scholarly journals Secondary School Teachers’ Professional Development in Australia and Shanghai: Needs, Support, and Barriers

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110269
Author(s):  
Guangbao Fang ◽  
Philip Wing Keung Chan ◽  
Penelope Kalogeropoulos

Using data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS; 2013), this article explores teachers’ needs, support, and barriers in their professional development. The research finds that Australian teachers expressed greater needs in information and communication technology (ICT) use and new technology training for teaching, while Shanghai teachers required more assistance to satisfy students’ individual learning and pedagogical competencies. More than 80% of Australian and Shanghai teachers received scheduled time to support their participation in professional development, whereas less than 20% of Australian and Shanghai teachers received monetary or nonmonetary support. In terms of barriers, Australian and Shanghai teachers reported two significant barriers that conflicted with their participation in professional development: “working schedule” and “a lack of incentives to take part.” This article reveals implications of the study in the design of an effective professional development program for Australian and Shanghai teachers and ends with discussing the limitations of the research and future research directions.

Author(s):  
Emily W. Anderson

The United Arab Emirates’ education policy agenda is focused on a singular goal: to be one of the top 20 countries in PISA 2022. The focus on PISA has become so robust in the UAE that it is now a central component of teachers’ professional development. This article explores teachers’ sensemaking of dominant education policy discourses through their experience in an internationally sited professional development program in Vietnam – a country whose 2015 PISA performance inspired the education policy reform in the UAE. The findings presented in this article highlight teachers’ deficit framing of difference and their performative adoption of STREAM-focused practices to replicate Vietnam’s 2015 PISA scores. This article concludes with recommendations for future research to better understand the ways in which dominant discourses inform teachers’ professional development, and opportunities to expand teachers’ roles in the policymaking process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Minh Thu

Washback, i.e., test effects on teaching and learning, has been emerging as an attractive research topic in language training and assessment for over the past 20 years for its significant implications of test validation and fairness for both policy-makers and practitioners. Presently, it deserves more Vietnamese researchers' interest in the context of the enactment of the National Foreign Language Project 2020 (extended to 2025), which puts language assessment as a key innovation requirement. Washback operates either positively or negatively; i.e. promoting or inhibiting learning. Teachers are considered the precursor in the washback mechanism. There is only one washback model on the washback effects on teachers, which is proposed by Shih (2009). This paper aims to critically browse other washback models besides Shin’s (2009) to generate a washback framework on teachers' perceptions and practices. Previous empirical washback research on teachers in and beyond Vietnam is, then, investigated in alignment with the aspects illustrated in the framework to point out achievements and gaps in the field. A qualitative approach of document analysis of over forty studies of differing types, i.e. books, dissertations and articles, has been adopted to reach the research aim. The discussion is divided into two major parts, including the washback models pertaining to teachers to scaffold a model for teachers' perceptions and practices, and the results in empirical research in terms of the aspects mentioned in the model. Findings show that washback on teachers' perceptions ranges from perceptions of the test itself, students' language ability, teaching contents and methodology to teachers' professional development. Plus, washback on teachers' practices concerns their selections of teaching contents and methodology in class as well as their involvement in professional development. The element of professional development can be considered a new light in the reviewed washback model. This has a significant meaning by raising teachers' awareness of developing themselves professionally. The current paper expects to contribute to elaborating the scenario of washback research for interested researchers, practitioners and policymakers not only in but beyond the context of Vietnam.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.30) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Fariz Setyawan ◽  
Yosep Dwi Kristanto ◽  
Naufal Ishartono

The use of technology is essential in teaching and learning process. Many researchers have already been implemented Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) in teaching and learning process. Given the importance of DGS, it is necessary for in-service teachers to use the software in their teaching and learning. Hence, it is important to prepare in-service teacher in utilizing DGS through the professional development program. This is a qualitative research which describes a professional development program to facilitate in-service teachers in utilizing DGS. Both questionnaire and review measured in-service teachers’ perceptions, knowledge and skills transfer, and impact for their practice. From the findings, four of five in-service teachers recognized that they can interact with geometric figures to move on to the next level by using DGS. The teachers felt that DGS has helped them to understand the mathematics concept and demonstrate their understanding in front of the class. Besides, DGS does not only offer opportunities for teachers and students to use them both at home and in the classroom, but they also provide a means for developing support and user communities reaching across borders especially in understanding of geometrical transformation. It has contributed that the teachers easily recognize the geometrical shapes interpretations dynamically on DGS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
Stavroula Sant-Geronikolou

