ENVISION: the effectiveness of a dual‐level professional development model for changing teacher practice

The ENVISION professional development model uses active teacher involvement in inquiry and inquiry‐based teaching to enhance teachers' understandings about inquiry‐based study of local environmental problems and teaching science using inquiry. Teachers also design and implement professional development for their school‐based colleagues about teaching environmental science through inquiry. Therefore, professional development is conducted at two levels. ENVISION staff train teachers directly (called Level I participants) and these Level I participants in turn train their school colleagues (called Level II participants). The study reported here was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of this dual‐level professional development strategy. Results based on the first two years of the program revealed that: Level I participants enhanced their understanding of inquiry and inquiry teaching, with 25 out 30 (83%) changing their classroom practice; and that 21 out of 31 (68%) of Level II participants changed their classroom practice as a result of participating in Level I peer training. Peer training that involved modeling and practicing techniques and activities was particularly effective in producing change in practice for Level II teachers.     

Professional development to increase teacher behavior‐specific praise: A single‐case design replication

Effective classroom instruction is contingent upon successful classroom management. Unfortunately, not all teachers successfully manage classroom behavior and need in‐service professional development. In this study, we replicated a targeted professional development approach that included a brief one‐on‐one training session and emailed visual performance feedback to increase novice teachers’ use of behavior‐specific praise, an evidence‐based classroom management skill. Dependent variables collected through direct observation included teachers’ behavior‐specific praise along with average student engagement and disruptions. Four elementary teachers participated and, based on a multiple‐baseline single‐case design, we found a functional relationship between the targeted professional development and teachers’ increased use of behavior‐specific praise. However, because of variability and one teacher's limited response, effect sizes were small for behavior‐specific praise and little change was observed in student behaviors. These findings warrant further research to determine which classroom management skills affect student behaviors overall, as well as continued evaluation of this professional development model and using school‐based coaches.     

Assessing Competencies of Counselors‐in‐Training: Complexities in Evaluating Personal and Professional Development

In this article, the authors examine the complexities of assessing the professional and personal development of counselors‐in‐training. The authors discuss a set of issues the profession must address in an effort to reduce inconsistencies and uncertainties related to student assessment, and the authors provide questions, recommendations, and future directions for assessing student competencies in the areas of professional and personal development.     

Workplace performance–PLUS: Empowerment and voice through professional development and democratic processes in health care training

Based on the theory of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1980) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1980), mixed‐methods research (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998) of a hospital workers' union and training organization addressed the impact of a custom‐designed, group‐focused, results‐driven professional development model with 130 participants. Employees across many job titles participated. Findings reveal substantial content learning, along with the development of empowerment and voice. The purpose of the research was to determine the ways and the extent that worker voice, satisfaction, attitude, communication, and problem solving improved as workers and managers put into practice knowledge and skills learned through the training (Winchester, 2003). The scope of results includes efficiency and skill improvements and qualitative changes intersecting professional and personal realms.     

Using a Retrospective Pretest to Measure Learning in Professional Development Programs

Millions of dollars are spent annually on professional development, and designers of training events recognize they must demonstrate to all stakeholders the value added by these programs. The purpose of this study was to measure the learning that occurred during professional development seminars for community college academic department chairs. The research question was the following: What increases in knowledge and skills did program participants attribute to their training experience? Using Alliger and Janak's model for levels of learning as a conceptual framework, data were collected through a preliminary questionnaire on learning needs, session and overall evaluations, and a retrospective pretest addressing 35 knowledge and skill areas. Statistical analysis of retrospective pretest results for six areas identified by participants as priorities indicated that participants felt learning had occurred as a result of the seminar (significant at .0001 level). The retrospective pretest instrument was deemed an effective tool for evaluating learning in continuing education offerings, higher education professional development events, and similar settings.     

