scholarly journals Synergistic Team Teaching for Professional Development: A Case Study Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (35) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Ramírez Casalvolone
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Contextualized Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Teacher's Knowledge

This study proposes an innovative approach for English professors who lack the time to engage in professional development (PD) programs, believe such programs are conducted in a decontextualized manner, or regard them as too expensive. Based on a qualitative case study performed from January to September 2018, this study addresses the following question: How can team teaching promote PD for mid-career English as a foreign language university professors? It investigates the types of PD that emerged when two English professors at the University of Costa Rica engaged in synergistic team teaching. Theparticipants team taught a course for students newly admitted into the English-teaching major. In this study, synergistic team teaching is understood as a method in which two professors share classroom space and teaching practices and engage in planning discussions together. To understand what the participants learned when practicing team teaching, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and coded following Creswell and Poth’s (2018) data analysis spiral. The coding was developed in light of the conceptualization of PD developed by Guskey (2002), Sparks (2002), and Johnson (2006). Accordingly, thisstudy identifies instances (during the interview or during the classroom observation) that can be interpreted as change of the classroom practices, change in the attitudes and beliefs of the professors (Guskey, 2002), continuous improvement of teaching and learning (Sparks, 2002), and teacher’s knowledge transformed into practice (Johnson, 2006). This study shows how team teaching offers professors a community of practice in which they can share, discuss, and implement new teaching knowledge. Through team teaching, teachers receive PD benefits that match their classroom context perfectly, enabling them to engage in authentic, fully contextualized learning opportunities.

scholarly journals PERCEPTIONS OF MRSM ENGLISH TEACHERS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS ON IN-SERVICE TRAINING

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (42) ◽  
pp. 155-167
Author(s):  
Faizahani Ab Rahman ◽  
Nurul Afrahah Hussin ◽  
Sutha Sugumaran
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Group Methods ◽  
Service Training

This paper looks at the perceptions of MRSM (Majlis Amanah Rakyat or also known as People’s Trust Council) English teachers on their current professional development and their expectations on in-service training. As teachers, they are often expected to act as a source of motivation to their students apart from being accountable in providing instructions, knowledge, and skills in their respective academic subjects. However, very often, teachers are not provided with sufficient and appropriate training that would prepare them to be the kind of teacher that they are required and expected to be. This prompts this study that determines whether the in-service training provided is sufficient and aptly to help the teachers produce academically excellent students. This case study used a qualitative approach with purposive sampling of seven English teachers at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA, Beseri in Perlis with teaching experiences between 10 to 30 years. Semi-structured interviews and focus group methods were used to answer the research question which dwells on the MRSM English teachers’ expectations of professional development teacher training of their students’ achievement. The findings of the study revealed that teachers expect to have more professional development in terms of pedagogy, proficiency level, technology integration, and stress management. They also believe that improvement in professional development can positively affect their students’ achievement as teaching and learning processes can be done more effectively. It is therefore recommended that MARA should highlight its current in-service training and development policy to be consistent with the needs of teachers.

scholarly journals Exploring the Learning Journeys of Academic Head of Department Preparations and Access to Their Roles: The Case of a Selected University in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Gloria Nyame
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Head Of Department

Leadership training for educational leaders in the academia has been considered paramount to empower them both for leadership and management skills, knowledge and experience necessary to bring about quality in teaching and learning. Majority of the academic leaders are appointed without any preparation for the role and tend to struggle on the role in order to be effective. Most studies carried out on academic leaders in Africa focus mainly on challenges, roles and theories of leadership. This study explores the journeys involved in the preparations of academics who become Head of Departments in a selected university in Ghana in order to enable them play their roles effectively. The case study approach was used to study the journeys involved in the preparations of 16 academic HoDs in a selected university in Ghana, focusing on how they accessed their roles, their understanding about the roles, preparations they have had on the roles and the preparations they would have wished for the roles. It sought to describe, understand and interpret the learning journeys of academic HoDs regarding how they became HoDs and preparations they received to be effective in their roles. Interviews and documentary evidence were employed. Semi structured interviews were conducted with sixteen university head of departments. Using thematic analysis, the study revealed among others that most newly appointed academic HoDs were not given formal training before they began to play their roles, Again, the findings revealed different degrees of preparations which were mainly informal and were not directly linked to the roles of the HoDs, which were consistent with the literature that majority of academic HoDs did not receive preparations for their roles and tended to use their experiences to play their roles. Based on these findings, recommendations are that there should be a formal training on the HoD’s duties and their implementations for all newly appointed HoDs to enrich them with the necessary skills and knowledge to make them effective and efficient. There is the need to conduct needs assessment from the HoDs to inform their preparation or training and development of HoDs manual to serve as a reference guide to the HoDs. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to effective preparations of the academic HoDs. The research may also lead to the production of HoD’s manuals. More importantly, it may inform policies to identify areas for effective preparations of the academic HoDs.

