Constructing a professional development school: A model of one school‐university partnership

Abstract

A partnership between an elementary school and a university in the Midwest evolved into a professional development school. The authors describe this process, making analogies to the process of constructing a house. The steps are also related to Kagan's (1991) stages of organizational development. From laying the foundation of the partnership through adding the sill (the vision), constructing the frame (the goals and objectives), adding the sheathing (the formal structure), installing siding (the implementation), to maintaining through assessment, the parallels are explored and analyzed. Because the process relates to individuals as well as an institution, the authors also discuss ways in which the processes diverge.

The process is presented as a model that might be useful to others engaged in creating a professional development school or improving teacher education. A visual of the model is included.     

Account of practice: transferring the ‘drawer of nonsense’ from a DBA-program to daily professional practice

This article attempts to build a cross-reference between a Doctoral program in Business and Administration (DBA) and the concept of ‘Action Learning’ made known within this programme, while also highlighting the relevance for ‘Action Learning’ in the authors professional daily life. The experiences made during the studies, when the concept of Action Learning was first introduced and applied, are gleaned and thus compared to the professional problems encountered by consultants in the financial industry. The chances and benefits for the professional life are highlighted, and suggestions are made to enrich the student experience while attending a DBA-program.     

Exploring the impact of professional development and professional practice on school leaders’ self-efficacy: a quasi-experimental study

Self-efficacy is extensively discussed within social cognitive theory. This study aimed to explore the impact of professional development and practice on school leaders’ self-efficacy in Cyprus. A quasi-experimental design involving 2 groups of novice secondary deputy head teachers was employed. All participants practised leadership at the time, but the experimental group also attended a leadership training programme. The School Leaders’ Self-Efficacy Scale addressing 8 dimensions was distributed to both groups at the beginning and the end of the school year. A within-group analysis indicated positive effects on self-efficacy regarding evaluating classroom practices for the experimental group. However, for the control group, effects were negative on self-efficacy with regards to evaluating classroom practices, monitoring learning, and leadership of continuing professional development. Between-group analyses revealed positive gains for the experimental group across the 3 aforementioned self-efficacy dimensions. Arising implications are discussed in the context of professional development programmes for school leaders in Cyprus.     

Patients’ stories in healthcare curricula: creating a reflective environment for the development of practice and professional knowledge

Patient and public involvement in the provision of healthcare professional education is considered best practice by both the Healthcare Professions Council and the Nursing Midwifery Council. One key activity in healthcare education is the classroom-based ‘patient story’. This consists of a person re-telling and reflecting on their experiences of their health-related problem and their interaction with health services. The primary objective of this article therefore was to explore educational theory in order to offer a theoretical critique of the use of patient stories in healthcare education. The article explores the theory–practice gap, theories of reflection as well as dialogue, and proposes that the use of patient stories in healthcare education may help to better prepare students for the realities of professional clinical practice. Patient story told firsthand in the classroom creates a significant learning experience in which both the student and the patient reflect and learn through dialogue, positively impacting on attitudes, beliefs and improved patient care. We argue that the incorporation of patients’ stories in healthcare education encourages the use of reflection and facilitates critical thinking, which in turn can help to bridge the theory–practice gap.     

Constructing meaning in a community of learners: the ‘star’ pattern of talk

We present findings from an in-depth study on a school-based multi-disciplinary learning community in the context of practice teaching in university pre-service education. We elaborate on one of the three predominant patterns of talk identified, the ‘star’ pattern, and show how it created particular power relations in the discourse which eventually triggered occasions for learning in community. The community of learners consisted of 11 student teachers and a university mentor who functioned as a tutor responsible for facilitating the group discussion. The group met on a weekly basis throughout an entire academic year (23 meetings). Data collection included recordings of all meetings and semi-structured interviews with all participants including the mentor (altogether 25 interviews). Findings suggest that the ‘star’ pattern of talk constitutes a powerful channel for promoting learning in the context of a community of learners.     

Historicising teachers’ learning: a case study of productive professional practice

This paper reveals the significant historical traces which informed the learning practices of teachers at one particular school site in a rural and regional educational district in Australia. Drawing upon recent theorising into professional practice, the paper argues that teacher learning practices are intrinsically ‘ecologically’ related to teachers’ practices at specific sites. However, extending beyond this theorising, the research also reveals how teacher learning – in the case presented, in relation to classroom dialogue – is also significantly influenced by earlier learning experiences of the teachers involved. In this way, teachers’ practices are revealed as not only influenced by present-day, site-specific, whole-school teacher learning, but also by particular events encountered by teachers at an earlier phase of their careers. The research argues for a conception of teachers’ learning which is not only site-informed and ecologically arranged, but also deeply temporally embedded.     

