scholarly journals Professional Development in Mathematics Education—Evaluation of a MOOC on Outdoor Mathematics

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  
pp. 2975
Author(s):  
Eugenia Taranto ◽  
Simone Jablonski ◽  
Tomas Recio ◽  
Christian Mercat ◽  
Elisabete Cunha ◽  
...  

In this paper, we examine the impact of a massive open online course (MOOC) in the context of outdoor mathematics on the participating teachers’ professional development. We firstly introduce the theoretical background on outdoor mathematics, focusing on math trails with the digital tool MathCityMap and professional development to be accomplished using MOOCs. By taking into account the MOOC “Task Design for Math Trails”, with 93 finalists, we analyze the learning progress of 19 selected case studies from different nations and learning levels by taking into account their answers in a pre- and post-questionnaire and their posts on a specific communication message board, with a special focus on the MOOC’s topics’ task design for outdoor mathematics and the digital tool MathCityMap. The analysis is performed using different quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results show that the teachers studied have benefited from professional development, which is evident in the expansion/evolution of their knowledge from a content, pedagogical, and technological perspective. Finally, we formulate consequences for professional development in STEM education, and conclude the paper with limitations to be drawn and a perspective for further research.

Author(s):  
Hongmei Han ◽  
◽  
Jinghua Wang

This study explores the impact of teacher learning community on EFL teachers’ professional development. The participants are 17 EFL teachers from Hebei University in China. A year-long study was conducted on these teachers' group leaning activities through participatory observation and in-depth interviews. The preliminary results are as follows: 1) Generally speaking, through conversation, interaction and online peer evaluation in learning community, participant teachers have improved professionally in terms of critical thinking, academic writing, reflective thinking and research awareness; 2) In learning activities of the community, the experienced teachers focused more on the construction of knowledge regarding research methodology, through interaction with others and participation in teaching-based research activities, to reconstruct their knowledge about teaching and research; while the novice teachers placed more emphasis on the reconstruction of knowledge regarding pedagogical theories and the way these theories are applied in teaching practice, through social interaction with other teachers.


Author(s):  
Kamirsyah Wahyu ◽  
Dwi Ratnasari ◽  
Sofyan Mahfudy ◽  
Desventri Etmy

This article aims to explore a possible criterion of digital technology mathematics teachers’ professional development[1]. The criterion was canvassed through qualitative exploratory study which involve a hybrid model of DigiTech TPD, online published articles of related TPD, and theoretical perspective which relate to digital technology in mathematics education. Related frameworks (Drijverset al, 2010; Trocki & Hollebrands, 2018) and content analysis were utilized to analyze the first two data. Theoretical perspectives of digital technology in mathematics education were accounted to reflect prior data and explore the criterion. We found that the current TPD[2]has not developed the knowledge of task design and supported teachers' roles in orchestrating technology-rich mathematics teaching as seen in the low level of tasks and teachers' orchestration in the classroom. Related articles on TPD in Indonesia show that the programs have not touched decisive factors of successfully implementing digital technology. An alternative criterion for DigiTech TPD is explored which includes three aspects namely theoretical approach, model and content. It could be alternative point of departure for designing and conducting DigiTech TPD in Indonesia.   


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ženija Bērziņa

School-Based Mentoring for Professional Development of Inclusive School TeachersBecause of the importance and the complexity of inclusive education, the implementing of a new teaching method in fifteen schools of four regions of Latvia was integrated with school-based teacher mentoring in a two-year project. A new method of teaching basic concepts for children with learning disabilities was a crucial part of in-service teacher training mentoring programme. This paper illuminates mentors' and teachers-mentees' perceptions on the impact of mentoring on their teaching at the primary school level. Data collected by the means of self-evaluation includes teachers' and their mentors' views on the role of mentoring and teachers' collaboration in teachers' professional development and inclusion of children with special needs. The results of the study show that mentoring and collaboration are pre-conditions for successful teachers' professional development, which creates, in its turn, a favourable basis for enhancement of inclusive education programmes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-85
Author(s):  
Danijela Blanuša Trošelj ◽  
Karla Franković ◽  
Milena Valenčič Zuljan

Every preschool teacher’s activity results in changes in the preschool teacher as well as in the practice. In situations where we have a limited number and form of professional training offered to preschool teachers, whose attendance is not always subject to the personal plan of preschool teachers’ professional development, informal learning adds great value to teacher development. This paper aims to examine the involvement of preschool teachers in certain forms of informal learning and their reflection on the impact these forms have on their professional development. The empirical part of the paper presents the results of a survey conducted among preschool teachers. 110 preschool teachers from the Republic of Croatia responded to the questionnaire and we got answers to two research questions. The results show that preschool teachers are most often involved in a form of informal learning which includes agreeing on how to work with a colleague from the group and documenting the children’s activities.


Author(s):  
Emsal Ates Ozdemir ◽  
Kenan Dikilitaş

Professional development for in-service English language teachers has increasingly become a need in higher education not only in Turkey but across the world. Due to the limited time teachers have and the distance between the source of service and the potential participants, using digitized activities and materials have naturally become a necessity. The purpose of this research is to report the potential impact of the course described below and discuss the role of blended learning experience of professional development on the participating teachers. The theoretical background of the study is experiential learning initiated by Kolb and socio-constructivist learning theory by Vygotsky in that both theories highlight the role of experiencing the change and focus on personal meanings and learning with and from others in real and online environments.


Author(s):  
Emsal Ates Ozdemir ◽  
Kenan Dikilitaş

Professional development for in-service English language teachers has increasingly become a need in higher education not only in Turkey but across the world. Due to the limited time teachers have and the distance between the source of service and the potential participants, using digitized activities and materials have naturally become a necessity. The purpose of this research is to report the potential impact of the course described below and discuss the role of blended learning experience of professional development on the participating teachers. The theoretical background of the study is experiential learning initiated by Kolb and socio-constructivist learning theory by Vygotsky in that both theories highlight the role of experiencing the change and focus on personal meanings and learning with and from others in real and online environments.


Author(s):  
Ana Edite Cunha

This chapter focuses on teachers' professional development, on the task design and on experimental work, as well as on the role of the teachers' mediation in the quality of student learning. The research problem was how the teacher can promote self-directed professional development, namely, improving the quality of teaching practices to influence the quality of students' learning, in their engagement in experimental tasks and epistemic practices. A longitudinal research methodology was followed during 10 years, based on a qualitative case study, from a curricular approach in secondary education. The analysis of data collection on teaching practices and students' learning over time and the teachers' professional pathways allow to formulate the following conclusions: (1) new traits of teaching practices were identified that promote students' productive engagement; (2) changes to the task design were enough to trigger differences in teachers' mediation, with consequences for students' epistemic practices and their productive engagement.


ReCALL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Robert O’Dowd ◽  
Melinda Dooly

Abstract Virtual exchange (VE) is an umbrella term used to refer to the engagement of groups of students in sustained online intercultural interaction and collaboration with international partners under the guidance of their teachers. In the computer-assisted language learning literature, telecollaboration and eTandem approaches to VE have been researched extensively. However, this research has principally focused to date on learner gains and the impact on teachers has been much less explored. This paper identifies the impact of VE on foreign language teachers’ practices and their professional development by examining the results of a qualitative study of 31 teacher trainers who engaged their classes in VE projects as part of a large-scale European project. The findings of the study suggest that participation in VE projects provides teachers with valuable experience in continued professional development and methodological innovation. In particular, VE was seen to open up opportunities for teachers to develop new professional partnerships, collaborative academic initiatives, to develop their own online collaboration skills, and also to introduce more innovative approaches in their current teaching practice.


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