In an international university in Thailand, with students coming from 92 different countries, faculty members reported a need for professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members' needs and preferences in the undergraduate department to help the administration offer appropriate PD programs. In accordance with the situated cognition theory, professional learning was approached as a social process embedded in workplace interactions. Research questions pertained to teachers' perceptions about their learning needs, program preferences, and the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. In this descriptive case study, data were collected from fulltime faculty members via a focus group of 5 participants and 8 individual face-to-face and email interviews. In accordance with a maximum variation sampling strategy, the sample included faculty members from varied academic and cultural backgrounds and diverse lengths of experience in the university. Thematic coding analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) a desire to learn specific content such as classroom management techniques, pedagogy for university-level students, assessment design, and instructional technology; (b) a desire to observe and apply new techniques to better engage diverse students in large classes; (c) a desire to learn collegially to share context-relevant information; and (d) expectations from the university administration. As a result of this study, tailored recommendations for this university were derived to contribute to social change. Appropriate PD programs can enable faculty members to hone their pedagogical skills and improve student learning experience in this multicultural setting.

A local college in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates began a Bachelor of Education program in 2008 to train prospective teachers to deliver a bi-literate education in Arabic and English to students in Abu Dhabi schools. Because there had been no examination of preservice teachers' perceptions of their practicum experience, a project study was designed to analyze the perceptions of a group of preservice teachers regarding the final practicum and whether that experience enhanced their ability to deliver educational practices to better serve students. This phenomenological study was guided by experiential learning theory, as preservice teachers learned from their experiences in a professional setting. The research questions addressed preservice teachers' experiences during the practicum and how those experiences contributed to their professional growth. Individual face-to-face interviews of 8 preservice teachers were the means of data collection. Transcripts of audio recorded interviews were coded to determine themes related to the practicum experience. The data revealed that preservice teachers felt that the practicum allowed them to experience the role of the classroom teacher and its day-to-day challenges. Based on the research findings, a project is proposed to assist preservice teachers in assessing students' needs, identifying instructional classroom practices, and planning lessons. Implementation of the project could lead to positive social change by engaging preservice teachers in professional development centered on professional learning communities. This engagement would encourage collaboration with professionals to develop lesson plans to reach all learners. This project has the potential to contribute to preservice teachers' professional growth, which may lead to continuous learning in their professional learning environment.

No description available.

Ausgehend von narrativen Interviews, Beobachtungen und gemeinsamen Erfahrungen während eines interkulturellen Lehrerfortbildungsprojekts im ländlichen Haiti wird in dieser Arbeit ein detailliertes Bild der Lebenswelt ausgewählter haitianischer Grundschullehrer/-innen gezeichnet. Insbesondere wird den Fragen nachgegangen, welchen Hindernissen diese Lehrer/-innen in ihrer eigenen Ausbildung begegneten, welche professionellen und sozialen Herausforderungen ihre alltägliche Berufsausübung mit sich bringt und wie ein genaues Verstehen ihres Hintergrunds und ihres Alltags dazu beitragen kann, sowohl die Qualität ihres Unterrichts als auch ihre sozio-ökonomischen Aussichten zu verbessern. Verspätete und unzureichende Ausbildung, ein geringer Verdienst und herausfordernde Arbeitsbedingungen, sowie weitgehende Vernachlässigung durch den Staat kennzeichnen die Realität dieser Lehrer/-innen. Dennoch zeigen sie Elan und vertrauen auf eine bessere Zukunft. In dieser Studie kommen die haitianischen Lehrer/-innen selber zu Wort. Darüber hinaus wird der Prozess der interkulturellen Kommunikation und Reflexion, der mit einem solchen Projekt und einer derartigen Recherche einhergeht dokumentiert. / This study offers a detailed description of selected Haitian primary school teachers’ living and working conditions based on narrative interviews, observations, and common experiences during a cross-cultural in-service teacher training program in rural Haiti. The research is focused on the following questions: What type of obstacles did primary school teachers in rural Haiti encounter in their own education, what professional and social challenges are faced in the daily routines of these teachers, and how can a thorough knowledge of both their backgrounds and the conditions of their current lives help to improve the quality of their teaching as well as their prospects for socio-economic advancement? The reality of these teachers is characterized by a delayed and limited education, low remuneration and challenging working conditions, as well as a more or less complete lack of state support. Nevertheless, they demonstrate vitality and trust in a better future. Central to this study are the Haitian teachers’ viewpoints, but the process of cross-cultural communication and reflection going on during such a program and research is documented as well.

