scholarly journals Using Facebook as an e-portfolio in enhancing pre-service teachers’ professional development

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Future Teachers ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Teacher Portfolio ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

<p class="Body1">This study aims to determine if <em>Facebook</em>, when used as an online teacher portfolio (OTP), could contribute meaningfully to pre-service teachers’ professional development (PD) and in what ways the OTP can be meaningful. Pre-service teachers (<em>n</em> = 91) were asked to develop OTP using <em>Facebook</em> and engage in learning and professional development (PD) activities for 14 weeks. Questionnaires, open-ended items and reflective reports were used to collect data and it was found that many of the pre-service teachers benefitted quite significantly in terms of their development as future teachers through these five facets: (i) community of practice; (ii) professional learning and identity; (iii) relevant skills; (iv) resources; and (v) confidence.</p>

scholarly journals Mathematics teachers’ learning on Exploratory Teaching: analysis of a Multimedia Case in a Community of Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-133
Author(s):  
Cristina Cirino de Jesus ◽  
Marcia Cristina de Costa Trindade Cyrino ◽  
Hélia Margarida de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Lesson Planning ◽  
Audio Recording ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Multimedia Resource

This article aim is to investigate what professional learning regarding Exploratory Teaching (ET) perspective was revealed by Mathematics teachers, in a Community of Practice (CoP). In a context intended to promote teachers’ professional development, a multimedia resource integrating real classroom situations was used to promote discussion and learning. Qualitative research has been carried out with an audio recording of the group meetings and the written productions elaborated by the teachers. The learning related to the Exploratory Teaching perspective revealed by the teachers is associated to the actions and roles of the teacher, the student’s role, classroom management and the relevance of lesson planning in teacher’s practice. The involvement in the CoP favored teachers to rethink and question some of their actions during the lessons and to notice essential aspects of ET perspective and to connect them with their experiences from the classroom. The results show that the constitution of a CoP around the exploration of a multimedia case in professional development contexts can be a facilitator for the learning of its members.

scholarly journals Professional Learning in a Digital Age / L’apprentissage professionnel à l’ère numérique

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Brooks ◽  
Susan Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Formation Professionnelle ◽  
De Re ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Online Teacher

While professional development (PD) has always been central to the teaching profession, increasingly traditional models of PD are out of step with contemporary ways of learning. Commiserate with the literature, we see the field moving along a continuum which reflects changes in what, how and when teachers learn. Following a brief sketch of the online teacher professional development (oTPD) field, we identify important considerations of emerging models of technology-mediated professional learning (TMPL). We posit the catalyst for the transformation of education, as envisioned by countless educational leaders, may lie in reimaging professional development as professional learning in a networked age. Alors que le perfectionnement professionnel (« PP ») a toujours été au cœur de la profession d’enseignant, les modèles traditionnels de PP sont de plus en plus décalés par rapport aux méthodes contemporaines d’apprentissage. Nous voyons ce domaine progresser dans un continuum qui reflète les changements dans ce que les enseignants apprennent, dans la façon et le moment où ils l’apprennent, et cette progression correspond à la littérature. Après un survol du domaine du perfectionnement professionnel en ligne pour les enseignants, nous cernons des considérations importantes sur les modèles émergents de la formation professionnelle assistée par ordinateur. Nous postulons que le catalyseur de la transformation de l’éducation, comme conçue par d’innombrables chefs de file de la pédagogie, pourrait être de ré-imaginer le perfectionnement professionnel comme une formation professionnelle à l’ère des réseaux.

scholarly journals Online Teacher Professional Development in Canada: A Review of the Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Beach ◽  
Elena Favret ◽  
Alexandra Minuk
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Online Teacher Professional Development

This paper presents findings from a systematic review of 11 studies examining online teacher professional development (oTPD) in Canada between 2000-2020. A thematic content analysis of the articles led to four main themes associated with research on oTPD: 1. knowledge exchange; 2. reflective practice; 3. multifaceted learning opportunities; and 4. just-in-time support. The study contexts, research methods, and other relevant study characteristics are also reviewed and discussed. The results shed light on the current research trends on oTPD in Canada and highlight the need for continued research in this area. Data from diverse research methods across Canada’s geographical regions can contribute to greater insight into the types of oTPD occurring in Canada and how various platforms and professional development opportunities can best support teachers’ professional learning.

