Governing teachers’ work and learning through data: Australian insights

This article reveals the multiple ways in which data are constituted as a vehicle for governing teachers’ work and learning. Drawing on the concept of governance, including in relation to the sociology of numbers, and data from one school in Queensland, Australia, the research reveals how teachers’ work and learning were constituted through practices of: establishing specific ‘targets’, including various ‘audacious goals’ for school and national testing; focusing upon ‘aligning’ all forms of school, regional and national data collected within the school; and participating in various ‘data conversations’ about specific students with senior members of staff. While the research reveals how teachers found such practices beneficial for improving their practice with students, it also shows how this learning was always and everywhere framed within a broader discourse of data, and how this data-centric focus came to constitute what was valued about their work and learning, and that of their students.     

Catalytic tools: understanding the interaction of enquiry and feedback in teachers’ learning

This paper investigates how the use of Pupil Views Templates (PVTs), a tool designed to elicit, record and analyse the development of students’ awareness of their own learning processes, supports teachers’ professional learning. This paper reports on a three‐year collaborative practitioner enquiry project involving more than 30 primary and secondary schools in England. The data set includes practitioners’ case studies, interviews, questionnaires and cross‐project analysis completed by the university team. Analysis focuses on the role of feedback, stimulated through the use of PVTs, in teachers’ learning through three dimensions: the influence of student feedback on teachers as part of the pedagogical encounter; the influence of student feedback on schools within the context of the practitioner enquiry projects; the influence of feedback on the lead teacher researchers. Links between the tools used, the source of the feedback, and teachers’ learning are mapped from a ‘second order perspective’ derived from the diverse data sources.     

Developing understanding of statistical variation: secondary statistics teachers’ perceptions and recollections of learning factors

This retrospective phenomenological study investigates activities and actions identified by secondary statistics teachers who exhibit robust understandings of variation as deepening their understandings of statistical variation. Using phenomenological methods and a frame of Mezirow’s transformation theory, analysis revealed learning factors that include their interests in statistics, motivation to encounter and resolve dilemmas, desires to have an overarching content framework, propensities for critical reflection, and actions on opportunities to engage in statistical learning activities and rationale discourse with more knowledgeable others. The extent to which these teachers embrace these opportunities distinguishes them from other teachers. Results from this study provide some basis for formulating hypotheses about secondary teachers’ statistics learning in general by contributing to understanding circumstances that may be conducive to developing deep understandings of statistical content. This study also advances the use of retrospective methods within a theoretical frame for adult learning to investigate teacher learning.     

Sharing teacher knowledge at scale: teacher inquiry,learning design and the representation of teachers’ practice

Sharing teachers’ professional knowledge remains challenging. Teachers’ development often remains ad hoc or local, and attempts to scale this up have proved problematic. To address this, research in areas such as ‘learning design’ has explored the use of formal representations of practice. This proposes that educational practice can be improved by documenting, sharing and building on what teachers already do. Whilst this has led to some successes, it has not resulted in the widespread transformation of practice. This paper reviews the literature about sharing teacher knowledge. The challenges of scaling up development are then considered in relation to two theories that help explain the challenges: Communities of Practice and Sociomateriality. This analysis is illustrated through case studies in Norway and the UK. These show that teachers already create and share artefacts that represent their pedagogic knowledge. However, they found formal representations, such as learning designs, difficult to work with. The paper concludes that scaling up teacher development using abstract formalisms is unlikely to succeed. Instead, teachers value stories and the materials they already create in their day-to-day practice. It is this intermediate level of representation, between direct experience and formal abstraction, that offers the most promise for sharing practice.     

