workload, without any noticeable increase in wage. At the same time, there are noticeably fewer Moscow teachers who are satisfied with the pedagogical profession itself. They are also concerned about the risks of job loss, wage cuts and increased workload. In the structure of teacher's group identity in Moscow and Rostov schools, professional groups are inferior to primordial and abstract-symbolic communities. At the same time, a comparative analysis of the survey data in different years indicates that teachers in Russia traditionally maintain high level of corporate professional identity, i.e. their commitment and loyalty to their place of work and their colleagues. In general, the excessive administrative burdens imposed on the teaching staff, as well as the societal demand for the results of teachers’ work in the context of the deteriorating economic situation in the country, create risks for maintaining positive professional identity of teachers, and largely limits the capacity of the reforms in school.

A professional learning community model: a case study of primary teachers community in west Bandung

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Sari, A.; Suryadi, D.; Syaodih, E.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative model of professional learning community for primary school teachers in improving the knowledge and professional skills. This study is a qualitative research with case study method with data collection is an interview, observation and document and triangulation technique for validation data that focuses on thirteen people 5th grade elementary school teacher. The results showed that by joining a professional learning community, teachers can share both experience and knowledge to other colleagues so that they can be able to continue to improve and enhance the quality of their learning. This happens because of the reflection done together before, during and after the learning activities. It was also revealed that by learning in a professional learning community, teachers can learn in their own way, according to need, and can collaborate with their colleagues in improving the effectiveness of learning. Based on the implementation of professional learning community primary school teachers can be concluded that teachers can develop the curriculum, the students understand the development, overcome learning difficulties faced by students and can make learning design more effective and efficient.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKISH EFL STATE SCHOOL TEACHERS' CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL WELL-BEING

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İ. EFE EFEOĞLU

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Cultural intelligence is described as the ability of a person to behave adequately in culturally diverse environments. It involves comprehending the effects of cultural background on the attitudes of people for auspicious participation in any social setting. Cultural intelligence may be positively and significantly correlated with professional well-being among English as foreign language (EFL teachers. So, the present study sought to investigate the correlation between Turkish EFL state school teachers' cultural intelligence and their professional well-being. A sample including 120 EFL state school teachers completed two questionnaires: (1 Cultural Intelligence Scale developed by Cultural Intelligence Center (2005; and (2 the Scale of Teacher Perception of Professional Well-Being developed by Yildirim, Arastaman and Dasci (2016. The results of the study indicated significant correlations between Turkish EFL state school teachers' cultural intelligence and their professional well-being. This study may help English Language Teaching (ELT departments to implement materials to their curriculum for aiding EFL teachers in terms of developing cultural intelligence. Furthermore, this paper makes a unique contribution to the area of cultural intelligence by identifying whether there is a relationship between cultural intelligence and professional well-being.

Declarative knowledge and professional vision in teacher education: effect of courses in teaching and learning.

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Stürmer, Kathleen; Könings, Karen D; Seidel, Tina

2013-09-01

Teachers' professional vision includes the ability to apply general pedagogical knowledge about components of effective teaching and learning to reason about significant features of classroom practice. It requires teachers to (a) describe, (b) explain, and (c) predict classroom situations. Although the acquisition of underling knowledge can be considered as a key element of university-based teacher education programmes, to date, there has been little empirical research on teacher candidates' development of professional vision. This study aims to improve understanding of how different university-based courses in teaching and learning impact the development of professional vision. Participants were teacher candidates (N= 53) attending the same teacher education programme at a German university. They were enrolled in one of three different compulsory courses in teaching and learning, lasting one semester. In a pre-test-post-test design, participants' declarative knowledge about teaching and learning was measured with a test, professional vision with the online tool Observer. Analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of variance were conducted. Teacher candidates in all three courses showed significant gains both in declarative knowledge and professional vision. Patterns of results differed depending on the course attended. A video-based course with a focus on effective teaching resulted in highest gains in prediction of the consequences of observed events for student learning processes, which is the highest level of knowledge transfer. The development of professional vision is a strongly knowledge-guided process. In line with their content and aims, university-based courses can enhance teaching-relevant knowledge for teacher candidates. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Young Children's Perceptions of Teacher-Child Relationships: An Evaluation of Two Instruments and the Role of Child Gender in Kindergarten

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Spilt, Jantine L.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.; Mantzicopoulos, Panayota Y.

