The current study was based in one higher education institution and examined pre-service teachers’ use of social media to support their own professional development whilst on school placement, through a community of practice lens. The trainees were registered on a one year secondary course designed to lead to a Post Graduate Certificate in Education with 60 credits at Masters Level combined with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for England and Wales during which the researcher repeatedly interviewed a focus group sample from each subject cohort and analysed transcripts of these interviews through the lens of Wenger’s (1998) concept of a community of practice. The research took place in a national context of review and reform of teacher education in England. Some trainees, for example those studying at the higher education establishment at question, might experience considerable challenge in the school placement. Authentic self-reflection requires a safe place in which pre-service teachers can openly articulate with others what they might see as their own failures as well as successes in the classroom in order to develop a greater sense of self-efficacy and new ideas about teaching. In some instances, such as in the area of behaviour management, the national focus on maintaining good order means that it may become even more challenging and ultimately riskier to share the experience of failure because acknowledgement of this risks the possibility of failing to achieve the requisite standard for qualified teacher status. Besides, to gain qualified teacher status a trainee must attain the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2013) which include a requirement that a professional teacher upholds the ethos of the school to which the trainee might not be sympathetic. Findings from this research cannot be generalised. However, in this small-scale study it was found that pre-service teachers used private social media to support each other on the course in a number of ways: to establish a group that might be viewed as a community of practice and then, as part of the core enterprise of becoming a qualified teacher, to offer or to receive shared practice or support from another pre-service teacher in the role of more knowledgeable other and to broker new ideas about teaching to each other and to schools themselves from the other communities to which they belonged. Those who networked socially as part of the community of practice were more organised around deadlines. They also more likely to manage risky and stressful situations collaboratively and present an enhanced image of “…a body of common knowledge, practices and approaches” (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder, 2007, pp. 4-5) during their school placement which was unavailable to the trainee who did not participate within the online community. The scope for openly sharing practice and the development of learning communities among pre-service teachers is potentially restricted by the current national and local context of teacher education. However, one conclusion from this study might be that social media can potentially enable pre-service teachers to communicate privately in important ways that support their professional development whilst undertaking their training.

O objeto deste trabalho é o programa de formação continuada Letra e Vida, oferecido pela Secretaria Estadual de Educação de São Paulo a professores alfabetizadores da rede entre 2003 e 2006. Os objetivos da pesquisa foram avaliar os impactos do Programa nos resultados de desempenho dos alunos de 1ª série mensurados por meio do Sistema de Avaliação do Rendimento Escolar do estado de São Paulo (Saresp), considerada a aferição de 2007, e também seus possíveis efeitos sobre concepções e práticas de alfabetização dos professores que dele participaram. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo, aplicou-se o método misto, que integra abordagens quantitativa e qualitativa. Assim, realizaram-se entrevistas em três escolas, com coordenadores, diretores e professores de 1ª a 4ª série que tivessem participado do Programa, com prioridade dos professores do Ciclo 1. Os dados provenientes do Questionário para os Professores de 1ª e 2ª série do Ensino Fundamental e os resultados dos alunos na prova de 1ª série, ambos instrumentos do Saresp 2007, foram reorganizados e reinterpretados para as análises baseadas em técnicas de árvores de decisão e de regressão linear múltipla e para a comparação entre grupos de escolas com diferentes proporções de professores que participaram do Programa. Concluiu-se que o Letra e Vida influenciou o discurso dos docentes, sobretudo em sua concepção de alfabetização, embora nem sempre se tenham percebido, nas visitas às escolas, evidências da transposição desse discurso para a prática da sala de aula. No que tange aos impactos do Programa sobre o desempenho dos alunos, pode- -se afirmar que, em alguns contextos e em conjunto com outras características estudadas, o Letra e Vida se destacou na explicação dos resultados dos alunos, mas, sozinho, não teve impactos significativos. / This dissertation focuses on the continued literacy teacher education program called Letra e Vida, offered by the Sao Paulo state Department of Education during the period of 2003 to 2006. The research objectives were to assess the impact of the Program in the first grade students performance and also its possible effects on concepts and practices of teaching literacy from teachers who participated in it. To achieve these goals the São Paulo Education Achievement Assessment System (Saresp) was used, considering the evaluation of 2007 and a mixed method study was developed to integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches complementarily. Thus, interviews in three schools were conducted with coordinators, principals and 1st to 4th grade teachers with priority given to teachers of 1st and 2nd grades who attended the program. The data from the questionnaire for teachers of 1st and 2nd grades, and the results of students in the 1st grade, both collected by SARESP 2007, were reorganized and reinterpreted to be used in statistical analysis using multiple linear regression, decision trees and comparison between groups of schools with different proportions of teachers who participated in the Program. It was possible to conclude that the effects of the program in teachers discourse were considerable, although evidence of implementation of such discourse was not always possible to observe during visits to schools. With regard to the impact of the Program on student performance, it is clear that in some contexts the Letra e Vida in conjunction with other variables were able to offer some explanation to the student outcomes, but its effects are not significant when standing alone.