Learner‐centered leadership: a mentoring model for the professional development of school administrators

The Learner‐Centered Leadership program is a new initiative that provides professional development opportunities to school administrators through a mentoring model. The focus on learner‐centered leadership reflects renewed attention to the primary role of teaching and learning in the development of school leadership expertise. With a focus on learning, the need to create collaborative structures where trust, respect and communication are promoted among the participants has been critical. In its first year, the project goal has been to develop the capacity for mentoring across districts. To create this capacity, the project has focused on building relationships among participants using a threefold process: formal workshops that introduce the districts and participants; informal gatherings that break down barriers and establish opportunities for networking; and a series of problem‐solving initiatives called a team challenge that require participants work together, communicate and cooperate to solve the challenging activities.     

Implementation of integrated services – the example of family centres in North Rhine-Westphalia

This paper deals with the implementation of integrated services providing early support for young children and their families. The integration of services is considered to have highly positive effects on the development of children and on the prevention of child neglect and maltreatment. Therefore, childcare centres have been developed into family centres offering different services in order to foster this integration. The implementation of integrated services requires adequate governance structures on different levels. The external level concerns the framework the state offers for the integration of services. On an intermediate level, the cooperation between different institutions on the local level is to be considered. The internal level is related to questions of management, organisational development and team building. Based on experiences from family centres in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), the paper focuses on these different aspects of the governance of integrated services.     

A model of professional development: teachers’ perceptions of their professional development

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 teachers referred to in their professional development stories: the professional development motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic) and types of aspirations (lateral/vertical). Using these dimensions, four ‘professional development patterns’ emerged. Participants’ professional trajectories are described in terms of these patterns: Hierarchically Ambitious, Hierarchically Compelled, the Laterally Ambitious and the Laterally Compelled. This categorisation could serve as an essential tool to help principals and decision-makers analyse teachers’ personal course of professional development. Hence, the categorisation of the teaching staff according to individuals’ professional aspirations could be utilised to design professional development programmes and incentives that would correspond to teachers’ particular needs.     

Searching for good practice in teaching: a comparison of two subject‐based professional learning communities in a secondary school in Shanghai

Since the mid‐1990s, the concept of professional learning communities has arisen in the education field in the West, aiming to improve teachers’ professional competency by using collaborative approaches. Western studies indicate that these strategies help teachers achieve professional growth. Schools in China have had a long history of enhancing the professional competency of teachers by using collaboration in school‐based contexts. But do professional learning communities in Chinese schools, especially in times of change, do the same for Chinese teachers? This study provides empirical data from Chinese teachers to assist global discussions on school‐based professional development. The study uses qualitative data collection methods, including semi‐structured interviews, observations and documentary analysis, to investigate how teachers from two subject departments in a secondary school in Shanghai enhance their knowledge and practice within their subject‐based professional learning communities. Results show that members of these two communities have shared common goals and have developed a sense of collective accountability. The study also found that socio‐cultural factors, such as the collectivist values, authoritarian‐oriented practices and influences of interpersonal relationship, are crucial in the development of Chinese professional learning communities, even though different communities may differ in other respects.     

Constructing model of teachers’ innovative behaviour in school environment

Teachers’ innovative behaviour influences not only their teaching practices and professional habits, but also has an impact on students’ creation of novel and original ideas. In spite of the increasing demand for innovative behaviour, and also relatively high academic achievements of Estonian students in international comparison, teachers in Estonia often do not use innovative teaching practices, according to Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). This study explores possible school environmental factors that may support the innovative behaviour of teachers. A model, where self-efficacy as a trait and different types of teaching practices as behaviour, are components of the model of teachers’ innovative behaviour. It is supposed that teachers’ innovative behaviour appears in school environments and may be supported by the following factors: interaction and involvement, need and freedom for innovation. The study is carried out as a secondary data analysis, based on a sample of TALIS survey. The results indicate that although the three factors mentioned do not constitute the integrated phenomenon, they do describe different aspects of a teachers’ innovative behaviour.     

Māwhai: Webbing a professional identity through networked interprofessional communities of practice

Professional identity is a frequently used term in teacher education although there is little consensus of what it means for practice. Drawing on research in the fields of professional identity development, communities of practice and interprofessional practice, this article presents a framework for interprofessional identity development that supports effective practice within and across different disciplines. The Māwhai framework, which translates as both ‘web’ and ‘net’, enables professionals to ‘web’ interprofessional identities through ‘networks’ of interprofessional practice. The framework is first described and then evaluated using data from three cohorts of professional educators.     

