scholarly journals Rural Teachers’ Cultural and Epistemic Shifts in STEM Teaching and Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-66
Author(s):  
Colby Tofel-Grehl ◽  
Kristin A. Searle ◽  
Andrea Hawkman ◽  
Beth L. MacDonald ◽  
Mario I. Suárez
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Elementary Classrooms ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Forced Relocation ◽  
Stem Teaching

This article focuses on the ways in which integrated curriculum can improve STEM teaching and learning within rural spaces. Using a design-based research approach, this study focuses on rural teachers' experiences of professional learning and development training as they learn to engage computing and maker technologies in their elementary classrooms as tools for teaching students about difficult histories of immigration, migration, and forced relocation across the United States.

Insights into Teachers’ Experiences Implementing Garden-Based Learning: Characterizing the Relationship between the Teacher and the Curriculum

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Selmer ◽  
Melissa J. Luna ◽  
James A. Rye
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teacher Participation ◽  
Curriculum Materials ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Teachers Experiences

Background/Context This study seeks insights into teachers’ experiences implementing Garden-Based Learning (GBL) in an elementary school. The breadth of studies supporting the use of GBL in K–8 schools in the United States alongside the paucity of studies specific to teachers’ experiences implementing GBL highlights the importance of this work. Purpose Our study uses Remillard's framework for characterizing and studying teachers’ interactions with curriculum materials specifically in the context of GBL. We believe that exploring the dynamic relationship between teachers and a GBL curriculum may help those involved in supporting teachers in implementing GBL to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of the teacher/GBL curriculum relationship. This research examined teachers’ GBL implementation experiences in order to answer the following research question: How do we describe and characterize teachers’ interactions with GBL curriculum materials? Research Design Twenty teachers employed from one elementary school were interviewed using a semistructured task-based protocol resulting in a teacher-created diagram of supports and challenges he/she encountered while implementing GBL over the past year. The diagram was used as a tool to stimulate and access teachers’ thinking about these supports and challenges in order to provide insight into the teacher and curricular resources at play when implementing GBL. Findings/Results Using a grounded theory analysis of each participant's diagram, we characterized each teacher's participatory relationship with GBL. We found 13% of supports and challenges elicited from all teachers had a teaching and learning focus. On an individual level, supports and challenges had a substantial teaching and learning focus for only two teachers. Thirteen teachers were characterized as having a pragmatic focus. Of the seven teachers characterized to have an experiential focus: supports and challenges focused more so on what students were doing for four teachers and more so on what teachers were doing for three teachers. Conclusions/Recommendations We used Remillard's framework to investigate and characterize the participatory relationship between teachers and the GBL curriculum. The resulting characterizations provide insight for supporting GBL teacher learning contexts and will help guide future research. Based on this study, it is critical that individuals involved in educational change continue trying to understand and develop spaces for teacher learning. These spaces should move beyond traditional professional development focused on teacher participation toward experiences focused on teacher learning within and across their teaching contexts.

A Reconstruction of Rural Teachers' Technology Integration Experiences

2016 ◽  
pp. 834-860
Author(s):  
Laura Helena Porras-Hernández ◽  
Bertha Salinas-Amescua
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Phenomenological Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Rural Teacher

Teachers who integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) to their practice in rural areas face important challenges that differ from those where contextual conditions are most favorable. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how and why a phenomenological research approach applied to the reconstruction of rural teachers' experiences in incorporating ICT's to their practice can be helpful for both, for research purposes as well as for inspiring the avenues that rural teacher education in the digital age should follow. Based on the narratives of eight teachers working in poor rural schools of Mexico, this chapter describes how, as part of a construction of their own rural pedagogies, these teachers integrate ICT to their practice in response to three levels of contextual demands. Lessons learned and recommendations for research of this kind are provided.

scholarly journals Professional learning and development initiatives for postdoctoral scholars

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorelli Nowell ◽  
Glory Ovie ◽  
Natasha Kenny ◽  
K. Alix Hayden ◽  
Michele Jacobsen
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Planning Project ◽  
Development Initiatives

Purpose Postdoctoral scholars are increasingly pursuing diverse career paths requiring broad skill sets. This study aims to create a more comprehensive understanding of current approaches and strategies for postdoctoral scholars professional learning and development. Design/methodology/approach This literature review is a systematic examination and synthesis of the current literature describing professional learning and development pertaining to postdoctoral scholars. The objectives and components of initiatives were extracted and narratively synthesized to identity important patterns and themes across the literature. Findings Commonalities amongst professional learning and development initiatives for postdoctoral scholars included skills development in the following areas: teaching and learning, mentorship, academic careers, academic writing, industry careers, networking, career planning, project management, time management, communication, leadership and balancing work-life demands. Originality/value In synthesizing the literature that describes professional learning and development opportunities for postdoctoral scholars, it is apparent that opportunities look different in every setting with no empirical evidence that one strategy is more effective than another. Given the significant resources often required to support professional learning and development initiatives, a deeper understanding of the benefits and deficiencies of various components is needed to ensure scarce resources are invested in the most effective strategies.

