The article discusses some issues concerning teacher and lesson efficiency of being paramount in amending programs on pedagogy and teaching methodologies. Lately, Classroom Action Research (CAR) has become an object of novel studies in the scope of improving class quality and efficiency. Actually, this approach is a professional development outlook in which teachers critically study their action data and seek to find improvement trends. The approach is spread early all over the world, however, for Armenian research context it is a comparatively new sphere. As a matter of fact, the article represents the effectiveness of the method and its applicability for the professional development of teachers. Accordingly, the need of implementing the discussing method has been highlighted on the sample of SOIE – School of International English.
In 2010, the Department of Basic Education instructed its teachers to maintain a teacher's file. This article reports on a research project which described teachers’ views on the utility of the teacher’s file and its relationship to skill of reflection related continuous professional teacher development (CPTD). The research described the meaning and the sense teachers attached to maintaining this file in the light of assumptions and principles of the experiential learning theory (ELT). It also probed ideas related to how the file could be improved and developed into a resource that contributes to the professional development of teachers in terms of teaching, learning and assessment (TLA). The study utilized interviews and document study as tools to collect data which were later analyzed and interpreted to arrive at the research findings and recommendations. The study found that all teachers regarded the teachers' file as an administrative tool which had nothing to do with their own professional development. They regarded it as a management tool which was meant to monitor them. The study found that to acquire more meaning to the teacher, the file must be enhanced to include more teacher advancement related matters. In view of the teachers' feelings that the file was purely administrative, the Department of Basic Education could review its current format and render it relevant to the professional development of the teacher. The aspects of professional development must include specific areas such as teaching, learning, assessment, classroom management and administration.
This action research study was aimed at exploring how a collaborative e-mentoring platform can be used as a supplemental tool for professional teacher development, specifically on the issue of formative assessment practices. The platform consisted of a group of eight volunteer teachers working in locationally disadvantaged areas and the mentors. Five modules were prepared and implemented based on the needs of the teachers, and the data were collected constantly from various sources throughout the study. The analysis of data revealed two basic themes: Positive aspects and challenges of e-mentoring. Overall, the study revealed that most of the teachers believed in the importance of having professional development support through e-mentoring because it could break down the locational barriers between teachers. Although there were some difficulties such as the unique problems or heavy workloads of the teachers, it still had implications for broader expressions for professional development.
As popular music education programs become more common, it is essential to determine what kinds of professional development experiences that are designed to help teachers include popular music into their music education classrooms are effective—keeping in mind that the inclusion of popular music in K–12 classrooms requires a change not only in instrumentation and repertoire but also pedagogical approaches. This study examined the effects of a popular music professional development initiative on more than 600 New York City urban music teachers’ musicianship, their pedagogy, and their leadership skills throughout one school year. Results revealed increases in all three areas, most notably in teachers’ musicianship. The study also showed an increase in teachers’ positive perceptions about their music programs, specifically, their level of excitement about the state of their music program and that their music program was more effective at meeting their students’ needs than it had been previously.
The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs’ perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional “one size fits all” CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.
PurposeSchool principals are presumed to be pillars of school health promotion implementation. Their understanding of their role could enhance school health promotion. This study aims to investigate how principals understood their role in school health promotion.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six school principals who participated and completed the first cycle of the Continuous Professional Teacher Development programme that was offered by the South African Council of Educators. Snowball sampling was used to sample participants.FindingsThe findings of this study showed that principals did not differentiate between concepts of health-promoting schools and school health promotion, the meaning was the same for them. They focused on any health improvement within the schools, regardless of its conceptual nature. The second finding pertains to the role of the principal as a manager, while the third was on expedition of collaborations and partnerships.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was limited to school principals who completed the Continuous Professional Teacher Development programme. It, therefore, does not include perceptions of other principals.Originality/valueThe study findings suggest that despite inability of schools in poor communities to implement effective school health programmes, the principals of the sampled schools were aware of their roles. This is positive, as the efforts to enhance health promotion initiatives would focus on developing and empowering principals to improve their performance.
«CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH» ՄՈՏԵՑՈՒՄԸ ՈՐՊԵՍ ԴԱՍԱՎԱՆԴՈՂԻ ՇԱՐՈՒՆԱԿԱԿԱՆ ԿՐԹՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԱՐԴՅՈՒՆԱՎԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԳՈՐԾԻՔ/CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH: AN EFFECTIVE TOOL OF CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL TEACHER DEVELOPMENT/ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКАЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ В КЛАССЕ - ЭФФЕКТИВНЫЙ ИНСТРУМЕНТ НЕПРЕРЫВНОГО ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КВАЛИФИКАЦИИ ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЕЙ