scholarly journals Social Sustainability and Professional Development: Assessing a Training Course on Intercultural Education for In-Service Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Biasutti ◽  
Eleonora Concina ◽  
Sara Frate
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Intercultural Education ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Training Course ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

Background: World-wide migration is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. One crucial problem that has arisen as a result of mass migration is how school teachers are taught to use methods and tools that both support intercultural education and the promotion of inclusion as a core pedagogical construct. For these reasons, it is unsurprising that there is an increased need for studies within the field of social sustainability that consider the effects of professional development for teachers. Methods: The current paper presents the assessment of a professional development training course on intercultural education addressed to Italian primary and middle school teachers. The course was framed within a sociocultural approach and had a learner-centered focus. The research methodology used within our research involved a qualitative method to assess the effects of the training course activities. The perceived professional development was analyzed through the administration of an open question survey addressed to the teachers that attended the training course. Results: The qualitative analysis revealed the following themes: Teachers’ attitudes, teaching methods and instruments, community of practice, positive features of the course, course weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement. The results of this analysis showed that the training course was an occasion for teachers to discuss different pedagogical approaches, teaching strategies, and practices in intercultural education. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the activities created an environment for teachers to reflect upon their teaching approaches and practices. Our research shows that professional development interventions of this kind may help to improve intercultural pedagogical abilities among primary and middle school teachers.

Improving Middle School Teachers' Reasoning about Proportional Reasoning

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 398-403
Author(s):  
Charles S. Thompson ◽  
William S. Bush
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Proportional Reasoning ◽  
Development Project ◽  
School Teachers

Article describes a professional development project to increase teachers' understanding of proportional reasoning, the thinking patterns associated with proportional reasoning, and the applications of proportional reasoning across the middle-grades curriculum.

scholarly journals Actitudes del profesorado de secundaria hacia estudiantes con diagnóstico de trastorno mental en colegios de la provincia de Concepción y Diguillín: Un estudio cualitativo

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-298
Author(s):  
Cecilia Cariaga Balboa ◽  
Pamela Grandon Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Las actitudes de los profesores hacia estudiantes con diagnóstico de trastorno mental han sido escasamente exploradas en Chile y Latinoamérica, a pesar de su importancia por el impacto que tienen en el proceso de aprendizaje de los alumnos. El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo describir las actitudes de los profesores de secundaria hacia estudiantes que presentan un diagnóstico de trastorno mental. Esta investigación empleó una metodología cualitativa con enfoque fenomenológico. Se utilizó análisis de contenido y temático para analizar los corpus. La muestra se obtuvo por conveniencia y correspondió a 30 profesores de enseñanza secundaria procedentes de colegios de diferente dependencia administrativa (municipal, subvencionado y particular). Se realizaron entrevistas semi estructuradas, por saturación teórica. Los resultados muestran que los profesores de enseñanza secundaria manifiestan actitudes contradictorias, positivas y negativas, hacia sus estudiantes con trastorno mental (TM). Las actitudes negativas tienen que ver con el temor y peligrosidad mientras que las actitudes positivas están relacionadas con el apoyo y expectativas favorables de éxito. Las actitudes negativas son comparables con las que mantiene la población en general, mientras que las actitudes positivas y las expectativas favorables de éxito hacia sus estudiantes podrían explicarse por el impacto de la educación inclusiva en los colegios y la teoría del contacto. Estos resultados deberían servir para guiar a los establecimientos educacionales en la mejora de las actitudes de los docentes hacia estudiantes con TM. Teachers' attitudes towards students with a diagnosis of mental disorder have been little explored in Chile and Latin America, despite their importance due to the impact they have on the learning process of students. The present study aimed to describe the attitudes of secondary school teachers towards students who present a diagnosis of mental disorder. This research used a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach. Content and thematic analysis was used to analyze the corpus. The sample was obtained for convenience and corresponded to 30 middle school teachers average coming from schools of different administrative dependency (municipal, subsidized and private). Semi-structured interviews were carried out, due to theoretical saturation. The results show that middle school teachers show contradictory, positive and negative attitudes towards their students with mental disorder (TM). Negative attitudes have to do with fear and dangerousness while positive attitudes are related to support and favorable expectations of success. Negative attitudes are comparable to those held by the general population, while positive attitudes and favorable expectations of success towards their students could be explained by the impact of inclusive education in schools and the theory of contact. These results should serve to guide educational establishments in improving teachers' attitudes towards students with TM.

scholarly journals Predictors of Healthy Youth Relationships Program Implementation in a Sample of Canadian Middle School Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-122
Author(s):  
Deinera Exner-Cortens ◽  
Vanja Spiric ◽  
Claire Crooks ◽  
Maisha Syeda ◽  
Lana Wells
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Healthy Relationships ◽  
Implementation Outcomes ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Implementation of evidence-based, Tier 1 social-emotional learning (SEL) programming that supports healthy relationships skills is recognized as a key mental health promotion and violence prevention strategy for youth. However, work specifically exploring how to support the high-quality implementation of such programming with Canadian teachers and schools is just beginning to emerge. Drawing on implementation frameworks that emphasize the importance of setting, provider, and implementation process characteristics for understanding program implementation outcomes, this prospective, longitudinal study explores implementation of the Fourth R, a SEL-based healthy relationships program, in a Western Canadian province using a sample of middle school teachers. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to illuminate relationships among teachers’ attitudes toward evidence-based programming, perceptions of organizational climate, and training experience with program implementation outcomes (dosage, quality, fidelity). Findings of this exploratory study identified that these characteristics influenced implementation dosage, quality, and fidelity in differential ways. Qualitative data drawn from teacher interviews supported quantitative findings and highlighted the importance of organizational support for high-quality implementation. We discuss areas for further study, given that there are significant gaps in knowledge about teachers’ attitudes toward evidence-based programming, school climate, and other systemic factors in the Canadian context, as well as relevance of study findings to the field of school psychology.

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