Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-86). / This study compares the management practices at two primary schools with a similar socio-economic background but vastly differing academic results. I identify the extent to which these practices nurture the development of a Professional Learning Community. The data were collected mainly by using semi-formal open-ended interviews and surveys. The Grade 3 and Grade 6 Literacy and Numeracy tests results of the Western Cape Education Department were used as a benchmark to compare the achievement of the learners at the two schools. I chose a comparative case study approach which lends itself to an in-depth analysis of practices in two contexts. My study found substantial differences between the management and leadership practices at the two schools. The following practices appear to be associated with the school producing better results: (1) They had systems and practices to support collaborative work, (2) they ensured that monitoring and moderation of planned and assessed work occurred, (3) they focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning, (4) they adapted practices in order to improve learner achievement, (5) there was evidence of mutual care, respect, and collective responsibility, (6) they visited schools producing better results to inform their practices, (7) they operated within a cluster of schools formed with the aim of improving teaching and learning, (8) problems were addressed and resolved as soon as they became apparent, and, (9) the School Management Team operated collaboratively. These practices created platforms for collaboration and nurtured a positive morale. In general, these practices were not present or well-developed in the school where learners achieved poorer results. Consequently, the potential positive contributions of staff were not utilised. There was limited collaboration and high levels of frustration were present.

This study explores English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ experiences of Professional Development (PD) programmes in Egypt. The current study investigates the sample’s experience as learners, instructors, and as individuals in relation to different contexts that include the classroom, school, and PD. In addition, it identifies the views of other PD stakeholders, including parents, school principals, PD designers, and training providers. The study has four main aims:(1) to identify teachers’ needs, concerns, problems, challenges, and frustrations with their PD; (2) to provide insight into the English Language Teaching (ELT) class context and any hindering factors that contribute to unsatisfactory PD; (3) to identify contextual factors in the school environment that hinder EFL teachers’ PD; and (4) to investigate the views of PD stakeholders towards EFL teachers’ experiences of PD. The participants of this study are in-service EFL teachers who have attended, or are currently attending, at least one of four PD programmes in the Cairo and Giza governorates. The sample, representing Greater Cairo, was selected to include a mix of gender, academic backgrounds, varied years of experience, and a variety of governmental school districts. PD stakeholders were selected according to the nature of their work which is closely connected to PD and school as well as parents. The methodology adopted by the researcher broadly follows mixed methods methodology that uses a sequential mixed-methods approach. The data generation process combines Questionnaire, Journal Writing, Focus Groups and Individual Semi-Structured Interviews. Data is analyzed quantitatively using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) software and qualitatively using exploratory content analysis. The study’s most significant finding was the impact the following have on PD: teachers’ classroom practice and pedagogy, their workloads and time pressures, the role of private tuition, separation between PD and class pedagogy, curriculum innovations, PD and quality standards, the size of classes and teachers’ relationships with students. The school context is a vital finding of the study; context includes the influences of school principals, supervisory practices, collegiality within the school, the influence of parents, and school libraries on the effectiveness of PD. A significant finding that emerged from the data analysis illustrates a major concern with EFL PD, particularly, the management of teachers’ PD. This emerging theme sheds light on PD and the Ministry of Education’s decisions, its centralization, bureaucracy, issues of favouritism, co-ordination between the different parties of schools, universities, training schools, and personnel, employment, or job-related issues. The findings of the current study have been discussed into five different categories with regard to EFL teachers’ PD: cultural, social, academic, affective and institutional domains. The study concludes with a number of potential fruitful implications and suggestions for further research.

The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to gather perspectives of randomly selected administrators and teachers in two central Florida school districts concerning the participation of teachers in professional development (PD), and secondly, to determine if there was a significant differences in the amount of participation of teachers from different academic departments in these activities. Results indicated that a teacher's assignment to a particular academic department has a relationship to the amount of PD involvement. Results also suggested that building principals' perceptions concerning teacher support of and participation in these activities were moderately accurate. Data were collected using two survey instruments developed by the researcher. The Professional Development Questionnaire for Teachers contained 22 items developed to gather teachers' perceptions concerning: (a) their participation in PD, (b) the relevance of the PD activities they had been involved in, (c) the process used to select these activities, (d) the monitoring efforts of their administrators concerning teacher involvement in these activities, and (e) information about the number of hours they were involved in PD between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2004. The Professional Development Questionnaire for Building Principals collected data from administrators at the same schools as those of the teachers surveyed. Building principals were asked their perceptions concerning: (a) teacher participation in PD, (b) the effectiveness of PD, (c) the selection of activities, and (d) the fund sources used to provide PD for their teachers. A total of 433 teachers and 38 building administrators comprised the sample population. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data collected. In addition, information was collected from respondents using comments they included in the surveys. The implications for policy and procedure drawn from this study were: (a) school administrators' need to develop a plan to more closely monitor the participation of their teachers in PD and (b) the availability of PD opportunities should be equitable for all teachers regardless of their academic department assignment. Suggestions for future research and educational practices were also provided.