2010-01-01

The psychometric qualities of two instruments that measure children's perceptions of teacher-child relationships were evaluated in a sample of kindergartners (N = 150): The Young Children's Appraisals of Teacher Support (Y-CATS) and the Kindergartner-Teacher Interaction Computer (KLIC) test. On the Y-CATS, children judged propositions on a…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) for early childhood science education

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Eum, Jungwon

This study explored the content, processes, and dynamics of Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions. This study also investigated changes in preschool teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward science teaching after they participated in two different forms of PLCs including workshop and face-to-face PLC as well as workshop and online PLC. Multiple sources of data were collected for this study including participant artifacts and facilitator field notes during the PLC sessions. The participants in this study were eight teachers from NAEYC-accredited child care centers serving 3- to 5-year-old children in an urban Midwest city. All teachers participated in a workshop entitled, "Ramps and Pathways." Following the workshop, the first group engaged in face-to-face PLC sessions and the other group engaged in online PLC sessions. Qualitative data were collected through audio recordings, online archives, and open-ended surveys. The teachers' dialogue during the face-to-face PLC sessions was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed for emerging themes. Online archives during the online PLC sessions were collected and analyzed for emerging themes. Four main themes and 13 subthemes emanated from the face-to-face sessions, and 3 main themes and 7 subthemes emanated from the online sessions. During the face-to-face sessions, the teachers worked collaboratively by sharing their practices, supporting each other, and planning a lesson together. They also engaged in inquiry and reflection about their science teaching and child learning in a positive climate. During the online sessions, the teachers shared their thoughts and documentation and revisited their science teaching and child learning. Five themes and 15 subthemes emanated from the open-ended survey responses of face-to-face group teachers, and 3 themes and 7 subthemes emanated from the open-ended survey responses of online group teachers. Quantitative data collected in this study showed changes in teachers' attitudes and

Investigating the Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Professional Identity of Iranian EFL Teachers

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Alaee, Mitra

2015-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' Professional Identity and their types of Multiple Intelligences. Moreover, it aimed to see the extent to which their multiple intelligences can predict their professional identity. The participants of the study were 137 Iranian EFL teachers teaching in…

Teacher Educators: Proposing New Professional Development Models within an English Further Education Context

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Eliahoo, Rebecca

2017-01-01

At a time of increasing public and government focus on the quality of teacher education, little is known about the professional development needs of those who teach teachers in further education (FE). Yet they are crucial players. Efforts are intensifying across a significant number of countries to promote the professional development of teacher…

A Collaborative Group Study of Korean Mid-Career Elementary Teachers for Professional Development in Music

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Shin, Jihae; Seog, Moonjoo

2018-01-01

Professional development for in-service teachers is necessary to meet the changing needs of students and society. This teacher collaboration study examined the experiences of mid-career elementary teachers in Korea in their music professional development. Research questions included: (1) What were the contents of discussion? (2) What was the level…

Professional Learning Communities' Impact on Science Teacher Classroom Practice in a Midwestern Urban School District

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Carpenter, Dan

2012-01-01

The purpose of this reputation-based, multiple-site case study was to explore professional learning communities' impact on teacher classroom practice. The goal of this research was to describe the administrator and teachers' perceptions with respect to professional learning communities as it related to teacher practice in their school. Educators…

The Pitfalls of Focusing on Instructional Strategies in Professional Development for Teachers of English Learners