This study examined how in-service teachers transformed professionally and personally as a result of participation in the International Teacher to Teacher Exchange Program (ITTTE). Six teachers, 3 from the U.S. and 3 from Guatemala, were paired. Each pair spent a total of 8 weeks together, in each other's countries, over the course of 2 years. The pairs reciprocated home stays, school engagement, and cultural learning in three cohorts; 2012-2014, 2014-2016, 2016-2018. In 2018, each participant engaged in a structured interview tailored to the ten meaning phases of Mezirow's transformative learning theory (TLT). The data were analyzed deductively, through the application of the ten meaning phases of transformation. The data were also analyzed inductively to determine additional themes of transformation. The deductive findings revealed 5 out of 6 participants experienced full transformative learning. All 3 Guatemalan teachers transformed professionally with new understandings of mathematics pedagogy. Two U.S. teachers transformed personally, one by learning how to be a more caring teacher and the other by overcoming shyness to engage as a relational teacher. The third U.S. teacher adopted the point of view that speaking a second language had value. The inductive analysis revealed emerged themes of learning, language, relationships, and program affecting others as evident in transformed frames of reference, habits of mind and points of view. Due to the range of participation years, latent effects were noted. The ITTTE was shown to influence transformation in teachers' personal and professional development. TLT was effective in revealing participant transformation within the ITTTE.

This dissertation examines elementary teacher candidates' perceptions of hip-hop culture and utilizing hip-hop pedagogy in a mathematics classroom. This study demonstrates how elements of hip-hop may be integrated into an elementary mathematics methods course to develop pedagogical knowledge that challenges teacher candidates to explore the benefits of utilizing hip-hop as a tool in the classroom. This study contributes to the growing body of research that investigates the use of hip-hop pedagogy in educator preparatory programs. Participants in this study were teacher candidates at a large university in Texas enrolled in the final year of their educator preparatory program. This research shows that as a result of integrating hip-hop pedagogy in the mathematics methods course, teacher candidates had increased knowledge and more positive perceptions of hip-hop culture, and they demonstrated a greater willingness to integrate hip-hop pedagogy in their future classrooms.

The assumption of the present study is that teachers should possess an adequate understanding of the nature of science and scientific method and hence this aspect was investigated. The empirical research carried out with Secondary School teacher trainees at Botswana colleges of education showed the following: Subjects possess an adequate understanding of some aspects of the nature of science and several aspects of the scientific method. They however do not have an adequate understanding on certain aspects of the nature of science. An association was found between the nature of science, type of educational institution attended, years of study and majoring in science. A positive association was found between scientific method and years spent studying. The present study recommended the inclusion of history, philosophy and sociology of science in the curriculum of teacher education. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Natural Science Education)

Cette recherche avait pour objectif d’évaluer l’effet du dispositif de formation « Zoom sur l’expertise pédagogique », ou, plus précisément, d’évaluer l’effet d’un parcours de formation créé grâce à ce dispositif et intégrant des exemples de pratiques sur vidéo sur les apprentissages et les intentions de changement de pratique d’un groupe d’enseignants du primaire relativement à la compétence professionnelle « Piloter des situations d’enseignement-apprentissage ». La réforme des programmes scolaires, qui s’installe progressivement depuis 2001, modifie considérablement les orientations en matière d’apprentissage et d’enseignement. Sa réussite repose notamment sur l’appropriation de nouvelles compétences professionnelles souvent difficiles à développer pour le personnel enseignant. À ces besoins de formation, les modalités de formation continue proposées ne semblaient répondre que partiellement. Le dispositif a été développé dans le but de soutenir le personnel enseignant dans l’appropriation de ce renouveau pédagogique et propose de nouvelles stratégies de formation basées principalement sur l’observation et l’analyse d’exemples de pratiques sur vidéo et enrichis de divers outils stimulant la réflexion sur la pratique. Sa conception s’inscrit dans un contexte d’émergence d’initiatives similaires. Néanmoins, beaucoup de questions restaient en suspens quant aux effets réels de ces dispositifs sur le développement professionnel des enseignants. Afin de réaliser une évaluation de ce dispositif, nous avons créé un parcours de formation que six enseignants ont réalisé. Ces personnes ont ensuite