In support of teachers’ learning: specifying and contextualising teacher inquiry as professional practice

Drawing upon research into a case study of teacher inquiry in one school in Queensland, Australia, recent theorising into professional practice, and relevant literature on teachers’ learning, this article reveals the complexity and particularity of teacher inquiry processes in support of teachers’ learning. Specifically, the research reveals how particular actions, dialogue, and relationships collectively constitute a practice of teacher inquiry which seeks to promote substantive teacher-led learning. The research draws upon a group of Year 5 teachers engaged in collective inquiry into their work in what was described as an “Inquiry Cycle” approach in a school in northern Queensland, during a period of support for substantial curriculum reform. The research reveals the Inquiry Cycle approach as characterised by specific actions, dialogue, and relationships – “doings,” “sayings,” and “relatings” – productive of the development of a learning culture focused on significant curriculum reform; overt support for whole-school “explicit” approaches to teachers’ pedagogies; and active/robust critique of data-focused assessment processes. The research reveals necessary texture and detail in support of teachers’ learning, and the specific circumstances and contextual “arrangements” that help constitute this learning.     

Prospective teachers’ teaching experience: teacher learning through the use of video

Background: Future teachers need to observe, interpret and analyse teaching during the initial teacher education period. The use of videoed teaching and learning in teacher education promotes reflection, and analysing videos of teaching is helpful in learning effective classroom practices that prospective teachers mostly do not have the chance to observe during fieldwork experiences. The analysis of videos of teaching can be seen as a way to enhance the development of prospective teachers’ professional vision, which, in turn, improves instruction. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine prospective teachers’ reflections on video examples depicting their own teaching experiences. It aimed to create a professional development environment to facilitate the prospective teachers’ reflection on their own videos and those of their peers to improve their professional vision. Sample: This study was conducted with over 200 (in 31 groups) third-year prospective mathematics teachers in a university in Western Turkey. The student teachers, receiving training to teach first- to fourth-grade elementary school pupils, were taking a teaching methods course. Design and methods: In the first week of the semester, the student teachers, working in groups, were assigned mathematics topics to teach the elementary school pupils. During the semester, each group prepared by trying out their activities in front of other student teachers in other groups. At the end of the semester, one student teacher from each group presented a short lesson related to their mathematical topic to the elementary school pupils. This lesson was videotaped, then later it was watched and discussed by the student teachers. Of the student teachers who undertook the teaching in the videos, 22 volunteers agreed to be interviewed. All groups of student teachers provided written reflections on their experience. Selected videos of the class discussions about the videos of teaching were also used for triangulation. The data were analysed to identify the issues the prospective teachers reflected upon. A content analysis technique was employed. Results: The data indicated that the prospective teachers were able to reflect on several issues related to effective teaching, connect their theoretical knowledge to their practice and consider issues related to pupil learning and difficulties. Conclusion: The findings suggested that the use of video, together with discussions between the student teachers, had the potential to create promising learning opportunities for prospective teachers.     

Theorising teaching and learning: pre-service teachers’ theoretical awareness of learning

We examine pre-service teachers’ theoretical learning during one five-week training module, and their educators’ learning about better lecture design to foster student learning. The study is iterative: interventions (one per group) were implemented sequentially in student groups A–C, the results of the previous intervention serving as the baseline for the design developed for the next. These learning study participants, 79 students from year three of a teacher training programme, studied the variation theory (VT) of learning. Three lesson cycles were completed, each comprising four steps: (1) a pre-test, (2) a 15-min intervention discussing VT, (3) a post-test and (4) a delayed post-test conducted eight weeks later. The results indicated learning differences between groups; qualitative analysis identified three categories of student answers, i.e. emergent, premature and unaware, regarding their theoretical understanding. Group C had more students with emergent knowledge (36%) than did groups A (20%) or B (17%) at post-testing.     

Walking the walk: Rasch analysis of an exploratory survey of secondary teachers’ attitudes and understanding of students with learning difficulties

Abstract

This paper describes the use of low stakes Rasch analysis to examine the findings of a 2004 survey focused on secondary teachers’ attitudes and understanding of students with learning difficulties. The responses of 280 secondary teachers from across Queensland have been interpreted in complementary ways. Two sets of quantitative data were subjected to analysis using the Rasch model for rating scale data (Andrich, 1988; Bond & Fox, 2001). Attitudinal data was collected by Liken scale responses while data obtained from statements about student characteristics was analysed for understanding. These results were linked to demographic indicators and to qualitative data of selected teacher groups. This exploratory study revealed a uniformity of teacher attitude and understanding regardless of demographic indicator. This has significant implications for teacher educators, pedagogy, school organisation and culture as well as for the large numbers of students with learning difficulties enrolled in secondary schools.     

