scholarly journals The Professional Development of Primary School Teachers with Leadership Responsibilities in a New Zealand Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Margaret Emily Hesketh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Job Descriptions ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Leadership Responsibilities ◽  
Middle Leaders

<p>Middle and senior leaders in primary schools have an important role with significant accountability and responsibility. They are teaching practitioners who have a large influence on the quality of learning that takes place within a school. Middle and senior leaders carry out the majority of the significant conversations about teaching and learning within a school with the teachers they lead. In 2012 the New Zealand Ministry of Education produced a publication reiterating the importance of middle and senior leaders within schools. As part of that publication they identified the need for ongoing professional development and learning for middle and senior leaders to strengthen their effectiveness as leaders. However no suggestions were made in this document as to what this may look like. The purposes of this multiple case study were to explore what professional development and learning were provided to senior and middle leaders primary schools within the greater Wellington area, how effective the principals and senior middle leaders considered the professional development and learning to be, and to identify which factors enabled effective professional development and learning within a school. To answer the research questions data was collected through an online survey, focus groups and individual interviews. The findings indicated that there were two categories of organisation of professional development and learning provided within different schools; unsystematic and systematic. The more effective systematic system involved the identification of the learning needs of the middle and senior leaders through discussion or co-construction of their job descriptions, leading to a mixture of professional development and learning structures that combined sharing, collaboration and reflection to enhance leadership capabilities. In addition regular mentoring allowed for more effective leadership learning. An important factor determining the success of the professional development and learning was the deliberate actions that were carried out by the principal.</p>

scholarly journals The Professional Development of Primary School Teachers with Leadership Responsibilities in a New Zealand Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Margaret Emily Hesketh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Job Descriptions ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Leadership Responsibilities ◽  
Middle Leaders

<p>Middle and senior leaders in primary schools have an important role with significant accountability and responsibility. They are teaching practitioners who have a large influence on the quality of learning that takes place within a school. Middle and senior leaders carry out the majority of the significant conversations about teaching and learning within a school with the teachers they lead. In 2012 the New Zealand Ministry of Education produced a publication reiterating the importance of middle and senior leaders within schools. As part of that publication they identified the need for ongoing professional development and learning for middle and senior leaders to strengthen their effectiveness as leaders. However no suggestions were made in this document as to what this may look like. The purposes of this multiple case study were to explore what professional development and learning were provided to senior and middle leaders primary schools within the greater Wellington area, how effective the principals and senior middle leaders considered the professional development and learning to be, and to identify which factors enabled effective professional development and learning within a school. To answer the research questions data was collected through an online survey, focus groups and individual interviews. The findings indicated that there were two categories of organisation of professional development and learning provided within different schools; unsystematic and systematic. The more effective systematic system involved the identification of the learning needs of the middle and senior leaders through discussion or co-construction of their job descriptions, leading to a mixture of professional development and learning structures that combined sharing, collaboration and reflection to enhance leadership capabilities. In addition regular mentoring allowed for more effective leadership learning. An important factor determining the success of the professional development and learning was the deliberate actions that were carried out by the principal.</p>

scholarly journals 'Seductive promises' and the use of online mathematics instructional programmes in New Zealand primary schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 162-167
Author(s):  
Lisa Darragh
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Mathematics Classrooms ◽  
Discursive Analysis ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Commercial Applications ◽  
Obvious Similarity ◽  
Online Mathematics

Internet access and the availability of digital devices in the classroom have grown exponentially. Correspondingly, we have online platforms for learning mathematics that are subscription-based and available for schools or individuals to purchase. Research in mathematics education tends to focus on the benefits to teaching and learning afforded by digital technology, while less attention is given to the implications of having commercial applications in our mathematics classrooms, and their considerable cost. This paper reports on a study of online mathematics instructional programmes in primary schools of New Zealand. Data sources include a survey sent to mathematics leaders of all primary schools, and a discursive analysis of the websites of the most commonly used instructional programmes. There was an obvious similarity found between the promises of the websites and the rationales expressed by school leaders for using the programmes, suggesting that schools are succumbing to the seductive promises of these commercial programmes. It is argued that we need to further examine the implications of using such programmes in our mathematics classrooms, especially in the context of profit-making inside public education.

scholarly journals Athletic Training Preceptors' Perceived Learning Needs Regarding Preceptor Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorice A. Hankemeier ◽  
Jessica L. Kirby ◽  
Stacy E. Walker ◽  
Ashley B. Thrasher
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Perceived Learning

Context: Athletic training programs can develop their own content and mechanisms for developing preceptors. Ideally, preceptor development sessions should meet the needs of both the educational program and the preceptor; however, there is a gap in the existing literature regarding athletic training preceptors' perceived learning needs. Objective: To examine preceptors' perceived learning needs regarding preceptor development and determine if differences occur based on preceptor characteristics. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Online survey platform Qualtrics. Patients or Other Participants: Seventy-nine preceptors (31.66 ± 8.63 years, male = 32, female = 47, years certified = 9.46 ± 8.27, years as preceptor = 6.08 ± 5.88) affiliated with professional programs in National Athletic Trainers' Association District 4. Main Outcome Measure(s): The Preceptor Needs Assessment included 5 sections (Teaching and Learning in the Clinical Setting, Evaluating Students, Communication, Student Development, and Mentorship). Preceptors were asked to rate topics in each section on their perceived level of helpfulness (1 = not helpful, 2 = somewhat helpful, 3 = very helpful) if they were to be included in a preceptor development session. Descriptive statistics (ie, means) were used to examine the data, and differences in perceived needs based on demographic characteristics were assessed with χ2 analysis. Statistical significance was set a priori at P ≤ .05. Results: Topics in evaluating students (2.39 ± 0.47) and teaching and learning in the clinical setting (2.38 ± 0.41) were rated most helpful and concepts in mentorship (2.13 ± 0.59) least helpful. No significant differences in perceived helpfulness of any topics were noted in relation to participant characteristics, including years as a preceptor, clinical setting, and educational background (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: Learning needs of preceptors do not appear to be based on years of experience, clinical setting, or educational background. Athletic training programs should aim to offer preceptor development related to teaching and learning in the clinical setting while specifically providing guidance on developing students' critical thinking skills and teaching clinical decision making.