Essa dissertação está inserida na linha de pesquisa Formação de professores de línguas no projeto Auto-avaliação do educador de línguas, tendo como foco a prática docente e de que modo escolhas lingüísticas feitas pelo professor durante as aulas de leitura em língua inglesa favorecem a interação do aluno com o texto e o autor. A pesquisa investiga de que maneira as intervenções feitas pelo professor, através de perguntas, em aula de leitura em Língua Inglesa, como língua estrangeira, suscitam reflexão crítica. Utiliza-se a Gramática Sistêmico-Funcional (GSF) como ferramenta no estudo da linguagem em uso para amparar teoricamente os múltiplos significados que podem ser atribuídos a uma mesma leitura. Na metodologia utilizam-se as noções de etnografia de Cançado (1994), sendo que a coleta de dados foi feita por transcrições de gravações de aulas de leitura do gênero contos infantis, com alunos de 7 série de uma escola da rede particular. Os resultados foram analisados qualitativamente sob a perspectiva crítica da prática docente, utilizando-se como aporte teórico obras de autores como Castro (1998); Liberali (2003); Magalhães (2003); Romero (2003;2004;2006). Os resultados obtidos após avaliação e reavaliação constante da realidade das aulas e análise de dados indicam uma contribuição para o aprimoramento de prática docente da pesquisadora enquanto mediadora de conhecimento de língua inglesa. / This research is related to the area "Development of teachers of languages" in the project "Auto-evaluation of the language teacher", focusing on the educational practice and in what way the linguistic choices, made by the teacher during the classes of reading in English, favor the interaction of the student with the text. In this way, the students learning of the foreign language (FL) can increase the teachers self perception as a knowledge constructor, happening while new meanings are incorporated to the thought of the learner. The research investigates how the interventions made by the teacher, through questioning, in a reading class in English, as a foreign language, develop critical sense. The Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) is used for the analysis of the language use and the various meanings attributed to the same text. Cançados ethnography (1994) serves as a tool for the data collecting, which was made through recording transcriptions of childrens tales reading classes, with students of the 7th grade in a private school. The results were analyzed qualitatively under the critical perspective of the educational practice and used as a theoretical support authors such as Castro (1998); Liberali (2003); Magalhães (2003) and Romero (2003;2004;2006). The results obtained after the data analysis and the constant evaluation of her classes indicated a contribution to the improvement of her practice as a knowledge mediator in English.

This thesis investigates the use of action research and activity theory to promote the professional development of teachers in an Icelandic upper secondary school. The purpose of the research was to develop a new model to foster professional development through enhancing the participants’ agency to transform their practice. It was carried out with an action research group of twenty-one school professionals and an outside consultant. The group’s aim was to find ways to increase students’ sense of responsibility for their studies. The project combined the ideas behind the Change Laboratory, one of the methods of developmental work research established by Engeström and action research as elaborated by McNiff. I termed our approach the Change Room. There activity theory and the theory of expansive learning provided the participants with a conceptual framework, historical analysis and tools to analyse what changes might be appropriate in our classroom practice. The action research provided the participants with the method and tools to guide the participants when carrying out and evaluating these changes. The research focus was on tensions the participants experienced in their classroom practice. Through creative resolutions of these tensions the intention was to develop better practices and contribute to school development. The research used both action research and case study methodology. The research tools were documentary analysis, interviews, surveys, research diary and observations. The findings were analysed using deductive process based on activity theory. The teachers experienced tensions in their classroom practice between students’ active and passive learning, didactic and dialogic teaching methods, and the requirement to cover the syllabus and to promote deep learning. To resolve these tensions the teachers have developed teaching practices that enhanced active student learning and given more weight to the students’ voices. Participation in the action research group enhanced both individual and collective learning of the school professionals. Their agency to change practice was increased and they also developed more cross curriculum agency. The combination of activity theory and action research in the Change Room provides a new model for enhancing teachers’ professional development and collaboration that has potential to transform classroom practice.