Teachers Are Adult Learners

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-42
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Adult Learning ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Adult Learning Theory ◽  
Learning Groups ◽  
Joint Activities ◽  
Values And Beliefs

This chapter will expose the reader to adult learning theory, with particular emphasis on situated learning and discourse theory. Adult learning theory should inform the design of professional development sessions, with particular attention devoted to context and collaborative settings. Professional learning of teachers within the classroom is influenced by situated learning theory and has the potential for sustained professional development. Situated learning proposes that learning involves a process of engagement in a community of practice. People who share a concern or passion for something they do, involving members in joint activities and discussions as they build relationships that enable them to learn from each other, form communities of practice. The concept of community of practice is further discussed as it pertains to teacher professional learning groups. In education, teachers come to professional development sessions with espoused platforms, already equipped with values and beliefs about instruction in the classroom. Therefore, professional development cannot be a one-size-fits-all opportunity.

Team leaders’ beliefs about teachers’ learning-path strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 351-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne van Bussel ◽  
Sean Justice ◽  
April Bang ◽  
Aquiles Damirón-Alcántara
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Path ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Specific Learning

Purpose This paper aims to focus on professional development in the education sector. Its goal is to understand team leaders’ roles in teachers’ professional learning. Second, this paper seeks to understand the influence that team leaders have on teachers’ learning path strategies. Design/methodology/approach Following from van der Krogt’s (2007a) Learning Network Theory (LNT), this paper presents a qualitative study of teachers’ preferences for specific learning path strategies. Interview data were collected from teachers (N = 24) and team leaders (N = 5) at an intermediate vocational school in the Netherlands. Research questions ask to what extent teachers learning path strategies align with the learning path strategies that their team leaders think they should use, and about the influence team leaders have on teachers’ professional development. Findings Findings suggest that teachers and team leaders’ beliefs about learning path strategies differ greatly, and that team leaders have limited influence on the learning path strategies that teachers adopt. On the other hand, team leaders appear able to create conditions in which teachers can pursue professional learning because they do have influence on learning facilities. Originality/value These findings add to the scarce empirical evidence regarding LNT, learning path strategies and team leaders beliefs about teachers professional development. They also imply practical changes for team leaders who want to influence teacher professional development.

scholarly journals "She didn't know much about English teaching": planning classes together in the teachers' room as a practice of professional development

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-78
Author(s):  
Simone Sarmento ◽  
William Kirsch
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
South Of Brazil ◽  
The Coordinator

This paper is a part of a larger research project, which focused on investigating the teacher development practices in a Languages without Borders community of a large university in the south of Brazil. The research is affiliated with the paradigm of Practice Theory (Young, 2009; Young, 2010) and relied on qualitative methods of data generation and analysis (Erickson, 1990; Gumperz, 2005; Mason, 2002; Tannen, 2014), as well as on semistructured interviews with focal participants. The data revealed that the practices that culminate in teacher development could be divided into two: (1) formal practices, that is, the ones consciously planned and carried out by the coordinator; and (2) informal ones, that is, practices that emerged from everyday life in this community of practice, chiefly in the teachers' room. In this paper, we focus on a specific informal practice - that of planning classes together. Planning classes together was considered a productive practice in terms of professional learning both in the interviews and in the data obtained through participant observation.

scholarly journals Modern Trends in Continuous Professional Development of Foreign Language Teachers (On the Basis of the British Council Research)

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-97
Author(s):  
Olesia Sadovets
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
British Council ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Academic Achievements ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Abstract Research conducted by the British Council concerning modern continuous professional development of teachers has been analyzed. The issue concerning foreign language teachers’ professional development has been considered. Productive approach to this process that gives a teacher the opportunities to define aspects of their professional activities that are in need of improvement and introduce appropriate strategies of their own professional development has been characterized. Direct connection between continuous teachers’ professional development and the level of students’ academic achievements has been stressed. Key characteristics of effective professional development have been defined, namely: being correspondent to actual needs of teachers and students; teachers’ involvement into the decision making concerning the content and the fulfillment of professional development; provision of cooperation and teachers’ experience exchange; collegiality presupposing common work of teachers and educational establishments in general; practicality, that is the fulfillment of professional development directly in the process of teachers’ work in class; obligatory character of professional development as indispensable part of teachers’ work; constant reflection and research; prioritizing academic achievements of students as the main stimulus for professional learning of teachers; continuity of professional development and its consideration not as separate forms of work. Modern widely used forms of teacher professional development have been analyzed, namely: self-education, common lessons planning with their further analysis; professional discussions concerning new teaching techniques and the appropriateness of their application; reflexive groups for teaching experience exchange and lessons analysis (video recording of lessons or students’ works), observation/attending teachers’ lessons with their further discussion in constructive form and without formal evaluation; participation in professional learning communities to solve urgent issues concerning school work and teachers’ professional activities; common work of teachers with curricula for detailed studying of problematic issues and their elimination; common teachers’ elaboration of learning materials for definite groups of students; participation in mentoring programs; work in online educational communities It has been proved that modern professional development of foreign language teachers shifts its focus from the competency of a teacher to the level of students’ academic achievements which is the direct indicator of a teacher’s competency.

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