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 Investigating educative mentoring for provisionally certificated teachers in the New Zealand primary school

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Diane Stannard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Personal Goals ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Survey Interviews ◽  
Educative Mentoring

<p>The Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers were published in 2011 by the New Zealand Teachers Council. The Guidelines signalled a shift from what had been an induction programme based on advice and guidance to one that involved educative mentoring. These guidelines were developed to support the provision of nationally consistent, high quality, and comprehensive support for provisionally certificated teachers (PCTs).  This qualitative investigation used an interpretative case study approach to describe what educative mentoring looked like in three New Zealand primary schools. Data were gathered using an online survey, interviews, recorded meeting and analysis of documents.  The findings were that mentors and provisionally registered teachers had differing levels of understanding of educative mentoring. While mentors espoused using educative mentoring components (Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2015a, pp. 25-26) this did not appear to be happening in practice. This suggests the need for mentor training if educative mentoring is to become embedded. Mentors need training to understand what educative mentoring really means. In particular the elements of deconstruction (describing, analysing, and discussing evidence) and co-construction (setting new personal goals) were missing to some degree in each relationship investigated. The process of induction and mentoring is to develop practice and ultimately for the provisionally registered teacher to attain the Practising Teacher Criteria. However this study revealed that the developmental process of practice appears to be more focused on meeting the Practising Teacher Criteria than developing understanding through the setting of personal goals.</p>

New Zealand general practice registrars’ views on their academic learning needs during vocational training: online survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-144
Author(s):  
Felicity Goodyear-Smith ◽  
Tim Stokes ◽  
Eileen McKinlay ◽  
Garry Nixon ◽  
Liza Lack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Learning Needs

Guiding Our Way

2011 ◽  
pp. 307-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen P. King ◽  
Frank J. Melia ◽  
Marlene D. Dunham
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Online Professional Development ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
K 12

Increased accountability for student outcomes among teachers led to an examination of the needs and motivations of 324 K-12 educators who participated in 6-week online professional development modules of study. This research was conducted through focus groups and an online survey. The most telling findings indicate four themes regarding teacher online professional development: learner expectations, learner support and access, incentives, and content. This project illuminates issues that arise in formal education online learning environments as we continue to discover how to best serve educators’ learning needs. This two step study uses surveys and focus groups to empirically identify critical factors in instructional design and implementation. It benefits from large samples and the application of knowledge derived from Group A experiences to Group B. Follow-up research of 944 participants at year 4 of the project provides additional insight into technology use and motivation.

An Examination of ICT Planning Maturity in Schools

2003 ◽  
pp. 376-395
Author(s):  
Julie Mackey ◽  
Annette Mills
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Administration ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Insight Into

Information and communication technology (ICT) has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning as well as school administration, yet little is known about the maturity of ICT planning in schools and the manner in which schools plan for the acquisition and use of these technologies in the educational environment. However, as school investments in ICT increase and they become more reliant on ICT, effective planning becomes more central to schools’ ability to maximize their use of technology. This research examines ICT planning in schools and proposes a four-stage model of the evolution of ICT planning maturity in schools. The model emerges from case studies conducted in eight New Zealand primary schools and provides insight into the nature of ICT planning in schools and the factors that contribute to planning maturity.

Assessing Young Language Learners

2021 ◽  
pp. 45-62
Author(s):  
Erika Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
The World ◽  
Language Classrooms

In Chile, as in other countries that have been following an international trend the past decades, the age children start learning English has lowered. So, it has become imperative that teachers acquire the proper knowledge to instruct these young learners. However, it is common to find in language classrooms across the country teachers who do not have such training. This reality creates challenges in areas such as assessment, materials design, and professional development. This chapter presents a study that explores how Chilean teachers of English without previous experience or training in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) assess children in primary schools. Through an online survey, data was collected from 56 participants from the central zone of the country. The findings of this study are in line with those of previous studies conducted in different countries over the world, which suggests that the main issues regarding TEYL are cross-cultural.

Rural English Learner Education: A Review of Research and Call for a National Agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 524-532
Author(s):  
Maria R. Coady
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
English Learner ◽  
Mainstream Teachers ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
English Speaking

The number of rural English learner (EL) students and families has increased over the past decade, due in part to U.S. immigration and economic policies. Educators in rural schools face challenges associated with EL education, including obtaining resources for language teaching and learning, identifying and retaining specialized teachers, and accessing professional development to support teachers and educational leaders in EL student learning. Other challenges include communicating with non-English-speaking families to support learning. The author reviews research on the intersecting areas of rural education and EL education. The subfield of rural EL education has been underexamined across the research community, and nationally there is need to examine the backgrounds, languages, and learning needs of this group of students. The author highlights five pressing areas: knowledge of the characteristics and demographics of EL students and families across rural designations; language education approaches, models, and practices for EL students; hiring and retaining teachers of ELs in rural settings; and professional development for mainstream teachers and leaders of rural EL students. This review calls for an organized national research agenda that begins to unravel rural EL education and that offers a coherent direction for scholars, teacher-educators, and policymakers.

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