A professional learning community (PLC) is designed to increase pedagogical knowledge and encourage collaboration amongst teachers. Many schools are using a variety of PLCs to increase collaboration and improve teaching and learning. The study school implemented a PLC, but collaboration and effective coteaching practice have not improved. Guided by social constructivism and social cognitive learning theories, the goal of this research was to explore coteachers' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the overall effectiveness of the PLC coteaching model to improve instructional strategies. A qualitative case study with semistructured interviews to collect data and a narrative analysis for reporting was utilized. The population was limited to 5 general and 4 special education teachers. A hand analysis method was used to identify and code recurring themes before using thick description to report the findings. The findings showed that the teachers perceived an ineffective PLC implementation, a lack of coteaching training and collaboration, and a lack of administrative support. Improvements in these areas are needed to boost the effectiveness of the coteaching model. The findings from this study led to a project consisting of a series of professional development workshops for coteachers and school leaders. The goal of the project is to eliminate barriers to coteaching practice and create an effective PLC. This study may bring about positive social change by providing insight into understanding how an effective PLC, administrative supportive, and meaningful professional development can enhance coteaching practice. This knowledge can provide school leaders with insight to make adaptations to coteaching practice that may lead to positive student learning outcomes.

本研究旨在了解台灣大學生如何應用校內可及資源－國際演講協會分會，來發展自主學習與加強英語能力。本研究以情境學習理論(Situated Learning Theory)為基礎，採用民族誌(或稱俗民誌、人種誌)研究方法探討國際演講協會社團、社團活動以及其成員們三者之間的互動關係。本研究進行於九十八學年度第二學期，並持續一學期之久，當學期的四十五名社團成員為本研究的研究對象，其中四名社團成員為本研究的焦點研究對象，這四名焦點研究對象各擁有一到四學期不等的國際演講協會社團年資。研究資料透過半結構性訪談、現場觀察和文件資料收集而得，並根據情境學習理論做分析解釋。 研究發現此社團提供大學生課外的英語學習環境，並提供多樣化的資源和社群活動讓其成員透過自發性參與來加強英語溝通能力。四位焦點研究對象皆意識到社團所提供的學習機會並自發地參與社團活動以增進英語溝通能力; 然而，各成員參與社團活動的程度受其對社團的認同感、經驗和年資而有所不同。對社團有著較高認同與較深資歷的成員較常參與社團活動並表現出較多的自主英語學習行為，而這四位焦點研究對象在一學期的參與活動過程中也各自遭遇到問題與衝突。此外本研究也發現，身處學習社群情境脈絡的成員們各自相互影響其社群參與和自主學習，而社群所舉辦的社交活動有助於提升社群凝聚力，並隨之影響成員的活動參與和學習。最後，研究者也提出幾項在學習社群裡學習的重要議題並進一步提供建議，以作為學習社群與英語自學之參考。 / This study aimed to obtain an understanding of how a group of Taiwan college students as EFL learners made use of the attainable resources on campus, that is, a Toastmasters International club, to work on autonomous learning and develop English proficiency outside the classrooms. Ethnographical methodology was adopted to explore the relationship among the setting (the club), the activities (club activities), and the persons (the learners as members). All of the club members were the participants of this study, but four of them with diverse experiences in the club were invited to be the focal participants. The data collection stage lasted for one semester (fall, 2009). During this period, qualitative data were elicited from interviews, on-site observation, and document collection, and situated learning theory served as the theoretical and analytic framework. The findings of this study indicated that this club functioned as a valuable environment where members took advantages of its resources and social engagements to develop autonomous English learning. The four focal participants of this study were aware of the affordance of this club and valued the opportunities to engage in the club activities, but the degree of participation among them was influenced by individual commitment and the length of membership in the club. It was found that the seasoned members with higher commitment tended to participate more in the club activities, and they demonstrated more autonomous behaviors in developing language proficiency. During the process of participating in the club activities, all of the four participants encountered diverse problems and conflicts. In addition, members of the learning community exerted influence on one another members’ learning in terms of autonomous behaviors and degree of participation. Moreover, social contacts were of vital importance in strengthening the cohesiveness of the learning community, which influenced members’ participation and learning afterwards. It is suggested that, first, teachers and professors alike could encourage the establishment of learning community since the social and interactive support from the peers in the community is of vital importance for learners’ development of language proficiency and learner autonomy. Second, teachers and experienced members of a community could encourage help-seeking behaviors in an autonomous learning community and pay more attention to learners’ concerns of face-saving. It is hoped that this study could cast light on autonomous language learning community as a structure for future English education in Taiwan.

