Professional development of teachers in the implementation of a strategy-focused writing intervention program for elementary students

In this study we examined the effectiveness of Tekster [Texter], a comprehensive program for writing for the upper elementary grades, combining strategy instruction, text structure instruction, and the teaching of self-regulation skills with observational learning, explicit instruction, and (guided) practice to address both the focus of instruction (what is taught) and the mode of instruction (how it is taught). Further, we investigated the added value of a professional development program for teachers on the effectiveness and implementation of the intervention in the classroom, by adopting a teachers-training-teachers approach. One group of teachers (N = 31) was trained by experts, and subsequently trained their colleagues (N = 37). Quasi-experimental results showed that students’ writing performance improved after the intervention (ES = 0.55), while generalizing over tasks, students, and teachers. Further, teachers became more positive and felt more efficacious about teaching writing after the intervention. There were no differences between trainers and trainees, which provides evidence for the spillover effect of professional development. To get more insight in how teachers implemented the intervention in their classroom and in the social validity of the intervention and the teachers-training-teachers approach, we triangulated post-intervention questionnaires with classroom observations and interviews. This mixed methods approach revealed that both trainers and trainees were highly satisfied with the program and easily adapted their focus of instruction. However, for adjusting the mode of instruction more teacher support seems to be needed.     

When intentions and reality clash: Inherent implementation difficulties of an induction program for new teachers

New teachers are often required to go through an induction program in order to become fully certified. Induction programs are varied and the overall picture regarding their implementation is uneven. The present paper addresses the gap between program policy and implementation regarding various aspects of the Israeli teacher induction program. Data obtained from program documents, interviews, questionnaires, and observation in a large-scale formative evaluation revealed discrepancies between intentions and implementation regarding all program components. Implementation difficulties are discussed mainly in relation to obstacles inherent in the education system.     

A professional development program for primary school English language teachers in Turkey: designing a materials bank

This paper presents and discusses an in-service teacher development program that focussed on establishing a materials bank for English language teachers at a private primary school in Ankara, Turkey, and teachers’ evaluations of the program. The program aimed to lead to teacher change as growth and learning, to address school-based needs, and to provide overall quality improvement. Feedback obtained during the professional development program and after its completion demonstrates that teachers improved their knowledge and skills on materials design and curriculum related issues as well as improving the overall quality of instruction and developing a positive attitude towards professional development.     

Evaluating the impact of an academic teacher development program: practical realities of an evidence-based study

This study aimed to assess the impact of an entire academic teacher development programme at a Midwestern masters comprehensive university in the United States over a period of five years by examining changes in teaching and student outcomes of nine randomly selected programme participants. Researchers analysed syllabi, course evaluations, grade distributions, programme activity reports, interviews and vita, and concluded that the centre’s impact was greatest on tenure-track faculty who struggled with their teaching. Far more useful to future improvement, however, were the insights gained from reflection on study methods, the researchers’ emotional responses to their findings, their struggle to make sense of the data and grappling with the definition of ‘impact’. In this paper, the researchers share useful lessons learned and illustrate the difficulties inherent in evaluating academic development programmes, with a view to qualifying recommendations currently prevailing in the literature.     

Design,implementation, and evaluation of an ePortfolio approach to support faculty development in vocational education

This article provides an account of the design, implementation, and evaluation of an ePortfolio approach to faculty development and performance evaluation at a Canadian post-secondary vocational education institute. The approach was piloted in two phases in 13 departments. Survey and interview data were collected and analyzed to determine adoption, reception by faculty, and impact of the approach on faculty development. While adoption of the approach in the pilots was limited, participants who adopted the approach reported collecting more and different feedback, developing increased awareness of areas for improvement, and planning their professional learning more explicitly. Further studies are needed to determine what design elements of the portfolio optimally support professional development and performance evaluation.     

A level set based segmentation approach for point-sampled surfaces

Segmenting a complex 3D surface model into some visually meaningful sub-parts is one of the fundamental problems in digital geometry processing. In this paper, a novel segmentation approach of point-sampled surfaces is proposed, which is based on the level set evolution scheme. To segment the model so as to align the patch boundaries with high curvature zones, the driven speed function for the zero level set inside narrow band is defined by the extended curvature field, which approaches zero speed as the propagating front approaches high curvature zone. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by our ex- perimental results. Furthermore, two applications of model segmentation are illustrated, such as piecewise parameterization and local editing for point-sampled geometry.     

Mixed methods,mixed outcomes? Combining an RCT and case studies to research the impact of a training programme for primary school science teachers

A randomised controlled trial (RCT) and a series of case studies were used to determine the impact of two variants of an intervention (a professional development programme) aimed at improving primary school science teachers’ subject and pedagogic content knowledge, and enhancing their subject leadership ability. Ninety-six schools were randomly assigned to full or partial treatment groups or a ‘business-as-usual’ control group. Quantitative data were collected from teachers and pupils through an assessment of scientific knowledge based on standardised assessment items. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and lesson observation initially in thirty case study schools. There were three data collection points: pre- and post-intervention, and one year later.

[Guskey, T. (1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15(5), 5–12.] Levels of Professional Development Evaluation model was used as the analysis framework. The quantitative data from the teachers’ subject knowledge assessment indicated neither the full nor the partial training programmes had a statistically significant impact on teachers’ performance. In contrast, the qualitative data suggested that many teachers in the full treatment group believed that their subject knowledge had improved and reported increased confidence in their teaching of science. Lesson observations provided corroborating evidence of change in teachers’ practice, and some modest evidence of wider change in schools. There was no statistically significant improvement in pupil performance in subject knowledge assessments when teachers had participated in the intervention. In the context of research methods, the study suggests that a mixed-methods approach to evaluation is likely to yield a more rounded and nuanced picture of the overall impact of an intervention.     

