scholarly journals Recalling Critical Incidents for Professional Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 19-30
Author(s):  
Guru Poudel

Teachers have to identify their own potentials and problems in order to look their way forward. In their ongoing process of teaching and learning, teachers might have encountered many critical incidents. Recalling critical incidents has worth in restructuring the pedagogical approaches and reshaping the classroom activities because teachers develop themselves if there is challenge and responsibility. Having such a claim in mind set, this article aims to unpack the Nepalese ESL lectures stories of critical incidents and to examine the role of recalling critical incidents for their professional learning. It has been developed on the basis of the narrative of three EFL lecturers. After the thematic analysis of the data obtained through in-depth interview, it has been found that EFL lectures had a story of unplanned and unexpected event of the classroom and they recalled such stories as a part of professional learning. Similarly, the reflection of critical events gave them some kind of relief in teaching practices and the events taught them a number of strategies like persuasive or threatening, co-operating, caring and sometimes being indifferent to the students.

2021 ◽  
pp. 0092055X2110224
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Francis

Not only does teaching about gender and sexuality diversity lead to some very interesting and often emotionally evocative, pedagogical exchanges; it can also create challenging issues for teachers and students alike. This article focuses on what happens when a module that addresses compulsory heterosexuality and schooling is broached in an undergraduate sociology class. More importantly, it offers an analysis of the critical incidents and tensions that pay specific attention to how power, knowledge, and emotion feature in teaching and learning. Using antioppressive and affect theories, this article offers an analysis of how we might understand pedagogical practice, especially as it relates to addressing the power of normative heterosexuality in a university classroom. With reflections emerging from the module, I argue for more sociological theorization and analysis of the role of affect in pedagogies that seek to advance liberatory teaching and learning in the area of anti-heterosexism education.


2018 ◽  
pp. 343-362
Author(s):  
Deepika Tiwari

The last century took us from covered wagons on the pampas to rockets on the moon. Similarly, education has observed a meritorious shift in the new millennium from the conventional methods to the emergence of contemporary approaches. The conventional education systems were based on certain philosophies, theoretical frameworks, and practices which maintained a sluggish environment wherein educating meant to transmit knowledge from expert to amateurs. However, these values and systems do not harmonize with the needs of the current dynamic environments where there is an unbelievable pool of advanced information. In light of this rapidly changing knowledge-based society, the role of teaching and learning is changing dramatically. Now is the era, where countries are looking for the emergence of ‘edupreneurs'.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona King

A prominent feature of education discourse relating to teachers' practice has been the call for increased emphasis on professional development (PD). This paper is part of a wider project which explored the impact of a collaborative PD initiative on teachers' teaching and learning in five urban disadvantaged schools in Ireland. It focused on the impact of PD and critically on sustainability from which emerged important issues of leadership. This article focuses on the specific contribution that leadership made to the sustainability of the practices in the schools. It aims to identify three key features of how principals contribute to sustaining PD practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Basudev Khanal

This paper focuses on the role of teachers' union in the professional development of teacher in the public universities of Nepal. To date no worth mentioning impression about the activities of teachers’ union in the professional development of teachers has been observed. Hence, this paper explores the affirmative role of the union in the professional development of its members. In the course of this study, in-depth interview was carried out for the collection of the data and thematic analysis was done for analysis and interpretation. The participants in this research were five leaders from different teachers’ unions and two members as beneficiaries from the union. It has been found that the teachers’ union works as a platform for sharing knowledge and skills among the teachers, and it also makes the existing teachers as well as the newly appointed teachers aware of the recent development in the field of teaching and learning in the global education ambiance. Moreover, the use of different available networks facilitates in encouraging the academic actions that eventually supports in the professional enhancement of the teachers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002248712110591
Author(s):  
Mostafa Nazari ◽  
Peter I. De Costa

Despite the widely recognized significance of critical incidents (CIs) in teachers’ professional learning, little research has investigated the role of CIs in language teacher identity development. This study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the contributions of a Telegram-based professional development course—framed around CI storying—to the language teacher identity development process of a group of teachers. Data were collected from 10 teachers before, during, and after the course. Data analyses indicated that, before the course, CIs negatively influenced the teachers’ agency and emotions. Participation in the course contributed, however, to the teachers’ enhanced agency and greater emotion regulation. In addition, the course afforded the teachers an opportunity to experience further professional socialization and collegial engagement. Our findings revealed that during the course, the teachers developed greater expertise in storying their CIs and discussed higher order issues relevant to the multiplicity of identity as connected to sociocultural-educational dimensions. These findings suggest that emotions and agency are two significant identity aspects that are profoundly influenced by and influence CIs. Our article closes with a discussion of the implications of embedding CIs in professional development courses to help teachers (re)construct their identities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Paul Goldschagg ◽  
Di Wilmot

This article presents the findings of the initial phase of an ongoing exploratory study that responds to a national imperative, to create teacher-initiated professional learning communities (PLCs), to improve the professionalism and capabilities of South African teachers. The overarching goal of the study is to understand how an emergent PLC in the form of an online Google Group for South African geography educators may enhance geography education and teacher professional development. The contributions made to the Southern African Geography Teachers Network Google Group over a six-month period were analysed and categorized according to themes and topics in the Grade 10, 11 and 12 Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. The findings, in shedding as they do, light on the curriculum sections receiving the most and least contributions, raise more questions than they provide answers. Areas requiring further research are identified. Our main contention is that the emergent PLC enabled through the Google Group offers exciting possibilities for teacher professional learning. As a bottom-up, online, easily accessible initiative, unrestricted by time or place constraints and with a growing membership, it may play an important role in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in South African school geography.