scholarly journals Living with Tensions: Stories of Chinese Early Childhood Teachers’ Teaching and Learning Experiences in the Contemporary Urban Chinese Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jing Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Personal Practical Knowledge ◽  
Teachers Experiences

<p>This narrative inquiry explores 6 Chinese early childhood teachers’ teaching and learning experiences in Shanghai and Beijing, where Chinese and Western educational ideas and practices co-exist. Interviews with teachers, kindergarten directors, and parents, and participatory observations and collected documents are analysed and interpreted to reveal the teachers’ experiences of being both teacher and learner in the contemporary urban Chinese context. The teachers’ experiences and voices are at the centre of this study and are represented in poetic format. The themes emerging from the teachers’ poems are discussed alongside relevant literature in order to gain in-depth understanding of each teacher’s teaching and learning experience in specific kindergarten contexts. Emerging themes embody the reality of teaching and learning, professional learning in the embedded community of practice, and the teachers’ professional and personal selves. Tensions and challenges the teachers faced in teaching and learning are identified. The enabling and constraining factors that may deskill, re-skill, or empower the teachers are discussed. The teachers’ stories suggest that they experience tensions between the multiple and contradicting educational ideas; the embedded kindergarten community’s interpretation of teaching and learning at multiple levels; the teachers’ personal practical knowledge; and their life as a multifaceted human being. The research suggests the need for kindergarten directors, scholars and policymakers to pay attention to the dynamic relationships between a kindergarten’s structure, curriculum, pedagogy, images of the child, teachers’ personal practical knowledge, professional learning, and teachers’ inner selves and agency.</p>

scholarly journals Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences With Remote Instruction During the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kevin Mercier ◽  
Erin Centeio ◽  
Alex Garn ◽  
Heather Erwin ◽  
Risto Marttinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
School Level ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Survey Responses

This study investigated physical education (PE) teachers’ experiences with remote instruction in the United States during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. PE teachers (n = 4,362) from all 50 states completed a survey identifying their experiences with remote instruction in May, 2020. Survey responses were analyzed by geographic region, district type, and school level. Teachers reported having students submit assignments (51% yes), using video instruction (37% yes), being less effective when instructing remotely (20% yes), and emphasizing student outcomes focused on health-related fitness (32% yes), and physical activity value/enjoyment (43% yes). Access to technology (40% yes) and required student assignments (43% yes) were lowest among teachers from the South. Rural teachers reported the least access to technology (37% yes) and rated themselves as least effective (24% yes). Secondary level teachers reported the highest percentage of required assignments (84% yes). Teachers’ responses identify unique challenges to delivering equitable and effective remote PE instruction.

Design Thinking and Immersive Professional Learning in Teacher Education

2016 ◽  
pp. 25-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E. Crichton ◽  
Deb Carter
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Human Centered Design ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Design Challenge ◽  
Novice Educators

Through their personalized practices, experienced educators develop two professional acts: knowing-in-action and reflecting-in-action. Novice educators grapple to understand these actions when witnessing experienced educators choose to adopt/adapt new technologies, differentiate instructional strategies, or promote new educational reforms into their classrooms. Using a design-based research approach, the authors' work suggests novice educators may require immersive professional learning opportunities to develop pedagogical empathy. Pedagogical empathy means fostering a receptiveness of other educators' professional choices (empathy) based on known theories, methods and practices of teaching and learning (pedagogy). The authors discuss their findings when introducing a human-centered design thinking process using a design challenge, collaborative prototyping, and multiple levels of reflection with experienced and novice educators. This chapter shares two years of research informed experience with educators at various stages of their careers in both western Canada and Tanzania.

