Download or read book Exploring Middle School Math Teachers Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning Teams Within Professional Learning Communities written by Molly Rothermel Rawding and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of what makes a collaborative learning team (CLT) effective for novice and experienced teachers. Professional learning communities have emerged as one approach for job-embedded professional learning so that teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with the end goal of improving their teaching practices as well as promote continuous school improvement. To explore these issues, the research questions that guided this study included: How do CLTs influence middle school math teachers to explore the nature of the mathematics content and pedagogy? What are the perceptions of novice teachers in terms of effective components of their CLT? What are the perceptions of experienced teachers in terms of effective components of their CLT? How does teaching experience influence perception for effective CLTs? Qualitative data were collected through three interviews from four novice and three experienced middle school math teachers in two different middle schools in the mid-Atlantic. The school sites were selected because teachers participated in regularly scheduled CLT meeting.
Download or read book The Effects of Professional Learning Communities on Middle School Math Teachers in Developing Curriculum Instruction and Assessments for Common Core written by Jessika Kim and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: The world of education in the K--12 setting is constantly changing. The most recent shift in educational reform is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These new standards require students to think critically and demonstrate higher depths of knowledge. As a result, teachers are faced with the large task of realigning curriculum, instruction, and assessments to meet the new demands of Common Core. Unfortunately, with new standards and new expectations for assessments, teachers may feel overwhelmed and overextended. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) offer a structure in which educators are able to collaborate and align content across grade levels. The six guiding principles outlined by DuFour, DuFour, and Eaker require PLC teams to state a shared vision, maintain a collaborative culture, collective inquiry, action orientation, commitment to continuous improvement, and result orientation. These principles, when combined with curriculum, instruction, and assessments, and the key elements of the CCSS provided the conceptual framework for this study. This study confirms when PLC structures are implemented with authenticity; individual members are better equipped to withstand the unpredictable changes in education. This qualitative case study sought to better understand the manner in which PLC structures supported the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessments for 7th and 8th grade Common Core math. Through semi-structured interviews during the beginning and end of the first semester, multiple observations of PLC meetings, and document analysis, this study determined the following findings. First, this case study found that curriculum development for the Common Core Standards was supported as individual members built capacity between each other to redevelop new district-mandated textbooks. Second, instruction strategies for the new standards was maintained as PLC members demonstrated high levels of trust with each other in an effort to share individual shortcomings and challenges. Third, assessment development required teachers to reflect on both curriculum and instruction in an effort to promote student achievement. Finally, an unexpected finding of shared decision making was determined through participant interviews. Participants longed for greater autonomy within their PLC structures, and hoped to have greater input in the larger overarching decisions made school wide. The implications of this study encourage educators in various school settings—urban, suburban, and rural—to continuously improve year after year through PLCs. Regardless of new reforms in education, PLC structures provide a stable environment for educators to professionally learn in their site communities. The recommendations for this qualitative case study include suggestions for policy, practice, and future research. For policy, district members and officials would be well advised to provide additional professional development days for all certificated staff on how to authentically implement PLC structures at school sites. For practice, the major themes of capacity building, trust, reflection, and shared decision making can guide PLC teams as they practice true collaboration through PLC structures. Once PLC structures are authentically implemented, curriculum development can begin, instructional strategies can be shared and improved, and assessments can be effectively aligned to new standards. For future research, it is recommended that the scope of study be expanded to include the K--12 grades as well as extend the study for multiple years. As educators and school sites continue to make greater meaning of the CCSS, the impact of PLC structures in relation to student achievement will improve. Therefore, additional research on the effectiveness of PLC structures in relation to curriculum, instruction, and assessments will be richer as Common Core continues to be implemented.
Download or read book The Best of Corwin Educational Technology for School Leaders written by Lynne Schrum and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 21st century is here-are you ready?The Best of Corwin series showcases key chapters from critically acclaimed Corwin publications for a powerful compilation of perspectives on important education issues and topics. This collection offers some of the most important chapters from Corwin's leadership and educational technology books and focuses on 21st century challenges, technology and learning, and cyber safety. Best-selling author Lynne Schrum's edited volume explores the following topics and more:Ways to create the new educational environment today's learners needHow to lead change in schools Curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the 21st centuryMethods for creating a safe environment, including preventing cyberbullyingAssessing 21st century learning: how schools can examine progress and growthThis volume offers numerous tips, strategies, tools, and samples, including a sample Internet use contract and a sample acceptable use policy. If educators are well informed on the breadth and depth of 21st century skills and ways to approach them, they can prepare students today for life, postsecondary education, and careers.