participé à deux entrevues semi-dirigées et ont partagé les notes prises durant la formation. Un cadre théorique a été développé, permettant de dégager trois questions de recherche : « Quels ont été les effets du dispositif de formation sur les savoirs relatifs aux composantes de la compétence ciblée ? » ; « Quels ont été les effets du dispositif de formation sur les intentions de changement de pratique des enseignants ? » ; « Comment améliorer le dispositif pour mieux soutenir le développement professionnel des enseignants ? ». Ce cadre a par la suite guidé l’analyse et l’interprétation des données recueillies. Une quantité substantielle d’informations a été obtenue permettant de mieux comprendre et documenter le rôle d’un tel dispositif de formation en ligne et des vidéos qui le composent. Nous avons pu confirmer leur effet positif sur le développement professionnel. Nous retenons notamment que les enseignants sont en mesure de mieux définir les composantes de la compétence ciblée par la formation, ils ont confirmé leur sentiment d’avoir appris, ils ont tous exprimé l'intention d’apporter des changements dans leur pratique. Tous ont grandement apprécié le parcours et ses vidéos, notamment la possibilité qu’elles leur offraient de s’identifier à des pairs et d’envisager des pistes de mise en application plus concrètes de leurs nouvelles connaissances. Par ailleurs, les commentaires et les suggestions des participants ont permis de dégager des pistes d’amélioration telles que la diminution de la quantité de vidéos, du nombre d’éléments de compétence présentés, ou l’augmentation de compléments pédagogiques accompagnant les vidéos. Ces pistes devraient toutefois être précisées et étudiées ce qui génère de nouvelles questions de recherches. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a web-based professional teacher development application called “Zooming in on Teaching Expertise”. More precisely, our aim was to evaluate the effect of a training course entailing examples of practice on video and created within the application. In particular, the study focused on participating elementary school teachers’ learning and their intentions to modify their practice with respect to the professional competency: “To pilot teaching/learning situations”. The education reform that has been progressively introduced since 2001 has been changing the direction of teacher training considerably. Its success relies particularly on the acquisition of new professional competencies that are often difficult to develop for in-service teachers. However, the training methods in place at the start of the reform did not seem to be meeting this need as well as expected. The web-based application used in this research project was developed to support teachers embrace this pedagogical renewal by proposing new training strategies based primarily on the observation and analysis of filmed practices, along with a variety of tools aimed at stimulating reflection on the teaching practice itself. The application emerged along others with a similar nature. Yet, still today, little is known about their effectiveness on the professional development of teachers. To examine these questions, we developed a training course that was then undertaken by six teachers. These teachers also participated in two semi-structured interviews and shared notes taken during training. Grounded in an evaluation based theoretical framework, the following three research questions emerged and were pursued: First, in what ways did the model have an effect on the development of the teacher competency it was intended for? Second, what was its effect on teachers’ intentions to change their practice? And third, in what ways could the professional teacher development application be improved in better supporting teachers’ professional development? This framework was later used to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data collected. A substantial amount of data was collected, enabling us to document and increase our understanding of the role of this web-based video mediated application. This allowed us to confirm the positive effect of online video based professional teacher development applications. In particular, we observed that the teachers were able to define the components of the targeted competency more clearly. The participants confirmed having learned from the video examples and training and expressed the intention to bring change in their own practice. All teachers greatly appreciated the training course and its videos, particularly the opportunity to observe peers who struggled like them, and to explore ways of putting the knowledge into practice in their own classrooms. In addition, the participants’ comments and suggestions helped identify areas for improvement of the application, such as reducing the number of videos and competency elements presented, or increasing the complementary educational content accompanying the videos. These suggestions for improvement should however still be further explored and discussed, and may lead to new research questions and further follow-up studies.