An increasing number of multicultural students are attending U.S. public schools. At a Title I elementary school in a rural region of the southern United States, multicultural students had not met academic standards as measured by state exams, and state scores had been very low for 5 consecutive years. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the instructional strategies used by Grade 4 teachers in helping multicultural students pass state tests. The conceptual framework was Vygotsky's theory of cognitive and social constructivism and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The foci of research questions were on identifying teachers' instructional strategies and clarifying why those strategies are used. Nine teachers who had taught in multicultural classrooms were selected via purposive sampling and were interviewed individually. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes that emerged included the use of educational software, students' learning styles, and differentiation of instruction. Key findings indicated that these Grade 4 teachers incorporated students' background knowledge and interests into lessons and educational resources authored by multicultural authors. The resulting project was a professional development program for Grade 4 teachers of multicultural students that includes a workshop, PowerPoint presentation, an executive summary, and instructional strategies. These findings will help teachers improve their instructional strategies, which will, in turn, enance the learning of these Grade 4 students.

It is critical to provide inservice elementary teachers the opportunity to advance their science instruction, which in turn can positively impact not only their practice but also their perceptions towards science teaching and learning. Too often, science-specific professional development (PD) programs are scarcely provided as a result of an emphasis on English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. Other hurdles include elementary teachers themselves having poor or little positive science experiences that lead to hesitancy or avoidance of science teaching. One way to dismantle these obstacles is for elementary teachers to engage in science learning and teaching. It has been noted that teachers can make positive changes to their practice by participating in ongoing professional development. This study uses a multiple case study approach to understand how three elementary teachers experience a science professional learning community (PLC) composed of middle school and high school science teachers and the affordances this structure provides them. Recognizing that learning is a fundamentally social phenomenon, this study utilizes situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation, communities of practice, and structure-agency dialectic as theoretical frameworks. Data from teacher reflections, audio recordings, lesson observations, researcher field notes, lesson plans, and semi-structured interviews were used to highlight the affordances of the structures of the PLC. Findings from this study suggest the vertical PLC space can greatly influence elementary teachers’ professional growth and agency development. Likewise, because of their equitable contributions in this space, the elementary teachers contributed to the secondary teachers’ professional growth. This study has implications for the design and designing and implementing professional development for inservice elementary teachers. Keywords: science professional development, elementary science teacher, professional learning community, vertically aligned professional learning community, social structures, agency

Antiracist teacher education in the United States has largely been situated within university-based teacher education programs over the last thirty years. This body of research documents the struggles and possibilities of preparing race-conscious educators who engage in antiracist practices that support diverse student populations. Despite this body of scholarship, there has been limited research in this area with school-based teacher education through inservice professional development (PD). Yet, there has also been an increase in antiracist and race-forward PD for teachers in schools in recent years. In turn, this study analyzes the curriculum of antiracist PD in New York City schools over the last ten years (2012-2022), seeking to understand the possibilities and tensions. Using qualitative and visual arts-based educational research methods, I interviewed 28 teachers, school leaders, and PD facilitators. In doing so, I found that the PD curricula across NYC schools largely made room for (a) building educators’ knowledge of structural racism, (b) individual reflection, and (c) changing the student-facing curriculum to be antiracist. However, there were two tangles, or complicated points of tension and contradiction. The first tangle was most visible when one looked at educators’ relationships, especially given the dominance of the carceral paradigm in schools. The second tangle highlights the tension between individual teachers and school institutions, wondering who is responsible for enacting antiracism in schools. I ultimately contend that it is not just antiracist PD that is needed in schools, but abolitionist PD.

This qualitative case study was created to explore with experienced online adjunct faculty in higher education their perceptions of the ways they learned to stay competent within their discipline to continue to be proficient in their online instruction. Their experience teaching online ranged from five to 17 years and all participants taught online for both private and public institutions. Some participants taught for one institution while others taught for as many as three to six institutions. All participants taught a variety of courses and learned informally to develop the competencies they needed to become proficient in online instruction. The study was based on the following assumptions: a) experienced online adjunct faculty need continuing opportunities for professional and personal development and growth; b) experienced online adjunct faculty need professional development support from their institutions to create experiences that support their professional and personal development growth; c) professional development programs will help adjuncts keep their knowledge and skills current to help them to remain competent in their online instruction to continue to be proficient in their online instruction. The source of data for this study was interviews with 15 experienced online adjuncts who had at least five years of experience teaching online. This research study was designed to explore the competencies experienced online adjuncts (EOAs) perceive they need to remain competent, the way they learn those competencies, and factors that help and hinder them from remaining competent to continue to be proficient in their online instruction. Three major findings revealed that: a) technological and pedagogical competencies were the most important to be proficient in their online instruction; b) EOAs learned these competencies informally, through experiential learning, dialogue with colleagues, trial and error and self-directed learning; c) engaging in the institution’s decision-making process for online instruction helped them to remain competent. The principal recommendations for administrators in institutions of higher education who support EOAs who teach online are to offer meaningful specialized professional development and training, foster practices that acknowledge the expertise of EOAs and compensate them for expenses incurred from the purchase of technology products, and participation in opportunities that advance their competencies. The principal recommendations resulting from this research study for EOAs who gain technological and pedagogical competencies through informal learning to continue to be proficient in their online instruction are to advocate to develop their own professional development and training programs, establish opportunities for collaboration with their colleagues, initiate more interaction with the administrators, and acknowledge their hard work and professional growth in gaining exceptional competencies for their online instruction.