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Molle, Daniella

2013-01-01

For more than a decade, the professional development literature has shown that most teachers are not adequately prepared to teach English learners (ELs)--that holds true for both specialist and mainstream teachers (see, for example, August & Hakuta, 1997; Beykont, 2002). Research that focuses on professional development for teachers of ELs,…

Organisational and Task Factors Influencing Teachers' Professional Development at Work

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Evers, Arnoud T.; Van der Heijden, Béatrice I. J. M.; Kreijns, Karel

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate organisational (cultural and relational) and task factors which potentially enhance teachers' professional development at work (TPD at Work). The development of lifelong learning competencies and, consequently, the careers of teachers, has become a permanent issue on the agenda of schools…

'kids in parks' programme to the professional development of teachers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article considers the possible contribution of the 'kids in parks' programme offered at Golden Gate Highlands National Park to the professional development of teachers. Focus group interviews were held with teachers who participated in the programme, and an interview with open-ended questions was held with a ...

Collaborative Lesson Planning as Professional Development for Beginning Primary Teachers

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Bauml, Michelle

2014-01-01

This qualitative case study describes how one beginning primary grade teacher benefited from collaborative lesson-planning meetings with her grade-level colleagues. The teacher accumulated knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and professional contexts as she participated in planning meetings each week during her first year of teaching. Furthermore,…

Job-Embedded Professional Development: Reducing Teacher Isolation by Enacting Social Change

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Frank, K.

2009-01-01

Teacher isolation and burn-out are problems which contribute to high rates of teacher attrition and require school districts to hire new teachers each year and start anew with professional development. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate whether peer coaching and mentoring programs had an effect on this problem by…

Comparing Swedish and Norwegian Teachers' Professional Development: How Human Capital and Social Capital Factor into Teachers' Reading Habits

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Reichenberg, Monica; Andreassen, Rune

2018-01-01

The present study compares how Swedish (n = 340) and Norwegian (n = 236) teachers' human capital and social capital support reading habits as an aspect of professional development. The overall aim was to describe how teachers' human and social capital support their professional development as measured by the aspect of reading habits during leisure…

CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF THE STUDENT TEACHER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY SCALE

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Predrag Živković

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of study was to examine concurrent validity of the Student Teachers Professional Identity Scale–STPIS (Fisherman and Abbot, 1998 that was for the first time used in Serbia. Indicators of concurrent validity was established by correlation with student teacher self-reported well-being, self-esteem, burnout stress and resilience. Based on the results we can conclude that the STPIS meets the criterion of concurrent validity. The implications of these results are important for researchers and decisions makers in teacher education

Creating Highly Qualified Teachers: Maximizing University Resources to Provide Professional Development in Rural Areas

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Mollenkopf, Dawn L.

2009-01-01

The "highly qualified teacher" requirement of No Child Left Behind has put pressure on rural school districts to recruit and retain highly qualified regular and special education teachers. If necessary, they may utilize uncertified, rural teachers with provisional certification; however, these teachers may find completing the necessary…

Philosophy of the Profession and Professional Knowledge in the Structure of Professional Identity of Hei Teachers in Riga and Smolensk

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Jermolajeva Jelena

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Teacher is a key figure in the implementation of reforms in higher education. Pedagogical research of the professional identity (PI of teacher, her/his priority values, self-evaluation of performances and professional knowledge and the way how she/he conceptualises the profession at an individual level can lead to the most appropriate strategies to manage the educational reforms successfully. This article presents some results of the Latvian-Russian project ‘Professional Identity of Contemporary Pedagogue’ implemented in 2014-2016 by researchers of Riga (Latvia and Smolensk (Russia. In the realisation of project, a hypothetical model of the content of Higher Education Institution (HEI teacher’s PI was created, and HEI teachers’ survey was carried out. In total, 198 teachers were surveyed in Riga and Smolensk. The aim of this article is to examine the relevance of the proposed model and analyse the indicators of the first two components of the model: Philosophy of the Profession and Professional Knowledge. The results show that, on the whole, the answers of the Russian and Latvian teachers in the questionnaire are fairly well agreed; however, some differences and peculiarities in the data of Riga and Smolensk were observed. The relevance of the proposed model has been confirmed, and some problems of PI of HEI teachers have been identified. To improve the educational process, executives of the reform and teachers should pay due attention to these problems.

