DATA DRIVES Change: Linking Professional Development to Improved Outcomes

2003 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-32
Author(s):  
Katherine J. Mitchem
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Mnemonic Strategy ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Evaluation Of Professional Development

A common dilemma facing administrators and staff developers is how to design and deliver professional development activities that produce an impact in terms of capacity building, teacher learning and development, and student outcomes. The challenges this presents are even more marked in rural areas, where school systems must also contend with additional barriers when attempting to implement strategic changes. To encourage the development of productive professional development, many studies are beginning to indicate the importance of making evaluation central to the design of professional development. This article presents a mnemonic strategy—DATA DRIVES Change—to guide the design, development and evaluation of professional development in rural settings. In addition, the article provides a practical application of the strategy to an ongoing rural professional development project.

Enhancing Professional Development for Educators: Adapting Project ECHO From Health Care to Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 875687052096044
Author(s):  
Canyon Hardesty ◽  
Eric J. Moody ◽  
Shira Kern ◽  
Wendy Warren ◽  
Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Hub And Spoke ◽  
Project Echo ◽  
Professional Development Workshop ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Behavioral Supports ◽  
Support Students

Adequately prepared educators are critical to the success of children in rural settings, but many educators receive little training on how to support students with disabilities. Professional development for educators is challenging in rural areas due to the lack of opportunities and travel requirements. Project ECHO™ was originally developed to overcome similar challenges facing physicians. The ECHO Model overcomes these challenges by creating a hub and spoke network that connects local providers with experts. These networks meet regularly over teleconferencing technology to conduct a short professional development workshop, followed by a case-study from one of the local sites. We adapted the ECHO Model for use in education and since 2014 implemented four networks: autism, assistive technology, secondary transitions, and behavioral supports. Educators found ECHO highly acceptable and reported improved skills and knowledge. ECHO for Education is effective and has the potential to improve capacity of education systems in rural settings.

scholarly journals One size fits nobody: En casestudie av yrkesfaglæreres deltakelse i kompetanse-utviklingsarbeid i videregående skole

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Julie Klovholt Leonardsen
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Group Interviews

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers have a dual profession as teachers and vocational workers. Professional development projects in school must apply to both sides of their profession. However, VET teachers’ need for professional development, particularly in terms of student assessment, has not been significantly explored. This ethnographic case study examines what aspects of professional development projects VET teachers perceive as meaningful for developing their assessment literacy. Data was collected through observations of 31 VET teachers in two upper secondary schools, in the context of a professional development project aiming to strengthen assessment literacy. Eighteen of these teachers also participated in focus group interviews. Findings show that if VET teachers are to find professional development projects in school meaningful for developing their assessment literacy, the projects must 1) have vocational relevance, 2) maintain a vocational perspective on the validity of assessment of students’ vocational competence, and 3) take place in a learning and development-oriented culture. Unfortunately, professional development projects do not address teachers’ developmental needs due to tensions among professional, socio-cultural and organisational contexts in school and vocational workplaces. 

scholarly journals One size fits nobody: En casestudie av yrkesfaglæreres deltakelse i kompetanse-utviklingsarbeid i videregående skole

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Julie Klovholt Leonardsen
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Group Interviews

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers have a dual profession as teachers and vocational workers. Professional development projects in school must apply to both sides of their profession. However, VET teachers’ need for professional development, particularly in terms of student assessment, has not been significantly explored. This ethnographic case study examines what aspects of professional development projects VET teachers perceive as meaningful for developing their assessment literacy. Data was collected through observations of 31 VET teachers in two upper secondary schools, in the context of a professional development project aiming to strengthen assessment literacy. Eighteen of these teachers also participated in focus group interviews. Findings show that if VET teachers are to find professional development projects in school meaningful for developing their assessment literacy, the projects must 1) have vocational relevance, 2) maintain a vocational perspective on the validity of assessment of students’ vocational competence, and 3) take place in a learning and development-oriented culture. Unfortunately, professional development projects do not address teachers’ developmental needs due to tensions among professional, socio-cultural and organisational contexts in school and vocational workplaces.

scholarly journals Tackling Rural Health, Energy, … and Technological Issues All at Once: A Call for a Global Interdisciplinary Platform for Strengthening Rural Setting Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Challenges ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Farshad Amiraslani
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Research Studies

