Personal Reflections on the Masters in Educational Practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-155
Author(s):  
Emma Jackson

In September 2015, I successfully completed the Masters in Educational Practice (MEP). This article focuses on the professional gains of this qualification including the opportunities for classroom-based inquiry, structured reflection and professional dialogue with colleagues. I discuss the benefits of mentoring support from experienced teachers, as well as ongoing professional development in key aspects of national educational policy and practice. I describe how the qualification encourages newly qualified teachers to continually reflect on their practice and how this has had a direct and long-lasting impact on my own practice and the practice of my MEP colleagues, enhancing the experience for pupils and raising standards in Welsh classrooms. Core to my own experience of the MEP was the encouragement of professional dialogue and networking with mentors, experienced teachers, academics and other newly qualified teachers. This community has formed a strong platform for generating, critically considering and sharing a wealth of ideas about excellent pedagogical practice. Within this article, I give practical examples of how my experiences of the MEP have directly benefitted the learners. I explain the relevance of the MEP modules and how these underpin the Welsh Government's three national priorities for improving educational outcomes for learners in Wales: improving literacy, improving numeracy and reducing the impact of deprivation on attainment. Therefore, I maintain that the qualification crucially demonstrates the interaction between classroom, local and national contexts. I hold that, without the MEP, I do not think that I would have developed as a practitioner as quickly or as effectively. The skill of critically reflecting on my practice is one which will benefit my learners for the rest of my teaching career.

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Robson ◽  
Peter Mtika

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on a partnership-based mentoring model and the learning experiences of participant mentees and mentors. As part of the project, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) were supported to develop and implement a practitioner enquiry (teacher/action research) in a learning community involving two local authorities and an initial teacher education institution. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected from five semi-structured focus group interviews with key participant groupings to uncover perceptions and experiences of the partnership and professional learning therein. Analysis using an inductive and iterative approach pinpointed a number of emerging themes used to frame key elements of the findings. Findings Findings suggested that the partnership-based model promoted the professional learning and development of NQTs and their mentors in various ways. The nature and shape of the partnership had an influence on the quality of mentoring and support experienced. The community effectively supported the implementation of meaningful enquiry projects, which had clear connections to the enhancement of professional practice and pupil learning. However, specific tensions and conflicts emerged as hindrances to successful partnership-based mentoring in the specific context. Originality/value New insights into the role of a partnership-based mentoring scheme supporting practitioner enquiry-based learning of NQTs emerged. The local, layered community defining the partnership, and operating within the frame of a national induction scheme, was analysed. Benefits for partners were identified and specific challenges and tensions highlighted, both providing new evidence with potential to impact policy and practice. Policy developments supporting teachers to be mentors and enquiring professionals need to recognise the structural and support tensions that exist in contextual practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Joe O’Hara ◽  
Patrick Shevlin ◽  
Martin Brown ◽  
Gerry McNamara

This paper reports on the operation of the DCU Shaped Professional Learning Network (DCU SPLN), an initiative of the Centre for Evaluation Quality and Inspection (EQI) at Dublin City University. The DCU SPLN was initially established in Belfast, Northern Ireland as part of the Erasmus+ Project, 'Polycentric inspections of networks of schools', the focus of which was to provide an assessment of the potential of polycentric inspection as a tool for improving school effectiveness and outcomes. The cluster has now grown to 140 schools organised in regional clusters throughout Northern Ireland. The paper provides examples of the impact of the network on policy and practice in Northern Ireland. Firstly, it has a Hearts and Minds driving force that is centered on the ethical use of first-hand evidence to drive school improvement and associated action research. Secondly, it is underpinned by the existence and support from external agencies, in this case, researchers at EQI. Thirdly, the professional development provided to schools by EQI and subsequent adjustments by participants and advisors had a direct ongoing positive impact on improving the actual quality of learning in individual schools. Finally, one of the key learning points was the gradual transfer of responsibility for professional learning provision from the EQI researchers to the leaders and teachers involved in the cluster. The paper concludes with drawing some general conclusions about the role of networks in educational practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-75
Author(s):  
Ingrid Helleve ◽  
Marit Ulvik ◽  
Dag Roness

Mentoring is acknowledged as a means to support professional development for teachers. However, mentoring has multiple meanings and may be practiced as supervision, support or collaborative self-development for new as well as experienced teachers. The aim of this Norwegian study is to get an understanding of what expectations newly-qualified teachers, their mentors and their leaders have to mentoring and professional development and thereby to identify what kind of mentoring is needed. Data is collected through questionnaires and focus group conversations. The result shows a discrepancy between school leaders’ expectations on one hand and those of mentors’ and newly qualified teachers’ on the other. While school leaders call for supervision and for teachers’ opportunities to join external courses, mentors and newly-qualified teachers ask for mentoring rooted in classroom- activities. One implication of the study is to introduce an induction period for novice teachers where they are gradually included in the organization. Another implication is to use educated mentors as resources for school development, not only for newly-qualified, but also for experienced teachers. Implications for politicians are to provide resources and for school leaders to provide space and protected time for mentoring and professional learning at all levels to ensure sustained school development.