scholarly journals Sectors together for professional development: a university team in an action research collaboration with school teachers and senior leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adewale Magaji ◽  
Ana Cabral ◽  
Andrew Lambirth ◽  
Roger McDonald ◽  
Ashley Brett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
The University ◽  
Development Course

Action research promotes teaching and learning as it may allow teachers to explore areas of their practices that require improvement. The purpose of this case study is to highlight the steps involved in carrying out action research and any challenges that teachers may encounter in this learning process. This study was developed as a professional development course from 2015 to 2019 attended by more than 150 teachers from early years, primary and secondary schools in London and Kent in the last 4 years. The teachers were registered as students at the University of Greenwich and supported by a university team of researchers. The study identified five steps of the development of teacher-led action research and highlighted the challenges for each step. The steps included defining the field of action; planning; action; evaluation and reflection/(re)planning. This led to the development of an innovative model for the facilitation of action research and collaboration between the university team and participants. The model is used as a framework to enhance the development of teacher-led research in schools.Keywords: action research, teacher-led research, models, collaboration

scholarly journals The contribution of online mathematics games to algebra understanding in Grade 8

Pythagoras ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tichaona Marange ◽  
Stanley A. Adendorff
Keyword(s):  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Mathematics Problems ◽  
Mathematics Games ◽  
Algebraic Concepts ◽  
Online Mathematics ◽  
Grade 8

This study explores how online mathematics games contribute to Grade 8 learners’ understanding of basic principles and more sophisticated aspects of algebra. This project documents the trajectory of a purposive sample of 30 Grade 8 learners doing mathematics and one mathematics educator. The study is premised on the argument that learners with the guidance of the teacher can grasp algebraic concepts better and learn to manipulate these imaginatively and independently, by integrating new online mathematics games into standard classroom teaching of mathematics. The study was located within the interpretive qualitative research paradigm and used a case study approach. Data were collected by means of (1) lesson observations, (2) questionnaires and (3) semi-structured interviews. The data collected were analysed through the lens of the sociocultural theory, social constructivism and the activity theory. This study supports the view, set out in the literature reviewed, that the way in which resources are utilised can substantially improve the teaching and learning of algebraic concepts. Teachers should encourage learners to venture into the world of online mathematics games to learn algebra because they help learners to be creative, look for patterns, make conjectures, collect data, express their own thoughts, accept the ideas of others and establish structured forms of cooperation. The teacher’s role is to show and guide the learners how to use online mathematics games to solve mathematics problems. This study’s main recommendation, among others, is a revision of the curriculum to integrate online mathematics games into all subjects in classrooms at all levels.

scholarly journals Building Pre-Service Teacher Capabilities through Remote and Flexible Placement - A New Narrative

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ondine Jayne Bradbury ◽  
Tatainia Stewart ◽  
Anabelle Barker ◽  
Jessica Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The University ◽  
Pre Service Teacher ◽  
Education Courses

Within practical placements, Australian pre-service teachers acquire a range of skills and strategies. This is in addition to linking the theory that they acquire at university to that in the classroom context. In 2020, to ensure that the pre-service teachers in education courses continue this practical component of their degree, remote and flexible placements were negotiated between the schools and the university. These changes were embedded in order for pre-service teachers to work with schools, students and mentors and they did so from within their homes. This chapter focuses on the experiences from three pre-service teachers during their time on practicum in remote and flexible contexts. A case study approach was applied to analyse each individual’s experiences. The case studies highlight the commonalities in experiences for each individual pre-service teacher. Upon analysis of these case studies, these commonalities included implications around how these capabilities were being formed and developed throughout the placement. These capabilities included inference, deduction, pivoting and empathy. These common capabilities across the pre-service teacher’s experiences, during their remote and flexible placement, highlight the need for a new narrative around the emerging skills, strategies and capabilities for teacher education in the 21st Century.

