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<p>This project is intended to be of assistance to all teachers of science. Teaching strategies that were developed for this project and used at the Ontario School for the Blind can prove valuable in other areas of teaching. For example, students with low motivation can benefit from a very concrete curriculum. Even teachers at the OAC level will find that tactile diagrams and models are useful in presenting abstract theories. Whether students are blind or sighted, the use of specialized operational tactile definitions can enrich their understanding of concepts and theories and encourage a multisensory approach to gathering information.</p> <p>The process of teaching science to a visually handicapped student is presented and teaching strategies and adaptations are provided to enhance concept development for high school biology, chemistry and physics. Laboratory procedures and safety considerations are also examined and an outline of the use of microcomputers for educating the visually handicapped is included.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

This research aims to examine current practices in gifted and talented educator professional learning, as well as teacher attitudes, beliefs, and experiences towards gifted education in order to explore opportunities to further develop and improve professional learning structures. Through a qualitative methodology following the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, this research utilizes a phenomenological interview design in which data from educator interviews are examined through thematic analysis. To support and further extrapolate on the feedback from the interviews, this research also includes a document analysis of the published descriptions of 30-hour educator training required for those providing GT services in the state of Texas. The thematic analysis of interviews identified three major themes and two minor themes after engaging in a deep analysis of the interview transcriptions. These major themes are the (1) utility of professional learning, (2) shared control of learning, and (3) understanding the whole student. Minor themes are (i) long-term career growth and (ii) role of professional support networks and connections. Results of the document analysis illustrate that the most frequent descriptions are associated with the abilities participants will take from the learning. Within this descriptive code, most of the language focused on learner competence, while few of the descriptions included references to self-efficacy, which is integral to adult learning and motivation. Implications and further areas for study provide guidance on future work in developing effective professional learning coursework.

Improving teacher quality is an effective strategy for improving student outcomes. For professional development to be effective at changing student practice and improving student outcomes the professional development topic needs to be relevant to the work of the teacher. This study surveys Virginia CTE teachers to identify their self-identified, most needed professional development topics. Virginia CTE teachers were asked to rate 136 separate teaching competencies based on each competency's importance to the teacher's practice and the teacher's ability to implement the competency. A quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. The Borich Needs Assessment Model was utilized to calculate a Mean Weighted Discrepancy Score (MWDS) for each competency. Competencies were with the largest MWDS were identified as those most needed for teacher professional development. Respondent data was disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, intention to remain in the teaching profession, CTE content area, years of experience, school division, and pre-service training in order to identify differences in professional development topic rankings for on each demographic area. Mann-Whitney U testing and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance test by ranks were used. The results of this study can be used by school divisions, schools, and professional development providers to benefit the work of CTE teachers and CTE programs. / Doctor of Philosophy / Improving teacher quality is an effective strategy for improving student outcomes. For professional development to be effective at changing student practice and improving student outcomes the professional development topic needs to be relevant to the work of the teacher. This study surveys Virginia CTE teachers to identify their self-identified, most needed professional development topics. Virginia CTE teachers were asked to rate 136 separate teaching competencies based on each competency's importance to the teacher's practice and the teacher's ability to implement the competency. A quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. The Borich Needs Assessment Model was utilized to identify the competencies most needed as professional development topics for Virginia CTE teachers. Respondent data was disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, intention to remain in the teaching profession, CTE content area, years of experience, school division, and pre-service training in order to identify differences in professional development topics for each demographic group. The results of this study can be used by school divisions, schools, and professional development providers to benefit the work of CTE teachers and CTE programs.

The objective of this study was to describe the perceptions of the support and professional development activities for and needed by novice school administrators (NSAs) in southwestern Virginia. A qualitative methods research design was used to collect and examine data. The researcher interviewed 22 NSAs from 11 different public school divisions in the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE's) Regions 6 and 7 in southwestern Virginia. An interview protocol consisting of 15 questions was used to collect data on the perceptions of the NSAs. From the research collected, a list detailing the support and professional development (PD) activities for NSAs in southwestern Virginia was created. The support and PD activities were grouped into the categories of (a) support and PD activities provided for NSAs, (b) effective support and PD activities provided for NSAs, (c) support and PD areas of need for NSAs, (d) support and PD activities that the NSAs provided for themselves, (e) factors limiting the support and PD of NSAs. The data collected from this study were strategically placed into a design of seven NSA support and PD areas that school divisions could utilize to create a program, or further develop a program for NSAs. Those areas correlated with the study's primary research question and the five primary sub-questions of the study. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of the support and professional development (PD) activities for and needed by novice school administrators (NSAs) in southwestern Virginia. Twenty-two NSAs from 11 different public school divisions in southwestern Virginia were interviewed for the study. From the research collected, a list detailing the support and PD activities for NSAs in southwestern Virginia was created. The support and PD activities were grouped into the categories of effectiveness, and factors that limited the support and PD of NSAs. The data collected from this study were strategically placed into a design of seven NSA support and PD areas that school divisions could utilize to either create a program, or further develop a program for NSAs.