Exploring pre-service school counselling teachers’ learning needs: perceptions of teacher educators and student-teachers

Drawing on the dual perspectives of teacher educators and student-teachers, this research explores the complex learning needs of pre-service school counselling teachers (SCTs) in China. Relying on data from in-depth interviews and relevant curriculum documents, the findings of the study demonstrate four critical needs of SCTs, namely, developing a strong knowledge foundation with research competence, linking theories with practice in specific institutional and socio-cultural contexts, seeking social support and emotional guidance, as well as constructing a sense of vision and agency. However, due to a linear curriculum structure as well as various contextual obstacles (e.g. the exam-oriented system and potential social bias), the learning needs of student-teachers were not sufficiently addressed in the pre-service teacher education programme. The study argues for a recursive, integrative and context-specific teacher education curriculum in which student-teachers can be afforded rich practical opportunities and sufficient social and emotional support in the process of learning to teach.     

Special education teachers’ understanding and use of evidence-informed practice in the inclusion of children with SEN in Kuwait: lessons for teacher education

This paper presents a study which has evaluated the extent to which a sample of elementary special education teachers in Kuwait understand and make use of evidence-informed approaches in the mainstream classroom with children with special educational needs. A questionnaire survey was developed and administered (N = 150), focussing on teacher understanding of and use of two selected evidence-informed approaches: peer tutoring strategy and the JIGSAW strategy. Results revealed a good degree of understand and use of both strategies. Recommendations are made in relation to further research on the evidence-informed practice for the effective inclusion of children with special educational needs in Kuwait and internationally.     

Student teachers’ and in-service teachers’ peer learning: a realist synthesis

The aim of this review in the form of a realist synthesis is to understand what makes peer (student) teacher learning activities effective. Three types of peer learning were explored: collaborative, coaching, and assessment activities. Hypotheses were developed and tested against a set of 63 studies. These hypotheses indicated what mechanisms (i.e., characteristics of the activities) would influence the effectiveness of the activities and which contexts (i.e., factors) influenced this process. Findings showed that activities wherein participants gain subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge and apply this into practice made such learning effective. Peer learning is also reinforced by facilitators, reflection, and feedback, and influenced by personal and interpersonal factors. The main contribution of this realist synthesis is the practical implications for developers of peer learning activities, for school leaders and teacher educators, and for (student) teachers.     

Pre-service mathematics teachers’ learning and teaching of activity-based lessons supported with spreadsheets

In this study, 12 pre-service mathematics teachers worked in teams to develop their knowledge and skills in using teacher-led spreadsheet demonstrations to help students explore mathematics concepts, stimulate discussions and perform authentic tasks through activity-based lessons. Pre-service teachers’ lesson plans, their instruction of the lessons designed, experiences and lesson enactment outcomes were examined. The pre-service teachers in the study were able to develop and demonstrate their knowledge and skill adequately in designing and enacting activity-based mathematical lessons supported with spreadsheets. The results also showed that the pre-service teachers’ use of the spreadsheet as an instructional tool promoted student in-depth mathematical concept formation and an activity-based learning approach to make lessons less teacher centred and more interactive.     