scholarly journals DESENVOLVIMENTO PROFISSIONAL DE PROFESSORES QUE ENSINAM MATEMÁTICA: A VISÃO DA GESTÃO ESCOLAR

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 280-297
Author(s):  
Luciano Melo Santos ◽  
Maria Elizabete Souza Couto
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Professional Development Of Teachers ◽  
External Sources ◽  
Education Network ◽  
The University

This article aims to understand how school management has been organizing professional development situations for teachers in the daily activities of actions planned and developed with peers. It is a qualitative research, carried out in a public school in the municipal education network, which has the partnership of an ONG and is located in a city in the southern region of Bahia. To collect data, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the school principal and pedagogical coordinator. From the analysis of the material produced in the interviews, it was possible to understand that the movement proposed by management for the professional development of teachers, in this case, those who teach Mathematics, is to allow, guarantee, encourage, participate and bring their teachers closer to external sources of training, such as the University and research groups, valuing the school culture, as a place for teaching and learning and for the proposals presented in the Pedagogical Project of the School, favoring the school space so that teachers can discuss and put into practice this formation and the reflection of the practice; professional development and social justice, as part ofthe working conditions necessary for the good performance of the teacher in the task of promoting learning to his students; and dialogue with teachers who teach mathematics to advance the construction of the student's mathematical knowledge and the professional development of teachers.

scholarly journals Advantages and challenges of online translation teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: A Mexican case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Cortez Libreros ◽  
Iris Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
The University ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
Regular Classes

This qualitative article analyzes the advantages and challenges that Mexican university professors and students experienced with online translation teaching and learning during the August-December 2020 semester. Data was collected using online semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations involving 39 English language students and two translation professors from the School of Languages and Literatures of the Autonomous University of Queretaro. The findings show that some students could successfully manage distance education due to their organizational and self-learning skills, commitment, motivation, and proper internet access. However, most students faced various technological, didactical, and health issues that interfered with their learning process, which increased their desire to return to regular classes at the university as soon as possible.

scholarly journals Faculty Empowering Faculty

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayna Henry ◽  
Edward James Brantmeier ◽  
Anthony Tongen ◽  
Ashley Taylor Jaffee ◽  
Olga Pierrakos
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Development ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
College And University ◽  
Development Support ◽  
The University

Faculty are increasingly interested in engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) across disciplines, necessitating educational development support. While many institutions utilize one-time workshops and faculty communities offering professional development funding, the case study presented in this article takes a different approach. The aim of the Engaged Teacher-Scholar (ETS) program is to support faculty growth in a process of becoming ETS leaders across the university campus. ETS leaders advance an individual SoTL research project and are trained to develop a plan for and offer professional development events to their department, college, and university related to SoTL. The article presents an overview of the program’s objectives, organization, and outcomes over four years of implementation. The article concludes with implications for implementation at other institutions.

Hindrance to the Integration of e-learning Adoption in Nigerian Universities

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Abasiama G. Akpan ◽  
Chris Eriye Tralagba
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
University Education ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
University System ◽  
Electronic Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Nigerian University ◽  
The University

Electronic learning or online learning is a part of recent education which is dramatically used in universities all over the world. As well as the use and integration of e-learning is at the crucial stage in all developing countries. It is the most significant part of education that enhances and improves the educational system. This paper is to examine the hindrances that influence e-learning in Nigerian university system. In order to have an inclusive research, a case study research was performed in Evangel University, Akaeze, southeast of Nigeria. The paper demonstrates similar hindrances on country side. This research is a blend of questionnaires and interviews, the questionnaires was distributed to lecturers and an interview was conducted with management and information technology unit. Research had shown the use of e-learning in university education which has influenced effectively and efficiently the education system and that the University education in Nigeria is at the crucial stage of e-learning. Hence, some of the hindrances are avoiding unbeaten integration of e-learning. The aim of this research is to unravel the barriers that impede the integration of e-learning in universities in Nigeria. Nevertheless, e-learning has modified the teaching and learning approach but integration is faced with many challenges in Nigerian University.

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