Sustaining the Effect of Professional Development on Small-Class Teaching: Self-Owned Model of School-Based Teacher Development

Author(s):  
Kam Wing Chan
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacky Pow ◽  
Marina Wong

It is commonly believed that small class teaching can greatly enhance student learning because the individual needs of each student can be better addressed, the students can learn more through more innovative and flexible teaching methods and the students have more time to interact with each other and to gain feedback from their teachers. Although studies have shown that students benefit from small class teaching, they have failed to identify the benefits as the natural consequences of a simple reduction in class size. As increasing numbers of researchers argue that professional development in small class teaching is more important than a simple reduction in class size, it is timely to determine the factors that affect teachers’ participation in small class teaching professional development programmes and their use of small class teaching after participation in these programmes. This study explored teachers’ concerns about or obstacles to applying their knowledge from professional development programmes to their teaching. Teachers who had participated in a government-funded professional development programme were invited to complete an end-of-programme questionnaire, and 160 valid questionnaires were collected. The initial findings indicate that workplace factors were the most common factors in the implementation of small class teaching.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Jonathan William Pitt ◽  
Hettie van der Merwe

The purpose of this study was to develop a school based model for optimizing the professional development of Canadian primary school teachers. This study focused on the role of the school principal in teacher development and improving learner achievement data. This study utilised a literature review covering a comprehensive review of existing models of teacher development, the school as a professional learning community and the role of the school principal. The empirical investigation was based on a mixed methods approach using a quantitative questionnaire with a sample of 145 out of a possible 200 (representing a 73% return rate) and twenty (10 school principals & 10 teachers) qualitative semi-structured in-depth individual interviews to gather data from both a teacher group and a school management group from a teacher education faculty at a local university and a selected English Public school district in Canada in the province of Ontario.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 190-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senevirathna Bandara

Teacher professional development is the ‘key’ of the developing students’ quality of the outcomes in the 21st century. Under such a situation, teachers have to update and intensify their knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices according to students’ current expansive demand. In this context, School-Based Teacher Professional Development is a very important concept, because it allows teachers to plan, organise and implement their own professional development programs, considering their particular needs, as well as those of students and school. However, this concept has not been extensively developed in the Sri Lankan education context. Focusing on the Sri Lankan secondary school context, this study examines the possibilities, effectiveness, strategies, issues and challenges involved in implementing these programs in the teachers’ professional development. Simultaneously, the situation of the Non-School-Based Teacher Development programs are also examined because these are currently prominent and this study assumed that both programs need to be integrated in order to provide balanced teacher professional development. The qualitative research approach and the case-study method has been employed. The data were collected by conducting interviews, non-participative observation and sample-based documentary searching. According to the findings, strong recommendations were proposed and relevant guidelines were suggested for future researches.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Tamas Kiss

Professional development is an important issue for every teacher. The recent trends in education favour teacher-centred, participant initiated and managed, school-based teacher development programmes, for example action research, lesson study, communities of practice, etc. Although there is no doubt that such initiatives offer ample learning opportunities for practitioners, it is important that higher level school or institutional development strategies be also considered, besides teachers’ individual learning agendas. This paper argues that it is possible to merge the needs of both individual practitioners and schools through a reflective, school-based developmental programme which is organised and supported by the school administration for the benefit of all involved. Being conceptual, the paper outlines a model for such a professional development course and discusses the principles it should be based on, its knowledge base, including possible content areas, skills, and learning processes. This paper may initiate professional discussion and further our knowledge of teacher development.  Keywords: Developmental strategies, individual practitioner, school administration, teacher-centred, teacher professional developmentCite as: Kiss, T. (2016). School-based teacher learning: A reflective approach. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(2), 50-62.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chi-Kin Lee

This article draws upon the experiences of a five-year government-funded university–school partnership project known as the Partnership for Improvement of Learning and Teaching (PILT) (2004–09), aimed at supporting teachers through improving their teaching quality and enhancing their professional growth in key learning areas – particularly mathematics, education and personal, social and humanities education – and initial experience of another completed project, the School Improvement Project for Early Childhood Education (SIP-ECE). The article first describes the rationale and operation of the PILT and SIP-ECE, respectively, and then explores the application of a 4-P (problem clarification, planning, programme action and progress evaluation) action learning approach to the improvement of subject teaching practice. This is followed, through case studies, by an exploration of teachers' own perceptions and university partners' perceptions of professional development and instructional improvement through the project. The final part of the article refers to Western concepts of professional development and university–school partnership, and suggests ways forward for school-based teacher development and instructional improvement in Hong Kong.


2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142098622
Author(s):  
Hal Abeles ◽  
Lindsay Weiss-Tornatore ◽  
Bryan Powell

As popular music education programs become more common, it is essential to determine what kinds of professional development experiences that are designed to help teachers include popular music into their music education classrooms are effective—keeping in mind that the inclusion of popular music in K–12 classrooms requires a change not only in instrumentation and repertoire but also pedagogical approaches. This study examined the effects of a popular music professional development initiative on more than 600 New York City urban music teachers’ musicianship, their pedagogy, and their leadership skills throughout one school year. Results revealed increases in all three areas, most notably in teachers’ musicianship. The study also showed an increase in teachers’ positive perceptions about their music programs, specifically, their level of excitement about the state of their music program and that their music program was more effective at meeting their students’ needs than it had been previously.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Saba Qadhi ◽  
Alan Floyd

The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs’ perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional “one size fits all” CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.


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