Inter-Professional Education of Prospective Speech-Language Therapists and Primary School Teachers through Shared Professional Practice Placements

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Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T.

2017-01-01

Background: Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another…

Contributions of blended learning training to teacher professional development

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Ana Duarte Hueros

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The central theme of this study is the analysis of a balanced integrated teaching methodology (face-to-face and virtual, as blended learning and the extent of its implementation in teacher training, as well as the importance of leadership in planning, supervising and coordinating this process. We began with a systematic review of the literature of the last 15 years (2002-2017 on the Web of Science (WOS, the most highly rated database in the scientific community. We identified 190 studies related to blended learning, professional teaching development and leadership in education. We then selected 163 documents that fell specifically into the educational research category, of which 75 were articles. We further fine-tuned the search by excluding those articles related to research fields other than teachers’ professional development, and arrived at 35 articles that fulfilled our preliminary criteria. We reduced the sample to the 24 articles that contained all the features required by our investigation. The results show that blended learning is a valuable training tool that enables teachers to acquire competences and which can aid their professional development; it can also foment collaborative work, augment teachers’ technical and didactic skills around technology, promote interdisciplinary experiences and help teachers to share innovations, etc., among other potential outcomes.

Towards an Uncertain Politics of Professionalism: Teacher and Nurse Identifies in Flux.

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Stronach, Ian; Corbin, Brian; Stark, Sheila; McNamara, Olwen; Warne, Tony

2002-01-01

Discusses nature of professional identity, focusing on teachers and nurses, and articulates view of "professional" as "caught between an 'economy of performance' and various 'ecologies of practice'." Rejects over-simplified understanding of "professional" identity and advocates embracing "ambivalence and…

Sustainable practice change: Professionals' experiences with a multisectoral child health promotion programme in Sweden

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Mogren Ingrid

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background New methods for prevention and health promotion and are constantly evolving; however, positive outcomes will only emerge if these methods are fully adopted and sustainable in practice. To date, limited attention has been given to sustainability of health promotion efforts. This study aimed to explore facilitators, barriers, and requirements for sustainability as experienced by professionals two years after finalizing the development and implementation of a multisectoral child health promotion programme in Sweden (the Salut programme. Initiated in 2005, the programme uses a 'Salutogenesis' approach to support health-promoting activities in health care, social services, and schools. Methods All professionals involved in the Salut Programme's pilot areas were interviewed between May and September 2009, approximately two years after the intervention package was established and implemented. Participants (n = 23 were midwives, child health nurses, dental hygienists/dental nurses, and pre-school teachers. Transcribed data underwent qualitative content analysis to illuminate perceived facilitators, barriers, and requirements for programme sustainability. Results The programme was described as sustainable at most sites, except in child health care. The perception of facilitators, barriers, and requirements were largely shared across sectors. Facilitators included being actively involved in intervention development and small-scale testing, personal values corresponding to programme intentions, regular meetings, working close with collaborators, using manuals and a clear programme branding. Existing or potential barriers included insufficient managerial involvement and support and perceived constraints regarding time and resources. In dental health care, barriers also included conflicting incentives for performance. Many facilitators and barriers identified by participants also reflected their perceptions of more general and forthcoming

English Language Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Teaching

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Oder, Tuuli

2014-01-01

During the most recent educational reform in Estonia, a new National Curriculum was introduced in 2010 providing new guidelines for education generally and foreign languages specifically. To investigate the understanding that an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher has about professional teaching and whether it matches the principles of the…

Parents’ professional sources of advice regarding child discipline and their use of corporal punishment

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Taylor, Catherine A.; Moeller, William; Hamvas, Lauren; Rice, Janet C.