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has revealed flaws in rural settings where most people live without the necessary tools, income, and knowledge to tackle such unprecedented global challenges. Here, I argue that despite the research studies conducted on rural areas, these have not solved rising rural issues, notably poverty and illiteracy. I propound a global institute to be formed by governments that provides a platform for empowering rural communities through better training, skills, and competencies. Such global endeavour will ensure the remaining rural communities withstand future pandemics if they occur.

scholarly journals Implementation of a developmental model of teachers' and didacticians’ learning through inquiry: design, operationalisation and outcomes

ZDM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 1073-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Jaworski ◽  
Despina Potari
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Mathematical Tasks ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Project Proposal ◽  
Trace Learning

AbstractThis paper addresses implementation with respect to the professional development (PD) of teachers of mathematics and the educators/didacticians who work with them, through an inquiry-based developmental model. In contrast with a PD model in which educators show, guide or instruct teachers in classroom approaches and mathematical tasks, we present a developmental model in which teachers and educators collaborate to inquire into and develop their own teaching practice. The project, Learning Communities in Mathematics (LCM: e.g., Goodchild, Fuglestad and Jaworski, 2013) exemplifies this developmental model. Here we focus on a project Teaching Better Mathematics (TBM) which extends LCM and implements its developmental model at larger scale. We trace the implementation process through analysis of data gathered during and after the extended project, including written reflections of key didacticians, minutes from leadership meetings and two versions of the project proposal. Particularly, we trace learning and development through an activity theory analysis of the issues, tensions and contradictions experienced by participation in TBM.

scholarly journals A Proposed Land Exchange Algorithm for Eliminating the External Plot Patchwork

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Żanna Stręk ◽  
Przemysław Leń ◽  
Justyna Wójcik-Leń ◽  
Paweł Postek ◽  
Monika Mika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Test Sample ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Exchange Algorithm ◽  
The World ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Structure Improvement ◽  
Land Exchange

In many countries of the world, rural areas are characterized by a defective spatial structure of agricultural land. The most frequent defects are large fragmentation and distribution of farmland. The fragmentation of land has been an issue widely described by many authors throughout the world. The problem of the distribution of land owned by individual farmers is slightly different, since due to the complexity of the problem this issue was not widely explored in Poland (plot patchwork) or in other countries of Europe and the world. Land fragmentation and distribution of plots in rural areas has a negative effect on the profitability and efficiency of agricultural production. Land consolidation and exchange is an operation facilitating spatial structure improvement. The authors attempted to develop a universal land exchange algorithm for eliminating the external plot patchwork. As it turns out, so far no land exchange algorithm has been developed. Specific analyses were carried out in Puchaczów commune, county of Łęczna, Lublin voivodeship in the eastern part of Poland, covering an area of 6907.80 ha, split into 15,211 plots. The chequerboard arrays method was used. The publication presents the algorithm and its practical application using a test sample. A result of the studies is a proposal concerning the exchange of land between landowners in the villages of the commune of Puchaczów. Using the algorithm, the area of individual lands in the commune, after the exchange, will increase by 172.09 ha, which is 2.5% for the area of individual lands, and 1.9% for the commune.

Evaluation of Professional Development for Language Teachers in California

2002 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert S. Lozano ◽  
Hyekyung Sung ◽  
Amado M. Padilla ◽  
Duarte M. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Evaluation Of Professional Development

scholarly journals An Examination of Principal Professional Development and its Alignment to Professional Standards and Professional Development Constructs

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-80
Author(s):  
SUZANNE RODRIGUEZ ◽  
Jennifer Moradian-Watson ◽  
Mariya Yukhymenko
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Principal Professional Development ◽  
Principal Development ◽  
Leadership Standards ◽  
Effective Professional Development ◽  
District Administrators ◽  
School District Administrators ◽  
Professional Leadership

Principals need and require specific professional development that is rigorous, effective, and aligned to professional leadership standards and effective professional development constructs. This case study examined the professional development strategies, and practices, used by school districts and their alignment to the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSEL) and effective professional development constructs. School district administrators and principals representing the Southern San Joaquin Valley, a predominantly rural area of California, participated in this research via interviews and focus groups. This research is critical as rural areas are often underrepresented in educational research. The findings indicate a lack of intentional alignment of principal professional development with professional standards and professional development constructs. The findings call for districts to take an intentional approach to principal development that is aligned with these frameworks to ensure principals are provided with effective and rigorous support for their educational leadership, growth, and development.

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