‘My success as a teacher amazes me each and every day’ – perspectives of teachers with learning disabilities

The purpose of the article is to study the development of educational policy in Norway in the field of the unitary school system and to analyse whether the development can be seen as a move towards increasing inclusion. The educational policy, when seen over a long time span, has progressively aimed towards the development of a common compulsory school that has embraced increasingly more groups, across social and geographical divides. At the same time, the development has been characterised by discord and tensions, e.g. between standardisation and differentiation, coordination and special arrangements and organisational and pedagogical differentiation. Gradually, it was stressed that as many pupils as possible should be allowed to live and grow up at home and that special education was to be coordinated with the ordinary school as much as possible. Later on, inclusive education has been clearly formulated as a principle of education. It did assume a broadening of responsibility for the ordinary schools in order to develop an educational programme that can accommodate the diverse learning needs of all pupils. It is pointed out that the policy of the unitary school has to deal with a lot of critical dilemmas for moving further towards inclusion.     

Mathematics teachers’ learning: a conceptual framework and synthesis of research

How do practicing mathematics teachers continue to develop the knowledge and habits of mind that enable them to teach well and to improve their teaching over time? The question of how (and what) teachers learn lies at the crux of any effort to provide high-quality mathematics teaching for all students. This article reviews 106 articles written between 1985 and 2008 related to the professional learning of practicing teachers of mathematics. We offer a synthesis of this research, guided by Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (Teach Teach Educ 18(8):947–967, 2002) dynamic model of teacher growth. Their model emphasizes the recursive nature of teachers’ learning and suggests that growth in one aspect of teachers’ knowledge and practice may promote subsequent growth in other areas. We report the results in six major areas of teacher learning, identify several crosscutting themes in the literature, and make recommendations for future research aimed at understanding teachers’ professional learning.     

Principal–teacher interactions and teacher leadership development: beginning teachers’ perspectives

Teacher leadership lies at the heart of school improvement. Leadership development among beginning teachers, however, is often neglected. This paper examines the role of principal–teacher interactions in the leadership development of a group of beginning teachers. Using a case study design, interviews were conducted and documentary evidence was collected. The results showed that the beginning teachers were able to take up leadership roles in schools both formally and informally. Development of teacher leadership requires constructive and regular communication with teachers and encouragement of their continuing professional development. Three types of effects on principal–teacher interactions in developing teacher leadership were identified: ‘inspirational’, ‘empowering’ and ‘allowing’. These interaction patterns contribute to the international knowledge on teacher leadership development in schools. Implications for school leadership are discussed.     

Photovoice: understanding high school females’ conceptions of mathematics and learning mathematics

Photovoice is a participatory action research tool that is grounded in the literature for critical consciousness (Wang & Burris, 1997). Four creative high school girls who reported struggles with mathematics were given cameras and asked to take photographs to answer the following questions: (1) What is mathematics? (2) What is your ideal learning environment? (3) What things impede your learning of mathematics? Within-case and cross-case analyses of the photographs and interview responses were conducted. Each individual case was analyzed using the work of Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule (Women’s Ways of Knowing, 1986) who investigated women’s epistemological perspectives. The girls were either silenced (disconnected from the mathematical knowledge of the teacher), received (lacked confidence to do mathematics independently), or “fragily” subjective (viewed mathematical knowledge as personal rather than imparted by the teacher) knowers of mathematics. The use of photovoice has the power to facilitate the nurturing of silence as it moves toward the “roar which is on the other side of silence” (Belenky et al., 1986, p. 4).     

Situated learning and teachers’ digital competence

Computer literacy, media literacy, digital literacy and digital competence are all concepts that highlight the need to handle technology in our digital age. However, when it comes to teachers’ digital literacy there is a need to develop a more pedagogic-didactic content for digital literacy in order to deal with the way in which new digital trends influence the underlying conditions for schools, pedagogy and subjects. This theoretical article will therefore examine whether a broader view of knowledge (situated learning) can be a relevant theoretical underpinning for a new digital competence model for teachers and the Scandinavian English perception of the term competence. The article is particularly angled towards how the complexity of teachers’ digital literacy makes it necessary to expand our traditional perception of this concept. The implications of the article indicate that five vital structures are found to be essential to perceptions amongst teachers of the importance of Information- and Communication Technology (ICT) and achievement of digital competence.