The capacity for online learning environments to provide quality learning experiences for students has been the focus of much speculation and debate in the higher education sector from the late 1990s to the present day. In this area, 'quality' has become synonymous with engaging students in a learning community. This study reports on a qualitative research project designed to explore the significance of community for students when they study in online learning environments. This project used three case studies to explore tertiary students' thoughts and expectations about community in the online environment. The research was constructed iteratively. Data from the initial case suggested the need to explore the relationship between the constructed online learning environment and the development of learning communities or what I have termed Social Learning Support Networks (SLSN). To explore this issue further, the project was expanded and subsequent cases were chosen that included fundamentally different types of online learning environments. The project had two significant results. Firstly, students not only confirmed popular educational theories on the value of learning communities, but also described how this form of social connection might practically benefit their learning. Secondly, the project found that certain forms of synchronous online environments provided enhanced opportunities for students to form social connections that supported their learning. This project provides new evidence of the benefit of community for students studying online and argues that future online learning environments should be shaped by five key principles designed to foster a sense of social connection between students.

Focusing upon the intersections between community college faculty and assessment professionals (e.g., institutional researchers) in improving student learning outcomes, the purpose of this study was to describe, analyze, and interpret the experiences of these professionals as they planned for and conducted student learning outcomes assessment in developmental reading, writing, and study skills courses. This instrumental case study at one particular community college in Florida investigated the roles played by these individuals within the larger college effort to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), an essential component of a regional accreditation review. The methodology included individual interviews, a focus group interview, a field observation, and analysis of documents related to assessment planning. There were several major findings: · Assessment professionals and faculty teaching developmental courses had similar professional development interests (e.g., teaching and learning, measurement). · While some faculty leaders assumed a facilitative role similar to that of an assessment professional, the reporting structure determined the appropriate action taken in response to the results of assessment. That is, assessment professionals interpreted results and recommended targets for improvement, while faculty and instructional administrators implemented and monitored instructional strategies. · The continuous transformation of the QEP organizational structure through research, strategy formulation, and implementation phases in an inclusive process enabled the college to put its best knowledge and measurement expertise into its five-year plan. · Developmental goals for students in addition to Florida-mandated exit exams included self-direction, affective development such as motivation, and success at the next level. · Faculty identified discipline-based workshops as promising vehicles for infusing instructional changes into courses, thus using the results of learning outcomes assessments more effectively.A chronological analysis further contributed to findings of the study. This researcher concluded that the College's eight-year history of developing general education outcomes and striving to improve the college preparatory program through longitudinal tracking of student success had incubated a powerful faculty learning community and an alliance with assessment professionals. This community of practice, when provided the right structure, leadership, and resources, enabled the College to create a Quality Enhancement Plan that faculty and staff members could be proud of.

A professional learning community (PLC) is designed to increase pedagogical knowledge and encourage collaboration amongst teachers. Many schools are using a variety of PLCs to increase collaboration and improve teaching and learning. The study school implemented a PLC, but collaboration and effective coteaching practice have not improved. Guided by social constructivism and social cognitive learning theories, the goal of this research was to explore coteachers' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the overall effectiveness of the PLC coteaching model to improve instructional strategies. A qualitative case study with semistructured interviews to collect data and a narrative analysis for reporting was utilized. The population was limited to 5 general and 4 special education teachers. A hand analysis method was used to identify and code recurring themes before using thick description to report the findings. The findings showed that the teachers perceived an ineffective PLC implementation, a lack of coteaching training and collaboration, and a lack of administrative support. Improvements in these areas are needed to boost the effectiveness of the coteaching model. The findings from this study led to a project consisting of a series of professional development workshops for coteachers and school leaders. The goal of the project is to eliminate barriers to coteaching practice and create an effective PLC. This study may bring about positive social change by providing insight into understanding how an effective PLC, administrative supportive, and meaningful professional development can enhance coteaching practice. This knowledge can provide school leaders with insight to make adaptations to coteaching practice that may lead to positive student learning outcomes.

This study examines what and how classroom teachers and a music specialist learn on their own, with each other, and with their students when they engage in collaborative, multimodal teaching and learning experiences. Through excerpts from interviews, planning sessions, focus groups, and the retelling of classroom experiences, this action research-inspired narrative inquiry documents and explores the experiences of four elementary school teachers as they worked together over a 12-week period. Through a restructured music schedule—designed to facilitate sustainable integrated, multiple literacy experiences—the teachers collaborated with the children and with one another to co-construct authentic learning experiences which drew upon and expanded students' interests and inquiries, and which positioned music in new ways as another classroom language. The unfolding stories examined in this inquiry resonate with the ideas and the spirit of the atelier in Reggio Emilia schools, and they point to the importance of meaningful, collaborative relationships in teacher learning and reflection. The study has implications for the ways in which musical experiences may be structured, made more complex, and revalued in elementary schools.

