Supporting Teachers’ Formative Assessment Practice with Learning Progressions

Erin FurtakEducation
Supporting Teachers’ Formative Assessment Practice with Learning Progressions

Author: Erin Furtak

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781317204961

Category: Education

Page: 200

View: 323

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This book presents the results of a four-year, National Science Foundation-funded project that engaged nine high school biology teachers at three public high schools in long-term, on-site professional development program centered on a learning progression. It explores the influence of teacher participation in this professional development experience on their learning about student thinking, formative assessment task design, classroom practices, and student learning. Taking an in-depth look at the multiple sources of data gathered as part of the study, this volume reflects on the emergence of professional communities focused on formative assessment design and enactments and associations between teacher participation in learning progression-centered professional development and student learning.

Supporting Teachers: Improving Instruction

Tomá? JaníkEducation
Supporting Teachers: Improving Instruction

Author: Tomá? Janík

Publisher: Waxmann Verlag

ISBN: 9783830990291

Category: Education

Page: 186

View: 711

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In the last decades, progress in the field of pre-service and in-service teacher education has been evident. Despite the developments of curriculum programs, models and designs, various challenges are shaping the field. Models of teacher education are usually presented as 'research-based', but related research is often invisible or fragmented. The 'support for teachers' and the 'improvement of instruction' are only loosely coupled and their interdependence is not highlighted. These challenges were the impetus to initiate this publication. Individual approaches, models or designs of pre-service and in-service teacher education developed by the authors (action research, video clubs, lesson studies, and others) are introduced and their impact and shortcomings for further development are specified. In the concluding chapter, a reflective discussion across individual approaches to reveal particular issues that are shaping the field is provided. Practitioners as well as researchers in the field of teacher education can benefit from this book.

Supporting the Workplace Learning of Vocational and Further Education Teachers

Susanne FranciscoEducation
Supporting the Workplace Learning of Vocational and Further Education Teachers

Author: Susanne Francisco

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781000551457

Category: Education

Page: 198

View: 200

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Supporting the Workplace Learning of Vocational and Further Education Teachers is written to help people understand the arrangements in a workplace that enable and constrain teacher learning – and then to do something about it. It provides an accessible, research based, and practical guide to making changes in the workplace to enable teacher learning. The book illustrates approaches to supporting workplace learning through the extensive use of vignettes from real teachers and real teaching workplaces. With a focus on mentoring as an important component of teacher learning, it introduces the concept of a trellis of practices together with approaches for developing arrangements in the workplace that support teacher learning. It also examines the spaces between the personal and the professional and how these can become Communicative Learning Spaces where professional learning occurs. The strategies and ideas provided in this book can be implemented at a whole-of-organisation, teaching department, small team, or individual level. An essential resource for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Further Education (FE) teachers and managers, as well as others who support teacher learning in the workplace, this book is written to help make a difference.

Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices

Wellner, LaurieEducation
Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices

Author: Wellner, Laurie

Publisher: IGI Global

ISBN: 9781799868057

Category: Education

Page: 349

View: 363

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Teachers in their first few years of their teaching career require high quality, structured support to begin the journey towards becoming experts. Establishing research-based best practices and working habits set up early career teachers for a fulfilling and successful career. The requirements of teachers are constantly changing, and teachers need to continually adapt their knowledge and practices to fit schools’ changing demographics. Having a toolbox of research-based best practices to draw upon can support early career teachers as they move from theory to practical application when the learning curve is the steepest. Strengthening the system of support includes increasing teachers’ influence over their day-to-day work and developing positive and supportive cultures of learning. Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices presents both theoretical and practical research to support the conceptual understanding of educational praxis for common areas with which early career educators may require additional expertise or support. This book is intended to be a valuable contribution to the body of literature in the field of education by supplying research-based teaching practices for modern education. Primary topics covered include professional learning, classroom management, student-teacher relationships, teaching diverse students and inclusive educational practices, and teacher self-care strategies. This book is a valuable reference tool for early career teachers of all subject areas and grade levels, school administrators, teacher mentors and guides, education faculty in higher education, educational researchers, curriculum developers, instructional facilitators, practicing teachers, pre-service teachers, professional development coordinators, teacher educators, researchers, academicians, and students interested in teaching practices and support for the early career teacher.

Superdiversity and Teacher Education

Guofang LiEducation
Superdiversity and Teacher Education

Author: Guofang Li

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781000344578

Category: Education

Page: 322

View: 906

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This edited volume addresses the pressing imperative to understand and attend to the needs of the fast-growing population of minority students who are increasingly considered "superdiverse" in their cultural, linguistic, and racial backgrounds. Superdiverse learners—including native-born learners (Indigenous and immigrant families), foreign-born immigrant students, and refugees—may fill multiple categories of "diversity" at once. This volume helps pre- and in-service teachers and teacher educators to move beyond the demographic backgrounds of superdiverse learners to consider not only their ways of being, motivations, and social processes, but also the ongoing systemic issues of marginalization and inequity that confront these learners. Challenging existing teaching and learning paradigms in the K-12 North American context, this volume provides new methods and examples for supporting superdiverse learners in a range of settings. Organized around different conceptual underpinnings of superdiversity, contributors identify the knowledge gaps and effective practices in engaging superdiverse learners, families and communities. With cutting-edge research on this growing topic, this text will appeal to researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students in multilingual education, literacy education, teacher education, and international education.