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:24:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata Almeida Martins.pdf: 1453359 bytes, checksum: 8034082e67cead89b15f3a1453d9a0a1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-09 / Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo / This research aims at describing and interpreting the phenomenon of participation of public school English teachers in a continuing education course. It is justified by the need to also understand what involves my own participation in many continuing education courses with the purpose of gathering subsidies that provide me directing, coordinating, supervising, and developing courses of this kind. This research is theoretically grounded on studies about pre-service teacher education (Imbernon, 2000, Vianna, 2004; Martins, 2004, Santos and Mendes Sobrinho, 2006; Gómez, 1995; Mizukami, 2002; Brito, 2006, Contreras, 2002; Brazil, 2002) ; continuing teacher education (Marin, 1995; Mizukami, 2002; Destro, 1995; Contreras, 2002; Smyth, 1991); English teachers education (Celani, 2002; Paiva, 2005; Dutra, 2003, Brazil, 2001, Castro, 1999 ; Celani and Collins, 2003) and concepts of reflection (Schön, 1995, 2000). The methodological approach adopted in this study was the hermeneutic-phenomenological one (van Manen, 1990, Freire, 2007). The description and interpretation of the phenomenon in focus was undertaken through textual registers obtained through questionnaires answered by 57 student-teachers enrolled in a three-semester continuing education course offered to public school English teachers. The research results reveal that participation of public school English teachers in that continuing education courses is unique, since it results in a constant search for improvement and also in change related to practice. The results also allow me to say that the research phenomenon was experienced in three different ways because each semester was played by a different group of student-teachers who was in a different period of the course and into a different reflective moment as well / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo descrever e interpretar o fenômeno da participação de professores de inglês da rede pública de ensino em um curso de formação contínua e justifica-se pela necessidade de também entender o que envolve a minha participação em vários cursos de formação contínua com a finalidade de obter subsídios que me proporcionem dirigir, coordenar, supervisionar, bem como elaborar cursos dessa natureza. Fundamentam teoricamente esta pesquisa, estudos sobre: formação inicial (Imbernón, 2000; Vianna, 2004; Martins, 2004; Santos e Mendes Sobrinho, 2006; Gómez, 1995; Mizukami, 2002; Brito, 2006; Contreras, 2002; Brasil, 2002); formação contínua (Marin, 1995; Mizukami, 2002; Destro, 1995; Contreras, 2002); formação de professores de inglês (Celani, 2002; Paiva, 2005; Dutra, 2003; Brasil, 2001; Castro, 1999; Celani e Collins, 2003) e conceitos sobre reflexão (Schön, 1995, 2000) A abordagem metodológica adotada nessa pesquisa foi a hermenêutico-fenomenológica (van Manen, 1990; Freire, 2007). A descrição e interpretação do fenômeno em foco foi feita a partir de registros textuais, obtidos por meio de questionários respondidos por 57 professores-alunos, participantes dos três semestres de um curso de formação contínua oferecido a professores de inglês da rede pública de ensino. Os resultados da pesquisa revelam que a participação de professores de inglês da rede pública de ensino em cursos de formação contínua é único, pois decorre de uma constante busca por aprimoramento e mudança em relação à prática. Os resultados também me permitem afirmar que o fenômeno investigado foi vivenciado de três formas diferentes, pois cada semestre foi vivido por um grupo de professores-alunos que se encontravam em um momento diferente do curso e também em um momento reflexivo diferente

Cette recherche avait pour objectif d’évaluer l’effet du dispositif de formation « Zoom sur l’expertise pédagogique », ou, plus précisément, d’évaluer l’effet d’un parcours de formation créé grâce à ce dispositif et intégrant des exemples de pratiques sur vidéo sur les apprentissages et les intentions de changement de pratique d’un groupe d’enseignants du primaire relativement à la compétence professionnelle « Piloter des situations d’enseignement-apprentissage ». La réforme des programmes scolaires, qui s’installe progressivement depuis 2001, modifie considérablement les orientations en matière d’apprentissage et d’enseignement. Sa réussite repose notamment sur l’appropriation de nouvelles compétences professionnelles souvent difficiles à développer pour le personnel enseignant. À ces besoins de formation, les modalités de formation continue proposées ne semblaient répondre que partiellement. Le dispositif a été développé dans le but de soutenir le personnel enseignant dans l’appropriation de ce renouveau pédagogique et propose de nouvelles stratégies de formation basées principalement sur l’observation et l’analyse d’exemples de pratiques sur vidéo et enrichis de divers outils stimulant la réflexion sur la pratique. Sa conception s’inscrit dans un contexte d’émergence d’initiatives similaires. Néanmoins, beaucoup de questions restaient en suspens quant aux effets réels de ces dispositifs sur le développement professionnel des enseignants. Afin de