Building a Bridge: Counselor Educator–School Counselor Collaboration

Despite calls for collaboration between counselor educators and school counselors, little is known about how collaboratives develop and what, if any, benefits are derived by the participants. In this article, the authors describe an 8‐year collaboration between a group of university‐based counselor educators and school counselors in 1 partnership community. Interviews with selected members of the collaborative were conducted to assess the participants' perceptions of the impact of this collaborative on their professional lives. A qualitative analysis of interviews revealed that renewal, professional development, and community are central to the experience of participants. Implications for future collaborations and research are discussed.     

Conceptions of e‐learning and professional development for e‐learning held by tertiary educators in New Zealand

The conceptions an individual holds about a phenomenon can influence and determine associated behaviours and perspectives. Consequently, they have a bearing upon how learning about a phenomenon is undertaken and how that phenomenon is experienced and applied in context. A phenomenographic research approach was used to gather the expressed experiences of e‐learning and professional development for e‐learning held by teachers and support staff from institutions across New Zealand. Five conceptions of e‐learning (as tool and equipment; as a facilitator of interaction; as learning; as a reduction in distance; and as a collaborative enterprise) and four conceptions of professional development for e‐learning (as training; as opening up possibilities; as collaboration; and as relevant and purposeful) were discovered. In this report, we discuss the conceptions, and show how they are interrelated through outcome space. Implications for the professional development of tertiary teachers and teaching support staff are outlined. The study provides some insights for individuals, institutions and those responsible for planning and implementing professional development programmes to help them to support the development and progress of e‐learning in appropriate and rewarding directions.     

Developing the capacity of teacher‐librarians to meet the diverse needs of all schoolchildren: Project ENABLE

US school libraries are required to ensure that schoolchildren and school staff with disabilities have equal opportunity to use and benefit from library facilities and information services under federal law. However, evidence indicates teacher‐librarians (TLs) often lack the training, knowledge and skills to provide programmes and services that meet the needs of students with disabilities. Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access by Librarians Everywhere) was created to respond to this shortfall by designing, implementing and evaluating a professional development programme in New York State. The project applies a social model of disability to help 100 TLs, special educators and general educators further develop their skills and resources by teaming together to create an inclusive environment for all students. This is achieved through the use of universal design principles, appropriate assistive and other technologies, an emphasis on person‐first language and sensitivity simulations, a focus on inclusive lesson planning, and by developing collaboration capacity among participant teams. Curriculum development, data collection and analyses are presented. The effect of the Project ENABLE trainings was significant in terms of higher levels of skill and knowledge reported by participants for creating accessible library programmes, advancing inclusive education and building effective collaborations. Drawing from their workshop learning and resources, participant teams developed action plans to implement during the 2011–2012 school year. This project underscores the importance of TLs in the education of all students, including those with disabilities. Higher education and local professional development programmes must place greater emphasis on preparing TLs to perform this role effectively and confidently.     

Teachers' learning to facilitate high‐level student thinking: Impact of a video‐based professional development

Attaining the vision for science teaching and learning emphasized in the Framework for K‐12 Science Education and the next generation science standards (NGSS) will require major shifts in teaching practices in many science classrooms. As NGSS‐inspired cognitively demanding tasks begin to appear in more and more science classrooms, facilitating students' engagement in high‐level thinking as they work on these tasks will become an increasingly important instructional challenge to address. This study reports findings from a video‐based professional development effort (i.e., professional development [PD] that use video‐clips of instruction as the main artifact of practice to support teacher learning) to support teachers' learning to select cognitively demanding tasks and to support students' learning during the enactment of these tasks in ways that are aligned with the NGSS vision. Particularly, we focused on the NGSS's charge to get students to make sense of and deeply think about scientific ideas as students try to explain phenomena. Analyses of teachers' pre‐ and post‐PD instruction indicate that PD‐participants began to adopt instructional practices associated with facilitating these kinds of student thinking in their own classrooms. The study has implications for the design of video‐based professional development for science teachers who are learning to facilitate the NGSS vision in science classrooms.     