Creating and sustaining teaching and learning centers: US models of resources and support, lessons learned, and building a culture of teaching and learning excellence

2016 ◽  
pp. 71-83
Author(s):  
Joellen E. Coryell
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Centers ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning Centers ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Culture Of Teaching ◽  
The Common ◽  
Practice Literature

This article represents an expanded discussion of a presentation on teaching and learning centers (TLCs) to an Italian national conference on the components of a research project entitled, Preparazione alla professionalitŕ docente e innovazione didattica (PRODID). The article aims to highlight an overview of findings from the research and practice literature regarding TLCs across their history in the United States, including the common structures and roles of these centers. Finally, the author provides theoretical underpinnings from organizational learning and development that are recommended for practice in creating and sustaining effective TLCs including the importance of co-creating value for teaching and learning excellence, building an inclusive learning culture within institutions of higher education, and managing and sustaining organizational change. Suggestions for further research are also provided.

scholarly journals The First Year of Practice: An Investigation of the Professional Learning and Development of Promising Novice Physical Therapists

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1758-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa L. Black ◽  
Gail M. Jensen ◽  
Elizabeth Mostrom ◽  
Jan Perkins ◽  
Pamela D. Ritzline ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
New Graduates

Background The goal in studying expertise is not merely to describe ways in which experts excel but also to understand how experts develop in order to better facilitate the development of novices. The study of novice progression helps us to understand what successful versus unsuccessful learning looks like. This understanding is critical, as autonomous practice places increased demands for advanced clinical judgments and the ability to assume professional responsibilities. Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, learning, and development of promising novice therapists throughout their first year of practice in the United States. Design and Methods A longitudinal, multiple-site qualitative case study method was used for within-case and across-case analysis. A purposive sample of 11 promising new graduates from 4 physical therapist education programs participated. Investigators followed the graduates throughout their first year of practice. Data sources included: (1) semistructured interviews conducted at baseline and every 3 months thereafter for 1 year, (2) reflective journals completed at regular intervals, and (3) review of academic and clinical education records and résumés. Results Four themes emerged: (1) the clinical environment influenced the novice physical therapists' performance, (2) participants learned through experience and social interaction and learning was primarily directed toward self, (3) growing confidence was directly related to developing communication skills, and (4) therapists were engaged in professional identity formation and role transitions. Conclusions The findings suggest there are common experiences and themes that emerge as novice physical therapists develop. Although research has been conducted on expertise in physical therapy, few longitudinal investigations have explored the development of therapists across transitions from graduate to novice to expert practitioner. This study explored and described the learning and development of graduates during their first year of practice.

scholarly journals Digitalisation in early childhood education: a domestication theoretical perspective on teachers’ experiences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Lindeman ◽  
Maria Svensson ◽  
Ann-Britt Enochsson
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Digital Competence ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Research Questions

AbstractThe aim of this study is to increase knowledge of teachers’ understanding and experiences of using, or not using, digital tools in Early Childhood Education (ECE). The study takes a domestication theoretical approach based on interviews with twelve teachers from nine ECE institutions working with play-based learning with children aged 1–5 years from four different municipalities in Sweden. The study answers the following two research questions: In what ways, and to what extent, do teachers integrate digital tools in their work? What practical, symbolic or cognitive aspects affect their work with digital tools? The teachers have integrated the digital tools to different extent. The most useful tools for working with the children are tablets and beamers, which are devices that can be used in various ways. Digital tools used for administration are domesticated to a greater extent than the tools teachers use with the children. The study further shows that important factors in the successful domestication of digital tools in ECE include digital competence, including pedagogical aspects, in combination with personal drive and professional learning and development.

scholarly journals Formative assessment and feedback in the primary classroom: An interplay between teachers' beliefs and practices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Prema Shoba Perumanathan
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formative Feedback ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Collegial Support ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Feedback Strategies

<p>This study explores the interplay between teachers’ beliefs and practices in understanding and implementing formative assessment and feedback to enhance student learning. Particularly, it explores teachers’ conceptions of effective formative feedback strategies, and the role they should play in their classroom practice. The context for this investigation was writing lessons in three primary classrooms, and included examination of three cases of primary teachers in the greater Wellington Region, New Zealand. Sadler’s (1989) theory of effective formative assessment and feedback provided the theoretical framework informing both data collection method and the analysis of data. Analysis of classroom observations, teaching documents and field notes revealed that teachers have adopted many strategies associated with good feedback practice. It was revealed, however, that the influence of teachers’ beliefs in the implementation and enactment of formative feedback and the interplay of their beliefs and practices affected their practices. These teachers’ conception and beliefs on how formative feedback should be practiced varied, as did their assumptions about their students’ abilities. These inconsistencies were further influenced by a range of contextual factors, including the diversity of students’ needs, differing collegial support, the structure of school writing programmes, teachers’ limited professional development and/or learning about formative assessment and feedback, and teachers’ learning having been undertaken in an era that favoured behaviourist practices. This research revealed the need for the provision of ongoing professional learning and development in writing instructions and formative assessment and feedback strategies. This would address the apparent inconsistencies between teachers’ conceptions and beliefs regarding effective formative assessment and feedback and their practices. As a result, this would help to promote Sadler’s (1989) formative assessment and feedback strategies to achieve more effective classroom teaching and learning practice. Implications for teachers, schools and professional learning and development are outlined and suggestions for further research included.</p>

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