Mentoring as a professional development opportunity

Author(s):  
Richard Bustin
Author(s):  
Jenna Copper ◽  
George Semich

High-stakes student testing, accountability for students' outcomes, new educational trends, and revised curricula and standards are only a few of the reasons that teachers must learn to teach complex material with skilled and intentional practices. As a result, professional development for educators is in critical demand. Nevertheless, research in the field of professional development indicates that most teachers do not experience effective teacher training (Desimone et al., 2002; Guskey, 2002). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine one professional development opportunity using the video-sharing tool, YouTube, as a training modality for in-servicing teachers. For this study, the researchers conducted interviews with six teachers currently teaching in Western Pennsylvania to analyze their perceptions about the YouTube teacher training method. The results of the study indicated that the YouTube training tool is a quality training tool to assist teachers in the implementation of higher-order teaching strategies. Additionally, the results indicated that YouTube training videos could reinforce in-person training.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-339
Author(s):  
Anne Ballard Sara ◽  
Elizabeth Futrell ◽  
Tilly Gurman

Supporting the development of young family planning professionals is key to fostering communities of practitioners that can help countries achieve family planning goals. The Family Planning Voices (FP Voices) storytelling initiative, created by The Knowledge for Health Project and Family Planning 2020, documents stories from people around the world who are passionate about family planning. This qualitative evaluation used in-depth interviews ( n = 11) with young professionals (ages 18-30) to uncover the effects of sharing their story with FP Voices. Participants came from 10 countries in one of three regions, Latin America ( n = 2), South Asia ( n = 2), and Africa ( n = 7). Findings highlight that sharing one’s story with FP Voices served as a professional development opportunity and instilled confidence and pride among young professionals. Additionally, participants linked access to a professional headshot and the experience of participating in an interview to their professional development. Participants often discussed the recognition they gained from sharing their story and the resulting increase in professional connections and opportunities. Participants hoped that their stories would inspire and encourage others and support recognition of the value of young professionals to the larger family planning field. In sum, storytelling initiatives like FP Voices can motivate and create community and opportunity among young professionals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick T. Kelly ◽  
Tom Bell ◽  
Alexander J. Reisinger ◽  
Trisha L. Spanbauer ◽  
Lauren E. Bortolotti ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Yuko Iwai ◽  
Leslie Rogers ◽  
Debra McKeown ◽  
Mary Brindle

Teachers must be equipped with the skills necessary to effectively deliver quality instruction, especially when implementing an evidence-based practice. Delivering these practices with high levels of fidelity requires knowledge that goes beyond what is learned in initial teacher preparation programs, often requiring ongoing and targeted professional development. In the current study, 19 teachers and instructional personnel attended and completed a professional development opportunity to learn how to use the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model, an evidence-based practice, when teaching writing. Pre- and post-professional development surveys were completed and analyzed to evaluate whether meaningful outcomes occurred. Results indicated that the professional development caused participants to re-conceptualize their knowledge and perceptions of quality writing and quality writing instruction and to explicitly share intentions to implement SRSD writing instruction in their classrooms. Results will be shared and implications for future research discussed.


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