Student teaching is recognized as the culminating and seminal experience of preservice teacher education. It is a unique time when preservice teachers are fully engaged in daily responsibilities of P-12 music educators, while under direct supervision of a mentor, often referred to as the cooperating music teacher (CMT). CMTs have immense influence on student teachers during this pivotal point in their education. The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to explore preferences and practices of music teacher educators (MTEs) in the United States with regards to the selection, preparation, and education of CMTs, through the lens of Abramo and Campbell’s Four Notions Framework. Data were collected through a document search of state administrative codes, rules, and regulations regarding selection criteria for CMTs, a national survey of MTEs (n = 104), and semi-structured follow-up interviews of survey participants (n = 10). This study demonstrated the importance of MTE agency and student involvement in the selection process and selection criteria that is responsive to diverse and localized needs of institutions of higher education, P-12 schools, and individual student teachers. Findings argue against universal criteria for CMTs in favor of policies that are appropriate and sensible for diverse teaching and learning contexts. Findings indicate a prevalence of published criteria for the selection of CMTs across the United States, paired with a disconnect between the prevalence of policy and MTEs knowledge of those state policies, and a lack of published policy at institutions of higher education. MTEs in the study reported community building and individual relationships as important elements that facilitate the selection, preparation, and education of CMTs. MTEs also demonstrated strong agreement with the importance of the Four Notions Framework and indicated student involvement dispositional criteria for CMTs (e.g., good role model, willingness to discuss feedback) to be elements of the selection process they valued most. The strong agreement with the Four Notions Framework positions it as a useful tool to evaluate effectiveness of selection criteria and available professional development. Availability of professional development for CMTs appears to be an important area of growth for the profession. MTEs identified themselves as primary providers of professional development, through informal and formal individualized interactions they have with CMTs. While handbooks for CMTs appear to be prevalent, findings demonstrate they are an underutilized tool for preparation and education of CMTs. MTEs shared mixed perceptions about alignment of available professional development with the Four Notions Framework, indicating effectiveness of those opportunities, in helping to promote dispositions and qualifications MTEs value, is another area of growth. The availability of qualified and effective CMTs emerged as a primary barrier, alongside other expected barriers such as geographic contexts, time, funding, staffing, and full workloads. MTEs in this study also identified institutionalized structures and policies intended to support CMTs that sometimes act as barriers to selection, preparation, and education. A lack of common terminology in the field of music teacher education may also act as a barrier to collaboration and communication about policies and processes. Implications and recommendations are offered for further exploration of selection criteria, advancement of professional development, and further lines of inquiry.

While classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which amended Florida Statute 1012.585 (3) (e) (Process for Renewal of Professional Certificates, 2017) on perceived teacher ability to implement inclusion practices. An online version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale developed by Sharma, Loreman, and Forlin (2012) was utilized, along with demographic and experiential factors for classroom teachers in the study district to examine their self-efficacy toward inclusion. Analysis of the data indicated statistically significant differences in mean TEIP scale scores for exceptional student education (ESE) and general education teachers. Data analyses revealed that almost half of the teachers had a negative view of and did not perceive any benefit from the course. While ESE and general education teachers had similar preparation needs, they also reported areas of concern specific to their subset. Overall, the course did not provide enough continuing education in the areas most needed by the participants. SB1108-mandated course completion was also not found to be an indicator of higher teacher self-efficacy for the majority of teachers. Analysis of the differences in TEIP scale scores found that only elementary school teachers benefited from completing the course, while it had the opposite effect for general education high school teachers and no significant effect for ESE teachers. Differences in TEIP scale scores from demographic and experiential factors accounted for 13% of the variance in the population and was not significant for the ESE teacher subset. One percent or less of the variance was attributed to completion of the required continuing education course. Implications include reviewing the legislation’s effectiveness for teachers in different areas and grade levels, hiring and evaluation decisions based on TEIP scale scores of applicants and employees, and designing more meaningful continuing education courses. Recommendations for state legislatures, school administrators, designers of continuing education courses, and for future research regarding improvement of teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices are offered. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection