This qualitative case study examined a researcher-designed professional development intervention focused on improving teachers’ understanding of the interactions among students and between students and teachers in the teachers’ own classrooms. Participating teachers collaborated with the researcher in determining what they would observe and collaborated with each other in making sense of what they saw. The study analyzed participants’ discourse to characterize what they saw, how they worked together, what they found helpful in the intervention, and how they benefited. The study took place over a three-month period at a Canadian Community College in Qatar committed to guiding its faculty in adopting a learner-centred approach. Four participants worked in pairs to share and discuss video of their own classes in action as they sought to adopt the desired learner-centred approach. After a Group Training Session led by the researcher to develop a Video Analysis Framework, the pairs worked through two iterations of individual video recording and selection of a ten-minute clip for sharing, followed by paired analysis of the clips. The researcher recorded the training session, the paired discussions, interviews, and focus group discussion. Data from transcriptions and researcher field notes were analyzed inductively and connected closely with findings from the literature on the benefits of video analysis in enhancing the effectiveness of teacher-directed professional development. Faculty participants benefited from the intervention in a variety of ways. Production, selection, and discussion of video of participants' own class sessions drew participants into focused reflection on student interactions, which led to heightened awareness of phenomena important to participants in becoming learner-centred teachers. Sharing perspectives with their peers generated consensus in interpretation. Iterations led to higher levels of inference and the emergence of a problem-solving approach in making sense of phenomena. Motivated by video analysis, participants experimented with what they considered to be improved teaching techniques. Participants demonstrated significant risk-taking, enhanced peer professional relationships, and ownership and autonomy in professional development. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-01-31 16:50:24.598

This thesis investigates where the Years 4-10 Queensland French Syllabus is receiving support, by investigating groups of teachers with shared characteristics. In doing so, it aims to shed some light on why teachers have not embraced this new syllabus. Specific issues pertaining to the syllabus are investigated, such as the use of task-based instruction as the chosen methodology and of embedded content, as well as contextual issues, such as employment sector and levels taught. Teachers' reactions to change have also been investigated in relation to the introduction of this syllabus. In addition to this, the process involved in acceptance of an innovation has been explored which led to an examination of teacher understanding of the current syllabus. This study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one outlines the syllabus and context, as well as hypotheses for this study and rationale. Chapter two is a literature review which brings together previous research and links it to the current study. The chosen methodology is covered by chapter three, with chapter four being a detailed explanation of results received from the data collection. The final chapter, chapter five, discusses these results and the implications of these findings.