This research was undertaken to explore professional development in Western Australia secondary schools from the perspective of the classroom teacher. A study that bridged quantitative and qualitative methodology, it drew upon teachers' perspectives and reports of professional development activities in which they had been involved over an eighteen month period.The major focuses of the study were in exploring teachers' perceptions of their professional development activities across the following dimensions: choice, the influence of career stage, rationale for choice, equity in relation to access, levels of participation, gender factors, perceptions of effectiveness, influence of school/educational culture.The conceptual framework in this study (refer to Figure 2.1) acknowledges the teacher as the central point of reference due to his/her importance in the classroom as the architect of the learning experiences for students (Fogarty, 1999. Four aspects were identified as influences on teachers. These were professional development; factors affecting teachers' capacity to develop professionally; technological change in education; and the education system in which teachers work. Literature related to these four aspects was explored.The findings of this study, based upon in-depth interviews with teachers, indicated that the respondents were expending significant amounts of time engaged in professional development. Results demonstrated that half of the reported hours (150 hours/person/year) involved personally selected professional development. Teachers' rationale for choosing professional development was in order to become a more effective practitioner resulting in increased learning opportunities for their students. Effectiveness of professional development was predominantly related to the relevancy to teaching, level of interaction within the session, opportunities to ++ / obtain and discuss teaching materials, and the opportunities for reflection on their practices with colleagues.Career stage did indeed appear to influence teachers' choice of professional development, perceptions of effectiveness and quality, personal teaching philosophies, and perceptions of the school and educational culture. Less experienced teachers and those in the final career stage were more focused on increasing their repertoire of teaching strategies. Experienced teachers in the middle career stages were largely concerned with increasing subject knowledge, and expertise required to assist them in their additional duties other than teaching.Equity in accessing professional development was a distinct issue for rural teachers information technology teachers in this study. Information technology teachers reported experiencing frustration with the expense involved, and difficulties in accessing targeted professional development that catered to their specific requirements. Teachers situated in rural areas expressed concern with the lack of choice available to them in the rural situation. This was largely due to extensive travel time to the metropolitan area to attend specific programs, expense involved in accessing professional development and the lack of support by administration in their schools related to professional development.The teachers in this study displayed gender differences in relation to their perceptions and choices of professional development. Female teachers were generally more focused on professional development that directly related to their teaching whereas their male counterparts were overtly seeking professional development that would advance their career aspirations. Family commitments were more frequently cited by male respondents as the reason for non-attendance at out-of-hours professional development.School culture was acknowledged by ++ / teachers in this study as having an impact on professional development. Teachers resoundingly indicated they desired more self-determination in decision-making related to professional development. They expressed the perspective that the employer was demonstrating a lack of trust in teachers' professionalism and was not providing professional development to meet their teaching needs. It appeared that the professional development being provided was ad hoc and a more systematic approach was needed.As a result of this research a model of systematic professional development has been proposed that encompasses the expressed needs of teachers in this study, the literature on effective professional development to improve student learning, and the quality assurance and accountability mechanisms required by the employer.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Melbourne, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-130)

No description available.

Initially the overall aim of this thesis was to describe and analyse what was happening in the educational activities when teachers at a school that I have called Tower School introduced the computer as a tool for helping pupils who were learning to write and read. Key questions concerned the issue of improvement. Did introducing the computer as a tool in the teaching and learning process help the pupils with their learning or not and, if so, in what ways. The research approach chosen was an action research approach. Action research is concerned with professional practice and improvement. It is contextual and oriented toward action processes and change. The initial phase of the research went more or less according to plan. I followed the development process of the introduction and use of the computer as a learning tool, met regularly with the teachers and together with them developed a good working relationship. After about a year things changed. With the restructuring that was taking place in the region changes began to take place also at Tower School and this had effects on the research. In addition to the initial aim to research changes related to student learning a second purpose developed. This purpose was to describe and analyse how political governance and underlying societal forces might influence what happens in school development. There were two reasons for this new extra dimension. One was a methodological interest in relation to planning action research projects at times of political change in the education sector. The other was an educational theoretical interest connected to the school as a policy-driven organization. My interest here was for changes in the political economy at the macro level and how the network of macro-political and economic relations affected the micropolitical level of the school, its classrooms, participating teachers in these classrooms, their students and me as a researcher? / <p>Akademisk avhandling som med tillstånd av utbildningsvetenskapliga fakulteten vid</p><p>Göteborgs universitet för vinnande av doktorsexamen i pedagogiskt arbete</p><p>framläggs till offentlig granskning Fredagen den 14 juni, kl. 13-16 vid Högskolan i Borås, sal C203</p>

