The development of data use, data skills, and positive attitude towards data use in a data team intervention for teacher educators

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 99-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Bolhuis ◽  
Joke Voogt ◽  
Kim Schildkamp
Author(s):  
Kim Schildkamp ◽  
Cindy Louise Poortman

This chapter focuses on how school leaders can support the use of data in data teams with the data team intervention, a step-by-step systematic approach to school improvement. First, the data team professional development intervention is described and an example of a data team in action is provided. Next, the authors closely examine the role of the school leader in supporting the use of data in data teams. Several leadership behaviors that are important to support data teams are described: developing a vision, norms, and goals for data use; providing individualized support; providing intellectual stimulation; creating a climate for data use; and, networking to connect different parts of the organization. Concrete examples are provided with regard to how these behaviors are demonstrated in data teams. The chapter ends with a checklist and reflection tool, which school leaders can use to reflect on their own leadership behaviors with regard to supporting data use in data teams.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk MacLeod

Johnston, Aviaq. What's My Superpower? Illustrated by Tim Mack, Inhabit Media. 2017. Following her debut novel, Those Who Run in the Sky, Johnston and illustrator Tim Mack have put together the delightful story of a young Inuit girl named Nalvana who sees superpowers in all her friends, but isn't sure if she has one of her own. The book has a bright and colourful style highlighting a young girl's world in the Canadian Territories. Following Nelvana through her story, the reader is introduced to her mother, her unnamed (but adorable) dog, her friends and her community. Her infectious smile and positive attitude come through on every page and as she discovers each of her friends’ superpowers, she, and the reader, begin to wonder about her own.  The book mixes Inuktitut terms throughout, and includes a glossary at the end. An excellent introduction to a young girl's world in Northern Canada and with a positive message and vibrant illustrations, the book would work well for young schoolchildren as well as those who might be interested in a view of Canada's different communities and questions about their own superpowers. A great read! Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Kirk MacLeod Kirk is the Open Data Team Lead for the Government of Alberta’s Open Government Portal. A Life-Long reader, he moderates two book clubs and is constantly on the lookout for new great books!


Author(s):  
Robert Michaud

As data teams have grown in popularity in recent years, they have been increasingly looked to by educational researchers because of the tantalizing prospect of combining teachers’ on the job professional development with increased and effective data use to drive instruction. Data teams have been increasingly implemented within schools by educational leaders attempting to take advantage of what teachers learn from each other in the context of a data team. Many conceptual models of data team function have been proposed, but few empirical studies have examined how teachers learn from collaborating with each other in a data team. This paper explores the nature of teachers’ learning in data teams, uncovering key factors that impact the learning opportunities created by collaborating around student data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-45
Author(s):  
Mireille D. Hubers ◽  
Cindy L. Poortman ◽  
Kim Schildkamp ◽  
Jules M. Pieters

Background/Context The data team intervention was designed to support schools in using data while developing a solution to an educational problem. The participating data team members are responsible for building collective capacity within their school for using data and implementing actions related to the improvement plan. This can be challenging, because although they have gained knowledge and experience with data use and the educational problem, their colleagues who were not on the data team have not. As a result, there is a heightened risk for discontinuity between the behaviors of such colleagues and of the data team members: Colleagues will not automatically use data nor implement the actions for improvement. These discontinuities are referred to as boundaries. To establish common ground with their colleagues, data team members need to act as boundary crossers by brokering their knowledge. Purpose The present study used a process view to determine how data team members acted as boundary crossers by studying what content they had brokered, the level at which they had addressed that content, and what activities they had used to cross boundaries. Intervention Data teams consist of six to eight educators who collaboratively learn how to use data to analyze and address an educational problem at their school. They work following a cyclical procedure. Research Design A longitudinal qualitative case study was conducted in four Dutch schools that implemented the data team intervention. Data Collection and Analysis Artifacts were collected and all team members were interviewed twice. Log files, minutes of the meetings, and progress reports were used to obtain a complete picture of boundary crossing and to provide background information. A coding scheme was used in order to determine what content was brokered, the level at which the content was addressed, and the activities used to broker the content. Findings/Results Findings illustrated that team members mainly brokered knowledge about the educational problem and data use as applied to the educational problem, but rarely about data use in general. Overall, content was almost exclusively addressed at the level of awareness, indicating that only basic information was brokered. Conclusions/Recommendations Successful boundary crossing cannot be taken for granted: Team members brokered their knowledge in ways less likely to be effective. When they receive additional support for this, they are likely to increase their team's effectiveness in building school-wide capacity for both data use and the implementation of actions related to the improvement plan.


2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Schildkamp ◽  
Cindy Poortman

Background Data-based decision making can lead to increased student achievement; however, schools struggle with the implementation of data-based decision making. Professional development in the use of data is therefore urgently needed. However, professional development is often ineffective in terms of improving the knowledge, skills, and attitude of the receiver. Purpose We need a more fundamental understanding of how we can increase the effectiveness of data-use-related professional development. This study therefore focuses on the factors influencing a professional development intervention for data-based decision making: the data team procedure. Data teams are teams of teachers and school leaders who collaboratively learn how to use data, following a structured approach and guided by a facilitator from the university. Based on an extensive literature review, we developed a data use framework in which the use of data is influenced by data characteristics, school organization characteristics, and user and team characteristics. Research Design We conducted case studies. Data Collection We focused on observing in depth the factors that influence the work of the data teams and interviewing the data team members about these factors. Four data teams of six schools for upper secondary education were followed over a period of 2 years. We observed and analyzed 34 meetings and analyzed 23 interviews, combined with our field notes. Although this pilot study only permits analytical generalization of the findings, the findings provide more in-depth insight into the factors that enable and hinder interventions, focusing on supporting collaborative data use in schools. Findings The results show that several data characteristics (access and availability of high-quality data), school organizational characteristics (a shared goal, leadership, training and support, involvement of relevant stakeholders), and individual and team characteristics (data literacy, pedagogical content knowledge [PCK], organizational knowledge, attitude, and collaboration) influence the use of data in data teams. The results also show that these influencing factors are interrelated. Conclusions Schools need support in all aspects of the use of data (from formulation of a problem definition to taking action based on the data). This study can form a starting point for larger studies into the factors influencing these types of professional development interventions to ensure effective implementation and sustainability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasemali Azadi ◽  
Reza Biria ◽  
Mehdi Nasri

This study aims to operationlise the mediation concept on L2 teacher education. Sixty-two EFL teachers at Isfahan high schools were selected, a 30-item questionnaire was employed, and T-test and one-way ANOVA were used. The findings revealed mediation roles of the teacher educators were instructional while integrative and participative roles were not attended. Teacher educators presented knowledge, skills, and experiences in the forms of lectures and seminars with little attention to workshops and panel discussions. BA holders showed positive perception towards mediation role of teacher educators while MA holders did not. The least experienced L2 teachers indicated the most positive attitude towards the mediation role of the teacher educators while the most experienced L2 teachers showed the least positive attitude. The findings presented L2 teachers a deep insight of the mediation concept, teacher educators a better picture of possible flaws of their role, and policy makers to amend related drawbacks.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angie C. Kennedy ◽  
Larry Bennett

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 146-147
Author(s):  
Dr. K.S. Dedun Dr. K.S. Dedun ◽  

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