Purpose – As, under the new educational, communicational and technological paradigms, Library and Information Science curricula reconceptualization is gaining momentum, this opinion paper should be seen as a theoretical contribution to current thinking around South European formal education and Continuing Professional Development potential to effectively addressing the New Academic Library challenges.Design/methodology/findings - Building on context-specific case studies and previous international research focusing the investigation of the necessity to reshape official undergraduate programs and academic librarian career-long learning opportunities, our paper discusses whether and how an open flexible synergistic approach could be an ideal solution to current scenario pain points. Besides offering a brief but comprehensive review of the topic, it further proposes a set of future research studies that may result foundational to change within the librarian community by helping unpack the complexities of an ecosystem still in search of its identity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Stamatović ◽  
◽  
Mirjana Stakić

The paper is based on the overview and description of ten monographs from in- ternational scientific conferences held in the period between 2011 and 2021 at the Facul- ty of Education in Uţice, and is aimed at recording topics and issues discussed in them, and making suggestions for future research of problems, goals and perspectives in the teaching and learning process. The review of the monographs from these international scientific conferences showed that the interest of theoreticians and practitioners is firmly focused on general questions of education and rearing, teaching and learning, as well as questions of educational assessment and evaluation, textbook quality, and education and professional development of teachers. Topics in the field of elementary education are predominant, so in the future, it would be worth paying more attention to the current topics in the field of preschool and higher education.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-26
Author(s):  
ARWA AHMED ABDO QASEM ◽  
VISWA NATHAPPA

Integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into teaching and learning is a growing area that has attracted many educators’ efforts in recent years. The teachers need to be involved in collaborative projects and development of intervention change strategies, which would include teaching partnerships with ICT as a tool.


2014 ◽  
pp. 673-688
Author(s):  
Charalambos Mouzakis ◽  
Haralampos Tsaknakis ◽  
Chrysanthi Tziortzioti

This chapter explores the underlying theoretical principles that provided the basis for the design and implementation of a professional development program for informatics teachers in Greece. A blended learning model was adopted combining live workshop meetings, face-to-face in-lab training sessions and online videoconferencing sessions. The framework of constructivism and experiential learning was used as a theoretical rationale for the combination of face-to-face activities with online learning experiences. It is shown that a blended learning design based on the principles of constructivism and experiential learning pedagogy can provide vital tools for the creation of an active environment for informatics teachers' professional development. Also, it appears that a promising direction for further investigation, in terms of improving the learning outcome based on the same theoretical principles, is the more detailed design of the sequence of learning activities and a closer look at the development of communities of practice among teachers.


Author(s):  
Catherine Attard

The fast pace of technology has meant that new technologies are often being introduced into classrooms without knowledge of how they can be used to enhance teaching and learning in mathematics. This chapter explores how a small group of teachers used a new technology, the iPad, to teach mathematics within the first six months of their implementation and without the support of professional development. Findings from two separate studies are presented to support the argument that care should be taken when introducing any new technology to teach mathematics in primary classrooms and appropriate professional development that addresses the combination of mathematical content, pedagogy and technology is critical for all teachers, regardless of teaching experience.


Author(s):  
Lingyun Lu

This study sought to discover whether group mentoring could serve the purpose for which it is intended in an early childhood educational context. As an alternative to the traditional mentoring model, group mentoring attempts to provide as much, if not more, instructional and emotional support as traditional mentoring relationships, which we assume to be conducive to teachers' professional development in Chinese early childhood educational contexts. In addition, group mentoring facilitates communication, collaboration and mutual growth in ways that traditional mentoring lacks. It also examined whether both mentors and mentees could be involved in the mentoring process as learners and as reflective educators on their journey of professional development, including developing their reflective and research capabilities. This qualitative case study focused on the impact of group mentoring on the professional development of four teachers in a Shanghai kindergarten. Within the theoretical framework of COP (Community of Practice), it was an investigation of how the group mentoring process, an alternative to traditional models of professional development, had an impact on the teachers in a changing early childhood education context in China. This study featured in-depth individual interviews with the four teachers (two mentors and two mentees), who are in the same mentoring group, and observations of their group mentoring activities. Data was coded and analyzed qualitatively. Major themes emerged from the study: the teachers' perceptions of the model, the benefits and challenges it brings, and its influence on their relationships and identity. The study aimed to gain insight into how group mentoring, a potentially optimal model, has exerted an influence on the teachers' professional development. This study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and areas for future research.


2016 ◽  
pp. 689-709
Author(s):  
Catherine Attard

The fast pace of technology has meant that new technologies are often being introduced into classrooms without knowledge of how they can be used to enhance teaching and learning in mathematics. This chapter explores how a small group of teachers used a new technology, the iPad, to teach mathematics within the first six months of their implementation and without the support of professional development. Findings from two separate studies are presented to support the argument that care should be taken when introducing any new technology to teach mathematics in primary classrooms and appropriate professional development that addresses the combination of mathematical content, pedagogy and technology is critical for all teachers, regardless of teaching experience.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document