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Collaborative Learning Communities in Middle School Literacy Education written by Jolene T. Malavasic and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering research on afterschool literacy programs designed around teacher-student collaborative inquiry groups, this book demonstrates how adolescent learning is uniquely successful when grounded in dialogic conversation. By providing a robust theoretical framework for this approach in the middle school, Malavasic showcases how developing a learning community which focuses on mutual respect and attention to students’ personal academic literacy histories can become the catalyst for the overall success of teaching and learning in the classroom. Centered on building quality teacher-student relationships and creating a classroom learning community, this book highlights essential topics such as: The impact of talk-based critical thinking The augmentation on students’ motivation, engagement, and identity construction Research, theory, and pedagogy Celebrating literacy learning Collaborative Learning Communities in Middle School Literacy Education is the perfect addition for researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of literacy and those on Teacher Education programs. This volume positions collaborative inquiry learning as an effective way forward for teaching and learning in the middle school and is essential for those wanting to explore this further.
Download or read book The Five Disciplines of PLC Leaders written by Timothy D. Kanold and published by Solution Tree Press. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make the transition from traditional, whole-group reading instruction to the 21st century classroom by integrating three innovations that will dramatically improve elementary reading instruction: RTI, differentiated instruction, and technology. Detailed ex
Download or read book Collaborative Leadership Practices in Middle Schools to Improve Student Learning in English Language Arts and Math written by Minerva Martinez-Zanca and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last few decades, there have been numerous government mandated school reform efforts funded by federal, state, and local governments to turn around failing schools. School districts in the NYCDOE endorse professional learning communities to help teachers obtain the knowledge and skills that can lead to increased educator effectiveness and improved results for students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the implementation of the professional development (PD) provided to English Language Arts (ELA) and math middle school teachers in professional learning communities (PLCs) in two high needs, under resourced, urban districts enabled teachers to create the guiding coalition to bring about change that affects teacher practice and helps improve student achievement. Research participants included two middle school principals, seven middle school teachers of ELA and math, and two PLCs. The study was guided by three research questions. Data were collected through a document review, in-person interviews, and observations of PLC interactions at the participants' middle schools. The findings that emerged included the importance of collaboration and teamwork, common planning time, content area and grade level teams, differentiated PD, peer observation and feedback, and using data to drive instruction. School leaders and teachers agree that professional learning communities are valuable sources of professional study and subsequent capacity building. They understand that having the time within their workday to strategize with their colleagues prepares them to improve outcomes for both adult and student learners. Implications for future research include investigating methods that support the professional development of veteran teachers, teachers who may have different perspectives, and less experienced leaders, so that they can make significant and sustainable contributions to PLCs.
Download or read book Collaboration in Teacher Education written by Andrea Peter-Koop and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book systematically explores and reflects on a variety of issues related to collaborative mathematics teacher education practice and research – such as classroom coaching, mentoring or co-learning agreements - highlighting the evolution and implications of collaborative enterprises in different cultural settings. It is relevant to educational researchers, research students and practitioners.
Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of a Teaching and Learning Action Plan for the Development and Implementation of Problem Solving Strategies in Middle School Mathematics written by Jessica E. Shambaugh and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Declining standardized test scores due to the increased rigor of curricular standards is a problem for many school districts in the United States. To combat this issue, administrative teams develop plans to better meet the needs of teachers and students. The purpose of this case study is to identify teachers' perceptions of an action plan that addressed declining test scores through the development and implementation of problem-solving strategies in the classroom. The researcher interviewed six middle school teachers and two school administrators regarding their experiences and perceptions working with the math action plan. Open-ended interviews with all 8 participants informed answers to the following research questions: 1) How do middle school math teachers in a residential school perceive the impact of an action plan on their development and implementation of effective teaching strategies for problem-solving in a mathematics classroom? 2) What evidence is there that the action plan influenced teachers' instructional strategies related to teaching problem-solving in the mathematics classroom? 3) What supports, and constraints do teachers identify that benefit or impede their ability to implement components of the action plan? In addition to open-ended interviews, the researcher also analyzed the action plan, teacher lesson plans, and previously analyzed student achievement data. Based on the participants' shared experiences and the researcher's analysis, four themes emerged: shift in curriculum and instructional strategies, time as a negative and positive factor, the effectiveness of professional development, and collaboration. Teachers expressed a strong focus on professional development and the need to increase reading and writing in the math classroom. The researcher determined multiple recommendations to improve instruction through the findings of this study.
