Professional Learning of K-6 Teachers in Science Through Collaborative Action Research: An Activity Theory Analysis

Primary/elementary teachers are uniquely positioned in terms of their need for ongoing, science-focused professional development. They are usually generalists, having limited preparation for teaching science, and often do not feel prepared or comfortable in teaching science. In this case study, CHAT or cultural–historical activity theory is used as a lens to examine primary/elementary teachers’ activity system as they engaged in a teacher-driven professional development initiative. Teachers engaged in collaborative action research to change their practice, with the objective of making their science teaching more engaging and hands-on for students. A range of qualitative methods and sources such as teacher interviews and reflections, teacher-created artifacts, and researcher observational notes were adopted to gain insight into teacher learning. Outcomes report on how the teachers’ activity system changed as they participated in two cycles of collaborative action research and how the contradictions that arose in their activity system became sources of professional growth. Furthermore, this research shows how the framework of activity theory may be used to garner insight into the activity and learning of teachers as both their professional activities and the context change over time.     

Using Games to Engage Students in Inquiry

Abstract

This paper discusses the author’s experiences of getting advanced undergraduate math students to engage in mathematical inquiry by using games as a vehicle for exploration. The students explored the mathematics behind SET^®1, Spot it!^®2, Blokus^®3, and Six^®4. Specifically, we present the experience of the instructor and students and how the games were used to promote and incite inquiry.     

运用教育行动研究促进翻译教师专业发展

促进教师专业发展已成为21世纪国际教师教育的主流话题.外语教师专业发展的主要途径就是要在自己的教学实践中运用教育行动研究.教师通过自己教学,在实践中研究,在研究中成长,使自己的教学与研究呈现出螺旋式的上升的过程,实现自身专业的发展.     

Overcoming a Learning Bottleneck: Inquiry Professional Development for Secondary Science Teachers

This paper examines the summer component of a year-long professional development program. The program was developed based on recent models of effective professional development that indicate that teachers should guide the direction and focus of the professional development program. Specific activities in the summer program were adapted from a long-running, successful program for university faculty development. In this study we explore the conceptions of inquiry teachers developed during the program, as well as the products teachers created. The discrepancies between program goals and the teachers’ products and conceptions are described and reasons for these differences explored. The results suggest that engaging teachers in identifying key issues in their own professional development is an effective strategy.     

团队行动研究中的大学英语教师发展

大学英语教师的专业发展一直是困扰教师的一个问题。通过总结分析参加北京外国语大学中国外语教育研究中心的跨校教师发展团队项目的大组与小组活动的事例,说明教师之间反思式教学和团队互动发展是教师专业发展的一种有效模式。旨在为大学英语教师专业发展和进行科学研究提供一个范例,并为更广泛的运用提供借鉴方法和案例。     

A Starting Point: Provide Children Opportunities to Engage with Scientific Inquiry and Nature of Science

Research in Science Education - This paper explores the effect teachers’ participation in a targeted inquiry-based/nature of science (NoS) continuing professional development programme had on...     

试论教育行动研究与幼儿教师专业化发展

新课改对幼儿教师的专业性提出了新的要求,幼儿教师专业化发展也越来越受到重视。采用文献法,界定教育行动研究和幼儿教师专业化的内涵,通过分析两者之间的关系,从增强教师自身发展的意识、培养其问题意识等方面,来探讨教育行动研究促进幼儿教师专业化发展的作用。     

A Professional Development System as a Catalyst for Changing Science Teachers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Using Scientists and Real-World Scenarios in Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers

Middle school science teachers were involved in a problem-solving experience presented and guided by research scientists. Data on the teachers’ perspectives about this professional development and any impact it may have had on their teaching practices were collected through interviews, surveys, and classroom observations. The findings show that the professional development experience was positive, although one concern expressed by teachers was their lack of understanding of the scientists’ vocabulary. Using scientists and real-world scenarios was shown to be an effective strategy for encouraging middle school teachers to teach science as a process and help them strengthen their science content understanding.     

行动研究在农村英语教师专业发展中的作用

随着现代教育的不断发展,"教师即研究者"日渐成为教师专业发展方面的一个重要理念.对于农村英语教师而言,行动研究是教师及时解决自己教学上的问题,提高教育教学质量而进行的一种探索性地有效行动和方法,是教学过程中问题解决的一种特殊形式,是一个能动的、反思性的认知加工过程,具有自主实践性、理论应用性、整体合作性、动态生成性等特点.在此基础上探讨行动研究对促进农村英语教师专业素养的提升,形成专业自信,增强科研意识等方面的作用,以及英语教师进行行动研究的主要途径.     