2014-01-01

Parents (n=500) were surveyed about which professional groups they were most likely to seek and follow advice from regarding child discipline as well as their use of corporal punishment (CP). Nearly half of parents reported that they were most likely to seek child discipline advice from pediatricians (48%), followed by religious leaders (21%) and mental health professionals (18%). Parents that sought advice from religious leaders (vs. pediatricians) had nearly 4 times the odds of reporting use of CP. Parents reported they were more likely to follow the advice of pediatricians than any other professional; however, Black parents were as likely to follow the advice of religious leaders as that of pediatricians. Pediatricians play a central role in advising parents about child discipline. Efforts to engage pediatricians in providing violence prevention counseling should continue. Increased efforts are needed to engage other professionals, especially religious leaders, in providing such advice to parents. PMID:23185082

Parents' professional sources of advice regarding child discipline and their use of corporal punishment.

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Taylor, Catherine A; Moeller, William; Hamvas, Lauren; Rice, Janet C

2013-02-01

Parents (n = 500) were surveyed about which professional groups they were most likely to seek and follow advice from regarding child discipline as well as their use of corporal punishment (CP). Nearly half of the parents reported that they were most likely to seek child discipline advice from pediatricians (48%), followed by religious leaders (21%) and mental health professionals (18%). Parents who sought advice from religious leaders (vs pediatricians) had nearly 4 times the odds of reporting use of CP. Parents reported that they were more likely to follow the advice of pediatricians than any other professional; however, black parents were as likely to follow the advice of religious leaders as that of pediatricians. Pediatricians play a central role in advising parents about child discipline. Efforts to engage pediatricians in providing violence prevention counseling should continue. Increased efforts are needed to engage other professionals, especially religious leaders, in providing such advice to parents.

Professional Identities and the Watershed of War: Teachers, Histories and Memories

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Peter James Cunningham

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Teachers’ individual lives and careers, identities and experiences are so various as to almost defy generalization. A valid and realistic aim of educational research is however to identify significant commonalities that enhance an understanding of the teacher’s role. Memory is a prime resource for investigating factors that change over time in the course of a career and oral history provides a means of accessing and interpreting such a rich vein of evidence. One common feature shared by teachers in Britain during the mid-twentieth century was the impact on schooling of total war.This paper draws on the memories of three teachers interviewed during a large-scale enquiry into British teachers whose careers spanned World War II. Analysis of this evidence is made with reference to recent writings on professional identity, and one aim of the paper is to promote continuing reflection on the way teachers’ identities develop under the constraints of changing historical circumstance. Testimony selected for discussion here concerns their early education and career choices, their initial teacher training and their continuing professional formation, punctured for each at different points by the single overwhelming historical event of war.The paper concludes with reference to recent literature on teacher identity, indicating how historical research and autobiographical perspectives across a whole career can contribute to contemporary understandings of how teachers perceive their work, and the formation of professional identities.

Using Facet Clusters to Guide Teacher Professional Development

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Seeley, Lane; DeWater, L. S.; Vokos, S.; Kraus, P.

2006-12-01

The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC project, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to help teachers make their classrooms into better diagnostic learning environments. In this talk, we describe initial efforts to construct content-rich professional development courses for teachers, which are infused with diagnostic assessment that target the fine structure of student ideas in specific topical areas. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.