Download or read book Secondary Lenses on Learning Participant Book written by Catherine Miles Grant and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2009-07-08 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This participant book, in combination with the facilitator's guide, forms a comprehensive professional development program designed to improve the efforts of site-based mathematics leadership teams for middle and high schools. Secondary Lenses on Learning prepares leaders to explore concepts in middle and high school algebra as a window into content, instruction, and assessment. You will learn how to assess the strengths and needs of your mathematics programs, set goals, and generate plans for ongoing improvement by engaging in extended explorations and conversations based on readings, problem-based activities, cases, and videos.
Download or read book Middle School Educators Perceptions of Teacher Collaboration on Student and Teacher Learning written by Heidi Capetola and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to examine middle school educators' perceptions of the impact of teacher collaboration on student and teacher learning. This qualitative research study investigated the perceptions of middle school educators serving as language arts, reading, science, social studies, or mathematics teachers and principals and assistant principals. The study was conducted in 3 middle schools with a grade structure of 6-8 in southeastern Pennsylvania. Seven administrators and 64 teachers participated in the questionnaire portion of the study. Individual interviews with 15 participants (12 teachers and 3 administrators) provided additional insights on their perceptions. Results of the study indicated that middle school educators perceived collaboration as a vehicle for positively impacting the professional development of teachers and for increasing student learning. The research findings also suggested that many educators perceived specific benefits of teacher collaboration to be improvement of individual teaching skills based upon knowledge gained from colleagues, clearer goals for student learning, and increased reflection on the teaching and learning process. The findings also identified challenges to collaboration which include establishing trust, possessing a willingness to change, and openness to new ideas. The data also revealed areas of needed growth in collaborative practices which include ensuring teachers share student work and analyze data during collaborative time. Results also indicated that teachers are appreciative of the time given for collaboration with their colleagues, but often there is little administrative involvement and direction for how to use collaborative time.
Download or read book Teacher Learning That Matters written by Mary Kooy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-02-27 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the continuing global call for educational reforms and change, the contributors in this edited collection address the critical issue of teacher learning from diverse national contexts and perspectives. They define "teacher learning that matters" as it shapes and directs pedagogical practices with the goal of improving student learning. This book weaves together major studies, research findings and theoretical orientations to represent a globalized network of inquiries into the what, how and why of teacher learning that shapes teacher skill and knowledge. Teacher learning matters on an international scale because teachers are the portals through which any initiative for change and reform is realized. Recognizing that a highly skilled teaching force is instrumental to improving student achievement adds import to generating interactive dialogue on teacher learning around the globe.
Download or read book Collaborative Teams in Professional Learning Communities at Work written by Richard Dufour and published by . This book was released on 2009-10-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This short video shows exactly what collaborative teams in professional learning communities do. Unscripted footage of real meetings, interspersed with key points from PLC print resources, brings the concept of collaboration to life. Designed to reinforce the content on teams in Learning by Doing, the video covers essential steps to building a culture of collaboration: Embed collaboration. Create time to collaborate. Focus on learning questions. Generate products. Establish norms. Use SMART goals. Provide relevant information. The video can be viewed alone or in teams. Activities in the Facilitator's Guide extend the learning for teams into a three-hour, hands-on workshop.Benefits Educator-to-educator advice on how to work together in teams Unscripted, real team meetings Short format for quick viewing alone or with a team Facilitator's Guide with activities to extend and deepen the learning Content aligns with Learning by Doing and Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work™—both books available for further study.