The road to culturally relevant science: Exploring how teachers navigate change in pedagogy

In this study, two middle‐school teachers who participated in a professional development program utilizing the transformative professional development (TPD) model are followed as they embarked upon becoming culturally relevant science teachers of Hispanic students. Using Ladson‐Billings (1994) theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, teacher interviews, focus groups, journals, and field notes are examined to reveal aspects of culturally relevant pedagogy that the participants translate into their daily science instructional practice in this longitudinal case study. Findings revealed TPD enabled participants to transform their practice to focus on culturally relevant science pedagogy resulting in a more effective instructional environment for their Hispanic students. Implications for further research on professional development and other supports for teachers integrating culturally relevant pedagogy are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., J Res Sci Teach 48: 170–198, 2011     

Professional development in international schools; issues of inclusion identified by a group of international school teaching assistants

With the growth in numbers of teaching assistants (TAs) in the UK, it has been identified through research carried out on behalf of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) research that TAs in British international schools have specific and unmet training needs. Following the development of a course for TAs in international contexts, COBIS and the University of Northampton provided a Professional Development Programme for TAs working in British international schools. The 2‐day event took place in a European city, with participants from three further European cities. The impact of this training on subsequent professional practice was investigated. An initial questionnaire was completed at the conference, and follow‐up questionnaires were distributed at 6 weeks, post‐event. Responses came from participants and from head teachers of the British international schools in which they worked. This paper focuses upon issues of inclusion, which arose from the feedback received, both during the event and afterwards. Group discussions during the event revealed concern among the group that they had insufficient knowledge to provide the level of inclusion support that they felt should be available. Data from the questionnaires provided more detail about these issues and allowed some first conclusions to be drawn, providing further focus and direction for subsequent training for international school TAs.     

Training and mentoring: Family child care providers’ use of linguistic inputs in conversations with children

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two professional development models in increasing family child care providers’ frequency of linguistic inputs in conversations with young children. The first professional development model consisted of a 10-h in-service training focused on supporting early language development. The second included the same 10-h in-service training program and mentoring. Providers and children at 48 family child care programs participated in this study. The family child care programs were randomly assigned to one of the two professional development models (i.e., training or training with mentoring) or to a control group. Audio recordings of the language environment were collected prior to the in-service training, at the completion of the in-service training, and at the completion of the mentoring. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the average increase in the frequency of providers’ use of linguistic inputs over three observations, conducted before training, immediately at the end of training, and 6 weeks after training. Results indicate that both forms of professional development increased linguistically stimulating inputs as compared to the control group. The professional development model including mentoring support was related to greater increases in providers’ use of informational talk and teaching utterances over in-service training without mentoring.     

In search of well‐started beginning science teachers: Insights from two first‐year elementary teachers

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore what aspects of two first‐year elementary teachers' practices were most consistent with an inquiry‐based approach, what PCK served as a mechanism for facilitating these practices, and what experiences have mediated the nature and development of these teachers' PCK. For each of the participants data included audio‐recorded interviews, video‐recorded classroom observations, lesson plans, and samples of student work. Data analysis illustrated that both participants engaged their students in question‐driven investigations, the use of observational data, making connections between evidence and claims, and communicating those claims to others. Moreover, there was clear evidence in the findings of the study that a considerable degree of coherence existed between the two participants' knowledge on one hand and their instructional practices on the other hand. The participants perceived specific learning experiences during their programs as being critical to their development. The contribution of this study lies in the fact that it provides examples of well‐started beginning elementary teachers implementing inquiry‐based science in 2nd and 5th grade classrooms. Implications of the study include the need for the design of university‐based courses and interventions by which teacher preparation and professional development programs support teachers in developing PCK for scientific inquiry and enacting instructional practices that are congruent with reform initiatives. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:661–686, 2010     

Communication in performance‐based training and instruction: From design to practice

Communication is inextricably important to instructional design and performance‐based training. Promoting effective communication as an integral part of the performance support system improves professional instructional design functions and offers greater avenues for meaningful discourse among end users of the instruction. In this article, we highlight communication in performance training and instruction for meaningful learning and effective exchange of knowledge. Internal and external communications are discussed as a means to promoting successful relationships, commitment, and ownership.     