réaliser une évaluation de ce dispositif, nous avons créé un parcours de formation que six enseignants ont réalisé. Ces personnes ont ensuite participé à deux entrevues semi-dirigées et ont partagé les notes prises durant la formation. Un cadre théorique a été développé, permettant de dégager trois questions de recherche : « Quels ont été les effets du dispositif de formation sur les savoirs relatifs aux composantes de la compétence ciblée ? » ; « Quels ont été les effets du dispositif de formation sur les intentions de changement de pratique des enseignants ? » ; « Comment améliorer le dispositif pour mieux soutenir le développement professionnel des enseignants ? ». Ce cadre a par la suite guidé l’analyse et l’interprétation des données recueillies. Une quantité substantielle d’informations a été obtenue permettant de mieux comprendre et documenter le rôle d’un tel dispositif de formation en ligne et des vidéos qui le composent. Nous avons pu confirmer leur effet positif sur le développement professionnel. Nous retenons notamment que les enseignants sont en mesure de mieux définir les composantes de la compétence ciblée par la formation, ils ont confirmé leur sentiment d’avoir appris, ils ont tous exprimé l'intention d’apporter des changements dans leur pratique. Tous ont grandement apprécié le parcours et ses vidéos, notamment la possibilité qu’elles leur offraient de s’identifier à des pairs et d’envisager des pistes de mise en application plus concrètes de leurs nouvelles connaissances. Par ailleurs, les commentaires et les suggestions des participants ont permis de dégager des pistes d’amélioration telles que la diminution de la quantité de vidéos, du nombre d’éléments de compétence présentés, ou l’augmentation de compléments pédagogiques accompagnant les vidéos. Ces pistes devraient toutefois être précisées et étudiées ce qui génère de nouvelles questions de recherches. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a web-based professional teacher development application called “Zooming in on Teaching Expertise”. More precisely, our aim was to evaluate the effect of a training course entailing examples of practice on video and created within the application. In particular, the study focused on participating elementary school teachers’ learning and their intentions to modify their practice with respect to the professional competency: “To pilot teaching/learning situations”. The education reform that has been progressively introduced since 2001 has been changing the direction of teacher training considerably. Its success relies particularly on the acquisition of new professional competencies that are often difficult to develop for in-service teachers. However, the training methods in place at the start of the reform did not seem to be meeting this need as well as expected. The web-based application used in this research project was developed to support teachers embrace this pedagogical renewal by proposing new training strategies based primarily on the observation and analysis of filmed practices, along with a variety of tools aimed at stimulating reflection on the teaching practice itself. The application emerged along others with a similar nature. Yet, still today, little is known about their effectiveness on the professional development of teachers. To examine these questions, we developed a training course that was then undertaken by six teachers. These teachers also participated in two semi-structured interviews and shared notes taken during training. Grounded in an evaluation based theoretical framework, the following three research questions emerged and were pursued: First, in what ways did the model have an effect on the development of the teacher competency it was intended for? Second, what was its effect on teachers’ intentions to change their practice? And third, in what ways could the professional teacher development application be improved in better supporting teachers’ professional development? This framework was later used to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data collected. A substantial amount of data was collected, enabling us to document and increase our understanding of the role of this web-based video mediated application. This allowed us to confirm the positive effect of online video based professional teacher development applications. In particular, we observed that the teachers were able to define the components of the targeted competency more clearly. The participants confirmed having learned from the video examples and training and expressed the intention to bring change in their own practice. All teachers greatly appreciated the training course and its videos, particularly the opportunity to observe peers who struggled like them, and to explore ways of putting the knowledge into practice in their own classrooms. In addition, the participants’ comments and suggestions helped identify areas for improvement of the application, such as reducing the number of videos and competency elements presented, or increasing the complementary educational content accompanying the videos. These suggestions for improvement should however still be further explored and discussed, and may lead to new research questions and further follow-up studies.