Author(s):  
Steve Sider ◽  
Mary Ashun

How do experienced teachers develop a global perspective through a professional development course and how can this perspective impact classroom practice? These are the two key questions which this paper examines. We utilize Guskey’s (2002) model of teacher change as a framework for understanding the results of a study involving experienced teachers who took a professional development course which had a focus on global education. The participants engaged in a number of activities four months after the completion of the course to explore how the course had impacted their classroom teaching practice. Common themes were identified through participant reflective papers and questionnaire-responses which gave insight into what the participants felt were key aspects of learning in the enhancement of their global perspective. The paper provides an opportunity to consider Guskey’s (2002) model for teacher change, particularly the sequence with which teacher attitudes and beliefs change. As well, we discuss how teachers’ commitment to global citizenship can be shaped and how this might impact classroom practice.


Scientax ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Nugroho Dian Respati

With the spread of information, technology and the Internet, we have found that the tax administration is moving towards online or digital services. The study aims to identify what has worked in the adoption of e-government in tax services. The key aspects include the design of e-government in tax procedures, acceptance and usability factors, impacts, and challenges in the implementation. A scoping review was designed to map the existing evidence on the application of information and technology system in delivering tax services, or known as e-government. Key search terms were developed and mapped. Selected databases and key journals were used in this scoping review. Using the criteria that were determined, we identified 79 articles that most closely demonstrated the purpose of this study. However, we only reported the detailed of the findings from ten included articles. The identified studies reflected the majority of articles investigated the reasons behind the success or failure of e-government projects in the tax administration. This review concludes that in an environment in which the government faced many challenges with the limited resources, e-government adoption in tax administration offers the potential benefit to strengthen the government finances. A greater understanding of the purpose, adoption & acceptance factors, the impact and challenges in the application of e-government projects in tax services is a priority for research, policy and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (Suppl.1) ◽  
pp. 802-806
Author(s):  
E. Mileva ◽  
V. Slavova ◽  
N. Yankova ◽  
V. Panayotov

Recently, there have been outlined some problems in the motivated participation of students in the educational process. These ones presuppose the optimization of traditional teaching methods and the application of new methods, techniques and approaches in the learning process. The necessity of introducing a new-invented educational model for students’ training at NSA "Vasil Levski", combining the foreign language teaching and their sports training is imposed by the need to improve the existing educational practice both in sport practice and in foreign language learning. The new-invented teaching method "Language through sport" for weightlifting and power lifting specialists has not been developed so far in this specific educational context. The experimental teaching method has been elaborated and applied by simultaneous implementation of foreign language learning of standardized international terms in the field of weightlifting and power lifting in students’ training sessions. The study of the impact of new-invented method "Language through Sport" on students’ motivation is a reliable indicator of the efficacy of this training and teaching method in sports pedagogical practice, not only in weightlifting and power lifting but also in other sports disciplines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 777-799
Author(s):  
O.I. Shvyreva ◽  
Z.I. Kruglyak ◽  
A.V. Petukh

Subject. This article discusses the issues related to the practice of financial reporting in the face of uncertainties caused by the coronavirus contagion, as well as the specifics of the audit strategy and formation of an audit opinion on this reporting. Objectives. The article aims to identify the quality characteristics of financial reporting prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and justify the key aspects of assurance engagement completion in an extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation. Methods. For the study, we used an abstract-logical method, content analysis techniques, systematization, and classification. Results. Analyzing the impact of the extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation on financial statements, the article clarifies aspects of disclosure of events after the reporting date and threats to business continuity in the annual reporting of economic entities. The article identifies possible alternative procedures and algorithms to obtain proper evidence when it is insufficient in the face of the inability to meet certain audit standards requirements in a remote audit environment. The article defines the impact of COVID-19 risk disclosure on the structure of the audit report and opinion. Relevance. The results of the study can be used in the practical activities of economic entities that prepare financial statements in the face of significant uncertainty, as well as auditors and audit organizations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Ángel González Berruga

Teachers have an important role in the development of an education of quality in Secondary Education schools. School failure continue being a persistent phenomenon in Spain and Castilla La Mancha. School Risk perspective is a proposal that allows to recognize factors in the construction of school failure in the pass of the student through the educational system. It is presented a descriptive-interpretative research from the theorical perspective of Productive Pedagogies to know the school risk factors from teacher’s perspective of 11 Secondary Education schools of Albacete region. It is observed a low perspective in diversity attention and learning contextualization. Teachers plan the pedagogical practice in relation to the average student in ordinary or PMAR classrooms. Less experienced teachers have a favorable perception in some factor about quality teaching. Teachers from schools with a high sociocultural and economic level present an integral and collaborative teaching style as opposed to middle and low-level schools.


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