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Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Education, 1999.

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No description available.

Although the concept of culturally responsive practices (CRP) began in the 1990’s, intentional study and professional development varies across schools and districts with limited impact on sustained pedagogical efficacy and shift, which is particularly concerning during the current socio-political climate. This phenomenological case study examined the impact on participants studying culturally responsive practices in peer led professional learning communities as a blueprint to feasibly address adult skill gaps. The study centers on four core questions on the impact of the initiative in general, the ability of participants to address implicit bias, the use of peer facilitation, and additional unforeseen factors related to this method of learning. Each participant ultimately indicated significant growth by moving from a technical approach to adaptive and cognitive shifts within the 6-month study, increased emphasis on reflective practice and elevated urgency to address culturally non-responsive practices. Finally, core conditions for successful implementation of peer-led professional learning communities studying culturally responsive practices are discussed. Schools and districts who recognize the need for staff to improve in cultural proficiency have few excuses pertaining to their ability to engage in this critical work, provided they have the courage and will to address implicit bias and culturally non-responsive pedagogy which negatively impacts BIPOC students across the nation and world.

This study examines the experiences of two teachers in a public charter school who implement action research in their classrooms. The study explored the key elements of professional development as well as action research and makes the case as to why action research is an effective tool for teacher development. Participants were selected based on having little teaching experience and familiarity with action research. The study examined the experiences of teachers who have had limited professional development as they use action research in their practices. Data for the study were drawn from interviews as well as researcher and participant journals.

This design report details the development of a summer training experience for peer mentors in the Freshman Mentoring program at Brigham Young University. The purpose of the project was to develop an extended training program which would assist peer mentors in developing core mentoring skills necessary for their work with first-year students. The design of the training was informed by a number of theoretical frameworks including experiential learning, reflective practice, and narrative design. The training was evaluated using a post-then survey instrument as well as analysis of qualitative data collected from learners throughout the training. Analyses of these data suggested that peer mentors increased both their mentoring skill and confidence in providing mentoring to first-year students. This document also reports on the practical, design, and theoretical insights which emerged from the project as well as their implications for other designers who face similar design challenges. Finally, a brief discussion of the way in which the project has influenced the professional development of the designer is included.

[pt] É recorrente o pensamento de que a escola é, por excelência, o locus de formação docente, e que esta se dá em um processo de reflexão sobre a prática. É neste contexto que vai se constituindo a identidade profissional, sendo o professor o sujeito de sua formação. Pautado nesta ideia, este trabalho busca voltar o olhar para dentro da formação, para perceber como se dá na prática o processo reflexivo. A investigação se deu com profissionais da Rede Municipal de Armação dos Búzios, através de observações das práticas desenvolvidas em duas salas de aula, e dos encontros destinados à formação continuada, oferecidos pela Secretaria Municipal de Educação. Foram entrevistados nove profissionais, sendo seis professoras, um professor formador e duas supervisoras escolares. As observações nas salas de aula se deram em duas diferentes escolas: uma das mais antigas da rede e a outra uma das mais novas. Sem a pretensão de estabelecer a justaposição entre teoria e prática, o trabalho destina-se a perceber em que medida ocorre o diálogo entre a sala de aula e os encontros de formação, identificando o lugar da prática reflexiva no processo de formação docente. O diálogo entre as observações e escutas teve como referencial teórico a interlocução com António Nóvoa, Maurice Tardif, Rui Canário, João Formosinho e Philippe Perrenoud, e com demais autores que se inserem neste campo de atuação. O trabalho aponta para a necessidade de superação da marcante presença da forma escolar nos encontros de formação e nas relações que se processam no interior da escola, onde vem se naturalizando a impossibilidade do professor assumir seu lugar de sujeito e de refletir sobre as práticas que, significativamente, deveriam contribuir para a formação da sua identidade docente. / [en] It is recurrent the thinking that the school is by excellence the locus of teacher formation, and that it occurs within a process of reflection on the practice. It is in this context that the professional identity has been constituted, being the teacher the subject of their own formation. Based upon this idea, this work aims at looking into the formation in order to perceive how the reflective process takes place into practice. The investigation took place with professionals from the Municipal Education System of Armação dos Búzios through observations of the practices carried out in two classrooms, and meetings devoted to the continuous formation offered by the Secretariat of Municipal Education. Nine professionals were interviewed, being six of them teachers, a teacher in charge of formation and two school supervisors. The observations in the classrooms occurred at two different schools: a school considered to be one of the oldest within the Municipal System and the other one regarded as being one of the newest ones. Without the intention of establishing a juxtaposition of theory and practice, the work intends to perceive in which way occurs the dialogue between the classroom time and the meetings of formation, identifying the place of the reflective practice within the teacher formation. The dialogue between the observations and listening had as theoretical basis the interlocution with António Nóvoa, Maurice Tardif, Rui Canário, João Formosinho and Philippe Perrenoud, among other authors whose works are within this scope. The work points to the necessity of the overcoming of the outstanding presence of the school shape in the meetings of formation and in the relations which take place inside the school, where there has been naturalizing the impossibility of the teacher to assume their place as a subject and reflect on the practices that, significantly, should contribute towards the formation of their teacher identity.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a systematic approach to active learning using a lesson template with a graphic organizer activity. INNOVATION: The authors describe a tool that can be used to incorporate a graphic organizer activity into a traditional lecture class to promote active learning. This interactive template offers a step-by-step process to plan and implement a graphic organizer activity. The graphic organizer was used in a contact dermatitis lecture as part of a Nonprescription Medicines course for first year pharmacy students. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: A survey of students immediately after the activity identified that students agreed they were interested in the activity, were engaged with the activity, and perceived an understanding of the course material. An instructor reflection revealed that students were excited and identified some instructor challenges to executing the activity. NEXT STEPS: Instructors interested in using graphic organizers in lectures can refer to this approach for guidance. In addition to a graphic organizer, the structure of this template can be applied to different active learning activities, thus creating consistency in delivering active learning.

This paper reports the results of a two-phase study examining the effectiveness of a set of five online learning modules in increasing student understanding of information literacy topics. The modules were deployed within the foundational class of an online Master of Library Science program. Using Qualtrics-based surveys, Phase 1 assessed 15 students for their possible knowledge gains as well as their perceptions of their experiences with the instructional content. Through a combination of statistical and qualitative analysis, the researchers found modest knowledge gains as well as positive student perceptions of their instruction. Based upon the moderate success of Phase 1, the online learning modules were retained in subsequent offerings of the course. Three years after the Phase 1 study, a Phase 2 study was conducted with 30 students over two semesters to examine student knowledge and perception changes possibly occurring after utilization of the modules. Through the analysis of student reflection writings, the researchers found that all students presented with a minimum desired level of competency postinstruction. Furthermore, the researchers found that knowledge gains were reported primarily within the area of information search strategies. Findings suggest that online learning modules on information literacy topics can be a welcome addition to the first course in a Master of Library Science program sequence and can help instill confidence in new students who are studying to become library science professionals.