Despite the growing importance of science and technology in society, school students consider these subjects irrelevant and hard to learn. Teachers must therefore know how to teach science in ways that enhance students’ understanding and interest. This thesis explores various aspects of the teaching and learning of chemical bonding, an important topic in school chemistry that is primarily taught using models. Research has shown that students find chemical bonding difficult to understand, and that the use of models in science education contributes to this difficulty. I therefore investigated teachers’ knowledge of how to teach chemical bonding and ways of developing it to improve students’ understanding. To this end, I analysed chemistry textbooks and teachers’ lesson plans, and conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers about their teaching of chemical bonding. This revealed that the representations of chemical bonding used in textbooks and by teachers can cause students difficulties. The teachers were generally unaware of how these representations might affect students’ understanding, implying that their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) could be improved. To explore ways of incorporating research findings into teaching practice and developing teachers’ PCK, I conducted a learning study in which three secondary science teachers together explored and reflected on their own teaching practice. CoRe, a method for creating detailed descriptions of what, how, and why specific content is taught, was used to enhance the reflections and make the teachers’ PCK explicit. As a result, the teachers developed their representations of chemical bonding, became more aware of students’ understanding, and were better able to motivate their actions and choices of content and strategies. This thesis shows how professional development can bridge the gap between research and teaching practice, and how teachers’ PCK can be developed to improve students’ understanding. / Many complex real-world phenomena can only be understood using models that make the abstract visible and provide explanations, predictions, descriptions, or simplifications. However, research has shown that students have difficulties understanding models used in science education in general, and particularly chemical bonding models. This thesis examines various aspects of the teaching and learning of chemical bonding, and its presentation in textbooks and by teachers. It is shown that the representations used by teachers and in textbooks can cause students to have difficulties in understanding, which teachers were generally unaware of. Teachers rarely justify their choices specifically to overcome students’ difficulties, suggesting that their knowledge of how to teach chemical bonding could be improved. A learning study in which teachers collaboratively explored and reflected on their own teaching practice significantly improved their presentation of chemical bonding, their awareness of students’ understanding, and their ability to justify their choices. Overall, this work shows that there is a gap between research and teaching practice, and that effective ways of incorporating research results into teaching practice are needed to improve teaching and learning in chemistry.

The current study is focussed on teachers' beliefs in inclusion and dyslexia and how these are linked to their professional practice when working with dyslexic learners in their primary classrooms in two cultural contexts; in Cyprus and in North West England. The study is guided by the theoretical framework of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) which was used as the descriptive and analytical tool to explore teachers' personal interpretations and inclusive practice. A qualitative research design is used and includes semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and follow-up discussions with ten teachers in total, five Greek-Cypriot and five British teachers. The findings indicate that the teachers presented both similarities and differences on the way the concepts of inclusion and dyslexia are perceived and understood. For example, teachers interpret 'inclusion' as a shared objective to work collectively towards, making reference to shared values such as 'human rights' and 'equal participation'. One difference identified in some of the Cypriot teachers was that that they appeared more critical about teaching disabled students (e.g. students with more complex needs) in relation to their counterparts. In terms of dyslexia, most of the Cypriot and British teachers conceptualised it as a disorder with a biological basis but, at the same time, they refer to the mediating role played by the environment in contributing further to students' difficulties with literacy. Teachers who engage in practices in their classrooms in order to be more inclusive were identified as those who propose innovation in their activities. On the other hand, there are teachers who seem less inclusive, by creating learning opportunities which are not sufficiently made available for everyone and can allow dyslexic students to access the curriculum. The study enriches the international literature on teachers' beliefs and how they are can influence teachers' professional practice. Cultural Historical Activity Theory, contributed into understanding the factors that can influence teachers' practice for inclusion and their between interactive relationship in an activity system. This is an important area of investigation since changing teachers' beliefs about students' ability can reflect changes in their professional practice.

What influences the evolution of junior school reading programmes in the classrooms of beginning teachers? Of all the classroom skills required of beginning teachers, those contributing to the implementation of an effective instructional reading programme perhaps represent some of the most complex and sophisticated challenges that will be encountered. Add to this the critical importance to young children of successfully learning to read and the very obvious picture of reading progress revealed by modern assessment practices, and the result is an aspect of teaching that can assume a position of significant focus. This is especially true for teachers working with junior school children. This study investigated the current practices of three junior school teachers during their first two years teaching, how these practices have evolved over time and identifies the factors that have influenced each teacher. Participants' stories were gathered during individual interviews to establish current practices and these were compared with a typical sample of classroom reading instruction that had been captured on video prior to the initial interviews. Each teacher also participated in an individual follow up interview during which they were able to observe the sample video excerpt and comment reflectively upon their practice in the light of their observations. This study found that developing effective junior school reading programmes generated considerable angst for these beginning teachers. While they were able to draw upon preservice preparation when articulating their intentions, the transition from the abstractions of theory to the realities of classroom practice challenged their teaching skills in this fledgling stage of their career. Despite an apparent commitment to guided reading as emphasized in pre-service literacy courses, each participant implemented round robin reading as their initial teaching strategy. In order to implement reading pedagogy as advocated within their pre-service experiences, the emergence of a professional conscience appears to have been critical. The way that teachers' understanding of literacy acquisition consolidates is greatly influenced by their practical classroom experiences and the personal capacity that they bring to the teaching role. The findings of this study support Berliner (1994) and Huberman (1989) because each of the teachers could be placed on a trajectory of teacher development. However stage related views of professional development do not fully reflect the complexity of individuals combined with the uniqueness of their contexts. The broader perspective highlighted in the work of Nias (1989) provided a framework more accommodating of the realities encountered during this study.