Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of Professional Development Experiences and Changes in Knowledge Skills and Practice written by June Furman Michel and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Power of Place written by Gwendolen Susanne Jacobs and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professional development provides opportunities for teachers to acquire the knowledge needed to become experts in their classroom content and to improve their instructional skills to meet the needs of today's student learners. While districts and curriculum leaders work to improve professional development design, teachers' dissatisfaction with current professional development practices are still problematic. Teachers continue to find it ineffective, irrelevant, making them feel undervalued as professionals. This is evident in the rural educational setting. Rural educators need on-going, flexible, and job-embedded effective professional development to meet the specific needs of rural educators and their students. While few studies have examined teacher perception on professional development, even fewer studies focused on the rural place. This study provides educational leaders with a teacher's perspective on what effective professional development looks and feels like for rural educators. Using narrative analysis of five rural educators' interviews and drawing on Gruenewald's Critical Pedagogy of Place, this study sought to understand the experiences of five rural educators as they explored their personal histories, perceptions, and experiences in receiving effective professional development. The study is driven by three research questions to determine if teachers' perceptions of effective professional development is influenced by their own sense of place and how they identify within that place. These questions included the following: 1. How do teachers in a rural setting perceive building and district level professional development? 2. In what ways does sense of place inform teachers' perceptions of effective professional development? 3. In what ways do these perceptions inform teachers' decisions to act on their new learning? The key themes revealed participants acknowledged the challenges districts face when providing effective professional development and that it is most beneficial when connected to their specific needs. Most participants acknowledged the complexity of rural relationships and recognized how their personal histories and experiences helped make and enrich these relationships. The findings relative to the five participants' experiences and their stories also suggest rural teachers do not fully recognize the extent by which their own sense of place and place identity influenced their perceptions on their learning. This can have several implications for district leaders, professional development directors and for current and future rural educators. If district leaders and professional development directors want to see implementation of teacher learning in the classroom, providing purposeful professional development must not only address the specific needs of rural educators and their students but also consider what teachers bring to the rural context in relationship to their professional learning.

Download or read book Evaluating Professional Development written by Thomas R. Guskey and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains how to better evaluate professional development in order to ensure that it increases student learning, providing questions for accurate measurement of professional development and showing how to demonstrate results and accountability.

Download or read book Teachers and Administrators Perceptions of Effective Professional Development written by Robert L. Walker and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need for systemic academic improvements may significantly impact the way professional development is perceived and practiced in high schools today. The purpose of the present qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and administrators in five high schools in south central Pennsylvania regarding staff development. This study examined how novice and veteran teachers and administrators perceived the (a) context, (b) process, and (c) content vital to the process of staff development. Furthermore, this study sought to find the interconnectedness between the current body of research and the perceptions of novice and veteran administrators as well as novice and veteran teachers regarding the impact of collaborative professional learning experiences in order to improve professional practice. Finally, this study investigated the perceived change in classroom practice as a result of implementing new practices gained from professional development experiences. These perceptions were gathered through (a) surveys, (b) interviews, and (c) group interviews. This study used five suburban high schools in two counties in South Central Pennsylvania. The most prevalent themes that established a connection to change in teacher behavior as a result of professional development activities identified in this study were (a) collaboration with other teachers, (b) personal value, (c) limited objectives, and (d) connections to evaluation. This study could serve school districts as a resource to evaluate and improve current professional development systems within their schools with intent of improving the efficiency and effectiveness professional development activities.

Download or read book Teachers Perceptions Experience and Learning written by Woon Chia Liu and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-08-14 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teachers' Perceptions, Experience and Learning offers insightful views on the understanding of the role of teachers and the impact of their thinking and practice. The articles presented in this book illustrate the influence of teachers on student learning, school culture and their own professional identity and growth as well as highlighting challenges and constraints in preand in-service teacher education programmes that can impact teachers' own learning. The first article examined teacher experiences in the use of "design thinking" by Retna. Next, Hong's and Youngs' article looks into contradictory effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea. Lu, Wang, Ma, Clarke and Collins explored Chinese teachers' commitment to being a cooperating teacher for rural practicum placements. Kainzbauer and Hunt investigate foreign university teachers' experiences and perceptions in teaching graduate schools in Thailand. On inclusive education in Singapore, Yeo, Chong, Neihart and Huan examined teachers' first-hand experiences with inclusion; while Poon, Ng, Wong and Kaur study teachers' perceptions of factors associated with inclusive education. The book ends with two articles on teacher preparation by Hardman, Stoff, Aung and Elliott who examined the pedagogical practices of mathematics teaching in primary schools in Myanmar, and Zein who focuses on teacher learning by examining the adequacy of preservice education in Indonesia for preparing primary school English teachers. The contributing authors' rich perspectives in different educational, geographical and socio-cultural contexts would serve as a valuable resource for policy makers, educational leaders, individual researchers and practitioners who are involved in teacher education research and policy. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education.