Predictors of Teacher Intervention in Indirect Bullying at School and Outcome of a Professional Development Presentation for Teachers

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Dedousis-Wallace, Anna; Shute, Rosalyn; Varlow, Megan; Murrihy, Rachael; Kidman, Tony

2014-01-01

This study with 326 girls-school teachers developed and tested a model of predictors of the likelihood that teachers will intervene in indirect bullying, and evaluated a professional development presentation. Teachers responded to bullying vignettes before and after a presentation on indirect bullying (Experimentals) or adolescent mental health…

Teachers' Opinions Regarding the Usage of Action Research in Professional Development

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Yigit, Celal; Bagceci, Birsen

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to investigate the contribution of action research to teachers' professional development. In line with this goal, a group of teachers were asked their opinions. The working group of the study is comprised of six teachers working at a state primary and middle school. The study is an example of "Case Study," one of…

Teacher Collaboration and Student Learning in a Professional Learning Community

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Vaughan, Mary Elaine

2013-01-01

Researchers have endorsed teacher collaboration within a professional learning community (PLC) that is focused on student learning. Despite these research-based endorsements, several Algebra 1 teachers in a southeastern high school implemented components of a PLC with little or no results in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to…

Use of Graphic Organizers in a Language Teachers' Professional Development

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Chien, Chin-Wen

2012-01-01

Starting from 2009 academic year, the instructional coaches in a school district in a northwest American city began to provide Workshop II (pseudonym) to elementary school English teachers. This study aims to discuss the use of graphic organizers in English teachers' professional development. Different types of graphic organizers such as…

Application of E-Portfolio System to Enhance Teacher Professional Development

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Liao, Chin-Wen

2011-01-01

This study focuses on the meaning, applications and future development of e-teaching portfolios as an attempt to highlight the important role it plays in the "post-modern teaching practice mode". For the purpose of enhancing teacher professional development, application of the teaching portfolio system in the post-modern teacher qualification…

Classroom-Based Professional Expertise: A Mathematics Teacher's Practice with Technology

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Bozkurt, Gulay; Ruthven, Kenneth

2017-01-01

This study examines the classroom practice and craft knowledge underpinning one teacher's integration of the use of GeoGebra software into mathematics teaching. The chosen teacher worked in an English secondary school and was professionally well regarded as an accomplished user of digital technology in mathematics teaching. Designed in accordance…

Learning Goals Achievement of a Teacher in Professional Development

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Siti Marfu’ah

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to describe the achievement of teacher learning in cognitive, affective and psychomotor in conducting professional development. This study was categorized as a descriptive study. The respondents of this study were teachers and students in the Department of Electrical Engineering at a Vocational Secondary School in Bangka Belitung. Methods of data collection used questionnaires. The data were analyzed with descriptive analysis. The results of this study consisted of: (1 teachers’ opinion, most teachers had worked very well in learning of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor, (2 students’ opinion, several teachers had succeeded in cognitive learning, and managed very well on affective and psychomotor learning.

Collaborative groups: a reflective look for the professional development of mathematics teachers

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Priscila Bernardo Martins

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The present work aims to present the conceptual characteristics about collaborative groups and to identify their importance in the professional development process of teachers who teach Mathematics. For this, we adopt a methodology of bibliographic research in which we bring authors who discuss this theme. Our theoretical framework is supported by authors who discuss the importance of collaborative groups in the teaching of Mathematics. The results show that the collaborative groups contribute to the professional development of teachers by promoting, through reflexivity, spaces of collective discussions about the practice of teachers in the classroom.

Psychological educational features of professional reflection levels in students of the teacher-training specialties

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Asya A. Bekhoeva

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Shaping professional reflection of future teachers is of particular importance in the context of the modernization of the Russian education. However, despite the deep reflection of a problem in Russian pedagogical science the characteristics of development levels of pedagogical reflection among future teacher remains largely fragmented. The paper deals with professional and pedagogical reflection as a process of perceiving essential features of educational process by a teacher, summarizes the main theoretical and methodological approaches to this issue. The research is aimed to identify and describe levels of professional and pedagogical reflection among students. The research is divided in several stages: the stage of theoretical allocation of substantial components of professional pedagogical reflection, the stage of selecting proper research tools, ascertaining stage, and concluding stage. The conceptual basis of the research is to identify the main components that determine the following features of professional and pedagogical reflection: motivational, creative, emotional volitional, communicative, monitoring and evaluative. Based on the empirical results the levels of professional and pedagogical reflection of the students of the teacher-training specialties are identified. The first level is characterized by weak professional reflection and undifferentiated consciousness, self-awareness and self-esteem in the normal course of activities, the second level is associated with certain reflective activity and organization and is characterized by steady demand for professional and personal self-improvement. The indicator of the third level is high development of all components of professional reflection.