Download or read book Prisoners of Time written by United States. National Education Commission on Time and Learning and published by Commission. This book was released on 1994 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Teaching Critical Thinking Strategies in Mathematics written by Autumn G. Gabriel Edd and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is an inconsistency with urban middle school teachers' perceptions about promoting critical thinking skills within middle schools in a large metropolitan area. By implementing differentiated approaches in mathematics classes that incorporates critical thinking skills, such as modeling activities, open-ended questioning, using Bloom's taxonomy, cooperative grouping, computer-based instruction and diagnostic and adaptive teaching, instead of traditional work-book exercises, student's scores in mathematics would increase, but also urban teachers' insight about the importance of critical thinking skills would also give credibility to usefulness. Thinking critically in problem situations is a skill that has received increasing attention as an educational goal (Incikabi, Tuna, & Biber, 2013; Goodchild, Fuglestad, & Jaworski, 2013). The National Commission on Standards declared that the teaching of critical thinking skills was crucial to producing students who were not only ready for college, but also for the workforce (Kaplan & Kies, 1995). The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore urban middle school mathematics teachers' perceptions about incorporating critical thinking skills within mathematics classes daily. The study consisted of fifteen 8th grade mathematics teachers who taught African American males in a large metropolitan city in Georgia. Achieving the purpose may not only assist mathematics teachers in urban middle schools with teaching critical thinking skills, but also provide insight into how urban middle school mathematics teachers feel if teaching critical thinking skills to African American males and other ethnic groups does promote transformation of knowledge. Tsui (2002) suggested that establishing effective critical thinking skills was essential for student's success at the post-secondary level; perhaps these critical thinking skills could also be essential to students' success at the middle school level in a mathematics class. An educational objective of school systems should be to develop students who are independent enough to think critically about academic subjects and real-world situations (Whittaker, 2014; Jensen, 2013). The study contributed to challenges and extend theory by first analyzing which theoretical methods used in public schools in large metropolitan cities in mathematics classes were not effectively working in educating African American males. The descriptive phenomenological study conveyed through questionnaires the lived experiences and perceptions of urban middle school mathematics teachers from their own perspectives, if incorporating critical thinking skills within mathematical lessons assisted with transferring knowledge. The study showed teachers' perception of teaching critical thinking skills did promote transference of knowledge, and the same critical thinking skills employed by middle school mathematics teachers assisted African American males with being successful in middle school mathematics classrooms. This field of study is valuable to leaders because it presented an alternative teaching strategy for not only closing the achievement gap in mathematics, but also enabling African American males to think critically about mathematics. Understanding how teachers felt about teaching critical thinking skills at the middle school level provided leaders with not only valuable information about the necessity of incorporating critical thinking skills in the curriculum, but also challenged the one-size fits all approach to educating African American males.
Download or read book Middle School Math Teachers Perceptions of the Impact of Professional Development on Their Knowledge Skills and Dispositions to Meet the Needs of At risk Students written by Muditha Warnasuriya and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Shifting the Mindset written by Kathy L. Guthrie and published by IAP. This book was released on 2021-08-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Calling others in to lead for social justice has never been more important. In a world plagued by multiple and overlapping pandemics and other crises, the cost of leadership failures is constantly rising. Leadership education is responding to these challenges by centering cultural relevance, critical pedagogies, and important issues of identity, capacity, and efficacy in the preparation of emerging learners. Meeting the global demand for social justice requires thoughtful, innovative, and engaged praxes by all leadership educators. Alongside a cadre of diverse authors, we intend to shift the mindset of leadership education toward forward-thinking and holistic solutions, empowering our students to build a fairer and more equitable world for themselves and others. Shifting the Mindset: Socially Just Leadership Education widens and deepens the discourse begun in Changing the Narrative: Socially Just Leadership Education. Our contributors’ ideas occur into two parts: the first examines student social identities otherwise underrepresented in existing leadership education literature. The second portion illuminates key factors of leadership learning contexts frequently under– or unattended in both leadership education and social justice education. Every chapter includes critical considerations and practical guidance for educators striving to meet the leadership demands of an increasingly unjust world. Taken together, these thinking, planning, and acting tools augment the potential of educators who are preparing leaders under uncertain conditions. We envision this book as an essential element of the leadership learning toolkit of socially just leadership ducators at all levels, between contexts, and across varying amounts of education, influence, and experience. You are needed now more than ever before. We, once again, invite you to our ongoing fight for fairness, freedom, and a brighter future for all.