Supporting Student Teachers' Professional Learning with Standards‐Referenced Assessment

Professional standards in teaching are developed in many education systems, with professional learning and quality assurance being the central purposes of these standards. This paper presents an initiative in developing a professional development progress map (hereafter, progress map) within a learning‐oriented field experience assessment (LOFEA) framework. The article examines the use of a progress map to support professional learning in teaching supervision in the field experience of a teacher education programme. Views of users, including 16 tertiary supervisors and 21 teacher participants of the in‐service programmes, were collected. Issues relating to supporting student teachers' professional learning with standards‐referenced assessment, are discussed around four themes, namely intention, instrumentation, interpretation and implementation.     

A human dissection training program at Indiana University School of Medicine‐Northwest

As human cadavers are widely used in basic sciences, medical education, and other training and research venues, there is a real need for experts trained in anatomy and dissection. This article describes a program that gives individuals interested in clinical and basic sciences practical experience working with cadavers. Participants are selected through an open application process and attend sessions focused on anatomical terminology, gross anatomy and radiography, and some of the educational applications of human cadavers. Dissection skills are honed during an intensive, two‐day cadaver dissection and orthopedic workshop. Participants communicate the knowledge they gain through table‐side discussions, reflect upon the experience during a memorial service, and submit written program evaluations. Additionally, the dissection and preparation of cadaveric materials accomplished in this course are used in the medical school gross anatomy course during the next academic year. From 2004 through 2008, the annual number of applicants increased from 40 to 167, and the number of participants increased from 25 to 43 per year. Program participants have represented diverse ethnic, educational, and professional backgrounds. Feedback from participants has been remarkably positive, including comments on the large amount of learning that takes place during the sessions, the positive impact the program has had on career choice, and the desire for program expansion. This program, which could be replicated at other institutions, teaches anatomy, prepares cadaveric prosections for teaching and training others, and encourages participants to pursue careers in anatomical and biomedical sciences. Anat Sci Educ 3: 77–82, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Assessing Readiness for E‐Learning

ABSTRACT Today, e‐learning is a common delivery media for education and training within many organizations. Yet, while both the supply and demand for e‐learning opportunities has risen in recent years, many professionals are beginning to question whether e‐learn‐ers are prepared to be successful in an online learning environment (e.g., Gug‐lielmino & Guglielmino, 2003; Watkins & Corry, 2005). After all, a learner's demonstrated success in a conventional education and training classroom may not be an adequate predictor of success in an e‐learning classroom. One way of gauging a potential online learner's readiness is through self‐assessment. As a first step in defining an instrument that measures an e‐learner's readiness, with the cooperation of volunteer participants from the U.S. Coast Guard, this study looked into the validity and internal consistency of items within a self‐assessment of e‐learning readiness that is under development, and provided data for the continuing development and revision of the instrument. Having demonstrated evidence of internal consistency and construct validity, the self‐assessment now provides a tool for continuing research into the prediction of e‐learning performance. Funding for this study was provided by the International Society for Performance Improvement.     

Inclusion of preschool children with autism in Sweden: attitudes and perceived efficacy of preschool teachers

This pilot study examined the relations among preschool teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of children with autism and perceived self‐efficacy, as well as demographic characteristics such as teachers' work experience and educational background. The cohort consisted of 21 participants who had degrees in preschool education and worked with children with autism in general preschool/kindergarten settings in central Sweden. Data were collected using the Autism Attitude Scale for Teachers, the Teacher Efficacy Scale and a demographic survey. In general, findings revealed that preschool teachers held positive attitudes towards children with autism, and this was significantly related to the number of credits in special education taken during pre‐service education. However, teachers showed neutral attitudes towards the inclusion of children with autism into general preschool classrooms. No relations were found between teachers' perceived self‐efficacy and attitudes towards inclusion, although a relationship was found between participation in in‐service training and efficacy to make decisions. Implications concerning early childhood education professional development and supervision are discussed.