Teacher-Child Interactions: Relations with Children's Self-Concept in Second Grade

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Leflot, Geertje; Onghena, Patrick; Colpin, Hilde

2010-01-01

This study examined whether teacher-child interactions characterized by teacher involvement, structure, and autonomy support at the beginning of second grade predicted children's global, academic, social, and behavioural self-concept at the end of second grade. The study was conducted in 30 second grade classrooms with 570 children and their…

21st Century Learning Skills Embedded in Climate Literacy Teacher Professional Development

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Myers, R. J.; Schwerin, T. G.; Blaney, L.

2011-12-01

Trilling and Fadel's "21st Century Learning Skills" defines a vision of how to infuse an expanded set of skills, competencies and flexibilities into the classroom. Among these skills are global awareness, health and environmental literacy. The authors contend that in order for our students to compete, they will need critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication and collaboration, and creativity and innovation. Students will also need to be digital savvy. This poster outlines a program of preparing teachers to implement inquiry-based modules that allow students to exercise hypothetical deductive reasoning to address climate literacy issues such as: the Dust Bowl, thermohaline circulation, droughts, the North Atlantic Oscillation, climate variability and energy challenges. This program is implemented through the Earth System Science Education Alliance. ESSEA supports the educational goal of "attracting and retaining students in science careers" and the associated goal of "attracting and retaining students in science through a progression of educational opportunities for students, teachers and faculty." ESSEA provides long-duration educator professional development that results in deeper content understanding and confidence in teaching global climate change and science disciplines. The target audience for this effort is pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers. The ESSEA program develops shared educational resources - including modules and courses - that are based on NASA and NOAA climate science and data. The program is disseminated through the ESSEA Web site: http://essea.courses.strategies.org. ESSEA increases teachers' access to high-quality materials, standards-based instructional methods and content knowledge. Started in 2000 and based on online courses for K-12 teachers, ESSEA includes the participation of faculty at 45 universities and science centers. Over 3,500 pre- and in-service K-12 teachers have completed ESSEA courses. In addition to 21st

Participation in an experiential education professional development course: An analysis of the teacher experience

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McNamee, Dana Crosby

Experiential education opportunities are recommended in science classrooms but due to budget and time constraints (Cowart, 2010; Dallimore, et al., 2010; Johnson, 2007) schools often resort to simple science inquiry (Chinn, 2002). While many programs exist with the intention of providing teachers with experiential education opportunities, often these are short-term day trips that do not provide the same learning benefits that an extended program would (Gulamhussein, 2013). To help address these issues in their own classrooms, middle and high school teachers from New England voluntarily chose to participate in an experiential education professional development course. This study examined how the individuals' teaching had or had not changed as a result of their participation in this course. The question that guided this research was: * How do teachers benefit, and how do teachers perceive their students benefit, after their participation in an experiential education professional development course? . Research focused on teachers from middle and high schools across New England who completed a three-day program. Their participation in the course was entirely voluntary. The course goal was to provide teachers with the skills to be able to understand and apply experiential education pedagogy and principles in their classrooms. This interpretative phenomenological analysis found that all participating teachers had made changes to their curriculum and teaching methodologies as a result of their participation in the professional development course. While the experiential learning model (Kolb, 1984) played a significant role how the professional development was implemented during the professional development course for teachers, only portions of the experiential learning model were present when teachers implemented those lessons into their own classes. Regardless, teachers found that students had been impacted through the engagement they felt and the connections they made to

Study abroad as professional development for FSL teachers