Author(s):  
Alaa Al Amoudi

The main goal of this chapter is to learn more about the sustainability of collaborative mobile learning approaches. As for utilising the available resources on mobile devices for developing didactic programmes for pre-service teachers involved in remote or distance learning, the role of sustainable collaborative learning is also explored. Additionally, the chapter illustrates a new and effective pedagogical technique as a means to increase their usage and usage among instructional developers. A teaching model that can be utilised in a variety of environments is proposed, like in the current global pandemic in the form of remote work and distance learning. Such teaching models can therefore help to optimise online learning materials to help students follow the teaching and learning process in the absence of traditional classroom activities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sola Freeman

<p><b>Research has acknowledged the limited range of scientific opportunities for young children in New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) services. The identified reasons include a lack of confidence by ECE teachers, their narrow understanding of science, and their pedagogical approaches to teaching. A complex and non-prescriptive curriculum and dominance of developmental theories in ECE has resulted in science learning via osmosis through a process of a hands-off play-based philosophy of practice. Many have argued for pedagogical approaches that can accommodate scientific learning within a play-based sociocultural-historical setting (e.g., Broström, 2015; Fleer & Pramling, 2015; Kumar & Whyte, 2018). This study investigated the things that influence the occurrence of scientific experiences in ECE. It explored how participating in collaborative action research (CAR) and the involvement of a critical friend influences scientific experiences in centres.</b></p> <p>This study involved two phases: a national survey and CAR with teaching teams in six centres. The researcher took on the role of a critical friend through the CAR process, guiding teachers to critically examine their practice and their centre programme. Action plans were achieved collaboratively within each teaching team. Data was collected over 12 weeks in each centre through focus groups, reflective journals, observations, field notes, and through two research hui with participating teachers from all centres.</p> <p>The findings highlighted the importance of the teachers recognising and fostering children’s scientific experiences. It found that science was enabled in a variety of ECE settings by a shift in teachers’ pedagogical practices, adjustments to centre environments, and recognising and responding to children’s interests. Teachers enabled rich, authentic, and meaningful scientific interactions with children by their active participation in supporting and extending children’s science interests with intentional teaching practices and provocations.</p> <p>This thesis argues for the value of CAR and the role of a critical friend to facilitate teachers’ motivation, engagement, learning and reflection on practice. Seeking a change in practice through professional learning and CAR, brought about ownership of their goals and action plans, and the eventual shifts in teachers’ pedagogy of practice.</p> <p>The shift towards intentional teaching practices, provocations, and opening doors to knowledge, validated and forefronted the importance of the teachers’ role and emphasised their value in noticing, recognising, and responding to children’s scientific interests in authentic and meaningful ways.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sola Freeman

<p><b>Research has acknowledged the limited range of scientific opportunities for young children in New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) services. The identified reasons include a lack of confidence by ECE teachers, their narrow understanding of science, and their pedagogical approaches to teaching. A complex and non-prescriptive curriculum and dominance of developmental theories in ECE has resulted in science learning via osmosis through a process of a hands-off play-based philosophy of practice. Many have argued for pedagogical approaches that can accommodate scientific learning within a play-based sociocultural-historical setting (e.g., Broström, 2015; Fleer & Pramling, 2015; Kumar & Whyte, 2018). This study investigated the things that influence the occurrence of scientific experiences in ECE. It explored how participating in collaborative action research (CAR) and the involvement of a critical friend influences scientific experiences in centres.</b></p> <p>This study involved two phases: a national survey and CAR with teaching teams in six centres. The researcher took on the role of a critical friend through the CAR process, guiding teachers to critically examine their practice and their centre programme. Action plans were achieved collaboratively within each teaching team. Data was collected over 12 weeks in each centre through focus groups, reflective journals, observations, field notes, and through two research hui with participating teachers from all centres.</p> <p>The findings highlighted the importance of the teachers recognising and fostering children’s scientific experiences. It found that science was enabled in a variety of ECE settings by a shift in teachers’ pedagogical practices, adjustments to centre environments, and recognising and responding to children’s interests. Teachers enabled rich, authentic, and meaningful scientific interactions with children by their active participation in supporting and extending children’s science interests with intentional teaching practices and provocations.</p> <p>This thesis argues for the value of CAR and the role of a critical friend to facilitate teachers’ motivation, engagement, learning and reflection on practice. Seeking a change in practice through professional learning and CAR, brought about ownership of their goals and action plans, and the eventual shifts in teachers’ pedagogy of practice.</p> <p>The shift towards intentional teaching practices, provocations, and opening doors to knowledge, validated and forefronted the importance of the teachers’ role and emphasised their value in noticing, recognising, and responding to children’s scientific interests in authentic and meaningful ways.</p>


Author(s):  
Deepika Tiwari

The last century took us from covered wagons on the pampas to rockets on the moon. Similarly, education has observed a meritorious shift in the new millennium from the conventional methods to the emergence of contemporary approaches. The conventional education systems were based on certain philosophies, theoretical frameworks, and practices which maintained a sluggish environment wherein educating meant to transmit knowledge from expert to amateurs. However, these values and systems do not harmonize with the needs of the current dynamic environments where there is an unbelievable pool of advanced information. In light of this rapidly changing knowledge-based society, the role of teaching and learning is changing dramatically. Now is the era, where countries are looking for the emergence of ‘edupreneurs'.


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