行动研究背景下的高校法学教师职业发展问题探究

高校法学教师面临的内困外忧使其职业发展成为当务之急。行动研究作为一种基于行动、在行动之中、由行动者开展的旨在通过反思改进行动的研究方法,具有优化路径、节约成本、创新机制的现实价值。行动研究能够从专业教学能力、合作共事能力、教育研究能力等方面促进法学教师职业能力提升,并能够从职业道德和教育理念的角度助力法学教师职业信仰培树,对法学教师职业发展具有炼器和铸魂的双重意义。文章结合布迪厄社会实践理论,通过对场域、资本和惯习三个要素的思辨,探索行动研究在法学教师从业活动中应用受阻的机理,并从政策、投入和态度三个方面提出应对策略。     

The Impact of a Multi-Year,Multi-School District K-6 Professional Development Programme Designed to Integrate Science Inquiry and Language Arts on Students' High-Stakes Test Scores

This paper is a report of a quasi-experimental study on the impact of a systemic 5-year, K-6 professional development (PD) project on the ‘high stakes’ achievement test scores of different student groups in rural mid-west school districts in the USA. The PD programme utilized regional summer workshops, district-based leadership teams and distance delivery technologies to help teachers learn science concepts and inquiry teaching strategies associated with a selection of popular science inquiry kits and how to adapt inquiry science lessons in the kits to teach and reinforce skills in the language arts—i.e. to teach more than science when doing inquiry science. Analyses of the school district-level pre-post high-stakes achievement scores of 33 school districts participating in the adaptation of inquiry PD and a comparative group of 23 school districts revealed that both the Grade 3 and Grade 6 student-cohorts in the school districts utilizing adapted science inquiry lessons significantly outscored their student-cohort counterparts in the comparative school districts. The positive school district-level high-stakes test results, which serve as the basis for state and local decision making, suggest that an inquiry adaptation strategy and a combination of regional live workshop and distance delivery technologies with ongoing local leadership and support can serve as a viable PD option for K-6 science.     

高职教师专业发展的途径探析

本文以教师专业发展途径的研究评述为基础,通过调查、汇总和分析,得出了高职教师专业发展最为有效的五个途径,概述了当前高职教师专业发展的现状及存在问题。     

优秀外语教师专业成长叙事研究

采用叙事的方式对一名小学英语教学名师专业成长的各阶段的特征、发展有效途径、动力和阻力等方面进行描述、诠释与反思。研究表明,个案教学名师的专业发展大概经历了从"盲目"到"佳境"五个阶段,基本呈直线上升趋势,但又有其发展的特殊性。在专业发展的过程中,协作研究、教师培训、有效的教学反思是教师专业发展的重要途径,对专业的追求是教师专业发展的主动力,教师自身的专业知识素养和教学评价制度是影响教师专业发展的重要因素。     

校本行动研究与小学英语教师专业可持续发展

一、小学英语教师校本行动研究的必要性 （一）小学英语教师专业发展现状 束定芳等人的研究表明目前我国小学英语整体师资水平并不尽如人意,合格的小学英语教师严重短缺,优秀的英语教师更是稀缺。英语课程标准要求小学英语教学应遵循课时安排的高频率原则,保证教学质量和效果;     

Developing Understanding of the Nature of Science Within a Professional Development Program for Inservice Elementary Teachers: Project Nature of Elementary Science Teaching

Establishing literacy in science is often linked to building knowledge about the Nature of Science (NOS). This paper describes and evaluates an inservice program designed to build elementary teachers’ understanding of NOS and an awareness of how NOS impacts science classroom instruction. Data sources consisted of surveys, action research plan documentation and classroom observations. Program participants tended to demonstrate some gains in understanding more about NOS and they linked positive experiences in the program to the explicit and activity-based NOS instruction provided. Yet, participation in the professional development project might not have been equally beneficial for all teachers. The understanding of NOS may have been restricted to certain NOS aspects, and the demonstration of the participants’ understanding of NOS may have been short-lived with a somewhat limited impact on sustainable, long-term NOS-based classroom instruction. Implications for designing NOS related professional development programs and suggestions for improvements to further develop teacher understanding of NOS are discussed.     

美国科学教师的专业发展及其启示

美国科学教师的专业发展已经形成了较为完整的体系。在标准上建立了全国性的政策框架,在内容上强调课程学习与教学改革并重,在路径上形成了非官方组织、大学以及专业发展学校共同参与的多元模式。其经验对我国有一定的启示。