No / This paper presents a guided reflection (GR) framework compiled and used specifically in a gender equality change management programme. The programme involves seven partners (one being an evaluation partner) from across Europe, each partner implementing a change management programme in their university setting. A guided reflection framework, including verbal reflective discussions and written reflections, was devised and deployed to enable and facilitate the collection of narratives and stories on the experience of gender transformation within the university institutions. The resulting outcome so far has been a successful application of the GR framework, with emerging findings suggesting that participants found the opportunity to share and reflect useful. Both written and verbal reflection tools were effective within this programme, with lessons emerging around increasing and improving the journaling aspect of written reflections. The process findings illustrate how people in our organisations are very constrained for time for reflection within their busy work schedules, and therefore the applicability and usefulness of the GR framework has been in enabling a space for such reflection and thought, which in turn contributes to organizational learning and potential for change.

Yes / Nurse team leaders are responsible for contributing to managing the quality of service delivery and facility output of their nurses to ensure there is a high quality of care delivered by the health system. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of public health nursing Team Leaders (TLs) and public health nursing Team Supervisors (TSs) on nurses' development in Fiji. A qualitative study was used to gather information using in-depth phone interviews among TLs and TSs comprising Chief Midwifery Nursing Officer (CMNO), Director of Nursing (DON), Sub-divisional Nursing Managers (SDNMs), acting SDNMs and Nursing Manager (NM) at Central health division in Fiji. The data was collected through semi-structured open-ended questionnaires and were audio recorded. The data was analyzed using manual thematic analysis process. The study comprised of 26 participants, which included 10 TSs and 16 TLs. Four themes were identified for the results amongst TSs and TLs: ethical development; professional development; psychological development; and recommendations. However, nine sub- themes were identified for TSs and eight sub-themes were identified for the result amongst TLs. This study highlighted that TLs and TSs elaborated on the need for the ethical, professional, psychological development, nursing development and also on the importance of policies and guidelines. Professional ethics should be integrated into the Continuous Profession Development (CPD) points that are used to renew yearly nursing licenses as well as exposing the need for having competencies on professional ethics in nurses' logbooks. Further research is needed to determine the in-depth barriers.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och kartlägga hur medarbetarna på ett företag som arbetar med kompetensutveckling resonerar kring sin egen kompetensutveckling, detta i relation till företagets kompetensutvecklingskultur. De två formulerade frågorna är; Hur ser företagets kompetensutvecklingskultur ut ur medarbetarnas perspektiv samt Hur ser medarbetarnas individuella kompetensutvecklingskultur ut ur medarbetarnas perspektiv. Studien gjordes i samverkan med ett företag och studiens empiri bygger på en enkätundersökning med 69 konsulter som arbetar på olika enheter inom företaget. Den teoretiska referensramen består av Bryk och Schneiders teori om relationell tillit och Wermkes teori om kompetensutvecklingskultur. Studien utgår från tidigare forskning som behandlar kompetensutvecklingskultur ur ett kontextuellt sammanhang samt hur lärande kan beskrivas som en dynamisk process som oavbrutet förändrar individers sätt att tänka, deras uppfattningar och intellektuella förmågor utifrån deras kulturella och sociala kontext. Tidigare forskning berör även hur avgörande förståelsen för såväl den historiska som den konceptuella kontexten är för att skapa tillit inför olika val av källor för kompetensutveckling hos lärare samt forskning som visar på ett starkt statistiskt samband mellan ökad akademisk produktivitet och tillit. Ur resultatet kan utläsas att medarbetarna upplevde att de i hög utsträckning själva tog initiativ till sin kompetensutveckling och att beslutet om kompetensutveckling i hög utsträckning fattades tillsammans med en överordnad. Vidare framkommer det ur resultatet att tilliten på företaget generellt är hög. Dessutom tyder resultaten med några få undantag på att det finns en stark kompetensutvecklingskultur på företaget som grundar sig på idén att det finns en gemensam professionell kultur bland de anställda och att de har gemensamma uppfattningar om hur kompetensutveckling äger rum på företaget.

Research on school principals has been narrowed to the factors leading to attrition or retention with little focus on the recruitment and development. The decreasing number of individuals applying for school principal positions has led some school districts to implement new methods to recruit and develop future school principals. One method being used by some large, urban school districts is the creation and implementation of leadership academies; however, few studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this tool in aiding the recruitment and development of aspiring school principals.The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effectiveness of a leadership academy implemented in an urban school district to increase the recruitment of school leaders. Participants were assessed on their perceptions of the effectiveness of the leadership academy, in one urban school district, to prepare them for the school principal role. A qualitative, embedded case study approach was used to describe these perceptions. The study participants consisted of 12 individuals who were working as principals or assistant principals in the district after participation in the leadership academy. The data was based on participants' responses from 25 semi-structured interview questions, non-participant observations, and a document analysis of materials used in the leadership academy.The data revealed four assertions 1) the leadership academy provides an avenue for the district to identify individuals interested in the principal position and get to know the leadership styles of each individual; 2) participants believe the leadership academy aided in their preparation for a principal position in the district; 3) the application and selection process enabled the district to identify individuals interested in the principal position; and 4) the leadership academy was an indirect tool for recruitment. The findings showed that all study participants felt the leadership academy was a valuable experience and did aid them in their journey to becoming a school principal. The findings from this study support the use of a leadership academy as a tool to develop aspiring school principals; however, further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of the leadership academy in recruiting future school leaders.