Evaluating a pilot education-to-work program for adults with Down syndrome

Low employment rates of individuals with intellectual disabilities in Australia stem from apprehensions about their abilities to engage in work, and employers’ low confidence in hiring them in paid positions. Drawing on principles of evaluative reasoning, this paper reports on findings from a mixed-methods formative evaluation. It was conducted to understand the need for a two-year Education-to-Work training program, the quality of its content, and the views that 8 parents, 5 facilitators, and 4 students had about changes attributable to the program after its first year. Program performance was assessed against the quality standards of excellent, good, satisfactory, marginal, and needs improvement. Findings from the evaluation highlighted the potential usefulness of post-secondary education (PSE) transitioning programs to secure longer term employment, for adults with Down syndrome. Specific recommendations are made to improve the quality of the program, and abstractions gleaned from the study are highlighted.     

Japan's communal approach to teacher induction: Shokuin shitsu as an indispensable nurturing ground for Japanese beginning teachers

Sustaining beginning teachers has been one of the greatest challenges in some countries such as the U.S. In contrast, Japan sustains their teachers with the low attrition rate of 1.35%. This qualitative study aims to examine how Japan supports beginning teachers by examining shokuin shitsu or the teachers' room. Results from the qualitative study revealed the critical role that the teachers' room played for novice teachers as a place to exchange necessary information among colleagues, to develop collegial relationships with one another, and to provide a safe environment to make sense of beginning teachers' questions.     

Designing an e-mentoring program for novice teachers in Turkey and investigating online interactions and program outcomes

In this collaborative research, we designed an e-mentoring program for novice teachers and explored online interactions between mentors and mentees, participant satisfaction, and the perceived benefits of the program for mentees and mentors. Our study included 14 mentees, 14 mentors, and 6 teacher educators. Data were gathered through online messages and semi-structured interviews. We found that the interaction frequency changed based on the participant group, the e-mentoring environment was mostly problem-based, and participants provided cognitive, affective, and instrumental support. Moreover, participant-related factors, as well as factors related to the design of the e-mentoring program were found to have influenced teacher satisfaction with the program. We also determined that the e-mentoring program provided different types of benefits for the professional development of mentees and mentors. Finally, we concluded that e-mentoring can be an influential method to help novice teachers providing that the design and participants of the program are meticulously reviewed.     

反思性教学:教师发展的有效途径

近年来,教师教育开始从单纯对教学方法的探讨与研究转向对教师专业化发展的研究。在这一研究中,反思性教学已成为教师教育所关注的核心问题。因此,研究反思教学及其特点,分析师生问在反思过程中的互动关系,思考开展反思教学途径和方法,是对促进教师专业化发展有重要意义。     

Government-based training agencies and the professional development of Indonesian teachers of English for Young Learners: perspectives from complexity theory

This study was conducted to identify suggestions to improve PD programmes held by government-based training agencies to help enhance Indonesian EYL teachers’ instructional practice. For the purpose of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 participants. The findings suggest the theorisation of a PD model that involves complex and dynamic interactions between actors including teacher educators, school principals, educational administrators and teachers’ groups. This paper argues for the need to separate the expertise and facilitative roles between PD actors as it relates to PD accountability in terms of design, development and implementation. The implications drawn from the study may inform teacher educators and policy-makers in countries facing a shortage of properly trained EYL teachers.     

高校大学英语教师专业发展——走合作教学路径

根据《大学英语课程教学要求》和基于目前高校大学英语教师专业发展现状,深入剖析通过合作教学实现高校大学英语教师专业发展的可行性,最后提出具体对策分析。     

Early career mathematics teachers: Concepts,methods, and strategies for comparative international research

In this article, we report on the challenges entailed in the development of concepts, methods, and strategies for designing and implementing a cross-national research study of the first-years of school-mathematics teaching, including an exploration of how beginning mathematics teachers differ in their preparation, knowledge for teaching, teaching practice, working conditions, and pupil characteristics. The study was designed as a proof-of-concept for a study of teaching and teacher education to be implemented by educationalists, teacher educators, and early career teachers as an ongoing professional endeavor. Primary among the challenges was the development of the sampling design and the construction of measures.     

A posthumanist approach to environmental education in South Africa: implications for teachers,teacher development,and teacher training programs

As we enter the sixth great mass extinction event, an event that points to humanity’s exploitative attitude towards nature, posthumanist ethics offers a different way of engaging with the world, a way which has clear and extensive implications for the way environmental education is taught in South African schools. However, given the official curriculum and assessment practices currently in use in South Africa, can a posthumanist approach to environmental education actually work within the current educational framework of discrete discipline/subject areas and specializations? The paper diffractively engages with the Department of Basic Education National Curriculum Statement: Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement: Foundation Phase Grades R-3: Life Skills for South Africa (the phase where environmental education is most likely to take place), and superpositions this text with a research study on environmental education undertaken in Canada and key posthumanist notions as they relate to environmental education. The paper concludes with a section on the implications for teachers, teacher development, and teacher training programs (not solely in South Africa) of using such an approach in the teaching of environmental studies.