Early childhood teachers’ thinking and reflection: a model of current practice in New Zealand

This article reports a multiple-case study project into early childhood teachers’ thinking and reflection on their teaching interactions with children in three New Zealand early childhood education centres. Using stimulated-recall interviews, teaching teams viewed video-recorded episodes of their teaching and discussed their thinking and reflections, during and after the episodes. Key findings included teachers’ emphasis in their thinking and reflection on children in comparison to their teaching intentions, beliefs and practices. The article concludes by presenting a model for understanding New Zealand early childhood teachers’ thinking and reflections on teaching and learning and the implications for practice emerging from this research.     

A strong core of qualities—a model of the professional educator that moves beyond reflection

This paper seeks to move beyond reflective practice as an approach to continuing professional development in teaching and related professions. Drawing on experience of working with teachers in a Scottish Higher Education context, consideration is given to what makes a “good” teacher, leading to a new model proposal that emphasises the importance to continuing professional development of sense making. A strong core of qualities is identified as an important characteristic of teachers able to grow and develop practice. The composition, characteristics and action of this strong core are identified.     

Didactics and professional practice in preservice teacher education: A comparison of the situations in France and Québec

The authors analyze the role and function of didactics in preservice teacher education as presented in official texts from the ministries of education of Québec and France. They identify the conceptions these texts convey about the ties between didactics and professional education and demonstrate the vulnerable and limited position of didactics in teacher education. In concluding, adopting a comparative approach, they highlight several convergent features of the two systems of teacher education as well as marked differences relating to training in didactics.     

Teachers’ professional learning experiences and their engagement in reflective practice: a replication study

This study investigates the association between teachers’ exposure to different kinds of learning experiences and the degree to which they actively reflect on their teaching. We examine this association using data from 3 samples of teachers and schools in the United States. By examining multiple samples, we sought to strengthen the validity of our conclusions and understand whether and how the relationship between teachers’ engagement in reflection and their learning experiences varies across different kinds of work contexts. In all the 3 samples studied, we found that teachers engaged in reflective practice more often when they had more regular access to embedded learning opportunities which we define as collaborating with peers on instructional matters or working with instruction experts. This consistent result across all 3 samples suggests that embedded learning opportunities may provide a supportive context for teacher reflection across a range of settings.     

Constructing social inclusion through further education – the dangers of instrumentalism

This article explores, through an analysis of key policy documents, the construction of the political concepts of social exclusion and inclusion through further education (FE). During the first decade of the New Labour government the concepts of social exclusion and inclusion have undergone a process of active construction. In between The Learning Age and Raising Expectations, different political concerns come to the fore. Whereas in 1998 social exclusion encompassed the broad category of ‘disadvantaged people’ and reducing social exclusion was linked firmly to promoting employability, by 2007 interest with the socially excluded was more specifically focused upon ‘16–17 year olds not in education, employment or training’, and FE was to promote social inclusion, in part, through challenging anti‐social behaviour. Three main models of constructing inclusion emerge: instrumental, social and psychological. This article examines the impact of the instrumental model and argues that focusing FE upon the needs of the economy provides a narrow concept of inclusion and a degraded view of education.     

Teachers’ professional development in Nanoscience and nanotechnology in the context of a Community of Learners

ABSTRACT

This case study focuses on teachers’ professional development in NanoScience and nanoTechnology (NST). In the context of a Community of Learners (CoL), in-service teachers in collaboration with science education researchers, nanoscience researchers and experts from science museums, developed a teaching module. This module integrates NST topics along with aspects of science communication, i.e. development of science exhibits and socio-scientific issues, e.g. ethics regarding the research in this field. The data were gathered over 1-year period by using video recordings and interviews. The Interconnected Model of Professional Growth was used to study the processes that support teachers’ professional change in this context, as they are elicited from their interactions in the CoL. Our findings indicate that the dynamic of teachers’ interactions with colleagues and the mediating processes that impact on their professional learning, are crafted on the basis of the emerged challenges in each phase of module’s design and development. These findings give an insight on teachers’ professional learning as they transfer their professional knowledge regarding scientific topics which are innovative to them, i.e. NST, into their teaching practice. In this respect, this study contributes to research literature relevant to teachers’ professionalisation in order to implement innovations in the classroom.