Download or read book Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics written by Susan Loucks-Horsley and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2009-11-24 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic guide for designing robust science and mathematics professional development programs! This expanded edition of one of the most widely cited resources in the field of professional development for mathematics and science educators demonstrates how to design professional development experiences for teachers that lead to improved student learning. Presenting an updated professional development (PD) planning framework, the third edition of the bestseller reflects recent research on PD design, underscores how beliefs and local factors can influence PD design, illustrates a wide range of PD strategies, and emphasizes the importance of: Continuous program monitoring Combining strategies to address diverse needs Building cultures that sustain learning

Download or read book Teacher Perceptions of Effects of Professional Development on Teaching Practice and Student Learning written by Imelda R. Castaňeda and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study sought to test whether multidimensional professional development programs are preferable to a traditional one, which, typically, consists of taking a graduate course. It compared teachers' perceptions about the effects of three programs for professional development on their teaching practice and student performance. Two of the programs, the Arts Integration Program and Job Shadowing Institute, were multidimensional models of professional development. The third was Technology Training, a traditional model of professional development. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the body of knowledge about teachers' perceptions of the effect of professional development on their teaching practice and their students' learning. The study included elementary, middle, and high school teachers as participants and survey respondents. It spanned three years. Descriptive data were collected to provide an accurate description of the three programs. Participant observations of professional development sessions, informal and formal interviews of teachers, administrators, and facilitators were among the data collection tools used during the first two years of the study to provide a detailed description of the actual programs. The main focus of the study was a survey of participants' perceptions of the effect of professional development on their teaching and their students' learning. Survey results indicated that teachers perceived that professional development could be most effective for improving their teaching practice and student learning when the professional development programs are intentional, on going, and systemic. The non-traditional, multidimensional professional development was found to be more effective than the traditional model. However, the results of the study also indicated that even a traditional model of professional development was perceived as having an impact on students' learning when applications were made to curricular content and when there was support for further training. Based on these findings, a model or 'scaffold' towards effective professional development was conceptualized using constructs and characteristics that might influence teaching practice and student learning. Results are discussed in the light of the limitations of the study, implications for education, and suggestions for future research.

Download or read book How Teachers Change written by Cristine A. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with the most important individual, professional development, program, and system factors that influence the type and amount of teacher change. This study was conducted primarily to help professional development decision-makers plan and deliver effective professional development, and to understand the factors that influence how teachers change as a result of professional development. How do practitioners change as a result of participating in one of three different models of professional development, and what are the most important factors that influence (support or hinder) this change?

Download or read book Professional Development written by Yael Bashevis and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement and encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. In this book, the authors examine the perspectives, strategies and practices of professional development. Topics discussed include pedagogical content knowledge and action-research; team-training approaches to professional development; teacher's perceptions of teaching at different stages of their professional development; teacher dilemmas in the new curriculum reform in China; developing reflective thinking through field research; increasing teacher engagement in professional development activities; instructional coaching as an effective structure for job embedded professional development; and improving program quality in urban child care centers.

Download or read book Using Experience For Learning written by Boud, David and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 1993-10-01 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the key ideas that underpin learning from experience? How do we learn from experience? How does context and purpose influence learning? How does experience impact on individual and group learning? How can we help others to learn from their experience? "Using Experience for Learning" reflects current interest in the importance of experience in informal and formal learning, whether it be applied for course credit, new forms of learning in the workplace, or acknowledging autonomous learning outside educational institutions. It also emphasizes the role of personal experience in learning: ideas are not separate from experience; relationships and personal interests impact on learning; and emotions have a vital part to play in intellectual learning. All the contributors write themselves into their chapters, giving an autobiographical account of how their experiences have influenced their learning and what has led them to their current views and practice. "Using Experience for Learning" brings together a wide range of perspectives and conceptual frameworks with contributors from four continents, and should be a valuable addition to the field of experiential learning.

Download or read book Professional Development for Language Teachers written by Jack C. Richards and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-04-04 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This much-needed text provides a coherent and strategic approach to teacher development Teacher Development for Language Teachers examines ten different approaches for facilitating professional development in language teaching: self-monitoring, support groups, journal writing, classroom observation, teaching portfolios, analysis of critical incidents, case analysis, peer coaching, team teaching, and action research. The introductory chapter provides a conceptual framework. All chapters contain practical examples and reflection questions to help readers apply the approach in their own teaching context.

Download or read book Teacher Professional Development in Changing Conditions written by Douwe Beijaard and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-12-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents some highlights from the deliberations of the 2003 conference of the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT). Part 1 presents the five keynote addresses of the conference, while Parts 2 through 4 present selected papers related to each of three sub-themes: knowledge construction and learning to teach, perspectives on teachers’ personal and professional lives, and teachers’ workplace as context for learning. The chapters in this book provide an array of approaches to understanding the process of teacher learning within the current context of the changing workplace environment. They also provide an important international perspective on the complex issues revolving around the international educational reform movement. Basically, they show how teachers’ workplace (inside and outside schools) are more than ever subject to continuous change and that, subsequently, standards for teaching must be flexible to these changing conditions. This asks for a redefinition of teacher professionalism in which the role of context in teacher learning is emphasized as well as the improvement of the quality of teacher thinking and learning. Related to the ever-changing context of teaching, a dynamic approach to teaching and teacher learning is required, in which identity development is crucial. Researchers have an important role to play in revealing and explaining how teachers can build their professional identity, through self-awareness and reflection, in the ever-changing educational contexts throughout the world.

Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of Professional Development Experiences written by Susan Lowe Williams and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research explored classroom teachers' perceptions concerning their professional development experiences by replicating Lowden's (2003) professional development evaluation questionnaire based on Guskey's (2000, 2002) previous work in this area. Guskey's (2000, 2002) instruments were structured by three major categories and further divided into six levels of professional development evaluation. Teachers from a large western school district in the United States participated in this study. Teachers responded to the Professional Development Questionnaire, as well as three demographic questions pertaining to the individual. The questionnaire included teacher's' total number of years teaching experience, Title 1 status, and teachers' current grade level. Three research questions were used to guide this study to determine if there were any significant differences between the three demographic groups. The findings indicated that there were no significant differences between groups. The data revealed low means and total scores indicating that teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed with statements. Teachers' perceptions of professional development also suggested that professional development topics were irrelevant. Teachers affirmed that they received professional development but believed there was not enough time to implement into practice.

Download or read book Exploring Teachers Perceptions of Formal and Informal Professional Development written by Meagan England and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to researchers, teachers participated in professional development to improve practice and improve students learning outcomes (Wei, Darling-Hammond, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009); however, there was little direct evidence related to what types of professional development were directly related to teachers implementing change in their classroom (Jaquith, Mindich, Wei, & Darling-Hammond, 2010; Wei, Darling-Hammond, & Adamson, 2010; Wei et al., 2009). The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify what instructional practices teacher implemented in their classroom after attending formal and informal professional development and to determine teachers' perceptions of their experiences with formal professional development. The researcher found that the data depicted six key themes related to professional development: 1) teacher-led, 2) teacher choice, 3) related to the classroom, 4) time for practice, 5) student engagement, and 6) content specific instructional practices.

Download or read book Learning to Practise written by Helen Timperley and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of Effective Professional Development written by Stephen Matthew Warford and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This qualitative study examines practicing educators’ views and perceptions on effective professional development. The researcher explores the experiences of five educators at various points on the experience continuum and questions what constitutes a meaningful learning experience for each one. The framework of this study follows the protocols outlined by Connelly and Clandinin (1990) for experienced based research through narrative. The foundation for this research rests of four theoretical pillars: Adult Learning Theory (Houle, 1972), Motivational Theory (Maslow, 1943), Reflective Practices (Schon, 1987), and Teacher Knowledge (Cochran & Lytle, 1999). After an extensive review of the current literature, noticeable omissions from the current understanding of professional development for teachers were found that set the stage for the following research questions guiding this study: 1) What elements of professional development do practicing teachers find effective and beneficial? 2) Do teachers at different points in their career report needing the same or different qualities in their learning experiences? 3) What might the researcher come to understand through narrative case studies of the participants and their insights on effective professional development? The need for this study to address these questions is that annually millions of dollars are spent on teacher professional development in order to improve teacher pedagogy in hopes of improving student achievement; however, achievement scores remain stagnant and there is little evidence that the current system of professional development is working. Though there are a plethora of studies that provide quantitative data regarding certain elements of professional development (e.g. time needed, curriculum design), those studies provide no context from the teachers to help others reproduce the results. This study allowed teachers to provide a context through narrative based on their experiences.

Download or read book International Handbook On The Continuing Professional Development Of Teachers written by Day, Christopher and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2005-12-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Christopher Day and Judyth Sachs have done a remarkable job of pulling together an outstanding collection of essays on professional development that reflect its stunning diversity in different regions around the world. They have done for readers what no one else has accomplished in nearly a quarter century: Combine in a single volume a clear and concise description of professional development's past, present, and projected future internationally." Thomas R. Guskey, University of Kentucky. "an engaging text through out and can be dipped in to or read from beginning to end... The editors and authors of this book have done a great service to teachers and professional development educators worldwide" Journal of Inservice Education This Handbook brings together theoretical and empirical research on purposes, policies and practices of teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) over the last twenty years. It provides a unique collection of regional writing from key professionals in different regions of the world, featuring: A review of current CPD literature Discussion of the politics, policies and purposes of CPD Case studies from Europe, USA, Australia, Asia, Africa and South America A synthesis of research and future research possibilities The book comprises a fascinating mix of conceptual framing, accounts of purposes and practices, case studies and analyses of best practice from a range of highly regarded writers in the field. It is an indispensable source book for policy makers and teachers at all levels of the education systems. Contributors: Beatrice Avalos, Ray Bolam, Pam Christie, Marion Dadds, Christopher Day, John Elliott, Susan Groundwater-Smith, Shirley Grundy, Ken Harley, Alma Harris, Geert Kelchtermans, Geoff Lindsay, Judith Warren Little, Agnes McMahon, Daniel Muijs, Alan Penny, Judith Robison, Judyth Sachs, Ciaran Sugrue, David Tripp