Supporting Teachers in Learning about Inquiry, Nature of Science, and in Teaching Through Inquiry

Daniel Kevin Capps
Supporting Teachers in Learning about Inquiry, Nature of Science, and in Teaching Through Inquiry

Author: Daniel Kevin Capps

Publisher:

ISBN: OCLC:826023178

Category:

Page: 204

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Inquiry-based instruction and instruction about nature of science (NOS) are central to reform-based science teaching. Professional development (PD) is a well-recognized way to support teachers in learning about and using new pedagogical approaches. At present there is a lack of information regarding what teachers learn during inquiry PD programs, if this learning impacts their teaching, and evidence linking teacher learning to student learning. To begin addressing these issues, first, I conducted a critical review of the literature on teacher PD. I analyzed 17 PD programs supporting teachers in learning about inquiry to determine the extent to which they aligned with features of effective PD outlined in the literature. I then critiqued the outcomes of the studies based on the methods employed by the researchers. Findings suggested a general alignment with recommended features of effective PD with a few notable exceptions, including: supporting teachers in developing inquiry-based lesson plans, providing authentic inquiry experiences, and focusing on science content for teachers. The review also revealed that no study connected participation in inquiry PD with all the desired outcomes of teacher PD: enhanced teacher knowledge, change in beliefs and practice, and enhanced student achievement. Second, I examined the teaching practice and views of inquiry and NOS of a group of highly-motivated teachers before their participation in an inquiry PD program. Findings indicated most teachers held limited views of inquiry-based instruction and NOS. Moreover, most teachers used primarily teacher-centered instructional practices and elements of inquiry were observed in less than half of the classrooms. The study provided empirical evidence for the claim that even some of the best teachers struggle to enact reformed-based teaching. Further, it highlighted the critical need for an agreed upon definition of inquiry-based instruction and rigorous PD to support teachers in learning about reform-based teaching. Third, I examined science content knowledge and views of inquiry and NOS of a group of 5th9th grade teachers before and after participating in an inquiry PD. Analysis of pre and post-program instruments indicated project teachers showed greater gains in subject matter knowledge than comparison teachers and the relative change was significantly different statistically. Additionally, most project teachers demonstrated a shift from less informed to more informed views of inquiry and NOS. Finally, analyses of postprogram questionnaires and interviews indicated that supporting teachers in reflecting on the relationship between their classroom teaching practice, and new knowledge acquired during PD, may be an important link in enhancing teacher knowledge to changing practice. A future study will follow several participant teachers into their classrooms after the PD in order to understand how the PD experience impacted their teaching.

Science Teachers' Learning

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineEducation
Science Teachers' Learning

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

ISBN: 9780309380218

Category: Education

Page: 256

View: 216

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Currently, many states are adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or are revising their own state standards in ways that reflect the NGSS. For students and schools, the implementation of any science standards rests with teachers. For those teachers, an evolving understanding about how best to teach science represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and it will require most science teachers to change how they teach. That change will require learning opportunities for teachers that reinforce and expand their knowledge of the major ideas and concepts in science, their familiarity with a range of instructional strategies, and the skills to implement those strategies in the classroom. Providing these kinds of learning opportunities in turn will require profound changes to current approaches to supporting teachers' learning across their careers, from their initial training to continuing professional development. A teacher's capability to improve students' scientific understanding is heavily influenced by the school and district in which they work, the community in which the school is located, and the larger professional communities to which they belong. Science Teachers' Learning provides guidance for schools and districts on how best to support teachers' learning and how to implement successful programs for professional development. This report makes actionable recommendations for science teachers' learning that take a broad view of what is known about science education, how and when teachers learn, and education policies that directly and indirectly shape what teachers are able to learn and teach. The challenge of developing the expertise teachers need to implement the NGSS presents an opportunity to rethink professional learning for science teachers. Science Teachers' Learning will be a valuable resource for classrooms, departments, schools, districts, and professional organizations as they move to new ways to teach science.

Supporting Teachers

Jennifer L. Amos
Supporting Teachers

Author: Jennifer L. Amos

Publisher:

ISBN: OCLC:833364843

Category:

Page: 190

View: 531

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The introspective, cognitive act of reflection is linked with professional growth for teachers (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2010; National Council on Teaching America's Future, 2009; Learning Forward, 2009). However, current federal, state, and local mandates, policies, structures, and procedures in schools do not always mirror this knowledge or emphasize the need for teachers to be reflective. When teachers reflect on their classroom practices and student learning, they are better prepared to make adjustments and changes to meet their students' needs. Individual and collective reflection can yield greater results when structures within the school day support reflective practice. This study investigates teachers' perceptions regarding reflective practice and how principals can support this work. The research questions framing this work are:1. How do teachers describe the role of reflection in their own professional learning and practice 2. How do teachers describe their principal's role in supporting reflective practice? This qualitative study included 12 teacher participants from 3 demographically different high schools in one region of New York State. Findings included implications for principals regarding school-day structure, overt emphasis on reflective thinking, professional development, and professional learning communities. Findings also included recommendations for educational policy to restructure supports to assist schools in meeting state and federal mandates.

Curriculum Development

Bill BoyleEducation
Curriculum Development

Author: Bill Boyle

Publisher: SAGE

ISBN: 9781473944114

Category: Education

Page: 232

View: 934

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Curriculum and curriculum issues are at the heart of current debates about schooling, pedagogy and learning. This book will enable practitioners, scholars and academics to understand how to re-design or to suggest changes to curriculum structure, shape and content. Grounded in theory and philosophy, the book also offers practical help in grasping this controversial area. Inside, the authors: provide practical planning templates support and provoke analysis, discussion and experimentation include definitions of key terms and reflective questions incorporate practical examples and case material based on their work worldwide on curriculum design and evaluation.