This study examines what and how classroom teachers and a music specialist learn on their own, with each other, and with their students when they engage in collaborative, multimodal teaching and learning experiences. Through excerpts from interviews, planning sessions, focus groups, and the retelling of classroom experiences, this action research-inspired narrative inquiry documents and explores the experiences of four elementary school teachers as they worked together over a 12-week period. Through a restructured music schedule—designed to facilitate sustainable integrated, multiple literacy experiences—the teachers collaborated with the children and with one another to co-construct authentic learning experiences which drew upon and expanded students' interests and inquiries, and which positioned music in new ways as another classroom language. The unfolding stories examined in this inquiry resonate with the ideas and the spirit of the atelier in Reggio Emilia schools, and they point to the importance of meaningful, collaborative relationships in teacher learning and reflection. The study has implications for the ways in which musical experiences may be structured, made more complex, and revalued in elementary schools.

This thesis examines the tenets and approaches of integrative learning for sustainability, and critiques the adequacy and effectiveness of conventional, higher education practices in preparing students for what is an increasingly uncertain future. At the centre of this inquiry is the study of a fourth year, undergraduate field course from the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria that took an integrative, whole-person approach to sustainability in light of integral systems theory. The course provided students with an experiential and integrative learning approach to the study of sustainability that sought to engage the multiple intelligences of students, issuing from their intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. To support this process, the course aimed at meeting the needs associated with these facets through diverse learning experiences that included contemplative exercises, the development of a learning community, a critical examination of course readings and experience in service learning activities. The evaluative research of the course’s impacts examined the learning experiences from the students’ perspective to identify which experiences and approaches were most meaningful. The enquiry also investigated which, if any, of these experiences led to enduring personal transformation and/or community action. The methodology undertaken involved a phenomenological examination of two small group interviews with six of the participating students, as well as an analysis of the six students’ written reflection assignments. The results of this research show the effectiveness and impact of some of the distinctive approaches of the course, namely the powerful effects of experiential learning, community based learning and the provision of time and space for personal and group reflection. These activities supported students in broadening and changing their view of themselves, their sense community, as well as provided opportunities for students to engage in sustainable practices. / Graduate

Students’ interactions can be an influential component of students’ success in an interactive learning environment. From a participation perspective, learning is viewed in terms of how students transform their participation. However, many of the seminal papers discussing the participationist framework are vague on specific details about what student participation really looks like on a fine-grained scale. As part of a large project to understand the role of student participation in learning, this study gathered data that quantified students’ participation in three broad areas of two student-centered introductory calculus-based physics classes structured around the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) philosophy. These three broad areas of classes were in-class learning activities, class review sessions that happened at the beginning of every class, and the informal learning community that formed outside of class time. Using video data, classroom observations, and students’ self-reported social network data, this study quantified students’ participation in these three aspects of the class throughout two semesters. The relationship between behaviors of students’ engagement in various settings of an active learning environment and (a) their conceptual understanding (measured by FCI gain) and (b) academic success in the courses as measured by exam scores and scores on out-of-class assignments were investigated. The results from the analysis of the student interaction in the learning process show that three class components, viz. the Review Session, Learning Activities, and Informal Learning Community, play distinct roles in learning. Students who come in the class with better content knowledge do not necessarily participate more in the learning activities of active learning classrooms. Learning Communities serve as a “support network” for students to finish assignments and help students to pass the course. Group discussions, which are facilitated by students themselves, better help students in gaining conceptual understanding. Since patterns of students’ participation do not change significantly over time, instructors should try to ensure greater participation by incorporating different learning activities in the active learning classroom.

Today’s medical faculty members are faced with different challenges than their predecessors in teaching tomorrow’s physicians. Medical faculty members are now expected not only to be medical content experts, but also expert educators. The majority of the professional development activities available to them, however, are still focused on biomedical knowledge or the improvement of clinical practices. This article explores a faculty development project at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine (DFM) aimed at improving teaching skills through the online sharing of video teaching tips created by DFM faculty members. Guided by the W(e)Learn Framework, a validated theoretical framework for the design and evaluation of online learning resources, a mixed-methods case study was designed and executed to investigate the impact of this faculty development project on the medical educator learning community. Data from the survey (N=33) and interviews (N=10) were analysed and relevant themes were identified and discussed in the context of the literature. Survey participants responded positively towards the project, finding the tips to be useful, enjoyable, and to have the potential to stimulate knowledge sharing between colleagues and within a learning community. Interview participants corroborated the survey results and additionally reported positive aspects to their colleagues being tip presenters; to the videos being concise; and to the tip videos being accessible anywhere and at any time via the Internet. Issues and concerns with organizational integration and support, as well as with integration into a curriculum were also reported by interview participants. Recommendations were then provided for improving the project as well as suggestions to support the development of similar online professional development resources based on the study findings. Finally, future directions for related research were suggested and other areas of research interest were identified.